ESL Christmas: How the Grinch Stole Christmas

One of the most loved North American Christmas stories of all time  is the story How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  

Although Dr. Seuss, a well-known children's writer, originally wrote the story for children, it has messages for young and old. 

The story and the animated video ,now shown on television every year  at Christmas time, continues to delight millions of of people whether they are watching it for the first time, or the 30th time. 

Now that we have officially entered the Christmas season, this is a wonderful opportunity for you to watch an important  piece of North American culture.  

It doesn't matter if you live in Australia, Europe, Asia or  the Middle East, you will still enjoy learning a little about a series of Christmas messages that apply to every culture or religion. 

If you plan to live in North America, or if you already live here, it is even more important  that you know about this  story by Dr. Seuss. If you can mention any aspect of the How the Grinch Stole Christmas, or of Who ville  in casual conversation, people will think you are  a true American or Canada, and really "get us." 

This is also a way you can get your children involved. 

Activity 1#
Pre-listening: 
Read and go through the following power point on your own, or with your children


Power Point Explaining the Basic Story and characters of  How the Grinch Stole Christmas 


Listening: 
Watch the video as many times as you need to know and answer the comprehension questions below. 

   












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 How the Grinch Stole Christmas multiple choice questions PDF
  How the Grinch Stole Christmas Answers PDF



  Activity #2 : SONG

1.  Listen to the song without  looking at the gap fill. Try to write down all the negative

     words that describe Mr. Grinch, for exdample: "mean" . 

2.  Listen as many times as you need and fill in the gaps. 

3.  Sing-along . This is a great song to practice enunciating. Make sure you open your 
     mouth as wide as you can in order to let your tongue get to the right place. Sing as 
     slowly as the singer. 

  

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

   Discussion and Writing Questions

1.         Why do you think the Grinch hated Christmas so much? 

2.         What role does Cindy Lou play in the story. What does she do to change the Grinch?  

3.         Why do you think the Who's reacted the way they did when they found out that all
             their things had  been  stolen? 

4.         Do you know anyone who is like the Grinch? What might some be some reasons      
            why that person acts that way?

5.         What did the people of Whoville learn from the Grinch's behaviour in the story?  

6.         If you were the Grinch's defense attorney, what kind of arguments could you make in

            his favour?  

7.         What is the message of the story?  Is there more than one message?  Explain.

8.          If you had to spend an afternoon with Grinch for the afternoon what would you do to

            get the Grinch in the holiday spirit?

9.         If you could give the Grinch one gift, what would it be? 

10.       List some differences between the Grinch and Cindy's Lou's personalities. Give                       examples. 

11.       The Grinch has a serious character flaw. He experiences a crisis and then changes               for the better. Describe the Grinch's character flaw at the beginning of the story.                     What  crisis changes him?  How does he change? 

12.       Dr. Seuss wrote How the Grinch Stole Christmas to point out how the media and                    marketing have created a holiday focused on spending money to buy things.  

            Discuss how has the media changed holidays such as Christmas, New Years,           
            Chinese New Year, Valentine's Day, Mother;s Day etc. and how they are celebrated. 

13.       Would you write a different ending to the story? Explain why or why not. If yes, how               would you end  it? 

14.       Do you know anyone who had some bad personality characteristics, but who                          became  a better person after something happened to him or her. This could be                    you, or anyone you know. Tell what happened, and why this person changed. 

15.       Write a letter to persuade the Grinch why he should change his mind.   

   How the Grinch Stole Christmas Writing and Discussion Questions    Word Doc. 
     
Original Complete Script for the animated version of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas

  

Readers Theatre How the Grinch Stole Christmas

This is an easier version of the story written like a small play. It is perfect for students to use as a play in the classroom. The roles are broken down so that everyone can have  one , two or even three parts.

1. Assign roles to different students and have the practice in groups. ( If you have a large class, you could divide them into two or three groups) 
2. Start with having them read their lines normally, but fluently, without hesitating or stumbling. 
3. Go over the pronunciation of different words.
4. Now, have the students put the maximum amount of expression in their voice. Practice as often as they need. 
5.  Have them memorize their lines and be able to repeat them in the correct order. 
6. Perform the mini play in class

http://www.funtrivia.com/playquiz/quiz2478941c61d58.html

ESL Christmas 2013: The Nativity Story

Christmas has become a fun filled holiday for people all over the world - regardless of whether they are Christian or not.  As a result many people are very familiar with the idea of Santa Claus, gift giving, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, Jingle Bells and Christmas dinner of turkey and all the trimmings. 

However, some people are not familiar with the reason practicing Christians celebrate this special day. 

The following video tells the story of Christmas that comes from the Bible.  It does not matter if you believe the story or not, but IS is important to know the story itself if you want to understand Christian beliefs and culture.

Instructions: 

• Try to listen to the story several times WITHOUT reading the subtitles. 
• Then, try to answer the questions. ( Do NOT check your answers)   
  
• Next, go back and listen to the story while you read the subtitles.  
• Answer the questions again.  Check the answers. 
• Read along WITH the speaker - at the same time, NOT after him. When you speak at the same time as the speaker, this is called shadow speaking. 

 Read about the Nativity Story 

The Nativity Story ( easy) aimed at Children
 The Nativity Story: A Reading ( medium) 

The Christmas Story Comprehension: Source BBC
A Christmas Story Quiz 
A more difficult Christmas quiz  
  

Fun with Christmas Vocabulary

Christmas Vocabulary Quiz 
Christmas Vocabulary Quiz ( in context) SOURCE English Page  
Funny Christmas Sayings and Expressions  

Traditional Christmas Carols: 

I'm including some traditional Christmas carols  that focus on the real meaning of Christmas.  People have sung these carols for hundreds of years, so it is useful for you to know some of them. 

Silent Night

Silent Night ( German Stille Nach, heilige Nacht) is the best known Christmas carol in the world.  It has been translated into more than 140 languages and sung by every singer who has ever released a Christmas album.  Composed in 1818 in Austria, it was declared an intagible cultural heritage by UNESCO in March 20111. 

In 1914,during World War 1,  soldiers on both sides called a Christmas truce for one night when one side heard the other singing silent night.  All soldiers on both sides began singing the song in their own language as it was one song they all knew. That night, the enemy troops spent the evenig celebrating Christmas together singing, getting to know each other and talking about their loved ones.  The next day, they went back to shooting and killing each other. 


Silent Night and the Seven O'clock News 

In 1966 Well known singers Simon and Garfunkel  recorded two contrasting recordings: a simple arrangement of the Christmas carol "Silent Night", and a simulated "7 O'Clock News" bulletin of the actual events of 3 August 1966.

                                          

Breath of Heaven

This song focuses on how frightened Mary was and her hopes that she could live up to the responsibilities she was going to have as the mother of God. The video features scenes adapted from the 2007 film "The Nativity Story" by New Lines Productions Inc. 

O Holy Night 

This song was originally written in French and is often sung at Christian services on Christmas eve. More than 100 artists have recorded this song,  This version by Canadian singer Josh Groban is very powerful.  


Do You Hear What I Hear?

This song  focuses on what the shepherds in the field heard and saw on the first
Christmas when Jesus was born.





What Child Is This 

"What Child Is This?" is a popular Christmas carol  written in 1865.  At the age of 29, English writer William Chatterton Dix became very sick and almost died. He had to remain in bed for several months. He became very depressed during his illness, but after alomost dying he wrote the song What Child Is This set to the traditional English tune of Gleensleeves.  

Sarah McLaugllin  version is a little different, set to different music using the same words and could almost be a lullaby sung to a baby. .  

The next two songs focus on the joy Christmas is supposed to bring and reminds us that we need to remember to keep some of that joy in our heart even when things in our life are bad. 
 

Try to sing along with this next song as loudly as you can. Make sure you really open your mouth wide. It will help with your pronunciation, your phrasing and your speaking fluency. 

A Popular Vancouver Christmas Tradition: The Van Dusen Garden Festival of Lights

                                             Photo Source: Rik Morel via Flickr.
 If you live in Vancouver make sure you spend an evening at the VanDusen Botanical Garden during their annual Christmas light display. Known as the Festival of Lights, is a well loved Vancouver tradition. An impressive display, it  has taken place as long as I have lived in Vancouver, and probably even longer. It is one of the most popular Christmas events in the Lower Mainland. If you live in Vancouver, you will not regret. 

Attend with your family and friends, but make sure you dress warmly as it will be cold, and you will want to spend time strolling through a magical fairy land designed to please every age group. You can visit with Santa Claus, listen to a variety of choirs and carollers, watch the Dancing Lights on Livingstone Lake, and much on treats such as roast chestnuts, or drink hot apple cider. Remember to bring your camera since you will definitely want to take pictures. The Festival of Lights is open from 4:30pm until 9pm every day, except Christmas Day, until January 2nd. 

Here are a few photos my daughter took during her recent visit to the  garden light show.

 

ESL Christmas More Christmas Songs and Quizzes

A lot of people like singing Christmas carols at this time of year. It is a wonderful thing to do in groups an d can be a lot of fun. Why don't you try a few after you watch some of these videos and do some of the quizzes.

Try to  decide if this first video is a surprise, or a planned event. Whatever it is, it should make you smile
Happy Holidays | Carlson School of Management

This second link will connect you to National Public Radio's Jingle Jam Christmas: Music for the Rest of Us.

In their introduction to their special  Jingle Jam Christmas  the people at NPR said,"Around the holidays, we like our traditions. We go home. We listen to the music that accompanies memories of childhood holiday celebrations, sitting fireside with family and enjoying the freedom of winter break. 

Occasionally, we take it too far and end up blasting songs that cross the fine line between cozy comfort and sickly sweetness. It's called schmaltz, people, and EverReady's got their limit. 

Sometimes on Christmas, people get dumped or lose their jobs, or spend the night in jail. So here's a mix of off-the-beaten-path holiday songs for those people, and for the rest of us."

I am including I5 Christmas song video quizzes from the wonderful ESL Video.Com site. Make sure you visit this site for other great video quizzes.

Jingle Bells Frank Sinatra    This is probably the single, most popular Christmas song ever, although it was originally written for Thanksgiving.

Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer  Burl Ives    Who can name all of Santa's reindeer? Few probably can, but there’s one name that stands out among young and old: Rudolph, the reindeer that was at first ridiculed for his big, red nose, but later saves the day as he  leads Santa's sleigh through the fog.

Jingle Bell Rock by Bobby Helms  
 Rockin Around the Christmas Tree    These were two of the first modern rock and roll Christmas songs ever written. They came out in the 1950's and are still played today.           All I Want For Christmas is You   One of the most recent additions to the list of holiday classics, this song was released in 1994 in Mariah Carey's Merry Christmas album

White Christmas by Shania Twain and Michael Buble    The original song White Christmas sung by Bin g Crosby is not only one of the most popular Christmas songs ever, it is the best selling song of all time.
Silent Night Sarah Mclaughlin    This classic carol was actually originally written in German, but is now sung in over 44 languages



 Nine More Song Quizzes. Enjoy 
Baby It's Cold Outside

Blue Christmas by Elvis Presley

O Holy Night Celine Dion  

Happy Christmas War is Over John Lennon   

Santa Claus is Coming to Town
Please Come Home for Christmas

Singalong We Wish You a Merry Christmas

The Little Drummer Boy 

Christmas Lights Cold Play



Some Christmas Laughter? .

If you want a good laugh, go to the listening page and watch Mr. Bean's Christmas.
Go to the Music Page for more Christmas songs and a Christmas carol songbook with lyrics to many Christmas songs.

Justin Bieber - Mistletoe

 For any of you who like Justin Bieber, here's a listening quiz on his Christmas song Mistletoe. If you are at the advanced level, try the most difficult quiz. It will really force you to listen to specific words.  Click on the karaoke button to sing along with him. You will get the rhythm and stress just right.

Justin Bieber - Mistletoe

There are at least three  grammar mistakes in the song. Can you spot them?

What does the word "chillin" mean?  

Enjoy

The Cost of Christmas

A few years ago my family and I decided that we were going to spend much less on Christmas gifts. In the past, I had always gone overboard in giving presents to my children. The main reason I spent too much was based on my own magical childhood Christmas experience. I wanted to make their Christmas the same kind of memorable  day I had experienced. However, I have now come to realize that I was putting my priorities in the wrong place. Interestingly, it was my children who initiated the decision to downsize the number of gifts, and the spending in general.  In fact both of them ganged up on me and begged me to limit the number of gifts to three. 

Ever since my family decided to limit the spending,  Christmas has become a lot less stressful for all of us. It has also turned into a holiday that focuses  more on family and the joy being together than on gifts, or "who got who what?  Of course, I'm lucky because my children are in their late 20s. They aren't three, five, or even 13 years old. They haven't believed in Santa Claus for a long time, nor are they influenced by television advertising since neither of them has a television. However, how about the millions of parents who are ruled by the myth of Santa, who can bring their child everything he or she wants, or by television ads and shopping centers whose only message seems to be "buy, buy, buy." 

Parents are spending a lot more money on Christmas than they want to. In fact, a according to an an article in the British newspaper , The Daily Telegraph, parents will spend an average of £112.50 ( $175.25) on Christmas presents for each of their children, covering every thing from a main gift to stocking-fillers (The Daily Telegraph)

In the U.S., the average American spends $935 on Christmas each year and carries an average credit card debt of $8,562. The same applies for most Canadians. For more information on the American cost if Christmas over the past number of years go to The American Cost of Christmas. 
Here are a few questions for you to think about. Feel free to add your comments and opinions on Christmas spending, or on  the specific questions below. 
Guess what the idioms "gang up on someone" and "go overboard" mean. Then, ldook them up in your dictionary. 

• Do you go overboard for Christmas? 

• How much will Christmas cost you this year? 

• Will it cause you to go into debt? 

• How much should people spend at Christmas? Why? 

• Should people even bother to buy gifts at all at this time of year? Why?