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Home , Weihnachten

KS2 LESSON PLAN: MFL A Kerstfeest

Get in the festive spirit with well-known songs like O Tannenbaum, Carol L’enfant au Tambour and Rudolfo el Reno de la Nariz Roja. You know the words, sing along, says Dr Amanda Barton

The run-up to Christmas is a Do any of them know how to following morning. say ‘Happy Christmas’ in the great time to explore cultural say ‘Happy Christmas’ in In your target language, stick foreign language before they’re differences by looking at how another language? a Christmas-themed word allowed to take a sweet – frohe children in other countries or phrase – reindeer, angel, Weihnachten, joyeux Noël or celebrate. Two festivals Main activities – to each treat feliz Navidad. 94 observed in mainland Europe Best foot forward before placing it in the boot. have not made it across the On 5 or 6 December bring Children take turns to choose Stille Nacht Channel: St Nicholas’ Day on 6 1 in a clean boot or shoe one and read out the attached Teach the children a December and the Three Kings’ 2 (Wellingtons work perfectly) word - the rest of the class traditional Festival in early January. (Be containing wrapped sweets can help them to work out the – Silent Night – in the target prepared for groans when your and/or chocolates, chocolate meaning. The words can then be language. Display the words children learn St Nicholas visits coins, oranges or small toys, stuck on the board and copied and read them aloud as a whole their peers overseas before and ask the children to guess out by the children. You can find class to get the pronunciation Christmas Day!) what’s inside. Tell them what Christmas vocabulary lists in right. Use accompanying actions Another great festive happens on the evening of the 5 various languages on websites with the words to help pupils exercise is singing Christmas December in France, such as brighthub.com and memorise the vocabulary. Also, carols in other languages, and Spain: children leave a frenchlearner.com. give them a translation; as you providing an excellent way of polished shoe outside their Alternatively, children must can see in the literal translations practising pronunciation. front door, and if they’ve been say a foreign language word or below, the English version of The lyrics to ‘Silent Night’ are good fills it with phrase they’ve remembered Silent Night that we sing is not given below in French, German goodies for them to discover the from previous lessons and / or exactly the same. and Spanish. Perhaps your children could sing a multilingual version in the Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht, Silent night, holy night school’s Christmas concert. Alles schläft; einsam wacht Everyone’s asleep, the only ones awake Nur das traute hochheilige Paar. Are the trusted holy parents Holder Knabe mit lockigem Haar, Of the lovely baby with curly hair. Today Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh! Sleep in heavenly peace, you will... Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh! Sleep in heavenly peace. > Learn how children in other Douce nuit, sainte nuit Sweet night, holy night countries celebrate Christmas Dans les cieux l’astre luit. In the sky, the star shines. > Sing in Le mystère annoncé s’accomplit The mystery is here. another language Cet enfant sur la paille endormi, This child asleep on the straw > Research how the new year C’est l’amour infini. Is infinite love, is celebrated C’est l’amour infini. Is infinite love.

Noche de paz, noche de amor, Night of peace, night of love, Starter activity Todo duerme en derredor. Everyone around is asleep. Ask if any of your children have Entre sus astros que esparcen su luz Among the stars that spread their ligh ever spent Christmas in another Bella anunciando al niñito Jesús. Beautifully announcing the Baby . country. Did they notice any Brilla la estrella de paz, Shines the star of peace. differences in the celebrations? Brilla la estrella de paz. Shines the star of peace. Q USEFUL QUESTIONS

> Can you find out how other festivals are celebrated overseas such as Easter or Halloween? > How would you wish someone Pupils (and parents) will be Ask your older children to Whoever finds the trinket is ‘Happy New Year’ in interested to hear the story research online how this day is allowed to be a king or queen for another language? of how the German-language celebrated in France, Germany the day. carol, ‘Silent Night’, was written. and Spain. Can they find out On 1818, the what it is called in your target Extending church minister in a small language? Give them a clue the lesson Austrian village was in a panic. by chalking C, M and B on the > In a variation on the memory The church had been flooded, classroom door. game ‘I went to market and ruining the organ, and the Children in Germany bought...’ play ‘Under the minister asked his organist celebrate Dreikönigstag (Three Christmas tree there is...’ (Unter 95 friend to write some music to a Kings Day) by walking from dem Weihnachtsbaum gibt es.../ poem he’d written previously. house to house, dressed as Sous l’arbre de Noël il ya.../Bajo The result was a carol intended the Magi and singing songs. el árbol de navidad...). Children to be accompanied by a guitar. They chalk C, M, B on their work in pairs or groups. The first neighbours’ doors to protect child says the phrase followed Have an the houses from evil. The letters by a Christmas-themed word 3epiphany stand for the Magi’s names – (angel, bauble, present, candy The 6 January is another Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar cane) and the second child important day – ask your – or, as some would have it, the repeats this and adds another children why they think that Latin for ‘Christ bless this house’. word, and so on. might be. It is , the In Spain, people start their > Try some Christmas goodies twelfth day after Christmas, Dia de los Reyes celebrations that are readily available in which is traditionally when the night before, with street UK shops: for French a bûche we take down our Christmas parades where figures of the de Noël (a chocolate log), trees in this country. In the bible three wise men throw sweets and for German story the three wise men are to the children. The day itself (chocolate covered supposed to have arrived at the is even more important than stars). Explain that the manger on this day. Christmas Day, and it’s when traditional children receive their presents. is eaten on Christmas Eve. For In France the day is known Spanish, hand out some grapes as La Fête des Rois. Here, as in and explain that it’s traditional, Spain, people eat a special kings’ and considered lucky, to eat cake with a trinket, broad bean grapes on New Year’s Eve, or almond baked inside it. especially if you can eat 12.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr Amanda Barton is a freelance writer, educational consultant and teacher trainer. She is co-author of Teaching Primary French and Teaching Primary Spanish (Bloomsbury, 2016), aimed at non- specialists faced with the challenge of teaching foreign languages in primary school.