SUPERSTITIONS

SUPERSTITIONS

PRIMA ATTIVITA'
SCRABBLE GAME: Try to divide the class into two groups and tell them that your Scrabble Game will be based on all words related to "Superstitions".
3 letters: 2 points;
4 letters: 3 points;
5 letters: 4 points;
6 letters: 5 points
+7 letters: 6 points

SECONDA ATTIVITA'
MIMING! Students are divided in pairs and in pairs have to mime a famous Italian superstition. The other groups have to guess which one they are referring to.

TERZA ATTIVITA'
WEBQUEST: Students are asked to discover something more about a particular superstition. 
Origins?
Where?
Why?

QUARTA ATTIVITA'

VIDEO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvDpk-8lH7I
1. Watch the video and ask the students to note down all the words and collocations related to the word "superstition" that are mentioned. Check meaning and pronunciation.
ex: die out / spread / believe / follow / the sake of tradition
2. Stop at minute 2:14
What is the superstition that is mentioned?
What do you know about this superstition?
Stop at minute 4:10
Differences between England and other countries.
Origin: ?
Stop at minute 4:30
What is the superstition that is mentioned?
What do you know about this superstition?
Try to look for its origin and then play the video and check if the two versions are the same.
You can ask the students to record their own version and then compare it with the one showed in the video.
Have they used the same words or/and expressions?
You can follow the same kind of structure and outline for the other superstitions and at the end of the video you can ask the class to do the same kind of thing for Italian superstitions. Each student could comment on a superstition and make a video :)

QUINTA ATTIVITA'
TRAILER: GROUNDHOG DAY

You can examine and explore another famous superstition: Groundhog day!
Here some readings that you could use in class:

• http://www.groundhog.org/about/history/
• https://www.bustle.com/p/what-does-it-mean-if-a-groundhog-doesnt-see-its-shadow-heres-what-you-need-to-know-8075324
• https://www.infoplease.com/groundhog-day

You can then use the trailer of a very famous film starring Bill Murray: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSVeDx9fk60
Here some exercises that I have devised:

1. Ask the students in 10 minutes to find as many details as they can about groundhogs 
2. In order to revise vocabulary you could propose the game: "Guess the animal in 20 questions". All the questions must be answered with "yes" or "no" (if you want you can make it more challenging). Some examples could be: "Do you live near water?"; "Do you have tusks?"; "Can you...?

3. What is happening to the main character?
Can you describe his day?
Imagine that since yesterday you are reliving the same day!
Describe to the other students your day and compare them!
Try to convey your frustration:
- I can't stand + ing / noun
- I can't bear + ing / noun
- ..... gets on my nerves
- I can't put up with
4. Why does the main character's behaviour change?
What crazy things would you do if you could live the same day over and over?

5. Try to replay these two scenes in pairs twice.
The first time you're too clumsy and say the wrong thing but the second time (like in the trailer) you can fix the damage, you are absolutely charming and you succeed in seducing her!
6. How to make a toast in English?
What about in other countries?
You could read this article with your class https://www.fluentin3months.com/cheers/ and then each pair should make a toast and imagine they are from one of the countries on the list. They should pay attention not just to the words but also to how they act! An interesting cultural activity! :)

SESTA ATTIVITA'
Song: Stevie Wonder 

Some ideas on the website: http://eltresource.com/superstition-stevie-wonder-lesson-plan/
Here some activities that I created based on this song. 
1. Fill in the gaps
2. Ask the students to translate the song in their native language
3. Ask the students to reorder the verses of the song
4. Ask the students to spot the superstitions mentioned in the song and to rewrite the song including other famous superstitions.
5. Ask the students to debate on the sentence "When you believe in things that you don't understand, then you suffer".
6. Ask the students to guess the meaning of the sentence "The writing is on the wall". Discussion in plenum and explanation.
7. Before the activity provide to the class a list of pictures and ask them to go to the blackboard and stick the pictures to a table divided into two columns: bad luck and good luck. Ask them to debate while they are doing the exercise.
8. You could show the superstitions that are in the song only to 2 or 3 people in the class. They will then have to prepare some riddles that will be solved by the other students.

EXTRA ACTIVITIES

• https://tefltastic.wordpress.com/worksheets/efl-cultural-training/superstitions/
• https://learningapps.org/view388936
• https://en.islcollective.com/resources/printables/worksheets_doc_docx/superstition_matching/conditionals-culture-intercultural/27689
• https://en.islcollective.com/resources/printables/worksheets_doc_docx/superstitions/intermediate-b1-activity/52546

SOME READINGS

• https://www.livescience.com/14141-13-common-silly-superstitions.html
• https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/how-do-life/201611/why-even-some-smart-people-are-superstitious

QUIZ

• http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_2570000/newsid_2572600/2572673.stm
• http://a4esl.org/q/f/y/zz97mdt.htm

ONLINE LISTENING:

• https://www.esolcourses.com/content/topics/folklore/superstitions/pre-intermediate/american-superstitions-listening-lesson.html

Hope you enjoyed it :D