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May Day holiday
Textbook: p. 82
GoalMay Day in England: traditions; opposite words; a lot of / not a lot of.
New words
flower · gulribbon · lentaking and queen · shoh va malikayoung – old · yosh – keksa
Explanation
In England 1 May is a spring holiday (May Day). In some villages people put up a tall maypole; children hold its long coloured ribbons and dance in a circle, and one girl is chosen as the May Queen and wears a crown of flowers. Today this tradition is less common: “not a lot of towns have a maypole now”. A lot of = many, not a lot of = few. Opposites: young – old, bright – grey; king and queen are a pair. Possession: “the girls’ dresses”. Questions: “Who do you see in the picture?” “What do you see?”
Worked examples
On May Day in England children dance round a maypole. The ribbons are red, yellow and blue. The girls’ dresses are bright. A lot of flowers decorate the May queen’s head.
Our village doesn’t have a maypole, but a lot of people go to the spring fair and buy flowers.
Class activity
“Maypole dance”: dance in a circle with long ribbons and say word pairs: “young – old”.
Practice
1
Opposite: young, bright
old, grey (or dull)
2
Say: A lot of people take flowers.
A lot of people take flowers.
3
Say: Not many towns have a maypole now.
Not a lot of towns have a maypole now.
4
What do children do on May Day?
They dance round a maypole with ribbons.