Upper Level Speaking Activity – Inventing a New Holiday
A favorite speaking activity with students is their invention of a "new holiday." Their holiday should be named, have a date, mention typical colors, typical foods or clothing for the day and special activities that take place.
Students are paired with a classmate and after brainstorming and preparing their ideas, they present their holiday to the rest of the class via a 2 minute oral report, including visuals. After all of the presentations are made, the class members "vote" on which holiday to add to the calendar.
This activity allows students to be very creative and practice multiple language skills.
Here are some favorites students have invented: Backward Day (wear your clothes backwards, eat dessert first, the clock goes backwards, etc.),
Music Day (listen to music, wear black and white, etc.), M and M Day (March 3, because it is represented as 3-3 or the M and M's on their sides, wear clothes in M and M colors, etc.) and Sleeping Day (in January, you dress in pj's all day, there is no school, etc.)
