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GENERAL ENGLISH · VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT · UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

HAPPY
NEW YEAR!
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1 Warm up

Part A: In pairs, use the prompts to reflect on the past year. Choose three titles to talk about.

a memorable moment a fun experience you had

a good decision you made a new friend you made

an important lesson you learned a stupid mistake

Part B: In pairs, discuss the questions below.

1. Is New Year an important celebration where you live?

2. What traditions do you have in your family or country for welcoming the New Year?

3. Do you do anything special on New Year’s Day?

4. Do you enjoy New Year’s Eve?

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2 New Year traditions

Part A: Look at the photos of a New Year tradition. What can you see in the photo? Are you familiar
with the tradition?

Part B: Listen to a short text about the New Year tradition and write down keywords and phrases
which will help you remember the text.

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3 Reading comprehension

Part A: In pairs, look at some New Year’s traditions from around the world. Discuss what you can see
in the photos. Do you know about any of the traditions? Then read the text and match each picture
(a-h) to a tradition from the passage (1-8).

a. b. c. d.

e. f. g. h.

Happy New Year!

Amazing New Year’s Eve Traditions from Around the World

1. On the morning of New Year’s Day, some traditional families toss coins into a river. They believe this will bring
them good luck throughout the coming year.

2. When the clock strikes 12, some people celebrate New Year’s Eve by eating twelve grapes - one for each month
of the year, and for each chime of the clock’s bell. Sweet bread is baked with a coin hidden in the dough. New
Year’s Eve is also considered the best time to communicate with dead spirits and ask them for guidance.

3. Farmers wish their livestock a happy New Year. They believe this brings good luck and good health.

4. Some people believe that if the first visitor (especially an unexpected one) on 1st January is a man, the year will
be good.

5. People believe that the color of their underwear on New Year’s Eve will determine their fate in the coming year.
Yellow underwear will bring happiness and money. Red will bring love and passion. Green is for prosperity, pink
is for friendship and white is for hope and peace. At this time of year, yellow underwear is in big demand.

6. Some people decorate their homes with straw ropes to ward off evil spirits and welcome good luck and happiness.
Buddhist temples ring their bells 108 times at midnight.

7. Some people throw dishes at their neighbor’s door. The family with the largest pile of broken plates, glasses and
cups is considered to be the luckiest because it means that they have lots of loyal friends.

8. People wear polka dots and prepare tables with twelve round-shaped fruits, for example, grapes, oranges, melons
and watermelons. They believe that this will bring prosperity as round shapes are associated with coins and wealth.
At midnight, children jump as high as they can because they believe this will make them taller.

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Part B: Using the definitions below, complete the crossword with words from the text.

Across Down

5) prevent something bad from happening 1) throw casually

6) success and economic well-being 2) the sound that a bell makes

8) farm animals 3) a mixture of flour and liquid, used for baking

bread

9) destiny, things that develop in the future are 4) large round dots forming a pattern or an item
outside of your control of clothing with this pattern

Part C: Work in pairs. Which country do you think the traditions belong to? Match them to the
countries below.

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a. Mexico →

b. Russia →

c. Japan →

d. Denmark →

e. The Philippines →

f. Bolivia →

g. Belgium →

h. Romania →

4 Listening comprehension

Part A: Listen to an interview about New Year plans and resolutions and complete the chart below.

1. What are their New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day plans?

2. What are their New Year’s resolutions?

James:

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Sophie:

Part B: Listen again and answer the questions.

1. Which New Year’s Eve traditions does James mention?

2. What does Sophie not like about New Year’s Eve?

3. Why does James want to change his ways?

4. Why is it going to be difficult for Sophie to stick to her resolution?

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5 Focus on vocabulary
Part A: Read the sentences from the interviews. Match the underlined words (1-8) and phrases with
their correct meaning below (a-h).

1. With the New Year just a few days away, we took to the streets today to ask people how they
plan to ring in the new year (idiom).

2. Well, I’m Scottish so we call it Hogmanay, and it is a big deal (phrase) here.

3. It’s always a blast (phrase).

4. It is unbearably cold, but it certainly cures a hangover (n) pretty quickly.

5. My intention for next year is to be more present in the moment and seize the day (idiom).

6. I go to bed just after midnight and wake up ready to kick off (phr. v) the new year.

7. It’s like you wake up with a clean slate (idiom) and full of good intentions.

8. My plan for next year is to hit the ground running (idiom) with my health goals.

a. something that is considered very important or serious

b. a good time

c. start something

d. a feeling of illness as a result of drinking too much alcohol

e. take the opportunity to do something in the present moment without worrying about the future

f. start a new activity with a lot of energy and enthusiasm, and not waste any time

g. wiping away past mistakes, issues or problems and beginning with a fresh start

h. celebrate the beginning of a new year

Part B: In small groups, discuss the questions below.

1. How do you plan on ringing in the New Year?

2. Is New Year a big deal in your family?

3. When was the last time you had a blast on New Year’s Eve?

4. What is a good cure for a hangover?

5. Do you often seize the day, or do you tend to miss opportunities?

6. How do you like to kick off the New Year?

7. What can you do to start the year with a clean slate?

8. Do you plan on hitting the ground running with any work, fitness, or personal goals next year?

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6 Speaking practice

Using the same two questions in the interview, make notes about yourself. Then interview your
partner. Do you have similar or different plans and ideas?

1. What are your New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day plans?

2. Do you have any New Year’s resolutions?

You

Your partner

7 Optional extension: one minute mingle

Have a conversation for one minute on the given topic. Change partners and listen for the next topic.

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Transcripts

2. New Year traditions

Speaker: In Ecuador, and other countries in Latin America, people celebrate the new year by setting
fire to ‘Año Viejo’ dolls at the stroke of midnight. The effigies symbolize letting go of bad
things from the previous year. The dolls are made from paper and filled with newspaper
and wood scraps. The designs vary from cartoon characters to politicians and celebrities.

4. Listening comprehension

Interviewer: With the New Year just a few days away, we took to the streets today to ask people how
they plan to ring in the new year and if they will be making any New Year’s resolutions.
Here is what we heard.

James: Well, I’m Scottish so we call it Hogmanay, and it is a big deal here. For as long as I
remember my parents have thrown a party for our friends and family so I will be going
to that. It’s always a blast. Right after midnight, we sing Auld Lang Syne, a song written
by Robert Burns, a Scottish poet.

James: We also have a tradition called ‘first footing’ which refers to the first person to set foot
in your house after midnight. The first footer is a symbol of luck. They usually bring gifts
like coins, bread, and coal as they represent all the things the new year will hopefully
bring, such as success, food, and warmth. Usually, it’s my uncle Ted. He goes out just
before twelve and then knocks on the door just after. We then celebrate well into the
early hours.

James: The next day, we head down to the River Forth for the annual Loony Dook event
which involves wearing a fancy dress costume and diving into the freezing water. It is
unbearably cold, but it certainly cures a hangover pretty quickly. We also raise money
for charity in the process.

James: My intention for next year is to be more present in the moment and seize the day.
I spent last year constantly stressing about the future and worrying about things I
couldn’t change, and I regret not making the most of the experiences I had.

Sophie: To be honest I’m not a fan of New Year’s Eve. It’s my least favorite celebration of the
year. I live in the city, so it’s packed, dirty and noisy. If you do want to go out, everything
is ridiculously expensive. I’ don’t like fireworks either as I have pets, and it freaks them
out. I usually treat myself to a takeaway and watch the celebrations on TV. I go to bed
just after midnight and wake up ready to kick off the new year. I do like New Year’s
Day. It’s like you wake up with a clean slate and full of good intentions. First, I always
write a list in my diary of all the things I want to do.

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Sophie: My plan for next year is to hit the ground running with my health goals. I want to focus
on getting in shape and taking care of my body. I have already joined a gym and I plan
to attend yoga classes. I’m going to watch what I eat and try to cut out sugar from my
diet which is going to be hard as I have a sweet tooth.

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Key

1. Warm up

Part A:
5 mins.
This stage is for students to reflect on the year. Using the prompts, the students talk about their year. They should
choose three titles. Get some responses during feedback. Add any emerging language to the board.
Part B:
5 mins.
This stage is to introduce the topic of New Year and traditions. Ask the students, in pairs, to discuss the questions.
Get a selection of responses in feedback. You may need to pre-teach ’eve’ meaning the day/night before the main
celebration.

2. New Year traditions

Part A:
5 mins.
This is a listening comprehension activity which focuses on a particular tradition from Latin America. First, show
the students the photo and ask them what they see and if they are familiar with the tradition.
Sources for photographs:
Concurso de años Viejos, 2013 by MunicipioPinas CC-BY-SA-2.0
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archivo:Concurso_de_a%C3%B1os_Viejos,_2013_(11718718565).jpg
Guayaquil, 01 de enero del 2015 (ANDES).- Guayaquileños realizaron la despedida del año 2014 con la tradicional
quema de años viejos by Agencia de Noticias ANDES CC-BY-SA-2.0
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archivo:Quema_de_a%C3%B1os_viejos_(16141003976).jpg
Part B:
5 mins.
Add any vocabulary to the board. Then give the students the instructions and the aim of the activity. During
feedback, project the text so the students can compare their versions. Finish by asking about the tradition. Check
the meaning of the following words and phrases. Practice pronunciation.
vocabulary that students might find difficult:
stroke of midnight - the precise moment when a clock goes from 11:59 pm to 12:00 am
effigies - a model or other object that represents someone, especially a disliked person; it is usually burned in a public
place
letting go - not thinking about or being angry about the past or something that happened in the past

3. Reading comprehension

Part A:
5 mins.
This stage is for students to develop their reading skills and extend their vocabulary in the context of traditions
around the world. In pairs, they look at the photos and describe what they see and say if they recognize any of

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!

the traditions. Get some ideas during feedback. The students then read the text quickly to match the pictures and
check their ideas.

a. tradition 4 b. tradition 6 c. tradition 7 d. tradition 8

e. tradition 2 f. tradition 3 g. tradition 1 h. tradition 5
Part B:
5 mins.
The students then complete the crossword puzzle with a word/phrase from the text. Check the answers as a
group. Model and practice pronunciation.
Answers:
Across:
5) ward off; 6) prosperity; 8) livestock; 9) fate;
Down:
1) toss; 2) chime; 3)dough; 4) polka dots;
Part C:
5 mins.
The students finish by guessing which countries the traditions belong to. Read the answers out.

a. tradition 2 b. tradition 4 c. tradition 6 d. tradition 7

e. tradition 8 f. tradition 5 g. tradition 3 h. tradition 1

4. Listening comprehension

Part A:
10 mins.
This stage is to develop listening skills. Tell the students they are going to listen to two people responding to
interview questions about the New Year. Show them the chart and the information they should listen for. After
they have listened, ask the students to review their answers with their partners before doing group feedback.
Sources for listening:
https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2021/dec/20/best-christmas-day-boxing-day-new-year-swims-uk
cotsman.com/heritage-and-retro/heritage/what-is-first-footing-where-the-scottish-hogmanay-tradition-comes-from-
and-common-first-footing-gifts-3960956
https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2021/dec/20/best-christmas-day-boxing-day-new-year-swims-uk
Possible answers:
James:
1) What are their New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day plans?
Hogmanay party with parents, friends, and family.
Singing and dancing.
Wearing a fancy dress costume and jumping into the freezing river to raise money for charity
2) What are their New Year’s resolutions?
Be more present in the moment and seize the day.
Sophie:
1) What are their New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day plans?
Staying indoors, getting a takeaway, watching the celebrations on TV.

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Going to bed after midnight ready for the New Year.

Writing her resolutions in her diary
2) What are their New Year’s resolutions?
Focus on getting fit and taking care of her body.
Part B:
5 mins.
Show the students the four questions and ask them what they remember. Play the interview again so they can
check their answers. Review as a group.

1. Singing Auld Lang Syne, First-Footing.

2. It’s packed, noisy, dirty, and expensive. The fireworks scare her pets.
3. He spent last year constantly stressing about the future and worrying about things he couldn’t change. He
didn’t make the most of the experiences he had.
4. She has a sweet tooth.

5. Focus on vocabulary

Part A:
5 mins.
This stage is for students to identify and clarify the meaning of keywords and phrases in the listening section. The
students read the sentences from the interview and match the underlined words/phrases with the right definitions.
Review the answers as a group. Provide further clarification if needed and model and practice pronunciation. Focus
on connected speech features in the phrases.

1. → h. 2. → a. 3. → b. 4. → d. 5. → e. 6. → c. 7. → g. 8. → f.
Part B:
5 mins.
Ask the students, in pairs, to discuss the questions. Get a selection of responses in feedback.

6. Speaking practice

10 mins.
This stage is for the students to respond to the listening text by answering the questions for themselves. Give the
students a few minutes of preparation time. Then pair them up and ask them to ask and answer the questions.
During feedback, ask the students if they have similar or different plans and ideas.
Alternative: You could ask the students to write a response to the questions if you want to focus on writing
rather than speaking. When the students have finished writing, post the responses around the room like a gallery.
They can either guess who the descriptions belong to or decide who has the most exciting plans/interesting
resolution(s).

7. Optional extension: one minute mingle

10 mins.
This stage is to develop fluency and the topic further. Ask the students to stand up. They first find a partner. Tell
them you are going to give them a topic/question and they must have a conversation for one minute about that
topic/question. After one minute. Ask him to change partners. Give them a new topic. Repeat the process until
all the topics have been discussed.

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During feedback ask them to report back one thing they learned about their partner.
During the task, monitor from a distance and write down any errors or good examples of language that you can
hear so you can provide some post-activity language feedback.

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