PREVIEW ACTIVITY (I) Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2021. For use only with license.

Origins of April Fools’ Day (B1 - B2)

Work with a partner, group, or your teacher. Do the activities below together.

PART I Discuss the questions below about April Fools’ Day.

1 Explain what you know about April Fools’ Day and what
happens on this day or what people do on it.
2 Do you know what it means to be a fool?
3 Do you know what it means to play a prank on someone?

PART II Write the indicated parts of speech for the sentences below.

1 I think that our country’s politicians are complete fools.

I think that our country’s politicians are completely .
(adjective)

2 Edgar Allen Poe wrote really great poems.

Edgar Allen Poe was a really great .
(noun)

3 My American friend explained Thanksgiving in detail to me.

My American gave me a detailed of Thanksgiving.
(noun)

PART III Fill in the missing letters for the things pictured in the images below.

1 2 3

r o t r f t p

PART IV Choose the correct prepositions used in the sentences below.

1 My friends always make fun about / of my old, ugly car from the 1990s.
2 I was laughed at / on by my friends when they played a prank on me.
3 The origins of Thanksgiving date back / behind to the 17th century.
4 My family’s traditional Christmas gift exchange started 10 years ago, and it has
carried through / on every year since then.

PREVIEW ACTIVITY (II) Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2021. For use only with license.
Origins of April Fools’ Day (B1 - B2)

PART I Choose the correct definition for the vocabulary terms as used in the sentences.

1 The main job of magicians is tricking people.

tricking means... a. trusting or believing
b. allowing or permitting
c. deceiving or fooling

2 The purpose of TV commercials is to try to convince you to buy their products.

convince means... a. educate or teach

b. persuade or influence
c. impact or affect

3 These days many television commercials are really funny but also ridiculous.

ridiculous means... a. silly or stupid

b. risky or dangerous
c. criminal or illegal

4 I try to dedicate my Saturdays to doing personal hobbies and relaxing.

dedicate to means... a. give your energy, time, etc. to something

b. participate in or attend an activity, event, etc.
c. find a solution or answer to something

5 Social media helps me stay well-informed about global events.

well-informed means... a. interested in good or positive information

b. feeling good about new information
c. knowing about a subject or situation accurately

6 The forecast is for heavy snow tonight, so schools in the area will presumably
be closed tomorrow.

presumably means... a. used to say what people dislike or hate

b. used to say what you think will happen/is true
c. used to say what definitely will not happen

Bonus Phrases!

news outlet = a channel or company that reports news

EXAMPLE CNN and Fox News are two of the biggest news outlets in the USA.

potential origin = a possible explanation for how something started

EXAMPLE Scientists still debate the potential origins of viruses.

the leading theory = the number one most-believed explanation of something

EXAMPLE The leading theory about the origin of the universe is the Big Bang.
ORIGINS OF APRIL FOOLS’ DAY
Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2021. For use only with license.
Origins of April Fools’ Day (B1 - B2)

PREVIEW DISCUSSION TOPIC

Try to explain the origin of a holiday that is

celebrated in the country where you live.

VIEWING ACTIVITY

PART I What did you understand about each theory below on the potential origins of April
Fools’ Day?

0:19 1 Pope Gregory XIII

0:41 2 A British poet’s story

0:52 3 Fish

PART II Write short answers according to the information in the video.

0:04 1 What do companies or news outlets sometimes do on April Fools’ Day?

--- 2 Which theory from Part I above is the leading one out of all three theories?

0:59 3 What do people do with “paper fish” in France?

POST-VIEWING ACTIVITY (I) Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2021. For use only with license.
Origins of April Fools’ Day (B1 - B2)

PART I When speaking about the origin of April Fools’ Day, the reporter says...

“ We don’t really have a solid answer.

What do you think “a solid answer” means in the sentence above?

a. an answer that is completely accurate

b. an answer that is hard to accept
c. an answer that is easy to believe

PART II Choose the correct verbs that fit the spaces below. One doesn’t fit!

laughed dedicated played taped carried informed

1 The entire day of April 1st is to tricking people.

2 The leading theory about the origin of April Fools’ Day is that some people
continued celebrating the new year on April 1st after Pope Gregory XIII changed
calendar types. These people were then at by others who
were more well about the change.

3 There is also one theory that dates back to the 1300s. This theory is based
on a story that a British poet wrote about a fox that a
prank on a rooster on April 1st, and this tradition then on.

PART III Write the correct verbs that were used in the video.

1 On April Fools’ Day, news outlets might try to you that

things like “spaghetti trees” are real and companies might advertise ridiculous
products, like wooden toilet paper.

2 On April 1st, people in France paper fishes to each other.

PART IV Which group of people are referred to as “fools” in the video?

a. people who play pranks on other people or try to trick other people
b. people who celebrated the new year on April 1st after the calendar change
c. people who participate in the paper fish custom in France
 POST-VIEWING ACTIVITY (II) Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2021. For use only with license.
Origins of April Fools’ Day (B1 - B2)

PART I Study the example and usage of the descriptive adjectives from the video.

The reporter explains what some companies do on April Fools’ Day. He says...

“ Companies promise ridiculous products like wooden toilet paper.

Later the reporter talks about one of the theories on the origins of April Fools’ Day. He says...

“ One theory from France says the holiday makes fun of foolish fish.

In these sentences, “ridiculous” and “foolish” are examples of descriptive adjectives. They are
used to describe something in more detail or to a more extreme level than basic adjectives (silly,
stupid, etc.). See the examples below of some basic adjectives compared with descriptive ones.

SIMPLE ADJECTIVES DESCRIPTIVE ADJECTIVES

silly products ridiculous products
stupid fish foolish fish
bad joke awful joke
great prank incredible prank
good poet talented poet

PART II Choose which descriptive adjective on the right fits the context of each sentence.

1 I played a(n) (funny) prank on my friend. a. enormous

2 The TV commercial I saw today was (shocking). b. hilarious
3 My grandfather was a really (smart) poet. c. cheerful
4 Jeff has a(n) (big) paper fish taped to his back. d. outrageous
5 I’m usually in a(n) (happy) mood on April 1st. e. brilliant

PART III Try to think of a descriptive adjective that fits the context of each sentence below.

1 It was (difficult) to think of a good prank to play on my teacher.

2 It’s always (fun) to see how others react to a prank.
3 My day spent outside in the April spring weather was (nice).
POST-VIEWING ACTIVITY (III)
Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2021. For use only with license.
Origins of April Fools’ Day (B1 - B2)

SPEAKING TASK:

Your teacher will choose a few of the speaking topics below to discuss. Discuss the topics
with your teacher or partner. In your discussion, explain your ideas in detail.

1 What do you think a prank call is? What would be an

example of a prank call?

2 Have you ever played a prank on someone, or has someone

ever played a prank on you? Describe what happened.

3 Think of someone you know and explain what would be a

good or funny prank to play on this person.

4 Do you know anyone who is a good prankster?

5 In the video, it’s mentioned that some companies on April

1st will try to advertise ridiculous products that are not real.
Have you ever seen ridiculous products that are real?

VOCABULARY TASK:

Choose the correct verbs that you think fit the definitions of each phrase / phrasal verb
below related to pranks, jokes, and humor.

make fall crack joke fool

1 If you behave in a silly, lighthearted, or irresponsible way, you around.

2 If you embarrass yourself or make yourself look silly, you a fool of yourself.

3 If you believe that a joke or prank is true or real, you for the joke / prank.

4 If you laugh really hard or uncontrollably, you up.

5 If you make fun of or tease someone in a playful or lighthearted way, you

around with them.
QUIZ & REVIEW ACTIVITY Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2021. For use only with license.
Origins of April Fools’ Day (B1 - B2)

Work with a partner. Complete the quiz and review activities below.

PART I What are the three potential origins of April Fools’ Day?

PART II Vocabulary: Write a sentence about the video using the word below.

tape

PART III Vocabulary: Write the missing words in the spaces below.

1 The entire day of April 1st is dedicated to people.

2 The theory about the origin of April Fools’ Day is that some
people continued celebrating the new year on April 1st after Pope Gregory XIII
changed calendar types. These people were then laughed at by others who were
more well- about the change.

3 There is also one theory that dates back to the 1300s. This theory is based
on a story that a British poet wrote about a fox that played a
on a on April 1st.

PART IV Grammar: Write the descriptive adjectives + the noun in the missing spaces below.

1 “Companies promise like wooden toilet paper.”

2 “One theory from France says the holiday makes fun of
who swim in big groups on April 1st, making them easy to catch.”

Write a more descriptive adjective for each of the four simple adjectives below.

1 funny 3 happy
2 bad 4 smart

Bonus: Think about 2 ridiculous products for a company to advertise in an April

PART V
Fools’ Day TV commercial. Name the products below. See the example:

EX Wooden toilet paper