Part 1

SUPERSTITIONS Irrational beliefs, especially with regard to the unknown

1) Breaking the ice: A small talk on superstitions

1) First word /comes to your mind / looking at this drawing?

2) Superstitions / are we looking at?

3) Elements shown in the picture / bad or good omens?

4) What meaning / crows / flying?

5) Your country / seeing a black cat / mean?

6) Can / think of / element which brings good luck?

7) You / take / talisman or good charm / when writing your exams?

8) You / describe / word / superstition?

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2) Where do these superstitions come from?

Objectives
1- To learn the superstitions of countries such as Great Britain, The States, & Spain
2- To use the modal verb “may” & other common expressions to imply possibility

Procedure
Step 1 – Divide the class into four groups and give each group a deck of cards about
superstitions in Great Britain, America, Spain and Italy

Step 2 – Explain students that they will discuss with their classmates which superstitions
belong to which country. In the meantime, divide the board into four columns and write down
from number 1 to 12 and introduce the following expressions to the class:

-This superstition may come from… because in that country people usually
-People from X country may believe in that superstition, as they …
-That superstition could belong to the X culture, as they …
-X cannot be part of the Y culture. It is more likely to be part of …

Step 3 – When the students are done with the task, read out the first superstition and ask the
speaker from each group to say the name of the country where they think that superstition
comes from. Ask students to use the expressions with MAY, CANNOT, TO BE LIKELY and some
others to imply possibility.

Step 4- Once all the groups have said and justified their answers, the teacher reads out the
correct options.

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 Never toast A salt shaker should
not be passed from
with a glass of
hand to hand.
water. If you Instead, it must be
do so, you'll placed on the table,
for the other
have bad luck!
people to pick it up
themselves.

Always look into If, while

the other sweeping, the
person’s eyes broom hits the
when toasting or feet of a single
you will have person, that
seven years of person will never
bad sex marry

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So, if a black Breaking a
walks away mirror brings
from you, it bad luck even
means bad for the next 7
luck years

Never walk If you find a

under a four-leaf
ladder. It may clover it
be bad luck means good
for you. luck

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 Catch falling It’s unlucky to
leaves in autumn
and you will have
open an
good luck. Every umbrella
leaf means a
indoors.
lucky month next
year.

Bride and groom If you drop a

must not meet table knife
on the day of expect a male
the wedding visitor, if you
except at the drop a fork a
altar. female visitor.

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Part 2
3) Make up your own superstitions
Step 1 - Divide the class into two groups, give each group a deck of cards and assign students
from both teams different numbers.

Step 2 – Call out one number and ask students with that number to pick a card from their
decks.

Step 3 – Students will have to make up a superstition based on the word / picture appearing in
his card and using the present simple tense.

Step 4 – Students must write down the sentences on the board at the same time. The person
who first makes up the sentence and whose sentence contains fewer errors / mistakes gets the
point.

Teachers can write down the following questions to encourage writing:

What will happen if you…?

What happens when you…?

Show students the following verbs to help them out:

See / come across / find / hear / eat / bump into / touch / to be near of/ drop / spin / step /
drop / tie /

Example: If you see a spider spinning its web late in the evening, you will get good news very
soon…

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4) Have a look at the pictures below and answer the following questions.
a) What superstitions elements can you identify in these pictures?

b) What do these elements represent?

c) What’s the story about?

d) Which picture do you think is the beginning of the story and which one the end? Why?

Picture a____________________________ Picture b____________________________

Picture c____________________________ Picture d____________________________

Picture e___________________________ Picture f____________________________

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5) Time to write.

Step 1 – Students watch the short movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZPMe2efsDA

Step 2 – Students work in pairs to carry out the following tasks:

a) Write the correct numbers under the pictures above to order the story according to what
you have seen in the short movie.

b) Think of a name to give to the main character of the movie and write down his story from
the moment he wakes up. Use the past simple and past continuous tenses to write the story

6) Discuss with your partner the meaning of the following quote:

“It seems that it's the belief in superstition that causes

harm rather than the superstition itself.”

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