Christmas Gifts

Intermediate/Upper-Intermediate
Task 1. Lead-in

Look at the picture. Can you guess what city it is? What holiday is described in the
picture?

Created by Evgeniy Ryabinin for Skyteach, 2021©

Pictures taken from www.freepik.com

Task 2. Lead - in

Discuss the questions:

1. Are you good at gifting? Is it easy for

you to choose presents for friends
and family?

2. Should people just tell each other

what they want for Christmas or it’s
better to get a surprise?

3. Have you ever received a useless

Christmas gift? If yes, how did you
react?

Created by Evgeniy Ryabinin for Skyteach, 2021©

Pictures taken from unsplash.com

Task 3. Pre-listening
Work with your partner. Make a list of 5 really bad Christmas presents.
Discuss why they think they are bad.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Created by Evgeniy Ryabinin for Skyteach, 2021©
Task 4. Listening for gist

Watch the video and match the gifts with the reactions to them:

1. a cookbook
a. It’s just very pragmatic! I need this!
b. This is clever because this is such a neutral
2. socks
colour, it will literally go anywhere

3. a book about computers

c. You know this is my favourite colour!

d. That’s a present that will last. This is so

4. a candle
generous!

5. a teapot
e. It’s fantastic, gosh! No, it’s terrific!

6. a shirt f. It’s really brilliant, thank you!

Created by Evgeniy Ryabinin for Skyteach, 2021©

Task 5. Listening for detail
Watch again and answer the questions:
1. Which present did Benedict actually
like? How do you know?

2. He says that one present is really

useful because of environmental
issues. Which one and why?

3. Why do you need to be quick

sometimes when you are reacting to
someone’s gift?

4. Why is it important to be careful while

reacting to any gift?
Created by Evgeniy Ryabinin for Skyteach, 2021©

Pictures taken from unsplash.com

Task 6. Functional language extension
Think of 5 more ways of thanking a person for the present. You can use
these to help you or make up your own sentences:

It’s something…+ phrase

e.g.

What a(n) +adj present!

It’s something I’ve always been dreaming about!

How did you…+phrase

What a thoughtful present!

It’s just + adj

That’s just what I’ve been looking for!

That’s just + phrase

Created by Evgeniy Ryabinin for Skyteach, 2021©

Task 7. Functional language practice

Write down 3-4 possible presents (both good

and bad) on the cards.

Put all the cards in one pile.

Work with your partner. Take a card with a gift

on it. Give it to your partner.

React to the gift, using one of the phrases

from the board or your notebook.

Don’t forget to sound sincere! :)

Created by Evgeniy Ryabinin for Skyteach, 2021©

Pictures taken from unsplash.com

Task 8. Follow-up writing

Imagine that you’ve received a Christmas gift

from your elderly auntie. It’s not what you’ve
been dreaming about, but you still have to
thank her. Write a short thank-you letter to
the aunt for the present, saying as politely
how lovely/useful/interesting the object is,
but without mentioning what it is.

Created by Evgeniy Ryabinin for Skyteach, 2021©

Pictures taken from unsplash.com

Keys
Task 4
NH 1. - E Task 8, Procedure:
AH 2. - D Hand out the picture cards with gifts, one per
CH 3. - > student. Tell them that they received this Christmas
LH 4. - = gift from their elderly auntie and now need to thank
<H 5. - ? her. Invite them to write a short thank-you letter.
:H 6. - e Remind that they can describe the present but
mustn’t name it. When they  nish, pin the letters
Task 5 around the classroom. Give each student a
NH He liked the socks as he said: “I overdid that but I actually do like worksheet with all presents printed. Invite them to
socks”H walk around, read the letters and guess the
AH The book with microwave recipes. “I don't like wasting food presents. They should write the author’s names next
because we're running low on resources as a planet so this is to the pictures of the presents on their worksheet.
incredibly, incredibly useful”H
CH You need to “sometimes be quick you know get up get off the
present as fast as you can before you know the insincerity starts
to creep in or you overdo it”H
LH Because people put their intentions and their thoughts into the
gifts, so you should always reassure them and avoid sounding
offensive.

Created by Veronika Avetisyan for Skyteach, 2021©