2. Read some information about Chinese Festivals:

Festivals Dates 　　Festivals Dates New Year January 1st Teachers` Day September 10th International Women`s Day March 8th National Day October 1st Arbour Day March 12th The Spring Festival Lunar New Year International Labour Day May 1st Dragon Boat Festival The fifth day of the fifth lunar month International Children`s Day June 1st Mid- autumn Festival The 15th day of the eight lunar month Army Day August 1st Lantern Festival The 15th day of the first month Chinese Youth Day May 4th Pure Brightness Day April the fifth or so 　　

　　3. Ask students to fill in the following form and ask some to share with the whole class.

Festivals Time of year What it celebrate What people do Spring festival January /February The end of the winter, arrival of Spring.Lunar New Year, reunion with family and relatives. Give money in red paper to children; see dragon dances; eat fish, prawns, and dumplings; visit family members National Day Go shopping, travel, visit Dragon Boat festival The fifth day of the fifth month The memory of the beloved poet Qu Yuan who died in 278BC Eat Jiaozi, watch dragon boat races, throw rice wrapped in reed leaves into water, put herbs on doorway

　　Step 3 Pre-reading

　　1. Ask the students to look at the pictures and the title of the passage in Reading and predict what information will be introduced in it.

　　( It briefly introduces the earliest kinds of festivals with the reasons for them and then four different kinds of festivals that occur in most parts of the world.)

　　2. Some questions to lead in: what festivals or celebrations do you have in your city or town? What part of a festival do you like best---- the activities, the music, the sights, the food or the people who visit?

　　Step 4 Reading

　　1. Fast reading:

Kinds of Festivals 　　Names of Festivals countries Festivals of the Dead Obon

Day of the Dead

Halloween Japan

Mexico

Some Western countries Festivals to Honour People Dragon Boat festival

Columbus Day

Festival to honor Gandhi China

USA

India