New Year's customs, traditions and celebrations can help generate some lively classroom discussions with your ESL students. It's also great for working on past & future tenses by discussing key personal or global events from this challenging year 2020 as well as plans and possibilities for 2021!
Warm Up Questions:
1. How did you spend Dec 31st, 2020? Was it different from previous years?2. Do you celebrate the coming of a new year in your country of origin? If so, what are some traditions and customs that mark New Year's Eve/Day and the start of the new year in your culture?
3. For many people, a new year represents a time for making positive changes in their lives. What do you think are some common resolutions/goals that people make? Why do you think it might be difficult for some people to stick to these resolutions/goals? What advice would you give?
4. Did you create any resolutions/goals last year (2020)?
5. Do you have any resolutions/goals for this year (2021)? If so, have you created a plan for achieving them? What about your friend and family members?
Recommended Links Around the Topic of the New Year:
ESL Holiday Lessons: Reading and follow up activities on New Year'sDaily ESL: Listen and read activity on New Year's Day
EL Civics: New Year's picture lesson with follow up activities
ITESLJ: New Year's Day conversation questions
ESL Printables: New Year's Resolution worksheets
ESL Library: New Year's lessons
BogglesWorld ESL: New Year's worksheets
ESOL Courses: New Year's worksheets and activities
Learn English Feel Good: New Year's Eve/Day vocabulary quiz
ISL Collective: New Year's worksheets
A4esl: New Year's Eve phrasal verbs quiz
My English Pages: A short reading on New Year's with comprehension questions
One Stop English: 3 speaking activities on New Year's PDF
ESL Flow: New Year's resolutions and talking about the future worksheets
Heads Up English: New Year's speaking activity PDF
Rong-Chong: New Years Around the World reading with follow up activities
TEFL Net: A lesson plan on expressions using the word "change"
Breaking News English: Reading and follow up activities on New Year's resolutions
Using English: New Year's resolution worksheet using adverbs of frequency
JenniferESL: YOUTUBE mini lesson on New Year's Resolutions
English - Zone: New Year's around the world traditions
Poetry.About: Classic poems about New Year's
Learning English with Michelle: Five New Year's Resolutions for ESL Learners
Brainy Quote: New Year's quotes
CDN History: New Year's By the Numbers