Hi there,
with Mother's Day just around the corner, I've got a new lesson plan which is appropriate for B1/B2 students. Here it is:
Before the lesson ask the students to bring a photo of their mum and themselves for your next class.
Ask the students to think of a word to describe their mother. Write down the words on the board and ask some of your pupils to tell you why they have chosen this word.
If possible, bring a picture in which you and your mum are doing something special, for example, she is teaching you how to cook or knit. Students love to hear our stories so why don´t you tell them a story about a precious moment that you shared with your mum.
Put the students in groups of four and show them the pictures. Ask them to imagine they are one of the children in the photos. They have to imagine they are old now and tell you a story about the time this photo was taken. Where were they? What were they doing? Why is it a special moment for them?
(Image credit: es1123, Flickr.com, Creative Commons)
(Image credit: James Goodman, Flickr.com, Creative Commons)
(Image credit: Lou Bueno, Flickr.com, Creative Commons)
(Image credit: AJ. Mat, Flickr.com, Creative Commons)
4. Tell the students that every spring people in the UK celebrate Mothering Day and ask them if they know why it is celebrated. You can tell them more about the holiday using the information below:
Mothering Sunday, sometimes known as Mother's Day, is held on the fourth Sunday of Lent. It is exactly three weeks before Easter Sunday and usually falls in the second half of March or early April. People usually buy a card and flowers. It is common to treat your mum with a meal out.
Mothering Sunday was originally a time when people returned to the church, in which they were baptized or where they attended services when they were children. This meant that families were reunited as adults returned to the towns and villages where they grew up. In time, it became customary for young people who were working as servants in large houses, to be given a holiday on Mothering Sunday. They could use this day to visit their own mother and often took a gift of food or hand-me-down clothing from their employers to her. In turn, this moved towards the modern holiday, on which people still visit and take gifts to their mothers.
5. Ask your students what they would do on Mother´s day to make their mother feel special. Would they make something or maybe take her out to a spa centre? Or they could dedicate a song to their mum on their favourite radio show. Ask them if they know any songs dedicated to a mother.
6. Tell the students that you are going to play the song “ Mama” by the Spice Girls. If they haven´t heard about the British band, you can tell them they were really popular in the 90s.Play the song and ask them to think about the relationship between the protagonist and the mother. Here´s a link to the video on youtube:
7. After you play the song, you can show them the lyrics and talk about the feelings that the song conveys.
Spice Girls- Mama
She used to be my enemy and never let me be free Catching me in places that I knew I shouldn't be Every other day I crossed the line, I didn't mean to be so bad I never thought you would become the friend I never had
Back then I didn't know why Why you were misunderstood So now I see through your eyes All that you did was love
Mama, I love you, Mama, I care Mama, I love you, Mama, my friend You're my friend
I didn't want to hear it then but, I'm not ashamed to say it now Every little thing you said and did was right for me I had a lot of time to think about, about the way I used to be Never had a sense of my responsibility
Back then I didn't know why Why you were misunderstood So now I see through your eyes All that you did was love
Mama, I love you, Mama, I care Mama, I love you, Mama, my friend You're my friend, you're my friend
But now I'm sure I know why Why you were misunderstood So now I see through your eyes All I can give you is love
Mama, I love you, Mama, I care Mama, I love you, Mama, my friend Mama, I love you, Mama, I care Mama, I love you, Mama, my friend You're my friend, you're my friend
Ooh, my Mama my love Ooh, my Mama my love
In love in you, in love in me And love is true and guaranteed
8.Ask the students to work in small groups again and tell them to show the pictures they have brought. Let them talk about why they have chosen this picture and also a special moment they had with their mum.
For homework you can ask them to write a poem or a song dedicated to their mother.
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Happy Mother´s Day,
Marusya Price
