CARNIVAL PLAN
Carnival safety success – Lesson plan - © BBC | British Council 2002
Teacher’s notes – Carnival Safety Success
This news report is about the Notting Hill Carnival 2002 held on the 25th
and
26th
August, in London. The report describes the carnival and the problems
caused by so many people being in such a small place.
For more information about the Notting Hill Carnival you can visit:-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/carnival/
For this lesson you will need
• Copies of Worksheet A (optional)– Introduction and first
reading questions
• Copies of Worksheet B – Reading questions and Writing
activity
• Copies of Worksheet C - Vocabulary
• The audio or written text- Carnival Safety Success
Introduction – worksheet A
Aim – Raise awareness of Carnival. Introduce vocabulary and a language
prediction task.
For this stage you can give out Worksheet A.
However, you can easily do this stage without the worksheet, as follows.
• Start the class by writing the word CARNIVAL on the board.
• Ask students what they know about this word.
Information for teachers:
CARNIVAL
This is a period or occasion or public enjoyment and celebration. There
are often processions and parties. This is very common in Roman
Catholic countries. Brazil and Jamaica are two countries that are famous
for their carnival celebrations.
Next,
• write the headline on the board and the vocabulary choices
(Worksheet A, question 2)
• Ask the students, in pairs to choose some words they think they will
see in the article.
• Next, give the students the first reading question:-
3. What was the problem two years ago and why was Carnival 2002 called a
safety success?
Carnival safety success – Lesson plan - © BBC | British Council 2002
• Play the audio or hand out the text.
• Students read to check their predictions and answer the first question.
Answers for Worksheet A:-
2. These words appear in the article.
Street festival Cloudy
Murder Party
Balcony Colourful
Costumes Arrest
Music Wonderful
3. What was the problem two years ago and why was Carnival 2002 called a
safety success?
Two years ago, two people were murdered. In 2002, there was only a
little crime, and there weren’t any murders. The organisers had made
changes to the carnival, and these changes were successful.
Main reading / listening – Worksheet B
Aim – Understanding details
• Hand out worksheet B
• Students answer the true/false questions.
Answers for Worksheet B:-
1. Are the following statements true or false?
a. In Europe, there is a bigger festival than Notting Hill Carnival –
Answer: False – It is the biggest
b. The weather was very good at Carnival 2002 –
Answer: False – it was cloudy
c. The carnival parade went a different way this year –
Answer: True – the route was changed
d. Many activities continued till midnight –
Answer: False – the ending time of 9 p.m. was closely observed
(followed/obeyed)
e. Over a million people wore special costumes –
Answer: False – 3000 people dressed up in costumes. A million came to
see the parade
Carnival safety success – Lesson plan - © BBC | British Council 2002
f. For some people, it was difficult to see the parade –
Answer: True – the crowds were large (5 people deep) and many people
only had a glimpse of the carnival – a brief look
g. Some police danced and partied -
Answer: True – Some of the police got in on the act, they joined in
h. There were many kinds of music –
Answer: True
g. More than half the arrests were for theft –
Answer: True – pick pocketing and robbery are types of theft
h. The carnival represents only one group or community in London –
Answer: False – it represented the multicultural aspect of London, many
different types of people and communities
Vocabulary – Worksheet C
Before doing the writing follow up exercise, you should do the vocabulary
exercise – worksheet C
You can do this in three ways.
a. Hand out Worksheet C
b. Put the items from Worksheet C on the board
c. Mingle activity.
• Cut up the words and definitions into individual pieces of paper
• Give each student a word or two.
• Distribute the definitions around the class.
• The students then find the definition(s) for their word(s).
• Feed back to the board, be sure to check and drill the pronunciation.
Vocabulary answers:-
hailed as
described / called
To deal with something
to take action about something
Residential area
a place many people live
Steward
someone who helps control a big event
Paraded
walked in a public procession
Lined the route
stood next to the path of the parade
Carnival safety success – Lesson plan - © BBC | British Council 2002
Glimpse
a quick look
Sound system
something that plays music in a public place
Pick-pocketing
stealing from someone’s pockets
Ill founded
unjustified / without good reason
Writing – Worksheet B
It is a good idea for students to work on the planning stages of this writing in
pairs or threes.
Refer the students to the writing advice on Worksheet B