4 Ideas for New Year lessons in your ESL classroom

English learning is amazing because all the existing topics can be discussed: healthy lifestyle, money & finances, mental health, hobbies & work, workflow & burning out, shopping, conspiracy theories, and many others.

Thematic lessons are not exceptions: Thanksgiving Day, Easter, Halloween, St. Nicolas Day, St Valentine's Day… The New Year is one of them to dive in!

There are certain periods that everyone hits upon. Holidays mentioned above are inevitable parts of life. If someone doesn’t celebrate them, at least they know a lot. So, that is why it is great to apply this knowledge in English, too. 

Teachers get tired of hearing the same thing every year. Not all the students like thematic lessons, that’s true. 

Even though one of the learners doesn’t like one or another holiday (especially talking about it in English lessons), the teacher can say the next:

Anyway, it’s needed to learn at first, and then tell everyone how you hate it, but in English, ha ha.

Why Thematic English Lessons

No jokes, such lessons are highly beneficial. There is already a life hack on how to make the students involved in these lessons. And here are some extended reasons why. 

An Interesting Interlocutor

One of such random topics can be the New Year and its celebration in different countries, non-boring gifts for this holiday, etc. It’s always pleasant to share even your own experience.  So, having lessons like that will prove to the students the natural language context and usage of that.

Cultural Awareness

Thematic lessons help the students to learn about other cultures and traditions, promoting intercultural understanding. They can compare customs, choose which traditions they would like to keep or break. 

Vocabulary Expansion 

Seems like it’s topical, not so frequently used. But it's vice versa. The words from the thematic lessons are everywhere. Celebrating or toasting, preparing and having guests over, buying gifts, a Christmas tree, tinsel and Christmas lights, speaking about your resolutions. All of this is about everyday life.

And can be immediately put into practice by celebrating.

Skills Combined

Thematic lessons combine reading, listening, speaking, and writing.

The thematic lessons are underrated, but they have the same benefits as any other topic. 

Ideas For New Year Lessons

New Year and Childhood Memories

Grammar focus: to learn used to / would / Past Simple

Vocabulary & ideas:

• childhood memories;
• to remember / to recall / to remind of;
• toys, gifts, family gatherings;
• old traditions, winter games, decorations.

This is a lesson to feel nostalgic, cosy, warm, and happy. It is dedicated to revising past forms and putting them into practice immediately.

It is to recall one childhood memory and tell it to everyone.

Encourage use of I remember / I recall / I remind of / I used to…

Then, adding words to the lesson, the students can work on the difference between “to remember / to recall”: give their ideas explaining, and make sentences with them. Then, a new portion of vocabulary to learn. The teacher can prepare a list of words and some exercises: 

• controlled practice (choose the correct option)

• semi-controlled practice (to finish the sentence with their own idea)

I always felt cosy when ____________________________.

My family gatherings were full of ____________________________.

• free practice (discuss it with partners)

What do you remember most about your childhood holidays?

A short audio about the speaker’s New Year. The students listen twice. At first, they get the main gist, then catch grammar constructions about the past: used to / would / Past Simple.

The gradual move to this part. The teacher can prepare some information with grammar and use topical vocabulary for sentence examples.

Then, some exercises to do again.

• controlled practice (underline the correct option)

• semi-controlled practice (to finish the sentence with their own idea)

When I was little, I used to _______________.

• free practice (discuss it with partners)

Who would you spend most time with during the holidays?

How do you feel when you think of those times?

Encourage use of all three forms: used to, would, Past Simple.

New Year Hustle and Bustle

Grammar focus: to be going to + Future Simple (will)

Vocabulary & ideas:

• to prepare for the holiday;
• shopping, cooking, cleaning, decorating;
• to plan, to rush, to get ready;
• to make New Year’s resolutions;
• to celebrate with family/friends.

This lesson is about experiencing forthcoming celebration, and its hustle and bustle.

Ask the students to give one word that is associated with the New Year. Make them speak up.

After showing the list of some words and asking them to expand this list with some synonyms or collocations. 

It will help to activate their brains and attune them to the vocabulary tasks.

Here we go. Now the teacher needs to combine the words from the warm-up with the rest and provide the students with the whole list. 

The students need to do such tasks as:

• controlled practice (matching a phrase with its definiition):

to prepare for the holiday → to make plans or arrangements for the holiday celebration

to rush → to do things very quickly because you are short of time

… →

• semi-controlled practice (to finish the sentence with their own idea)

I’m going to celebrate this year by ____________________________.

I’m going to buy a present for ____________________________. 

• free practice (the students create one sentence for each phrase.)

The students read a text about hustle and bustle, looking for tips and tricks. Surely, they highlight the key vocabulary. 

Based on the pros and cons from the article, they have to talk it over with their partners. The teachers can divide everyone, and the students have to prove one side only.

Time to move to grammar.  The teacher can prepare some information with grammar and use topical vocabulary for sentence examples.

Then, some exercises to do again.

• controlled practice (choose the correct option)

• semi-controlled practice (to finish the sentence with their own idea)

I think I will ___________________________ on New Year’s Eve.

I’ll probably ___________________________ after the holidays.

• free practice (discuss with partners)

After completing the previous exercises, and checking that in OCD (Open class discussion), the student can move on to discussing those sentences. 

They have to share their experience, use new vocabulary and grammar constructions “will” and “to be going to”.

Traditions and Celebrations

Grammar focus: Present Simple + useful constructions for expressing habits and facts

Vocabulary & ideas:

• customs, rituals, decorations, fireworks, midnight toast, countdown, wishes;
• to make a wish, to give presents, to have festive dinner, to stay up late.

The teacher prepares descriptions of hilarious New Year activities in different countries. The students have to describe each by guessing the country and explaining the purpose of the activities of these traditions. 

It can be:

• People eat 12 grapes at midnight for good luck. (Spain).
• People jump from chairs when the clock strikes 12. (Denmark).
• ​​Burn paper dolls (Ecuador).
• Hang an onion on the door (Greece).
• Celebrate twice on 31 December and 14 January, saying goodbye to Old New Year (Ukraine).

The teacher hands a list of topical words, whereas the students have to do activities like this:

• controlled practice (matching a phrase with its definiition):

fireworks → colored lights in the sky to celebrate

midnight toast → when people raise glasses to wish each other well

… →

• semi-controlled practice (to categorize and check in pairs)

Things you do → to make a wish, to give presents, to stay up late

Things you see → decorations, fireworks, countdown

• free practice (the students answer the question in pairs)

Which of these are common in your family?

This time grammar part is dedicated to some useful constructions for expressing habits and facts. The teacher prepares sentences like this. 

• controlled practice (choose the correct option)

The students highlight constructions, the teacher explains them, adding Present Simple to revision.

• semi-controlled practice (to underline a correct option)

Every year, my family gets together/celebrates for dinner.

• free practice (discuss with partners)

Students discuss those sentences, defining whether it is true or false for them.

This free practice will be the student’s speaking activity, and some time will be allocated to writing. Give the students a task to write an opinion essay where they can form their minds.

Encourage the use of all the vocabulary and constructions learned in the lesson.

New Year's Resolutions and goals 

Grammar focus: Present Continuous for plans + modals (will, might, should) for intentions and advice

Vocabulary & ideas:

• to set goals / to make resolutions;
• to break a habit / to stick to a routine;
• to get fit, to eat healthier, to save money, to learn a language, to travel more;
• motivation, self-improvement, progress, success.

Ask the students to write some typical resolutions on slips of paper. The more, the better. Then, they can shortly exchange their thoughts on that.

Preparing new vocabulary for the students, the teacher gives exercises like this:

• controlled practice (matching a phrase with its definition):

to stick to a routine → a) to continue doing something regularly

to break a habit → b) to stop doing something you usually do

• semi-controlled practice (to finish the sentences with their own ideas)

This year, I want to improve my…

I usually break my resolutions because…

• free practice (the students answer the questions in pairs)

What achievement are you the proudest of this year?

What was the easiest one to undergo?

The students listen to a few conversations where they have to catch the speaker’s resolutions for the next year. The first time they listen for the gist, the next - for detailed information. They have to match a speaker with a reason for the decision.

The teacher asks to discuss the resolutions from the listening part and place them from 1-6 in order of importance. It will be a nice debate. 

• Get fit and exercise regularly.
• Eat healthier.
• Save money and spend wisely.
• Travel more.
• Be more organised and manage time better.
• Learn a new skill or language. 

Give the students 2 writing tasks. They can complete it after the lesson, but both of them will be food for thought.

• Make a list of resolutions.
• Write a letter to your future self.

Make them include all the vocabulary and constructions that have been learned. They can share their lists and talk them over once again. A letter is kind of a personal thing, not for checking. Anyway, it’s up to them.

Bonus Activity

No studying without speaking clubs. A speaking club, “Me at my best, me at my worst!” is a great idea to get together and recall the whole year. 

The students will revise vocabulary, practice speaking, recall a lot of memories, and get inspired by English and others. Blessing, isn’t it?

It is well worth perceiving thematic lessons as usual ones. They give the same use and knowledge as any other. New Year lessons are not exceptions. The only difference is that sometimes it gives a feeling of nostalgia, a happy child’s laugh and a belief in miracles.