Carnival Corner
Lower-Primary
1
Playing with carnival words
Introduction
As Carnival celebrations are approaching you may want to teach your students vocabulary
related to this topic while teaching them how to make their own acrostic poems (to develop
creative thinking), and to chant the poems (that is, read them with rhyme and rhythm).
Even though acrostic poems use the letters in a topic word to begin each line of the poem,
we are giving the children examples of acrostic poems that contain the letters of the topic
word but do not necessarily begin with them.
Before asking the children to make their own poems about Carnival, we want them to play
a game and have a classroom contest to find out who are the quickest students and the
ones who can remember more words/vocabulary in English.
You will need:
• one copy of Worksheet 1 for each pair of students
• one copy of Worksheet 2 for each child
• an enlarged coloured copy of Worksheet 3 (recipe) from Upper-Primary Activity (optional)
• coloured crayons, pencils or markers
• Internet access (optional)
• video camera to record the performances of each pair of students (optional
extension activity)
Instructions:
1. Tell the children about how Carnival is celebrated in different parts of the world.
Write down the vocabulary related to the topic on the board.
2. Tell them they are going to play a game in pairs and each pair should try to be the
quickest completing the task.
• In the first stage of the game, give each pair of students a copy of Worksheet 1.
They have to write as many words as they can, beginning with the letters from
CARNIVAL, in a given time (the time is up to you but allow them to write for at least
2 minutes).
• When the time is up ask each group to read their words aloud and count them. The
ones who have written more words are the winners.
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Carnival Corner
Lower-Primary
1
• Then ask the children to do the same with the letters from PANCAKE DAY.
• In the second stage of the game, give the children a sheet of paper and ask them
to write as many words as they can beginning with the letters from a chosen word
of a specific topic. All the words have to be related to that specific topic (choose the
different topics according to the vocabulary the students have learnt recently).
• You can make a chart on the board to record the number of words the winners of
the different turns have obtained, to encourage positive competition.
3. Now explain to the children what an acrostic poem is and tell them they are going
to make their own guided poems with the letters from the word PANCAKES.
4. Give each child a copy of Worksheet 2. Read the acrostic poem of CARNIVAL aloud
pointing out that all the lines include the letters from the word CARNIVAL. Now chant
the poem and ask the children to do it with you.
5. Still in pairs, ask the children to complete the acrostic poem with the word
PANCAKES and to think about different rhythms they could use to share their poem
with the rest of the class. Before completing this task you may want to show them
an enlarged copy of the recipe and watch the following video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3EuWoS2fuo&feature=related
6. Colour the pictures and decorate the worksheets.
7. Display the work they have done and praise everyone’s effort.
Optional extension activity:
• Ask the children to think about other words related to Carnival and to make their
own acrostic poems and pictures. If possible, record the performances of each
pair of students chanting their poems to use them throughout the school year. www.oupe.es
Carnival Corner
Worksheet 1
VOCABULARY GAME:
Make as many words as you can from the letters in…
CARNIVAL
PANCAKE DAY
To photocopy
© Oxford University Press
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Carnival Corner
Worksheet 2
WRITING ACROSTIC POEMS:
1. Read and chant the poem.
Carnival
When Carnival arrives
We All like it a lot,
We aRe ready to enjoy
wearing fuNny clothes,
enjoyIng parades,
and traVelling on floats.
We also make pAncakes
And dance alL day long.
2. Now complete this acrostic poem about pancakes.
Pancakes
Pancakes
Are d____________
With ________N,
Ch______________
Or _________Ar.
C_____K them
with l______E
for everyone in the ____S___.
To photocopy
© Oxford University Press
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Carnival Corner
ANSWERS:
The complete acrostic poem about pancakes should look as follows:
Pancakes
Pancakes
Are delicious
With lemoN,
Chocolate
Or sugAr.
CooK them
with lovE
for everyone in the houSe.
To photocopy
© Oxford University Press
www.oupe.es