Carnival fancy dress
Teaching notes and key
Level: lower-intermediate (B1).
Age group: teenagers and adults.
Aims:
 to understand and practise different meanings of dress and wear
 to read a text and watch a YouTube video about the Carnival of Venice
 to design and label a carnival costume for a competition.
Timing: approximately two and a quarter hours.
Procedure and answers
Task 1 Vocabulary presentation (15 minutes)
Answers: 1e, 2g, 3e, 4h, 5b, 6c, 7k, 8a, 9d, 10j, 11f.
Task 2 Vocabulary practice (20 minutes, excluding optional writing task)
Answers:
This morning I wanted to wear my favourite black dress but it was at the dry cleaner’s so I
put on my old grey T-shirt and dirty jogging bottoms. I don’t usually dress down but I
didn’t have time to get dressed / dress properly.
I went into the kitchen and my husband was dressing a chicken salad.
“Why are you doing that so early in the day?” I asked him, with surprise.
“Have you forgotten? Today we’re going to my sister’s fancy dress party. That’s what
this salad is for.”
“Oh yeah,” I said reluctantly. I hate dressing up / fancy dress.
“Hurry up with your breakfast, go and have a shower and get dressed. We have to go
and buy a fancy dress costume for you,” he said. “Oh, and could you taste this
dressing? Is there enough salt?”
“Salt’s okay, but it needs more lemon.” Maybe I’m just feeling sour.
So, I got dressed / dressed and we went to the fancy dress shop to find my costume.
After trying on pirate suits, a super-tight Wonderwoman costume and various masks in
different colours, shapes and sizes, I decided to just go to the dry cleaner’s and pick up my
trusty black dress to wear. I told you, I hate dressing up / fancy dress. If anyone asks,
I’ll just say I’m dressed as ‘The Woman in Black’!
Task 3 Speaking (15 minutes)
This mingle activity practises the vocabulary from tasks 1 and 2 and also introduces the
concept of carnival which will be worked on in tasks 4, 5 and 6.
Note that ‘Thousand Island dressing’ is a mixture of mayonnaise, ketchup and chopped
onion and/or pickles.
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Carnival fancy dress
Task 4 Reading (15 minutes)
Before reading, find out what your students know, if anything, about the Carnival of
Venice. They could write their own questions to ask each other for help with any parts of
the text that they don’t understand.
Task 5 Speaking (10 minutes)
At the time of writing, a video by Massimiliano Zoppo called ‘Venice Carnival 2011 –
Carnevale di Venezia 2011’ is available on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3shEbZkLuc&feature=related
It doesn’t involve any listening, as the accompanying track is almost entirely music.
Task 6 Reading, writing and creativity (one hour)
In small groups, pairs or as a whole class activity,
brainstorm different types of costume which can easily
be made at home. You may need to give the students
some ideas, depending how creative they are. A
scarecrow, a witch, a zombie or a ghost are all popular
homemade costumes.
Invite the students to enter the competition, individually
or in pairs. Point out that it’s only fictional and the prizes
aren’t real! You could offer some small substitute prize
instead.
Photo by C.M. Liggett, 2011
You may want to explain the connection between carnival and the third prize (a pancakemaking kit). In most parts of the world, carnivals take place at the start of Lent, six weeks
before Easter. Traditionally, this was a period when Christians gave up rich food such as
eggs. Pancakes are a way of using up eggs before Lent.
Students should draw their costumes and label them. Remind them to use the imperative
for giving instructions.
Invite the students to display their costume designs around the room and then vote for the
winners.
Follow up
Invite your students to come to the next lesson in fancy dress!
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Carnival fancy dress
Worksheet
Task 1 Vocabulary presentation
Look at the examples then match the words/phrases with their definitions.
a dress
She wore her short velvet dress.
The new shop in town has a good selection of evening
dresses.
a fancy dress party
We’re having a party this weekend. Do you want to come?
It’s fancy dress.
I’m going to wear a tiger costume for the fancy dress
party.
dressing
A: Would you like some dressing for your salad?
B: Yes, please – what’s in it?
A: Lemon, oil, and salt.
I don’t like salad dressing. It makes the lettuce greasy.
The dog was injured so the vet put a loose dressing on
his paw.
to dress something
I dressed the Christmas tree with silver and gold bells.
Shall I dress the salad?
You should dress the dog’s paw twice a day with clean
bandages.
The shopkeeper dressed the shop window with his best
products.
to dress someone
I dress my baby sister every morning because she’s too
small to dress herself.
I dressed the dog in one of my sweaters. He looked cute!
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to get dressed / to dress
I get dressed every morning. / I dress every morning.
The man gets dressed before he goes to work.
We got dressed in a hurry because we were late.
to get undressed / to undress
The doctor told me to get undressed and lie down.
I always undress quickly because my house is freezing.
to dress down
The garden will be muddy so you should dress down for
the barbecue.
I don’t have any decent clothes for the wedding so I’ll have
to dress down.
to dress up
The children love dressing up as pirates.
I’m going to dress up for my sister’s wedding.
There’s no point in dressing up the facts. It’s obvious that
the company is losing a lot of business.
to wear
I never wear skirts – I prefer trousers.
Yesterday I wore my favourite T-shirt.
I love that coat she’s wearing.
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Carnival fancy dress
word/phrase
definition
1
a dress (n.)
a
to take your clothes off
2
a fancy dress party
(adj.)
b
to decorate something to make it look pretty, add
condiments to food or put bandages on a wound
3
dressing (n. [U])
c
to put clothes on someone else
4
a dressing (n. [C])
d
to wear casual, informal clothes
5
to dress something
(v. trans.)
e
an item of clothing, usually worn by women and
girls
6
to dress someone
(v. trans.)
f
to try to disguise or improve the appearance of
something
7
to get dressed / to
dress (v. intrans.)
g
a type of party where people wear masks and
costumes, pretending to be a different person or
character
8
to get undressed / to
undress (v. intrans.)
h
bandages for a wound
9
to dress down
(phr. v. intrans.)
i
a garnish such as oil and lemon, usually for
salad
10
to dress up
(phr. v. intrans.)
j
to put on a disguise or fantasy clothes, or make
a special effort to look nice
11
to dress something up
(phr. v. trans.)
k
to put your clothes on
1 ___ 2 ___ 3 ___ 4 ___ 5 ___ 6 ___ 7 ___ 8 ___ 9 ___ 10 ___ 11 ___
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Task 2 Vocabulary practice
Choose words/phrases from the table to complete this mini-story:
This morning I wanted to wear my favourite black _____________, but it was at the
dry cleaner’s, so I put on my old grey T-shirt and dirty jogging bottoms. I don’t
usually __________ ________________, but I didn’t have time to ________
________________ properly.
I went into the kitchen and my husband was __________________ a chicken salad.
“Why are you doing that so early in the day?” I asked him, with surprise.
“Have you forgotten? Today we’re going to my sister’s ____________
_______________ party. That’s what this salad is for.”
“Oh yeah,” I said reluctantly. I hate ___________ ________________.
“Hurry up with your breakfast, go and have a shower and _________
________________. We have to go and buy a ______________
_________________ costume for you,” he said. “Oh, and could you taste this
_________________? Is there enough salt?”
“Salt’s okay, but it needs more lemon.” Maybe I’m just feeling sour.
So, I __________ _________________ and we went to the ____________
_________________ shop to find my costume.
After trying on pirate suits, a super-tight Wonderwoman costume and various masks
in different colours, shapes and sizes, I decided to just go to the dry cleaner’s and
pick up my trusty black ___________ to wear. I told you, I hate ____________
__________. If anyone asks, I’ll just say I’m ____________as ‘The Woman in
Black’!
Now try writing your own story or dialogue with the words in the table.
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Task 3 Speaking
Find someone who …
Name
has hosted a fancy dress party.
has made a homemade costume.
has dressed up as a clown.
has been to a carnival parade in another country.
has seen a carnival parade on TV.
has dressed up a pet in fancy dress.
has dressed up a CV to seem more qualified.
has bought an expensive dress.
has eaten Thousand Island dressing.
has worn a dress inside out.
has dressed a shop window.
has got dressed in the dark.
has dressed down for a special occasion.
has dressed a wound.
Transform each statement into a question and ask your classmates ‘Have you ever …?’
When you find someone who has done the thing, write his or her name in the right-hand
box.
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Task 4 Reading
The Carnival of Venice
Carnival, which means ‘goodbye to meat’, is
celebrated in many cities around the world. One of
the most impressive carnival celebrations takes place
in Venice. Visitors flock1 from all over the world to
see the beautiful costumes, puppet shows and
masked balls2.
The festival originated in the 12th century when Venice
was a small but powerful Republic. Carnival was a
time for indulgence3, feasting and elegant balls.
Wearing masks stopped people from being identified
and made it possible for people of different social
classes to mix on an equal playing field4.
Venetian masks are beautifully crafted from papiermâché, glass or fabric and embellished5 with fur,
feathers and jewels. The masks may cover the whole
face or just the eyes. The masks and costumes
symbolize characters from mythology, or historical or
religious figures. Perhaps the most popular costumes
of all are of the characters from the Commedia
dell’Arte (traditional Italian comedy of professional
artists). These include Harlequin, who wears a tight
suit and was known for his acrobatics and agility,
Pantaloon, a rich merchant, and Columbine, wearing
a patchwork6 dress.
The celebrations of the Venice Carnival cumulate in
San Marco square, perhaps because it is the biggest
open space in Venice, suitable for large gatherings of
people. In the present day carnival, there are many
events and activities for families, children, the young
and the old. Masked balls are expensive to attend,
and the city gets very crowded around carnival time,
but the Venice Carnival is a truly unique experience.
Visitors can enjoy the atmosphere and participate in the many street celebrations around the
city such as dancing, plays, parades, storytelling and puppet shows.
Task 5 Speaking
Watch a video of the Venice Carnival and discuss these questions:
 What can you see?
 Which masks do you like best?
 Are there any costumes you dislike?
 Would you like to go to the Venice Carnival?
 How would you dress up?
1
arrive in large numbers
a party where people dance and wear masks and costumes
3
getting pleasure and doing whatever you want
4
as equals
5
made pretty
6
lots of different pieces of cloth sewn together 2
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Competition
Design a fancy dress costume
Criteria

The costume must be entirely homemade.

The costume must be cost-effective and use materials which can be easily
acquired.

The costume must be safe and comfortable to wear.

Applicants must include an annotated photograph or illustration of their costume
with full instructions and a materials list.
Deadline
Entries must arrive no later than 12 noon on Monday March 12th.
Prizes
1st prize an all-inclusive two-week holiday to Rio de Janeiro to see the fabulous
carnival parade featuring the best samba schools in the world.
2nd prize an all-inclusive weekend trip to the Carnival of Venice, staying two nights
in a five-star hotel in Piazza San Marco.
3rd prize a pancake making kit, including a special non-stick pancake pan.
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