Gateway A2 Units 1–2 Gateway online

Culture – Summer in
city
the city

1 READING Read Lily’s blog. Match the paragraphs (1–4) with the pictures (a–d).

Summer in the city by Lily_r on August 23 2011

Hi, my name is Lily and I live in London. I don’t usually leave the city in the summer, so I try to find lots of
interesting things to do.
1 When the weather is good, I often go to the city lidos with my friends. These are open-air swimming pools
where you can swim and sunbathe and have fun. We usually take a picnic with us and spend the whole
day by the pool. It’s really cheap!
2 Every night there are things you can do for free, like open-air cinemas in the local parks. They often show
old classic films, but sometimes there are new releases too. I love watching horror films – especially when
the moon is out!
3 The other thing I like doing in the summer is learning a new skill. There are plenty of cool things to choose
from for over-14s like circus skills, where you learn to juggle, walk a tightrope and fly on a trapeze; or
animated film making, where you design and produce your own short film.
4 There is also a week-long street dance festival every summer when you can learn tango, hip hop or ballet
with expert teachers. Oh, and of course there are free summer festivals all over London, where you can
listen to live music, watch street theatre, eat delicious food and find out about local and international
customs.
Why leave the city?!

a b

c d

This page has been downloaded from Gateway online: www.macmillanenglish.com/gateway

Written by Catrin Morris © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2011
PHOTOCOPIABLE 1/2
 Gateway A2 Units 1–2 Gateway online

2 READING Read Lily’s blog again and tick (✔) the true sentences.
1 Lily and her friends often spend all day at open-air pools.
2 You can watch free films in the park on summer evenings.
3 Lily likes learning new skills in the summer.
4 Fifteen-year-olds can’t do circus skills.
5 You can make your own animation films.
6 There aren’t any dance teachers in the street dance festival.

3 Find out about famous London festivals. Read the profile of the Notting Hill Carnival. Then go to one of the
Project
websites below and prepare a similar profile for another festival.

The Notting Hill Carnival http://www.thenottinghillcarnival.com/

What kind of festival is it?
A West Indian/Caribbean culture festival with its origins in the Caribbean carnivals of the early
19th century.

Where is it?
Notting Hill in West London.

When is it?
August bank holiday (the last weekend in August).

How is it celebrated?
With carnival floats, colourful costumes, steel drum bands and stalls.

The London Mela: http://www.londonmela.org/

The Thames Festival: http://www.thamesfestival.org/festival/
The Thai Festival: http://www.thaifestival.org.uk/

Over to you!

4 Speaking Work in pairs. Answer the questions about your summer holidays. You can write notes if you wish.

Q Do you stay at home in the summer? 


Q What do you usually do? 

Q Are there any free activities in your town or city? 

Q What new skills can you learn? 

Q Are there any summer festivals in your country? 

Q Describe a typical festival. 


5 WRITING Write a short blog about summer activities in your village, town or city. Use your answers in 4 and Lily’s blog
to help you.

This page has been downloaded from Gateway online: www.macmillanenglish.com/gateway

Written by Catrin Morris © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2011
PHOTOCOPIABLE 2/2
 Gateway A2 Units 1–2 Gateway online
Culture – Summer city

Teacher’s Notes
Key
Activity  Matching True/false comprehension
Internet research Personalisation Q&A target 1 1c, 2a, 3d, 4b
language Writing a blog 2 1 Lily and her friends often spend all day by open-air
Language Present simple Adverbs of frequency pools. ✔
 Free-time activity vocabulary 2 You can watch free films in the park on summer
evenings. ✔
To use: After Student’s Book Unit 2 – in class, as self-
3 Lily likes learning new skills in the summer. ✔
study or homework activity 4 Fifteen-year-olds can’t do circus skills. ✘
Preparation: Make one copy of the worksheet for each 5 You can make your own animation films. ✔
student 6 There aren’t any dance teachers in the street dance
festival. ✘
Procedure 3 The London Mela: http://www.londonmela.org/
This worksheet can be given as homework or be done What kind of festival is it?
in pairs in class. Festival of Asian culture. The word ‘Mela’ comes from the
Sanskrit 'to meet'.
1 Give a worksheet to each student. Ask them to look at Where is it?
the pictures and describe what they see. Then ask them Gunnersbury Park, in Hounslow, West London.
to skim the text quickly for overall understanding and When is it?
match a picture to each paragraph. Students can check Early August .
answers first in pairs and then as a whole class. If they How is it celebrated?
are working at home, tell students to use a monolingual With live classical and experimental music and dance,
dictionary to help with vocabulary. food stalls, fashion, special guests, circus acts, comedy,
2 Next, ask the students to scan the text carefully and tick live street theatre and visual arts performances.
the true sentences. Students can check answers in pairs The Thai festival: http://www.thaifestival.org.uk/
if they are working in class. Then check the answers with What kind of festival is it?
the whole class. A festival of Thai food and culture which aims to bring a
3 Ask students if they have heard of any of the London little ‘Thailand’ into the heart of London.
festivals mentioned and to read about the Notting Hill Where is it?
Carnival. Ask students to work in groups of three. Each Battersea Park, on the south bank of the river Thames.
student researches one of the other three festivals and When is it?
tells their group about the festival they researched. If you July.
don’t have access to computers, this activity could be How is it celebrated?
done after 4 and 5 or you could print out information for With Thai food and drink, Thai art and craft stands and
each group. classical Thai dancing and music on stage.
N.B. There are several Thai Festivals in London but the
4 Ask students to read through the questions and write information above is about the one in Battersea Park.
notes for each question. If students are working at home,
they can write their answers. If they are working in class, The Thames festival: http://www.thamesfestival.org/
they can ask and answer in pairs. festival/
What kind of festival is it?
5 Ask students to base their blogs on the answers they It is a celebration of London and its river.
gave in 3 and to model it on Lily’s blog. Tell them they Where is it?
can make their blogs as inventive as they wish. This stage On the River Thames, from Westminster Bridge to Tower
can be set as homework and might be a more authentic Bridge.
task if students wrote the blogs using the appropriate When is it?
computer software. A weekend in mid-September.
Extension How is it celebrated?
With street performances of music, theatre and dance;
Students could read each other’s blogs, either in text or
food, art, fireworks and an illuminated night procession
electronic form, and write or post responses to them. If you
on the River Thames.
have more than one class of approximately the same level,
you could get them to respond to blogs from the other class. 4 Students’ own answers.
5 Students’ own answers.

This page has been downloaded from Gateway online: www.macmillanenglish.com/gateway

Written by Catrin Morris © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2011
PHOTOCOPIABLE