4.1 The christmas/easter debate  (Page 2/4)

Roles will be rotated in the event of more debates during the term or year. Let the learners do some peer assessment in this activity, on the following lines.

• Let them tick one of each of the different categories (a – e) and then add up the total.

Activity 2:

To use language and literacy across the curriculumuse language for thinkingwrite to communicate information

[lo 5.1.2, 5.2, 4.1]

• You are required to investigate (do research) on the given topic.
• The collected information must then be presented in an original and interesting way in written form. This task must be 150 – 200 words in length. The sources you have used must be noted at the end of your assignment.
• Create your own index for this assignment.
• ALL preparatory work must be handed in with your final project.

Topic: Celebrating Mother’s / Father’s Day

1. Compile a questionnaire (list of questions) to find out the following information:

• Do people celebrate Mother’s Day and Father’s Day?
• How do people celebrate Mother’s Day and Father’s Day?
• Should Mother’s day and Father’s Day be declared a national public holidays?
• What are the financial implications of celebrating Mother’s Day and Father’s Day?
• What are typical and ideal gifts for these occasions?

You should have at least eight questions.

Ask 15 – 20 people their opinion. Briefly write down their responses.

• Depict your findings on a graph.

Explain your findings in three or four short sentences.

Write a short poem for your mother.

Write a short report (approximately 80 – 100 words) in which you discuss how the roles of mothers and fathers have changed over the centuries. Assessment Chart

Activity 3:

To read a text (non-fiction)

[lo 3.3]

A birthday is an occasion when parents consider buying their child gifts. This is a difficult decision. Not only do gifts cost a fortune, but often the gifts are not truly appreciated or used.

• The following article sheds light on this topic.
• Read the article on the following page and then summarize it by the answering the accompanying questions.

. . . with a little imagination you can give your child the best gifts ever . . .

(adapted from an article by Jackie Davies in Reader’s Digest : December 1993)

Zak Benjamin woke early, eager to discover what gifts his parents had brought him. But when he found the hockey stick, he was disappointed. That first hockey stick was soon replaced, but it had already bestowed benefits far more lasting than the train set, tape recorder and bicycle that succeeded it.

On this day of celebration, we all hope to give gifts whose value will outlive the gifts themselves. We want to give gifts that will broaden and brighten a child’s world.

“Truly successful gifts are those that are carefully considered,” says child-development expert, Dr Richard Oxtoby, a senior lecturer at the University of Cape Town’s Department of Psychology. “In giving presents, parents should be contributing to the joy of learning and the development of their child.”

Gifts don’t have to be expensive or elaborate to have enduring value. And you don’t always have to think of something new. My Great-Aunt Lorna invariably gave me book vouchers each birthday, and I looked forward to the quiet satisfaction of browsing in the cosy bookshop and making my personal choice.