St. Valentine's Day
A song by Louis Armstrong “What a wonderful world”.
Teacher: Dear friends, today we are here to celebrate St. Valentine’s Day. It’s celebrated around the world as a holiday of love. We celebrate it as the day of love to our sweethearts, friends, relatives, and parents.
Student 1: “Music, when the soft voices die” by Percy Bysshe Shelley.
Music, when the soft voices die,
Vibrates in the memory,
Odours, when the sweet violets sicken,
Live within the sense they quicken.
Are heaped for the beloved’s bed;
And so thy thoughts, when thou art gone,
Love itself shall slumber on.
Contest 1
Younger students have collected symbols of St. Valentine’s Day. Younger students have prepared descriptions of these symbols. The task is to listen to the description and guess what it is.
Team 1
Ribbons have been associated with romance since the days of knighthood when a knight rode into a battle with a ribbon or scarf given him by his fair lady.
Cupid was one of the gods of mythology. In Latin, the word Cupid means desire. Cupid is typically represented as a chubby, naked, winged boy or youth with a mischievous smile. He possesses a bow with a quiver of arrows by which he transfixes the hearts of youths and maidens. Cherubs are descendants of Cupid.
The Rose is undoubtedly the most popular flower in the world, speaks of love and has been the choice of lovers in every century. If you rearrange the letters of the word Rose you get Eros, the god of Love.
Team 2
Hands – lady’s hand is a favourite decoration that depicted femininity.
Doves and Love Birds – It was thought that birds chose their mate for the year on February 14. Doves and pigeons mate for life and therefore were used as a symbol of fidelity.
Puzzik is a sort of homemade valentine puzzle that the receiver had to solve.
Team 3
St. Valentine’s cards became popular in the 1840s. An old-time tintype was found in the centre of a card surrounded by an ornamented wreath. Another type was a Mirror Valentine which had a small mirror placed in the centre to reflect the happy face of the receiver.
The pink almond tree – a pink almond tree at St. Valentine’s grave burst into blossom at his death as a symbol of everlasting love.
Chocolate – is called “the hormone of joy”. It is a traditional gift to a sweetheart.
Student 2: “Love is a fruit in a season” by Mother Teresa.
At all times and within reach of every hand!
Spread love everywhere you go
First of all in your own house
Give love to your children
To your husband or wife
To a next door neighbour
Let no one ever come to you
Without leaving happier
Being the living expression of God’s
Kindness, kindness in your face
Kindness in your eyes
Kindness in your smile
Kindness in your warm greeting!
Contest 2. Writing Help
Teacher: Our small friends have done their best. We should help them and teach them to write Valentine cards. You can make a Valentine’s Day card for a friend or for someone you love a lot. Help small friend to write warm loving words on the cards (3 students from every team).
Dear_____________________________________________________________________
I’m happy that you are my friend because _____________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
My favourite thing about you is ______________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
I always wanted to tell you that ______________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
What I’ll always remember about you is ________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
I never thanked you for _______________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
With love from your friend, ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Teacher: Our small friends have prepared small poetic presents for us. They wrote poems about love and friendship. Let’s listen and enjoy them.
Students read their cinquains and present Valentine cards to students they like most.
sweetheart; beautiful; intelligent; caring; loving; adoring; a favourite person in my life; girlfriend
M. Paramonov, 6B
honey; handsome; wonderful; sharing; loving; adoring; a prince of my heart; boyfriend
Nina, 6B
sister; honest; quiet; outdoing; hardworking; caring; sharing all my secrets with you; best friend
L. Fedosova, 6B
mother; beautiful; wonderful; caring; sharing; loving; a special person in my life; mummy
V. Novikov, 6B
grandma; considerate; patient; caring; supporting; loving; helps me in everything; friend
N. Karavayeva, 7C
father; clever; strong; supporting; listening; caring; helps me in everything; friend
A. Pashinin, 7C
Teacher: Today we have got 3 teams. Let them introduce themselves.
Team Introduction
Contest 3
Teacher: There is a saying that opposites attract. Every team will get a set of cards with opposites. Try to pair up right opposites.
The cards are given to members of the teams. Every team should find pairs. Students should stand in pairs.
| Team 1 | Team 2 | Team 3 |
| black-white
up-down in-out day-night hate-love remember-forget | empty-full
cold-hot left-right morning-evening to-from forward-back | true-false
trust-doubt wonderful-disgusting sleep-get up in front of-behind yes-no |
Students’ presentation about the history of St. Valentine’s Day.
Contest 4
Teacher: Students of 10B form have prepared a nice presentation about St. Valentine’s Day. The presentation is in Russian. Your answers should also be in Russian. Every team should watch the presentation and be ready to say:
Team 1–5: important facts from the history of this holiday.
Team 2–5: important facts about birds and flowers associated with this holiday.
Team 3–5: important facts about celebrating St. Valentine’s Day in English-speaking countries.
Contest 5. Love Stories
Teacher: We have great examples of true love in literature, history, legends, films and even cartoons. We would like you to guess the names of famous loving pairs. 3 representatives of every team are welcome.
Team 1
1. Adam and Eve
2. Shrek and Fiona
3. Tatyana Larina and Yevgeny Onegin
a) They are our first ancestors. It’s written in the Bible that all people in the world descend from this pair.
b) They are the most famous animated characters. He is a big green troll and she is a princess.
c) This pair are characters of Pushkin’s novel. She wrote a letter to him. Now we have to learn it by heart for literature lessons.
Team 2
1. Jack and Rose
2. The Beauty and the Beast
3. Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse
a) They were characters of the very popular film “Titanic”. It is a very beautiful and sad story.
b) It is a fine love story about the French girl, Bel and a big ugly animal, who is actually a prince who has been transformed into a monster because he was too selfish and unable to love.
c) They are two animated characters – cheerful and funny mice, boy and girl.
Team 3
1. Ruslan and Ludmila
2. Romeo and Juliet
3. Angelina Jolie and Bred Pitt
a) The love story is created and written in a powerful and fantastic poem by Pushkin. To save his sweetheart, the main character struggles with the ugly wizard with a long beard.
b) A tragic story of love in the Middle Ages in Italy. The girl and the guy from enemy families meet at a ball and fall in love from the first. It is the love of teenagers with long painful sincere sufferings and their final death together.
c) The most well known and impressive pair in Hollywood. Their real life love arose in the film “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”.
Contest 6. Match the idioms to their meanings.
Teacher: Of course, it’s nice to give and get presents but it is even more important to express your feelings in beautiful words. There are a lot of idioms connected with love.
Team 1
1. All's fair in love and war;
2. be head over heels (in love);
3. cupboard love;
4. a labour of love;
5. to have the hots for someone.
a) something that you say which means behaviour that is unpleasant or injust is acceptable during an argument or competition;
b) to be in love with someone very much, especially at the beginning of a relationship;
c) love that you give in order to get something from someone;
d) an activity that is hard work but that you do because you enjoy it;
e) = to find someone very attractive.
Team 2
1. a love nest;
2. love handles (humorous);
3. puppy love;
4. love at first sight;
5. to be all lovey-dovey.
a) a home where two people who love each other live together, or a home where two people meet secretly;
b) a layer of extra fat around the middle of a person's body;
c) romantic love which a young person feels for someone and which usually disappears as they age;
d) an immediate, strong attraction for someone you just met;
e) for a couple to show everyone how much they are in love.
Team 3
1. no love lost;
2. send your love to someone;
3. a love child;
4. love someone to death;
5. catch someone’s eye.
a) no feelings of respect, admiration, or affection;
b) to pass a message of affection from you to someone else;
c) a child whose parents are not married to each other;
d) to feel extremely strong affection for someone;
e) to be attractive to someone.
A musical pause.
My Heart Will Go On
Celine Dion
Every night in my dreams
I see you, I feel you,
That is how I know you go on.
Far across the distance
And spaces between us,
You have come to show you go on.
Near, far, wherever you are,
I believe that the heart does go on.
Once more, you open the door,
And you're here in my heart,
And my heart will go on and on.
Love can touch us one time,
And last for a lifetime,
And never let go till we're one.
Love was when I loved you
One true time I hold to
In my life we'll always go on
Near, far, wherever you are
I believe that the heart does go on
Once more you open the door
And you're here in my heart
And my heart will go on and on
There is some love that will not go away
You're here, there's nothing I fear,
And I know that my heart will go on
We'll stay forever this way
You are safe in my heart
And my heart will go on and on
Teacher: It is impossible to imagine this holiday without poetry. We are going improve our poetry writing skills. But firstly the students of 10A form will present the real masterpieces of love lyrics. Students of 10B form have made presentations to demonstrate the beauty of these pieces of poetry.
Poem 1
Sonnet 130
My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips’ red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head,
I have seen roses damask, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in more perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground.
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.
W. Shakespeare
Ее глаза на звезды не похожи,
Нельзя уста кораллами назвать,
Не белоснежна плеч открытых кожа,
И черной проволокой вьется прядь.
С дамасской розой, алой или белой,
Нельзя сравнить оттенок этих щек.
А тело пахнет так, как пахнет тело,
Не как фиалки нежный лепесток.
Ты не найдешь в ней совершенных линий,
Особенного света на челе,
Не знаю я, как шествуют богини,
Но милая ступает по земле.
И все ж она уступит тем едва ли,
Кого в сравнениях пышных оболгали.
Перевод С.Я. Маршака
Poem 2
She walks in beauty
She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies,
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes;
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which Heaven to gaudy day denies.
One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o’er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express,
How pure, how dear their dwelling place.
And on that cheek, and o’er that brow
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!
Lord Byron
Она идет во всей красе
Она идет во всей красе –
Светла, как ночь ее страны.
Вся глубь небес и звезды все
В ее очах заключены.
Как солнце в утренней росе,
Но только мраком смягчены.
Прибавить луч иль тень отнять –
И будет уж совсем не та
Волос агатовая прядь,
Не те глаза, не те уста
И лоб, где помыслов печать
Так безупречна, так чиста.
И этот взгляд, и цвет ланит,
И легкий смех, как всплеск морской,
Все в ней о море говорит.
Она в душе хранит покой
И если счастье подарит,
То самой щедрою рукой!
Contest 7. Writing Valentine’s Poems
Teacher: On Valentine’s Day people write poems to the people they love. Here are some Valentine’s cards with some wrong words. The right words are in the heart shape and each right word rhymes with each wrong word. Sometimes it sounds exactly the same but you spell it differently.
| Half, hope, died, day, eyes, write,
height, pride, air, wait, sunny, kite, know, fierce, sure, right, date, so |
