Christmas preparations_shopping

Christmas preparations / Shopping

Lesson focus:
● Speaking task 3
● Speaking task 4
● Writing 38 (§2 and §3 writing about statistics)

1 (In pairs) Discuss these questions. Say 2-3 sentences:

1) How do people in Russia prepare for the New Year?
2) Do you think the way men prepare for the New Year preparations is

similar to how women do? Give examples.
3) What does your family do in the last week of December?
4) What do you expect from the New Year celebration? Are the

expectations of British people about Christmas similar to yours / to
Russian people's?
5) If you could celebrate this New Year unusually, what would you do?

2 Watch the video and compare your ideas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPvOJx3k1xA

3 Watch again. Discuss in trios:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPvOJx3k1xA

1. Were there any surprising ideas?
2. What disadvantages were mentioned?

Suggested answers to #2:
- receiving unwanted presents
- spending lots of money on presents
- cleaning-up …the house / washing the dishes after cooking/eating
- very busy streets / overcrowded public places

Complete the list of disadvantages with your own ideas.

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4 (In pairs) Look at the photos below. Discuss

- what is in the photos
- what the differences between the photos are
- would you like to do holiday shopping online and why
- what are the disadvantages of the two ways of shopping

Teacher’s Notes:
Give feedback and help learners with any vocabulary they lack.

Suggested ideas:
Photo 1: a man is at home/in his flat// he is making purchases online // he is
holding a credit card in his right hand and a laptop on his laps //he is sitting on
a sofa at home // there are some strings of lights, a Christmas tree, a wreath
on the mantelpiece in the background of the picture
disadvantages: can’t check the quality of items immediately // extra cost for
shipping // the purchase can be defected // a risk of cyber fraud // can’t feel
Christmas atmosphere

Photo 2: a woman is in a shopping mall/centre / she’s doing her shopping in-
person // she is holding some boxes of presents // she has already bought
some presents // there are some adults and children in the background of the
picture//there are decorated Christmas trees
disadvantages: an exhausting process // overcrowded shopping malls //
aggressive people/customers // heavy bags with presents // limited
assortment/selection of sizes/goods

5 (In pairs - Student A/Student B) Do the exam task below. Ask your partner
to assess your answer.

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Imagine that you and your friend are doing a school project “Holiday
shopping”. You have found some illustrations and want to share the news.
Leave a voice message for your friend. In 2.5 minutes be ready to:

● explain the choice of the illustrations for the project by briefly describing
them and noting the differences

● mention the advantages (1–2) of the two ways of holiday shopping
● mention the disadvantages (1–2) of the two ways of holiday shopping
● express your opinion on the subject of the project - whether you would

like to purchase New Year gifts online and why.

Suggested answer:
Hi Amy, It’s me, Alex. I’ve found two photos for our project “Holiday
shopping”. These photos are suitable because they depict people making their
holiday purchases. In the first photo there are two women who are on a
shopping spree. They are carrying bags with presents. I reckon they are doing
the high-street shopping. The street is decorated with Christmas trees /pines
with light strings. The second photo shows a man who is at home. The flat is
also decorated with some Christmas items like a Christmas tree.The man is
sitting with his laptop on his lap and a credit card in his hand. Probably, he is
doing his shopping online. There are some differences between the pictures
that help illustrate our project better. The photos show the two different ways
of shopping: offline and online. The locations of the people in the photos are
different. The women from the first photo are outside whereas in the second
photo the man is in his apartment. This difference shows that holiday shopping
can be done in a great deal of places.
There are some advantages in the two ways of holiday shopping. The positive
aspect of shopping offline in a holiday period is that people can feel the
atmosphere of the holiday while being in a shopping mall, seeing other people
buying presents and hearing catchy Christmas tunes. A good thing about doing

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holiday shopping online is the fact that a person doesn’t have to stand in lines
and carry heavy bags.
The disadvantage of physical holiday shopping is that all public places,
including shopping centres, are overcrowded. The drawback of buying holiday
presents online is that a person can’t check the quality of the ordered item
immediately on the spot.
Personally, I wouldn’t like to buy New year presents online because I’m afraid
of cyber fraud. Someone may steal my personal information and use it to
target phishing attacks.
Well, that’s all for now. Call me when you’re ready to discuss. Bye!

6 (Whole class) Look at the infographic containing some data on the annual

Christmas shopping spree. What surprising statistics are there for you?
Answer these questions:

1) Do American men spend more money on gifts than women?
2) What presents do Americans spend more money on?
3) Is online shopping the most popular way of purchasing gifts?
4) What might the word “other” imply about prospective places to purchase
items?
5) When do most men purchase gifts?
6) Why do you think women start shopping earlier?

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https://visual.ly/community/Infographics/business/santas-helpers

7 (In pairs) Study the exam task below. Choose the statistics for §2 and §3.

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Imagine that you are doing a project on when people in the US plan to buy
holiday presents. You have found some data on the subject – the results of the
opinion polls (see the table below). Comment on the data in the table and give
your opinion on the subject of the project.

Category Number of respondents (%)
September or sooner 23%
October 24%
November 31%
Early december 15%
A few days before Christmas 7%

based on https://www.criteo.com/blog/holiday-shopping-statistics-2020/

Write 200–250 words. Use the following plan:
- make an opening statement on the subject of the project
- select and report 2-3 facts
- make 1-2 comparisons where relevant and give your comments
- outline a problem that can arise with purchasing gifts and suggest a way
of solving it
- conclude by giving and explaining your opinion on the importance of
planning purchases

8 (Individually) Write paragraphs 2-3 of the exam task above.

§2 (2-3 facts) and §3 3 (1-2 comparisons + your comment)

Student 1

Student 2

Student 3

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Student 4

Suggested ideas:
According to the data in the table, many people plan to start their holiday
purchases in November (31%). The smallest number of the US respondents
prefer to do the holiday shopping not earlier than a few days before Christmas
(7%).
As one can see, the percentage of people who plan their Christmas purchases
in September is slightly lower than those who intend to do it in October (23%
and 24% respectively). This may be explained by the fact that the US
respondents want to be prepared for Christmas in advance in order to avoid
standing in long queues before the very holiday when all shopping malls and
centres are overcrowded.

OPTIONAL

9 Discuss the statistics from these articles
https://www.surveymonkey.com/curiosity/best-holiday-gifts-and-gifting-stats/
https://www.criteo.com/blog/holiday-shopping-statistics-2020/

Больше материалов для подготовки к ЕГЭ на курсе
https://school.lingvistonline.su/ege2023

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