March teaching activities

March is here, the transition from winter to spring. There is a saying in English
that March enters like a lion, and leaves like a lamb, meaning that it begins
with winter storms and ends with warmer, more gentle spring weather.

Photo credit: CW Weather webpage

(http://www.chorleyweather.com/uk-winter-forecast-201617-la-nina-now-unlikely/)

Contents:
Introduction: ................................................................................................................................... 1
Jigsaw dictations Speaking & Writing A2 B1: ................................................................... 2
Describing people by comparison B1 B2: .......................................................................... 5
Mad March Multiple Matching C1 C2: ................................................................................. 7
Answers: .......................................................................................................................................9

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Speaking / Writing Activity: Jigsaw dictations

One of the things which I try to do in my conversation classes is to help students become aware of
the structure of the texts they are interacting with at the same time as they develop their speaking
skills. For this reason, I like to include dictation exercises from time to time, although I use variations
which require the students to manipulate the text in some way themselves. On this occasion, Im
going to focus on what I call Jigsaw dictations.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The main idea behind a jigsaw dictation is that the students initially receive the sentences of the text
jumbled up, and after the dictation they have to decide how to put the sentences together to
recreate the original text. In doing this, the students not only have to transcribe the words that are
dictated, but also apply their knowledge of grammar and text in order to produce a coherent text. If
you want to make the exercise more challenging, you can mix up sentences from two different texts
rather than just from one.

The initial text can be delivered to the students in a variety of ways. The teacher can dictate the
sentences to the students in the traditional way, first making sure that the students write down
what they hear as discrete sentences rather than as a paragraph. Alternatively, and this is the option
I prefer, the list of sentences can be pinned up on the wall, and the students can do a running
dictation in groups. In this way, the students take an active part in the dictation from the start.
Another option is to give each student one of the sentences when they come into the classroom and
they have to find partners who have the other sentences from the text before they dictate their
sentence to the team they have formed (here it is important to tell them how many different
sentences there are in the text, so they know how many people they need in their group). If the

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students are dictating the text themselves, it might be an idea to put some of the more difficult
words on the board for them in the example I have marked these words in bold.

Once the sentences have been dictated, the students should try to recreate the original text in pairs
or groups. It is important that they get a chance to talk about their ideas, as in this way they activate
their knowledge of the language as they explain the reasoning behind the order they are suggesting.
The teacher should be going around the class monitoring the activity, but should not intervene at
this stage unless absolutely necessary. The students need time to experiment with the language and
try out different combinations.

Here is an example of a jigsaw dictation based on Saint Patricks Day (Level: A2-B1):

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Worksheet: Saint Patricks Day
They wear green and often eat and drink a lot.

He returned to Ireland to teach the Irish people about Christianity.

In Chicago, every year the people colour the river green.

Saint Patrick was born in Roman Britain. His family was rich.

When he was sixteen, he was captured by Irish pirates.

People believe God helped him escape.

It is a public holiday in Ireland, and also in parts of Canada.

Saint Patricks Day is celebrated on 17th March.

For six years, he lived in Ireland as a slave. Then he escaped and took
a ship back to Britain.

People celebrate Saint Patricks Day with parades and festivals.

When he got back to Britain, he became a priest.

Irish people living in many different countries celebrate Saint

Patricks Day, especially in the USA.

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Describing people by comparison
One way of describing people and their feelings is to use a comparative structure as.. as.... Since we
are in March, it seems appropriate to start this activity with the example for mad as mad as a
March hare (a hare is like a rabbit, but it is slightly larger and with longer ears). Normally hares are
quiet animals, and are difficult to see in the countryside, but in spring, mating season, their
behaviour changes, and they can be seen running round the fields, jumping and fighting. You can see
this behaviour in this video. Because this is such a huge change in behaviour, people say that hares
in March are mad and so someone can be described as as mad as a March hare.

Here is a worksheet with other comparisons to describe people and their feelings. Your students can
match them using the structure as... as.... Then ask them to explain why they think that comparison
is correct some are easy to explain, but others are not so obvious! (Level: B1-B2.)

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Worksheet: Describing people using as... as...
Match the words in Column 1 with the words in Column 2 to make a
comparison like as mad as a March hare. Try to find an explanation for each
comparison.

COLUMN 1 COLUMN 2

quiet a bird

happy the hills

free a mouse

tall a wolf

big a picture

cool a post

gentle Larry

deaf a tree

hungry a house

mad a cucumber

old a lamb

pretty a hatter

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Mad March Multiple Matching
This year has seen the release of a new film based on Lewis Carrolls Alices Adventures through the
Looking Glass, the sequel to Alice in Wonderland. One of Carrolls characters in Alice in Wonderland
is the March Hare, who appears with the Mad Hatter and later at Alices trial.

Read the descriptions of the different characters from Lewis Carrolls two books and match them to
the questions. You may need to use characters more than once.

Which character:

1. seems detached from the actions which take place in the story? ................
2. bears a physical resemblance to the author of the Alice stories? ................
th
3. displays attitudes which were prevalent in society in the 19 century? ................
4. represents a transition in the life of one of the other characters? ................
5. has a profound effect on the other characters in the story? .................
6. intensifies a particular attitude as a result of continuing interaction with the other
characters in the stories? .................
7. finds it difficult to reconcile their world view with what happens in the course of the
books? .................
8. intervenes in the action of the story at a particularly critical point? .................

A Alice
Alice is a sensible young girl from a wealthy English family who finds herself in a strange
world ruled by imagination and fantasy. Alice feels comfortable with her identity and has a
strong sense that her environment is comprised of clear, logical, and consistent rules and
features. Alice displays great curiosity and attempts to fit her diverse experiences into a
clear understanding of the world.

Alice approaches Wonderland as an anthropologist, but maintains a strong sense of

obligation that comes with her class status. She has confidence in her social position,
education, and the Victorian virtue of good manners. Alice has a feeling of entitlement,
particularly when comparing herself to Mabel, whom she declares has a poky little house,
and no toys. Additionally, she flaunts her limited information base with anyone who will
listen and becomes increasingly obsessed with the importance of good manners as she deals
with the rude creatures of Wonderland. Alice maintains a superior attitude and behaves
with solicitous indulgence toward those she believes are less privileged.

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B The White Knight
Carroll modelled the character of the White Knight after himself, and the White Knights
compassionate behaviour toward Alice demonstrates Carrolls feelings toward the real-life
Alice Liddell. Like the White Knight, Carroll had shaggy hair, blue eyes, and a mild face. Also
like Carroll, the White Knight has a penchant for inventing and compulsively preparing for
any kind of contingency, no matter how ridiculous. The White Knight sweeps in at a moment
of crisis to rescue Alice from the clutches of the Red Knight, before he helpfully escorts her
to the point at which she no longer needs protection and can claim her new title of queen.
As he guides her, he sings a song that conjures up feelings of wistful longing, calling
attention to the idea of Alices transformation into a queen as a metaphor for her
awakening into womanhood. The White Knight represents a figure from her childhood who
can bring her to the point at which she reaches adulthood before he must let go. The scene
between the White Knight and Alice is marked by feelings of nostalgia coupled with regret,
since Alice must eventually leave the White Knight and claim her new role alone.

C The Cheshire Cat

The Cheshire Cat is unique among Wonderland creatures. Threatened by no one, it
maintains a cool, grinning outsider status. The Cheshire Cat has some understanding of the
workings of Wonderland as a whole. Its calm explanation to Alice that to be in Wonderland
is to be mad reveals a number of points that do not occur to Alice on her own. First, the
Cheshire Cat points out that Wonderland as a place has a stronger cumulative effect than
any of its citizens. Wonderland is ruled by nonsense, and as a result, Alices normal
behaviour becomes inconsistent with its operating principles, so Alice herself becomes mad
in the context of Wonderland. Certainly, Alices burning curiosity to absorb everything she
sees in Wonderland sets her apart from the other Wonderland creatures, making her seem
mad in comparison.

D The Queen of Hearts

As the ruler of Wonderland, the Queen of Hearts is the character that Alice must inevitably
face to figure out the puzzle of Wonderland. In a sense, the Queen of Hearts is literally the
heart of Alices conflict. Unlike many of the other characters in Wonderland, the Queen of
Hearts is not as concerned with nonsense and perversions of logic as she is with absolute
rule and execution. In Wonderland, she is a singular force of fear who even dominates the
King of Hearts. In the Queens presence, Alice finally gets a taste of true fear, even though
she understands that the Queen of Hearts is merely a playing card. The Gryphon later
informs Alice that the Queen never actually executes anyone she sentences to death, which
reinforces the fact that the Queen of Hearts power lies in her rhetoric. The Queen becomes
representative of the idea that Wonderland is devoid of substance.

Adapted from www.sparknotes.com/lit/alice

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Answer keys
Jigsaw dictations: Saint Patricks Day Answer key

Saint Patrick was born in Roman Britain. His family was rich. When he was sixteen, he was captured
by Irish pirates. For six years, he lived in Ireland as a slave. Then he escaped, and took a ship back to
Britain. People believe God helped him escape. When he got back to Britain, he became a priest. He
returned to Ireland to teach the Irish people about Christianity.

Saint Patricks Day is celebrated on 17th March. It is a public holiday in Ireland, and also in parts of
Canada. People celebrate Saint Patricks Day with parades and festivals. They wear green and often
eat and drink a lot. Irish people living in many different countries celebrate Saint Patricks Day,
especially in the USA. In Chicago, every year the people colour the river green.

Describing people by comparison Answer key

As quiet as a mouse As gentle as a lamb

As happy as Larry1 As deaf as a post2

As free as a bird As hungry as a wolf

As tall as a tree As mad as a hatter3

As big as a house As old as the hills

As cool as a cucumber As pretty as a picture

1
Larry there are two possible explanations for this. The first is that it refers to the 19th century
boxer, Larry Foley, who never lost a fight and was very rich when he retired at the age of 32.

The second possibility is that Larry is derived from the old slang term larrikin, meaning a hooligan
or vandal. This word also gives us to lark about, meaning to mess about / fool around.
2
a post have you tried talking to a post? Its like talking to the wall!
3
a hatter hatters are people who make hats, obviously. In the 19th century, mercury was used in
the process of making hats, and many hatters suffered from mercury poisoning. The symptoms of
this were trembling and twitching, aggressiveness, mood swings and anti-social behaviour, which
made a person suffering from mercury poisoning seem mad.

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Mad March Multiple Matching Answer key
Which character:

1. seems detached from the actions which take place in the story? ......C......
2. bears a physical resemblance to the author of the Alice stories? ......B......
th
3. displays attitudes which were prevalent in society in the 19 century? ......A......
4. represents a transition in the life of one of the other characters? ......B......
5. has a profound effect on the other characters in the story? ......D......
6. intensifies a particular attitude as a result of continuing interaction with the other characters
in the stories? ......A......
7. finds it difficult to reconcile their world view with what happens in the course of the books?
......A......
8. intervenes in the action of the story at a particularly critical point? ......B......

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