TEACHERS NOTES

Festivals: May Day

by Julian LEnfant

Level: Waystage (Council of Europe); Flyers

(Cambridge YL tests); Pre-intermediate
Target Age: 8-10 years
Time needed: 15-20 mins

May Day traditions

Procedure

Create interest in the topic of May Day by

showing pictures/drawings of a Maypole, Morris

dancers, a May queen. You can find May Day

pictures on: http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.
sch.uk/customs/questions/mayday.htm

Encourage the children to describe the pictures

and write up their suggestions on the board.
Check they know the meaning of words such as:
to celebrate something, a maypole, Morris dancing,
to weave (in and out).
Read
the text as a class and check how many of the

childrens suggestions were correct.

Pupils read the text a second time and answer the
detailed questions.

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Teachers notes

Answers:
1. Dance;
2. Weave in out;
3. A May King or Queen;
4. Ribbons and bells;
5. Bang them together;
6. Work, recreation and sleeping

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Main aims: To develop pupils reading for gist

and specific information

WORKSHEET 1
Festivals: May Day
by Julian LEnfant

There are many traditions celebrated on May Day, which is usually on the first
Monday of May. In England, people celebrate the spring by dancing around a
maypole. Children each hold a ribbon and dance around the pole in circles,
weaving in and out to music.
Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers, is symbolized by an important May Day
tradition: the crowning of a May Queen or a May King. There are lots of flowers
and a parade. There is also Morris dancing. Men and women dress up in a costume
which is covered with ribbons and bells. They dance to music and the bells ring
as they move. They hold long sticks which they bang together.
Many countries in Europe have a holiday every year on 1st May to celebrate
Labour Day. This holiday remembers the group of workers who wanted an
eight-hour day eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation and eight
hours for sleeping.

Read the text and answer the questions below.

1. What do children do around a Maypole?
2. What do children have to do as they dance to the music?
3. In England, what does every May Day festival need?
4. What is on a Morris dancers costume?
5. What do Morris dancers do with their sticks?
6. What are the three parts of an eight-hour day?

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May Day traditions

TEACHERS NOTES
Festivals: May Day
by Julian LEnfant

Time needed: 30-40 mins

Grammar objective: To review prepositions of
place: in, on, next to, under, behind

Reading and writing

Materials: A drawing of a house, (a bedroom,

living room, kitchen, bathroom).

Hand out Worksheet 2. The children read the story

and write in the missing words.

Story transcript: Morris the Morris Dancer

Story: Morris the Morris Dancer

Before listening
Show the picture of Morris the Morris dancer from
Worksheet 2.
2 Ask questions such as: What is he wearing?
(a white costume/coloured belt, etc), What is
he holding? (a handkerchief), What is he doing?
(hes dancing)
3 Tell the pupils that Morris dancing is a tradition in
England in May and has been popular for many years.
4 Tell the children that Morris is going to dance at
a May Day festival, but that he needs to put on his
costume. Say that before Morris goes to the festival he
has to find all the parts of his costume in his house.
5 Draw a house on the board and elicit the
different rooms. Elicit some furniture that is found in
each room.
1

While listening
Tell the story to the pupils and pause when you
reach the item he is searching for. Show a picture, or
mime the word and encourage the pupils to say the
word. E.g. Wheres my (handkerchief)? Mime waving
a handkerchief.
2 Use lots of mime, shakes/nods of the head to
convey meaning and continue to involve the pupils in
the story. For example, the pupils could chorally say
No, it isnt! or Here it is! Emphasize the sounds of
the accessories: Swish, ring, bang!
Variation 1: Have the children copy a drawing of a
house in their books. Elicit each room and the furniture
in each room before starting the story. As the children
listen, they draw Morriss route and then circle where
he finds each item.
1

After listening

Drama
The children act out the story. Divide the classroom
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Teachers notes

Morris is a Morris dancer. Morris is going to a May

Day festival to dance with his friends. Morris puts on
his costume.
But Morris needs his handkerchief. Where is my
handkerchief? says Morris. I think its in the
bathroom. Morris goes to the bathroom. Is it in the
bath? says Morris. Morris looks in the bath, but it
isnt there. Is it on the shelf? says Morris. Morris
looks on the shelf, but it isnt there. I know! says
Morris. Is it in the cabinet? Morris looks in the
cabinet. Here it is! It is in the cabinet, says Morris.
Morris picks up his handkerchiefs and waves it up
and down. SWISH SWISH!
But Morris needs his bells. Where are my bells? says
Morris. I think theyre in the living room. Morris
goes to the living room. Are they on the armchair?
says Morris. Morris looks on the armchair, but they
arent there. Are they next to the television? says
Morris. Morris looks next to the television, but they
arent there. I know! says Morris. Are they behind
the sofa? Morris looks behind the sofa. Here they
are! They are behind the sofa, says Morris. Morris
ties the bells to his costume and shakes his legs. RING
RING!
But Morris needs his stick. Wheres my stick? says
Morris. I think its in the kitchen. Morris goes to the
kitchen. Is it on the counter? says Morris. Morris
looks on the counter, but it isnt there. Is it next to the
fridge? says Morris. Morris looks next to the fridge,
but it isnt there. I know! says Morris. Is it on the
table? Morris looks on the table. Here it is! It is on
the table, says Morris. Morris picks up his stick.
BANG BANG!
Morris dances with his friends at the May Day festival.
1, 2, SWISH SWISH go the handkerchiefs; 3, 4, RING
RING go the bells; 5, 6 BANG BANG go the sticks; 7, 8
HOORAY! HOORAY!
The crowd cheers and everyone claps. Morris and his
friends have a party!
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into four sections. Each section is a room: bathroom,

bedroom, kitchen, living room. The children each take
on the role of being Morris. As you tell the story, the
children go to a room and pretend to search for the
item. When they find it, they all shout, Here it is! and
then the teacher continues narrating the story.

Main aim: To develop listening for gist and

specific information; to review vocabulary of
furniture and household objects.

WORKSHEET 2
Festivals: May Day
by Julian LEnfant

Morris is a Morris dancer. Morris is going to a May Day festival to dance with his
friends. Morris puts on his costume.
But Morris needs his

. Where is my handkerchief?

says Morris. I think its in the

. Morris goes to the

bathroom. Is it in the bath? says Morris. Morris looks in the

but it isnt there. Is it on the

? says Morris. Morris looks

on the shelf, but it isnt there. I know! says Morris. Is it in the cabinet? Morris
looks in the

. Here it is! It is in the cabinet, says Morris.

Morris picks up his

and waves it up and down.

SWISH SWISH!
But Morris needs his

. Where are my bells? says Morris.

I think theyre in the living room. Morris goes to the

Are they on the

says Morris. Morris looks on the

armchair, but they arent there. Are they
next to the

says Morris. Morris looks next to the

television, but they arent there. I
know! says Morris. Are they behind the
? Morris looks
behind the sofa. Here they are! They are
behind the sofa, says Morris. Morris ties
the

to his
and shakes

his legs.

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RING RING!

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Read the story about Morris the Morris dancer.

Fill in the gaps.

WORKSHEET 2
Festivals: May Day
by Julian LEnfant
? says Mor-

ris. I think its in the kitchen. Morris goes to the

Is it on the

? says Morris. Morris looks on the

counter, but it isnt there. Is it next to the

? says

Morris. Morris looks next to the fridge, but it isnt there. I know! says Morris.
Is it on the

? Morris looks on the table. Here it is!

It is on the table, says Morris. Morris picks up his

BANG BANG!
Morris dances with his friends at the May Day festival.
1, 2, SWISH SWISH go the handkerchiefs
3, 4, RING RING go the bells
5, 6 BANG BANG go the sticks
7, 8 HOORAY! HOORAY!

HO

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The crowd cheers and everyone claps. Morris and his friends have a party!

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But Morris needs his stick. Wheres my

TEACHERS NOTES
Festivals: May Day
by Julian LEnfant

Target Age: 9-11 years

Time needed: 15-20 mins

May Day quiz

Procedure
1 Check pupils know the meaning of: a bridge,
traditional, sunrise.
2 Pupils work in pairs and guess the answers.
3 Check the answers as a class and see how many
they guessed correctly.
4 Compare the traditions of the countries in the quiz
to those of the pupils culture. Are any the same?

Answers
1c: Morris dancing is a traditional English form of folk
dancing, performed by groups of men or women. It has
been danced for hundreds of years. The dances are usually
performed at festivals such as May Day and Christmas.
2b: Many students have jumped off the bridge into the
Cherwell river to celebrate this tradition. However, the river
is often very shallow and many people have been injured.
Police now close the bridge to stop people jumping.

4a: Some students from St. Andrews in Scotland run into

the North Sea at sunrise and they sometimes take off all
their clothes.
5b: Morris dancers decorate their costumes with bells and
ribbons. Sometimes they carry handkerchiefs and sometimes
they carry sticks.
6a: On April 21, 1856, Stonemasons and building workers
on building sites around Melbourne, Australia stopped work
and marched from the University of Melbourne to Parliament
House to achieve an eight-hour day.
7b: People choose a May Queen to lead the May Day parade.

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Teachers notes

3a: The maypole is made of wood with long coloured ribbons

attached to the top. The pole is decorated with flowers.
Children hold one ribbon each and dance around the
maypole weaving in and out. The ribbons become shorter
and a pattern appears on the maypole.

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Level: A2 Waystage (Council of Europe);

Movers/Flyers (Cambridge YL tests);
Elementary/Pre-intermediate

WORKSHEET 3
Festivals: May Day
by Julian LEnfant

1. What is the name of the traditional dancing on May Day in England?

a. Charles dancing
b. William dancing
c. Morris dancing
2. What is a dangerous student tradition in Oxford, England on May Day?
a. Swimming in the cold river.
b. Jumping off the bridge into the river.
c. Sailing on the river.
3. What do children dance around on May Day?
a. a Maypole
b. a May flag
c. a May stick
4. What is the student tradition at sunrise in Scotland on 1st May?
a. To run into the North Sea.
b. To have a big breakfast.
c. To give flowers.
5. Which item below is not part of a Morris dancers costume?
a. handkerchief
b. a cloak
c. bells
6. What country did the workers come from who first achieved an eight-hour
day in 1856?
a. Australia
b. England
c. The USA

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7. What do people need to choose every year for the May Day festival?
a. the best parade
b. a May Queen
c. the best flowers

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May Day quiz

TEACHERS NOTES
Festivals: May Day
by Julian LEnfant
Websites and other ideas:
Cooking and information:

http://www.todaysparent.com/food/cookingwithkids/article.jsp?content=967100

Time needed: 30 mins for each activity

Summary: Children make a traditional
English Maypole.

Scones and cream (a recipe).

May Day traditions:

Materials: a recycled cardboard tube from

wrapping paper, kitchen foil or kitchen roll
enough for each pair, tissue paper, streamers,
glue, scissors, a stapler

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/questions/mayday.htm

Learn about England and her culture from children

who live there.
http://www.first-school.ws/features/holiday/maydaystorypage.htm

Project: Make a Maypole

May Day for young children.

Procedure

http://papertoys.com/queenscrown.htm

Make a queens crown. Once this is made, have a class

election where a May King and Queen are voted for.
As a variation, all of the children could wear the crown
they made and be queens/kings of May.
www.azcentral.com/ent/dead/crafts/paperflowers.html

Make paper flowers with a short instructional video,

easy to follow.

1, 2, 3, 4, walk around the Maypole. (Walk around

the pole)
In and out, in and out, 1, 2, 3 4. (Weave in & out)
6 Encourage the pupils to work with another pair
and create a pattern on their Maypole by weaving the
streamers in and out and moving from left to right and
then right to left.
7 The pupils compare their Maypole patterns.
8 The class Maypoles can be put on display.

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Teachers notes

Show a picture of a Maypole and explain that

dancing around a Maypole is a tradition in May
in England.
2 Give each pair of pupils a roll and ask them to
decorate it with the tissue paper.
3 Each pair then selects 4-6 coloured streamers and
fastens them to the top of the tube. (Perhaps the best
way to fasten them is with a stapler.) Let the streamers
go into the top of the tube before fastening.
4 Choose one of the children to hold the Maypole
above his or her head.
5 Give the children one streamer each to hold and
demonstrate what they need to do. Let the pupils
weave in and out and change direction on your
instruction. The rest of the class can clap, or chant
along with you as you give the instructions. After one
or two renditions, the children change direction.
1

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Level: A1 Breakthrough (Council of Europe); Starters/Movers (Cambridge YL tests);

Beginner/Elementary