In a town called Menton in France, there is a big party called the Lemon Festival. This year, they are making big art pieces out of lemons and oranges because of the Paris Olympics. They use a lot of fruits, like 140 big bags of them, to make these art pieces. People make things that look like parts of the Olympics. Many people, maybe 200,000, will come to see this fun party that lasts for two weeks.

This Lemon Festival is very old and special. But this year is extra special because it’s the Olympics year. They use almost 500,000 fruits to make everything look nice and colorful. People from the town and visitors like to come and see. It’s a happy time with lots of pretty colors and shows how creative the people in Menton are.

Original news source: French Riviera town turns lemons into Olympic gold (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Give each team a set of flashcards with different sports-related words (e.g. lemon, orange, Olympics, festival). One student from each team will come up to the front and act out the word on their flashcard without speaking. The team members must guess the word within a certain time limit. The team with the most correct guesses wins.

– News Summary
Instructions: Read the article aloud to the class, or provide a simplified version. Then, ask the students to summarize the main points of the article in their own words. They can work individually or in pairs. Afterward, select a few students to share their summaries with the class.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: After reading the article, ask the students a series of questions related to the topic. For example: “Do you think the Lemon Festival is a good way to celebrate the Olympics? Why or why not?” Have the students raise their hands to vote for their opinion, and encourage them to explain their reasoning.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write a list of vocabulary words from the article on the board (e.g. Menton, Lemon Festival, Olympics). Divide the class into pairs or small groups. One student from each group will choose a word and draw a picture to represent it. The other students in the group must guess the word based on the drawing. The team with the most correct guesses wins.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Pose a question to the class related to the article, such as: “What other types of festivals could be held to celebrate the Olympics?” Give the students a few minutes to think about their answers individually. Then, have them pair up with a partner to discuss their ideas. Finally, ask a few pairs to share their ideas with the whole class.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What is the name of the party in Menton, France?
2. What are they using to make big art pieces?
3. Why are they making these art pieces?
4. How many bags of fruits are they using?
5. How many people might come to see the party?
6. Why is this year’s Lemon Festival extra special?
7. What does the Lemon Festival show about the people in Menton?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

In a (1)______ called Menton in France, there is a big party called the Lemon Festival. This year, they are making big art (2)______ out of lemons and oranges because of the Paris Olympics. They use a lot of fruits, like 140 big bags of them, to make these art pieces. (3)______ make (4)______ that look like parts of the Olympics. Many people, maybe 200,000, will come to see this fun party that (5)______ for two weeks.

This Lemon Festival is very old and special. But this year is (6)______ special because it’s the Olympics year. They use almost 500,000 fruits to make everything look nice and colorful. People from the town and visitors like to come and see. It’s a happy time with (7)______ of pretty colors and (8)______ how creative the people in Menton are.
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💬 Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is the Lemon Festival?
2. How would you feel if you saw big art pieces made out of lemons and oranges?
3. Do you like fruits? Why or why not?
4. Do you think it’s fun to go to a big party? Why or why not?
5. What do you think is special about this year’s Lemon Festival?
6. Have you ever been to a festival or a party? How was it?
7. How many fruits do they use to make the art pieces?
8. What do you think the art pieces look like?
9. Do you like pretty colors? Why or why not?
10. How many people do you think will come to see the Lemon Festival?
11. Do you think the people in Menton are creative? Why or why not?
12. What other things do you think they do at the Lemon Festival besides making art pieces?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. festival
2. art
3. lemons
4. oranges
5. Olympics
6. visitors
7. creative
8. colorful
9. town
10. special

Meanings:
(A) A big sports event where people from all over the world come to play games
(B) Being not like other things, having something extra that makes it better
(C) Yellow, sour fruits
(D) Orange, sweet fruits
(E) A big party where people come together to have fun
(F) Making beautiful things that you can look at
(G) People who come to a place to see what’s happening
(H) A place where people live, smaller than a city
(I) Being able to think of new and interesting ideas
(J) Having lots of different bright colors
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is the name of the party in Menton, France?
(a) Orange Festival
(b) Apple Festival
(c) Lemon Festival
(d) Banana Festival

2. What are the art pieces made of at the Lemon Festival?
(a) Apples and bananas
(b) Lemons and oranges
(c) Strawberries and grapes
(d) Watermelons and pineapples

3. Why are they making big art pieces this year?
(a) Because of the Paris Olympics
(b) Because it’s a tradition
(c) Because they love fruits
(d) Because they have extra lemons

4. How many big bags of fruits do they use to make the art pieces?
(a) 50
(b) 1000
(c) 200
(d) 140

5. How long does the Lemon Festival last?
(a) One day
(b) Two weeks
(c) One month
(d) Three days

6. How many people are expected to come to the Lemon Festival?
(a) Maybe 50,000
(b) Maybe 500
(c) Maybe 2
(d) Maybe 200,000

7. Why is this year’s Lemon Festival extra special?
(a) Because it’s the town’s anniversary
(b) Because it’s the biggest Lemon Festival ever
(c) Because it’s the Olympics year
(d) Because they have more fruits than before

8. What does the Lemon Festival show about the people in Menton?
(a) They are creative
(b) They love lemons
(c) They don’t like parties
(d) They don’t like fruits

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. This year’s Apple Festival is extra special because it’s the Olympics year.
2. They use a lot of vegetables, like 140 big bags of them, to make these art pieces.
3. This year, they are making art pieces out of lemons and oranges for the Paris Olympics.
4. In a town in France called Menton, they have a big party called the Lemon Festival.
5. People make things that look like parts of the Olympics at the Lemon Festival.
6. The Banana Festival is very old and special.
7. Almost 500,000 fruits are used to make everything look nice and colorful at the Lemon Festival.
8. Around 50,000 people will come to see the Lemon Festival, which lasts for one week.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. What is the big party in Menton called?
2. What are they making art pieces out of at the Lemon Festival?
3. How many big bags of fruits do they use to make the art pieces?
4. How long does the Lemon Festival last?
5. Why is this year’s Lemon Festival extra special?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What is the name of the party in Menton, France?
The name of the party is the Lemon Festival.

2. What are they using to make big art pieces?
They are using lemons and oranges to make the big art pieces.

3. Why are they making these art pieces?
They are making these art pieces because of the Paris Olympics.

4. How many bags of fruits are they using?
They are using 140 big bags of fruits.

5. How many people might come to see the party?
Around 200,000 people might come to see the party.

6. Why is this year’s Lemon Festival extra special?
This year’s Lemon Festival is extra special because it’s the Olympics year.

7. What does the Lemon Festival show about the people in Menton?
The Lemon Festival shows that the people in Menton are creative and like to have fun.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) town
(2) pieces
(3) People
(4) things
(5) lasts
(6) extra
(7) lots
(8) shows
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. festival
Answer: (E) A big party where people come together to have fun

2. art
Answer: (F) Making beautiful things that you can look at

3. lemons
Answer: (C) Yellow, sour fruits

4. oranges
Answer: (D) Orange, sweet fruits

5. Olympics
Answer: (A) A big sports event where people from all over the world come to play games

6. visitors
Answer: (G) People who come to a place to see what’s happening

7. creative
Answer: (I) Being able to think of new and interesting ideas

8. colorful
Answer: (J) Having lots of different bright colors

9. town
Answer: (H) A place where people live, smaller than a city

10. special
Answer: (B) Being not like other things, having something extra that makes it better
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is the name of the party in Menton, France?
Answer: (c) Lemon Festival

2. What are the art pieces made of at the Lemon Festival?
Answer: (b) Lemons and oranges

3. Why are they making big art pieces this year?
Answer: (a) Because of the Paris Olympics

4. How many big bags of fruits do they use to make the art pieces?
Answer: (d) 140

5. How long does the Lemon Festival last?
Answer: (b) Two weeks

6. How many people are expected to come to the Lemon Festival?
Answer: (d) Maybe 200,000

7. Why is this year’s Lemon Festival extra special?
Answer: (c) Because it’s the Olympics year

8. What does the Lemon Festival show about the people in Menton?
Answer: (a) They are creative
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. This year’s Apple Festival is extra special because it’s the Olympics year. (Answer: False)
2. They use a lot of vegetables, like 140 big bags of them, to make these art pieces. (Answer: False)
3. This year, they are making art pieces out of lemons and oranges for the Paris Olympics. (Answer: True)
4. In a town in France called Menton, they have a big party called the Lemon Festival. (Answer: True)
5. People make things that look like parts of the Olympics at the Lemon Festival. (Answer: True)
6. The Banana Festival is very old and special. (Answer: False)
7. Almost 500,000 fruits are used to make everything look nice and colorful at the Lemon Festival. (Answer: True)
8. Around 50,000 people will come to see the Lemon Festival, which lasts for one week. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧