In a town called Menton in France, there is a big party called the Lemon Festival. This year, they are celebrating the Paris Olympics by making big art pieces out of lemons and oranges. They used about 140 tonnes of these fruits to make things like floats and scenes from history. They think around 200,000 people will come to see it over two weeks.

The Lemon Festival has been happening for a long time, but this year is extra special because of the Olympics. They made sculptures out of lemons and oranges to show how much they like the Olympics. They used almost 500,000 fruits to make everything for the festival. It’s a fun and colorful event that people from the town and visitors like to see.

The Lemon Festival is a cool way for Menton to show off its art skills and celebrate the Olympics. It also shows how important lemon and orange farming is to the town. The festival is a time for people to come together and share their creative ideas. If you are in the French Riviera during the Olympics year, you should go see it.

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

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

Fast

📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions: Have students read the article individually and then summarize the main points in their own words. They can then share their summaries with a partner or in small groups.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Have students discuss their opinions on the Lemon Festival and whether they would like to attend. Each group should then present their opinions to the class and explain their reasoning.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down key vocabulary words from the article on separate pieces of paper. Divide the class into teams and have one student from each team come up to the front. Show them a vocabulary word and they must draw it on the board while their team tries to guess what it is. The team that guesses correctly gets a point.

– Sketch It
Instructions: Have students work in pairs or small groups. Give each group a different scene from history mentioned in the article (e.g. ancient Rome, medieval France). Students must sketch a picture of the scene using only lemons and oranges as their materials. After a set time limit, each group presents their sketch to the class and explains which scene from history it represents.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Have students think about and write down one question they have about the Lemon Festival. Then, have them pair up with a classmate and share their questions. After discussing, each pair shares their most interesting question with the whole class. As a class, discuss and try to answer the questions together.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What is the name of the party in Menton, France?
2. How are they celebrating the Paris Olympics at the Lemon Festival?
3. How many fruits did they use to make the sculptures and floats?
4. Why is this year’s Lemon Festival extra special?
5. Why is the Lemon Festival important for Menton?
6. What can people do at the Lemon Festival?
7. When should you go see the Lemon Festival if you are in the French Riviera during the Olympics year?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

In a town called Menton in (1)______, there is a big party called the Lemon Festival. This year, they are celebrating the Paris Olympics by (2)______ big art pieces out of (3)______ and oranges. They used about 140 tonnes of these fruits to make things like floats and scenes from history. They think around 200,000 people will come to see it over two weeks.

The Lemon Festival has been happening for a (4)______ time, but this year is extra special because of the (5)______. They made (6)______ out of lemons and oranges to show how much they (7)______ the Olympics. They used almost 500,000 fruits to make everything for the festival. It’s a fun and colorful event that (8)______ from the town and visitors like to see.

The Lemon Festival is a (9)______ way for Menton to show off its art skills and celebrate the Olympics. It also shows how important lemon and (10)______ farming is to the town. The festival is a time for people to come together and (11)______ their (12)______ ideas. If you are in the French Riviera during the Olympics year, you should go see it.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is the Lemon Festival in France?
2. How would you feel if you saw big art pieces made out of lemons and oranges?
3. Do you like festivals? Why or why not?
4. What do you think about using fruits to make sculptures?
5. Have you ever been to a festival? If so, what was it like?
6. How important do you think farming is to a town?
7. If you could make a sculpture out of fruits, what would you make?
8. Do you think it’s important for towns to celebrate events like the Olympics? Why or why not?
9. What creative ideas would you share at a festival?
10. Why do you think people like to see colorful events?
11. What is your favorite fruit? Why do you like it?
12. If you could attend any festival in the world, which one would you choose? Why?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. Menton
2. celebrate
3. sculptures
4. lemons
5. oranges
6. festival
7. Olympics
8. visitors
9. creative
10. farming
11. Riviera
12. colorful

Meanings:
(A) An orange fruit that is sweet and a bit sour
(B) Art pieces shaped like people or things
(C) A place in France
(D) To have a party or do something special because of a happy event
(E) A big sports event where countries from all over the world compete
(F) Growing plants or food as a job
(G) Using your imagination to make something new
(H) A yellow fruit that is sour
(I) Full of many different bright colors
(J) A beautiful area near the sea in the south of France
(K) A big party or event with lots of activities and fun
(L) People who come to a place to see it or enjoy it
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is the name of the town in France where the Lemon Festival takes place?
(a) Paris
(b) London
(c) Berlin
(d) Menton

2. Why is this year’s Lemon Festival extra special?
(a) They are celebrating Halloween
(b) They are celebrating the Paris Olympics
(c) They are celebrating Christmas
(d) They are celebrating New Year’s Eve

3. What are the big art pieces made out of at the Lemon Festival?
(a) Lemons and oranges
(b) Apples and bananas
(c) Grapes and strawberries
(d) Watermelons and pineapples

4. How many tonnes of fruits did they use to make the art pieces?
(a) 50 tonnes
(b) 140 tonnes
(c) 200 tonnes
(d) 500 tonnes

5. How many people are expected to come see the Lemon Festival?
(a) Around 200,000 people
(b) Around 100,000 people
(c) Around 50,000 people
(d) Around 500,000 people

6. What does the Lemon Festival celebrate?
(a) Halloween
(b) Christmas
(c) The Olympics
(d) New Year’s Eve

7. What does the Lemon Festival show about Menton?
(a) Its love for Halloween
(b) Its love for Christmas
(c) Its love for New Year’s Eve
(d) Its art skills and love for the Olympics

8. When should you go see the Lemon Festival if you are in the French Riviera during the Olympics year?
(a) During Halloween
(b) During Christmas
(c) During the Olympics year
(d) During New Year’s Eve

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. They used about 120 tonnes of lemons and oranges to make small art pieces.
2. In a town called Menton in France, there is a big party called the Lemon Festival.
3. The Lemon Festival has been happening for a short time, but this year is extra special because of the Olympics.
4. The Lemon Festival is a fun and colorful event that people from the town and visitors like to see.
5. The Orange Festival is celebrating the Rome Olympics this year.
6. The festival is a time for people to come together, share their creative ideas, and celebrate the importance of lemon and orange farming in Menton.
7. They used almost 500,000 fruits to make everything for the festival.
8. The festival will last for three weeks and they expect around 250,000 people to come and see it.
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 Lemon Festival in France?
2. How are they celebrating the Paris Olympics at the Lemon Festival?
3. How many fruits did they use to make the art pieces at the Lemon Festival?
4. Why is this year’s Lemon Festival extra special?
5. Why is the Lemon Festival important for the town of Menton?

✅ 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. How are they celebrating the Paris Olympics at the Lemon Festival?
They are celebrating the Paris Olympics by making big art pieces out of lemons and oranges.

3. How many fruits did they use to make the sculptures and floats?
They used almost 500,000 fruits to make the sculptures and floats.

4. Why is this year’s Lemon Festival extra special?
This year’s Lemon Festival is extra special because they are celebrating the Paris Olympics.

5. Why is the Lemon Festival important for Menton?
The Lemon Festival is important for Menton because it shows off their art skills and celebrates the Olympics. It also shows how important lemon and orange farming is to the town.

6. What can people do at the Lemon Festival?
At the Lemon Festival, people can see big art pieces made out of lemons and oranges, such as floats and scenes from history.

7. When should you go see the Lemon Festival if you are in the French Riviera during the Olympics year?
If you are in the French Riviera during the Olympics year, you should go see the Lemon Festival over two weeks.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) France
(2) making
(3) lemons
(4) long
(5) Olympics
(6) sculptures
(7) like
(8) people
(9) cool
(10) orange
(11) share
(12) creative
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. Menton
Answer: (C) A place in France

2. celebrate
Answer: (D) To have a party or do something special because of a happy event

3. sculptures
Answer: (B) Art pieces shaped like people or things

4. lemons
Answer: (H) A yellow fruit that is sour

5. oranges
Answer: (A) An orange fruit that is sweet and a bit sour

6. festival
Answer: (K) A big party or event with lots of activities and fun

7. Olympics
Answer: (E) A big sports event where countries from all over the world compete

8. visitors
Answer: (L) People who come to a place to see it or enjoy it

9. creative
Answer: (G) Using your imagination to make something new

10. farming
Answer: (F) Growing plants or food as a job

11. Riviera
Answer: (J) A beautiful area near the sea in the south of France

12. colorful
Answer: (I) Full of many different bright colors
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is the name of the town in France where the Lemon Festival takes place?
Answer: (d) Menton

2. Why is this year’s Lemon Festival extra special?
Answer: (b) They are celebrating the Paris Olympics

3. What are the big art pieces made out of at the Lemon Festival?
Answer: (a) Lemons and oranges

4. How many tonnes of fruits did they use to make the art pieces?
Answer: (b) 140 tonnes

5. How many people are expected to come see the Lemon Festival?
Answer: (a) Around 200,000 people

6. What does the Lemon Festival celebrate?
Answer: (c) The Olympics

7. What does the Lemon Festival show about Menton?
Answer: (d) Its art skills and love for the Olympics

8. When should you go see the Lemon Festival if you are in the French Riviera during the Olympics year?
Answer: (c) During the Olympics year
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. They used about 120 tonnes of lemons and oranges to make small art pieces. (Answer: False)
2. In a town called Menton in France, there is a big party called the Lemon Festival. (Answer: True)
3. The Lemon Festival has been happening for a short time, but this year is extra special because of the Olympics. (Answer: False)
4. The Lemon Festival is a fun and colorful event that people from the town and visitors like to see. (Answer: True)
5. The Orange Festival is celebrating the Rome Olympics this year. (Answer: False)
6. The festival is a time for people to come together, share their creative ideas, and celebrate the importance of lemon and orange farming in Menton. (Answer: True)
7. They used almost 500,000 fruits to make everything for the festival. (Answer: True)
8. The festival will last for three weeks and they expect around 250,000 people to come and see it. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧