Christmas activity

This is the latest Christmas activity I designed for a Spanish B2 lesson. It consists of an article about a gigantic nativity scene that has been built in Alicante not only as part of the Christmas decorations but also as a way to brake a record Guinness and as a touristic attraction.

It is a topic perfect for a debate since there are divided opinions about the money spent on this masterpiece. In such difficult time is it a good idea to spend so much money on it or is it a clever touristic strategy that will generate consumption in the area?

This is the way I proceed with the activity but this is just a guide so please feel free to use this resource in the best way it fits your students.

First, we read the article and then we work on the vocab they find trickier. There is only one tiny thing I do not explain or translate which is the expression of the headline since is part of activity one.

After they get the gist of this piece of news, we move on to activity one. The students look for the meaning of this expression on the Internet so they do a bit of independent learning. Here you will find more info on its meaning:

Armarse el belén: This expression is used to say that, in a certain situation, there is a mess, chaos, confusion… Source.

We can also add as teachers that this expression is not limited to the festive period and it can be commonly heard all year long.

Then, you can proceed with the rest of the questions either by doing some speaking or writing with them. The last ones are especially great to practice the conditional tense and you can even add some subjunctive forms if they feel brave enough.

Lastly, you can divide the class in groups and organise a debate on the pros and cons of the massive nativity figures. It could be a great opportunity to teach them some expression in order to express their arguments:

Me parece que…
¿Cómo es que…?
Si fuera tú…
Creo que sería Bueno que…
Tienes razón, pero…
No digo que no, pero…