English Year 3: Countries, flags and festivals
English, Year 3 (Portugal): Find countries on the map, know their flags, weather and festivals, and compare your own culture with the English-speaking world.
English is spoken in many places
People speak English in many countries: the United Kingdom, the USA, Australia and more. Find them on a map or a globe. Each country has a flag: the flag of the United Kingdom is red, white and blue, the flag of the USA has stars and stripes, and the flag of Portugal is green and red. Your own culture has its own things too: your name, your language, your flag, your festivals.
Weather and festivals change
Countries have different weather. The United Kingdom is often cloudy and rainy. Portugal has many sunny days. Australia has hot summers, and its summer is in December, because it is in the southern half of the world. Countries also have festivals: Christmas is on 25 December and Halloween is on 31 October. Some festivals are shared, and each place has its own way to celebrate.
Flag, map, weather, festival
Task: get to know one country. Step 1, the flag: red, white and blue, with crosses: the United Kingdom (the “Union Jack”). Step 2, the map: find the islands in the north-west of Europe. Step 3, the weather: often cloudy and rainy: “It's rainy.” Step 4, a festival: Christmas Day is on 25 December. Step 5, compare with home: in Portugal many families have a big dinner on the night of 24 December, the Consoada.
English is not one country
Do not think that English belongs to one country or that everybody is the same. England is only one part of the United Kingdom. The USA and the UK have different flags, and Australia has its own. It does not rain every day in the United Kingdom. Each country has its own habits and festivals: look, ask and compare, and do not guess.
Where you will meet this
You meet other cultures in stories, songs, videos, sport and school exchanges. Halloween on 31 October, with costumes and pumpkins, is a festival you see in films from the USA and the UK. Compare what you know: which festivals do you and a child in another country both celebrate, and what is different? Then try to say one in English: “I like Christmas.”
Test what you learned
Which colours are on the flag of the United Kingdom (the “Union Jack”)?
- a) Green and red
- b) Green, white and orange
- c) Red, white and blue
Correct answer: c) Red, white and blue — Yes! The Union Jack is red, white and blue, with crosses.
It is 31 October. In the USA and the UK children wear costumes and make pumpkin lanterns. Which festival is it?
- a) Christmas
- b) Halloween
- c) Easter
Correct answer: b) Halloween — Yes! Halloween is on 31 October, with costumes and pumpkins.
Which sentence is true?
- a) English is spoken in many countries.
- b) English is spoken only in England.
- c) The UK and the USA have the same flag.
- d) It rains every day in the UK.
Correct answer: a) English is spoken in many countries. — Yes! For example the United Kingdom, the USA and Australia.
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