Saturday November 6, 2004
Pre-Intermediate +

WARM UPS / COOL DOWNS

1. CHAT:  In pairs/groups talk about weddings / wedding food / wedding receptions etc.

2. WEDDING BRAINSORM:  Write the word ‘wedding’ on the board. Brainstorm all collocations. Students talk in pairs about the collocations.

3. WHAT TO EAT:  Teacher brainstorms the kind of food eaten at the last wedding the students attended and writes it on the board. Students talk in pairs about this variety of food.

4. OTHER CULTURES:  In groups students share their experiences of weddings from other cultures.

PRE-READING IDEAS

1. HOW MUCH?:  In pairs students (role play partners planning their wedding) have to agree on how much to spend on the wedding food for a party of 50 guests. Could also decide on venue, cuisine, alcohol, tableware, music etc. Students change pairs and tell their plans to new partners.

2. WHICH IS BETTER?:  Have a series of 3-minute debates with students changing partners after each one: (i) simple food / gorgeous food, (ii) soft drinks only / soft and hard drinks, (iii) spending lots of money on a wedding reception / having a simple reception, (iv) inviting people because you have to / just inviting the people you like, (v) religious wedding / non-religious wedding (vi) … (others?)

3. WEDDING PRESSURE:  Students talk about whether or not weddings have become too commercial and businesslike, with pressure to spend lots of money.

4. BORING?:  Are wedding receptions boring? Students share their experiences in pairs / groups..

WHILE READING ACTIVITIES

1. CHOOSE THE CORRECT WORD:  In pairs students choose the correct (most logical) word from those in italics.

In 1997 Pakistan’s government introduced a law banning / binning the serving of food, except for tea and soft / hard drinks, at wedding functions held in public places. It was, however, considered unacceptable / acceptable to serve food in a private home. Yesterday a court ruled that the nationwide ban should stay as it discourages / encourages extravagant displays of wealth, which is unIslamic. This has pleased many poorer Pakistanis, who are often financially / emotionally crippled by wedding feasts.

One upset Pakistani man competed against / challenged the law stated it effectively prohibited the Islamic practice / training of holding a "walima" (wedding reception). Though traditionally the walima included the serving of simple wedding fare / charge as an expression of courtesy to guests, in recent years it has become a signature / sign of status – the richer and more extravagant the food, the higher your status.

The Supreme Court states its decision was out of line / in line with the teachings of Islam, which places great importance on living a simple / complicated way of life. This is especially welcome news for lower income families who always feel pressure / force to spend a lot of money on wedding receptions. Also criticized by the court was the ‘evil’ practice of giving dowries by the bride’s family, which has nothing to do with Islam, but is borrowed / scrounged from Hindu culture.

2. AGREE / DISAGREE: Place a tick (check) next to points in the article you agree with, and a cross next to those points you disagree with.

3. VOCABULARY:  Students circle any words they do not understand. In groups pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find the meanings.

4. QUESTIONS:  Make notes for questions (opinions or factual) you want to ask the class about the information in the article.

POST READING IDEAS

1. CHOOSE THE CORRECT WORD:  Students find links between the individual words in the italicized pairs. Discuss whether the ‘incorrect’ word could have been possible.

2. AGREE / DISAGREE:  Pairs of students talk about the things they agreed and disagreed with. Change partners frequently with students reporting on what opinions they have collected from previous partners.

3. VOCABULARY: As a class, cover the vocabulary students circled above.

4. QUESTIONS: Students ask the class the questions they made about the information in the article.

5. ROLE PLAY / DEBATE: (A) In pairs/groups students adopt the role of a) the judge banning food, and b) the angry Pakistani man wanting to servehis guests food. Brainstorm together arguments for the role play. (B) Sit in pairs – judge vs. angry man – and argue your case. (C) Come pack to original groupings and report what was said in-role play. (D) Talk about your real feelings.

6. MY PERFECT WEDDING: Students spend a few minutes writing notes on what their perfect wedding would (did) look like. Share their thoughts ask questions and give additional ideas after. Prompts on board to encourage more conversation: country / place of worship / dress / songs / reception / rings / speeches / honeymoon etc etc etc

HOMEWORK

1. VOCAB EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or the Google search field to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find more information on Pakistani weddings. Share your findings with your class next lesson.

3. CULTURE: Create a wedding itinerary for your (imaginary) wedding. (Show and tell in next class).

4. LETTER: Write a letter to the chief judge in the wedding food ruling explaining your opinion on the decision.

FULL TEXT:

Pakistan wedding food ban

In 1997 Pakistan’s government introduced a law banning the serving of food, except for tea and soft drinks, at wedding functions held in public places. It was, however, considered acceptable to serve food in a private home. Yesterday a court ruled that the nationwide ban should stay as it discourages extravagant displays of wealth, which is unIslamic. This has pleased many poorer Pakistanis, who are often financially crippled by wedding feasts.

One upset Pakistani man challenged the law stated it effectively prohibited the Islamic practice of holding a "walima" (wedding reception). Though traditionally the walima included the serving of simple wedding fare as an expression of courtesy to guests, in recent years it has become a sign of status – the richer and more extravagant the food, the higher your status.

The Supreme Court states its decision was in line with the teachings of Islam, which places great importance on living a simple way of life. This is especially welcome news for lower income families who always feel pressure to spend a lot of money on wedding receptions. Also criticized by the court was the ‘evil’ practice of giving dowries by the bride’s family, which has nothing to do with Islam, but is borrowed from Hindu culture.