The Reading / Listening - Lantern Festival - Level 2

UNESCO has given an award to a festival in South Korea. It decided to add South Korea's Lotus Lantern Festival to its list of intangible cultural heritage. The festival is one of 25 things the UN added to its heritage list this year. Some things that UNESCO adds to its heritage list are tangible - meaning we can touch them. Examples are the Pyramids in Egypt or Machu Picchu in Peru. If something is intangible, we cannot touch it. Events like South Korea's Lotus Lantern Festival or a dance or a method for weaving baskets are examples of intangible heritage.

The South Korean festival is held in spring to celebrate Buddha's birthday. It symbolizes lighting up the world to make things fair for everyone. The festival dates back 2,000 years. There was an ancient temple in 57BC that royals visited to see lotus lanterns. Today, it is one of Korea's biggest festivals. People decorate temples with lanterns made of paper and bamboo. Villages, towns and cities hold parades where people carry lanterns through the streets. A spokesperson said: "We will try to make the festival a cultural heritage that can be loved by people around the world."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Lantern Festival - Level 0 Lantern Festival - Level 1   or  Lantern Festival - Level 3

Sources
  • http://koreabizwire.com/s-koreas-lantern-lighting-fest-listed-as-unesco-intangible-cultural-heritage/177167
  • http://m.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20201216000210
  • http://world.kbs.co.kr/service/news_view.htm?lang=e&Seq_Code=158327


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. UNESCO has given an award
  2. Korea's Lotus
  3. The festival is one
  4. added to its heritage list
  5. meaning we
  6. If something is
  7. we cannot
  8. a method for weaving
  1. intangible
  2. this year
  3. baskets
  4. to a festival
  5. touch it
  6. of 25 things
  7. can touch them
  8. Lantern Festival

Paragraph 2

  1. held in spring to celebrate
  2. The festival dates
  3. People decorate
  4. lanterns made of paper
  5. Villages, towns and cities hold
  6. carry lanterns through
  7. cultural
  8. loved by people
  1. temples
  2. around the world
  3. Buddha's birthday
  4. the streets
  5. back 2,000 years
  6. heritage
  7. parades
  8. and bamboo

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

UNESCO has (1) ___________________ to a festival in South Korea. It decided to add South Korea's Lotus Lantern Festival (2) ___________________ of intangible cultural heritage. The festival is one of 25 things the UN added to (3) ___________________ this year. Some things that UNESCO adds to its heritage list are tangible - meaning we (4) ___________________. Examples are the Pyramids in Egypt or Machu Picchu in Peru. If something is intangible, (5) ___________________ it. Events like South Korea's Lotus Lantern Festival or a dance or a method for weaving baskets (6) ___________________ intangible heritage.

The South Korean (7) ___________________ in spring to celebrate Buddha's birthday. It (8) ___________________ the world to make things fair for everyone. The festival dates back 2,000 years. There was (9) ___________________ in 57BC that royals visited to see lotus lanterns. Today, it is one of Korea's biggest festivals. People decorate (10) ___________________ made of paper and bamboo. Villages, towns and (11) ___________________ where people carry lanterns through the streets. A spokesperson said: "We will try to make the festival a cultural heritage that can be (12) ___________________ around the world."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

UNESCOhasgivenanawardtoafestivalinSouthKorea.Itdecidedtoadd
SouthKorea'sLotusLanternFestivaltoitslistofintangibleculturalherita
ge.Thefestivalisoneof25thingstheUNaddedtoitsheritagelistthisyear.
SomethingsthatUNESCOaddstoitsheritagelistaretangible-meanin
gwecantouchthem.ExamplesarethePyramidsinEgyptorMachuPicch
uinPeru.Ifsomethingisintangible,wecannottouchit.EventslikeSouth
Korea'sLotusLanternFestivaloradanceoramethodforweavingbasket
sareexamplesofintangibleheritage.TheSouthKoreanfestivalisheldin
springtocelebrateBuddha'sbirthday.Itsymbolizeslightinguptheworl
dtomakethingsfairforeveryone.Thefestivaldatesback2,000years.Th
erewasanancienttemplein57BCthatroyalsvisitedtoseelotuslanterns.
Today,itisoneofKorea'sbiggestfestivals.Peopledecoratetempleswith
lanternsmadeofpaperandbamboo.Villages,townsandcitiesholdpara
deswherepeoplecarrylanternsthroughthestreets.Aspokespersonsai
d:"Wewilltrytomakethefestivalaculturalheritagethatcanbelovedbyp
eoplearoundtheworld."

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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