Writing Practice A1- Write About a Holiday in Your Country

Goals for this lesson

• Use the simple present to talk about holiday customs and routines.
• Describe what people do, eat, wear, and how they feel.
• Write a short paragraph (5–7 sentences) about a holiday in your country.

Key words & sentence frames

Holiday words: celebrate, tradition, custom, festival, parade, prayer, greeting, visit, gather, decorate

Food & clothes: special dishes, sweets, dessert, new clothes, traditional dress

Time words: every year, in the morning/afternoon/evening, at night, in (month), on (day)

Useful frames:

• My favorite holiday is ______.
• It is celebrated in ______ (country/month/season).
• On this day, people ______ (visit family, pray, travel, watch a parade).
• We eat ______ and we wear ______.
• Children usually ______ (get gifts, play games).
• I like this holiday because ______ (it is fun / I see my family).
• Everyone feels ______ (happy, excited, relaxed).

Tip: For facts and routines, use the simple present: People visit, We eat, It happens every year.

Part 1 — Building sentences step by step

A clear sentence has a subject + verb + details (time, place, activity, feeling).

• My favorite holiday is Eid al-Fitr. (holiday name)
• It is celebrated in Morocco and many other countries. (place)
• In the morning, people pray together and wear new clothes. (time + actions)
• Families visit each other and share sweets and tea. (activities + food)
• Everyone feels happy and grateful. (feeling)

Part 2 — Model paragraph

Example (Ali):

My favorite holiday is Eid al-Fitr. It is celebrated at the end of Ramadan. In the morning, people pray together and wear new clothes. Then we visit our relatives and friends. We eat sweet pastries and drink mint tea. Children often receive small gifts. I like this holiday because I spend the whole day with my family and I feel happy.

Why this is good: It uses the simple present, includes time words (in the morning, then), and explains a clear reason for liking the holiday.

Part 3 — Guided writing

1. Plan: Choose a holiday. Note the month/season, 3 activities, 1–2 foods or clothes, and one reason you like it.
2. Draft: Use these starters:
   • My favorite holiday is …
   • It is celebrated in …
   • On this day, people … / In the morning, … / In the evening, …
   • We eat … and we wear …
   • Children usually …
   • I like this holiday because …
3. Check: Use the A1 checklist below.

Self-check (A1 writing checklist)

• Did I use the simple present (celebrate, visit, eat, feel)?
• Did I include time words (in the morning, every year, in + month)?
• Do my sentences start with a capital letter and end with a period?
• Do I have at least 6 sentences?

Part 4 — Practice activities

Activity 1 — Fill in the blanks

Word bank: sweets • visit • morning • clothes • because

1. My favorite holiday is Eid al-Fitr because it is joyful.
2. In the ______, people pray together.
3. Families ______ their relatives and friends.
4. Children wear new ______ and play games.
5. We eat special ______ after lunch.

Activity 2 — Choose the correct word

1. My favorite holiday (is / are) in June this year.
2. People (visit / visits) their family.
3. We (eat / eats) traditional food.
4. This holiday (make / makes) me feel excited.
5. Children (get / gets) small gifts.

Activity 3 — Put the sentences in order

Number the sentences from 1 (first) to 4 (last).

• ___ We visit our grandparents in the afternoon.
• ___ My favorite holiday is Eid al-Fitr.
• ___ In the morning, we pray and wear new clothes.
• ___ In the evening, we share sweets and tea.

Activity 4 — Correct the mistakes

Rewrite the sentences.

1. my favourite holiday is eid al-fitr.
2. People visits friends on this day.
3. We eat sweet and wear new cloths.

Activity 5 — Mini reading (True/False)

Text: Eid al-Adha is a special holiday for Muslims. In the morning, people join a big prayer. Families visit each other and share food. Some families give part of their meat to neighbours and people in need. Children receive gifts, and everyone wears nice clothes.

1. People pray together in the morning. (T/F)
2. Families keep all the meat for themselves. (T/F)
3. People wear nice clothes on this holiday. (T/F)

Part 5 — Your paragraph

Write 6–8 sentences about a holiday in your country. Include when it happens, what people do, what you eat/wear, and why you like it.

Sample answer: My favorite holiday is Eid al-Fitr. It happens at the end of Ramadan. In the morning, we go to a big prayer and greet our neighbours. Then we visit our grandparents. We wear new clothes and eat sweet pastries. Children get small gifts. I like this holiday because my whole family is together and everyone is happy.

Review & reflection

• Which time words and activities did you include? (in the morning, then, visit, share, pray)
• Did you give at least one clear reason with because?
• Read your paragraph aloud. Is it clear and organised?