Mother’s Day (Reading & Vocabulary)

Ex1: Ask and answer the questions below with a partner or in small groups.

1. Is Mother’s Day celebrated in your country? What date is it on?

2. Do you know anything about the origins of Mother’s day?
3. Do you know any informal synonyms in English for ‘mother’?

Introduction:
Mother's Day is an annual celebration of mothers and mother figures around the world. It is a special day
dedicated to showing appreciation and gratitude for the love, care, and sacrifices that mothers make for
their children.

It is celebrated on the second Sunday of May in many countries, including the United States, Canada,
Australia, and several European countries, but is also celebrated in other countries on various different
dates. In the United Kingdom, for example, it is celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent, which usually falls
in late March or early April.

Ex 2: Read, and complete the text with the missing words below.

The Origins of Mother’s Day

Traditional celebrations of mothers and motherhood have existed throughout the world for thousands of
years. Some of these have their origins in 1. ________________ Greek and Roman civilizations, where
goddesses were worshipped for their maternal nurturing qualities. In other countries the celebration has its
roots in the early Christian festival of Mothering Sunday, which was a day to 2. ________________ the Virgin
Mary and visit one's "mother church”.

The modern American version is believed to have originated in West Virginia, where, 3. ________________ by
her mother's work as an 4. ________________ and social worker, a woman named Anna Jarvis campaigned to
establish a day to honour mothers. The first Mother's Day was celebrated here in 1908, and it became an
official national holiday in the United States in 1914.

Customs
Although the origins and dates of Mother’s Day may 5. ________________, the
customs are largely similar around the world. On the day, families come together,
and mothers and mother figures are shown appreciation for all they do, with greeting
cards, flowers, chocolates, or other gifts. Younger children often prepare handmade
cards. In addition, it is 6. ________________ to serve a special meal at home, such as a
Sunday roast. Nowadays, it is also common, however, for families to celebrate in a
restaurant.

While Mother's Day is a 7. ________________ occasion for many, it can also be a challenging time for those
who have lost their mothers or for those who may have 8. ________________ relationships with their mothers.
We should remember that the holiday is not only a celebration of biological mothers, but also stepmothers,
grandmothers, aunts, or other positive maternal figures in our lives.

activist honour complicated joyous ancient inspired differ customary

© 2023 TEFLlessons.com. All Rights Reserved. Page 1 of 6

Ex 3: Vocabulary Focus

Read the introduction and the text again, and discuss the meaning of the words/phrases in bold print with
a partner, before matching the vocabulary to the definitions below.

1. appreciate n A. show reverence and respect towards a deity or a religious figure.

2. gratitude n B. care for and support the growth and development of someone.
3. sacrifice n C. the wife of someone’s father who is not their biological mother.
4. motherhood n D. the state or experience of being a mother .
5. worship v E. set up or create something, often a business, organization, or institution.
6. nurture v F. actively promote a particular idea or cause by making it widely known.
7. campaign v G. a feeling of thankfulness for something.
8. establish v H. to a great extent / mostly.
9. largely adv I. the act of giving up something of value to help others, or achieve something else.
10. handmade adj J. made by hand, rather than by a machine or in a factory .
11. stepmother n K. recognise, value and be thankful for the good qualities of someone/something.
12. maternal adj L. relating to or characteristic of a mother.

Ex 4: What do you remember from the text? Ask and answer the questions below in pairs.

1. What is the purpose of Mother’s Day?

2. When is Mother's Day celebrated in the United Kingdom?
3. Who was Anna Jarvis and what did she do?
4. When was the first official Mother's Day celebrated in the United States?
5. What is the origin of Mothering Sunday?
6. Why can Mother's Day be a difficult day for some people?
7. Besides biological mothers, which other maternal figures can be celebrated on Mother's Day?

Ex 5: Match the 2 halves of the quotes about mothers.

Authors: 1. Victor Hugo 2. Honoré de Balzac 3. Unknown 4. Unknown 5. Robert A. Heinlein

1. “A mother's arms are made of tenderness A. but their hearts forever."

2. "The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom B. your neck are the arms of your children."

3. "Mothers hold their children's hands for a short while, C. and children sleep soundly in them."

4. "The most precious jewels you'll ever have around D. not a biological relation."

5. "Being a mother is an attitude, E. of which you will always find forgiveness."

Ex 6: Ask and answer the questions below in pairs.

1. How is Mother’s Day celebrated in your country? Do people in your country have any customs
which were not mentioned in the text?
2. Do you have any plans for this year's Mother's Day celebration?
3. Are there any famous motherly figures who inspire you or have had an impact on your life?

© 2023 TEFLlessons.com. All Rights Reserved. Page 2 of 6

Ex 7: Match the collocations halves below, before reading through the lesson again to check.
(a) Match the collocations halves below, before reading through the lesson again to check.
(b) Discuss the meaning of the collocations with your partner.

1. an official A. relationship 1. ________________________________________

2. show B. national holiday 2. ________________________________________
3. a complicated C. mother 3. ________________________________________
4. throughout D. cards 4. ________________________________________
5. maternal E. jewels 5. ________________________________________
6. a Sunday F. worker 6. ________________________________________
7. a social G. the world 7. ________________________________________
8. a biological H. appreciation for sth 8. ________________________________________
9. greeting I. figures 9. ________________________________________
10. precious J. soundly 10. ________________________________________
11. sleep K. roast 11. ________________________________________

Ex 8: Complete the table below with the correct word forms.

word noun form word verb form

appreciate v sacrifice n
campaign v different adj
forgive v word adjective form
tender adj custom n
grateful adj biology n

Ex 9: Pronunciation
(a) Listen to your teacher reading the words in exercise 8, and make note of the number of syllables in
each word beside it.

(b) Listen to your teacher repeating the words, and underline the main stressed syllable in each word.

Ex 10: Speaking Practice

1. How do you express gratitude to the people who have made sacrifices for you?
2. What do you think are some of the challenges of motherhood?
3. What qualities do you think are important for nurturing children?
4. What are some good habits which allow us to sleep soundly at night?
5. What characteristics or skills does a person need to be a social worker?
6. Can you think of any famous activists from history or the present day?
7. Have you ever been involved in a campaign to establish or change something in your community?
8. What is your most precious possession?
9. Is it customary to celebrate Father’s Day in your country? If so, how does it differ to Mother’s Day?
10. Do you think greeting cards are a good way to show appreciation? Have you ever received or made
handmade greeting cards?

© 2023 TEFLlessons.com. All Rights Reserved. Page 3 of 6

 Teacher’s Notes
Lesson: Mother’s Day (Reading & Vocabulary) Level: B1 / B2 - Time: 1.5 hours +

Preparation:
Try our other celebration-themed
- Print or display handouts.
lessons for more practice!
Teaching Method:
Step 1:
- Put students into pairs or small groups to discuss the questions in exercise 1.
- Elicit some answers to the questions around the room. You may want to explain the following...

a) Mom - This is a popular informal name for "mother" in North America.

b) Mum - This is a common informal name for "mother" in the United Kingdom and other parts of the
Commonwealth.
c) Mam or Mammy - These informal names for "mother" are commonly used in Ireland, Northern England,
and some parts of the United States.
d) Ma - This is a common informal name for "mother" in Australia and some parts of the United States.
e) Momma or Mamma - These informal names for "mother" are used in the southern United States and
some African American communities.
f) Amma - This is a common informal name for "mother" in some parts of India.
Step 2:
- Read through the introduction as a class, checking their understanding of dedicate and Lent.
Note: According to the Christian religion, Lent is the 40 days before Easter, a period during which, for religious
reasons, some people stop doing particular things that they enjoy.
Step 3:
- Give the students about 8 minutes to read through the text in exercise 2, completing the gaps with the
missing words provided below. You may want to tell them that the American English spelling of honour
is honor.
- Check the answers as a class, giving definitions and further explanation where required.
Step 4:
- Students read the introduction and text in exercise 2 again, and, with a partner, discuss the meaning of
the words/phrases in bold print.

Step 5:
- Students work individually, matching the vocabulary to the definitions given in exercise 3 before
comparing their answers in pairs. You may want to allow them to use a dictionary and/or explain
reverence, deity, give up, achieve and characteristic.
- Go through the answers with the class, giving further explanations/examples where required and drill
correct pronunciation.

Step 6:
- Put the students into new pairs or small groups to ask and answer the comprehension questions in
exercise 4. Monitor as they do this, giving support where required, and tell them to scan the text again
for any information that they don’t remember.
- Elicit answers around the class.

© 2023 TEFLlessons.com. All Rights Reserved. Page 4 of 6

 Teacher’s Notes & Answers
Lesson: Mother’s Day (Reading & Vocabulary) Level: B1 / B2 - Time: 1 hour +

Step 7:
- Students match the two halves of quotes about mothers (ex 5), before comparing with a partner. You
should check their understanding of/give definitions for tenderness, abyss, precious, jewels, sleep soundly,
and attitude.
- Elicit answers around the room and ask them what their favourite quote was.
Step 8:
- Students match the collocation halves in exercise 7, before comparing with a partner, scanning back
through the lesson to check their answers, and discussing the meaning of the collocations in pairs.
- Correct the answers as a class, giving definitions/further explanation where required.
Step 9:
- Students complete the table with the correct word forms, before comparing their answers in pairs. You
might want to warn them that some verbs have the same noun form.
- You might want to copy the table to the board while they are doing this (if you are not displaying the
page already).
- Elicit answers around the room and add them to the board/display.
Step 10:
- Slowly, read the words in exercise 8 aloud to the class. The students should listen carefully and write
the number of syllables they hear beside each word.
- Elicit answers around the room, writing the number of syllables next to the words on the board/display.
Step 11:
- Slowly, read the words in exercise 8 again. This time the students should underline the main stressed
syllable in each word.
- Elicit answers around the room, underlining the main stressed syllable on the board/display.
- Finally, have the students repeat each word after you.
Step 12:
- Students work in pairs/small groups asking and answering the questions in exercise 10 to further
practise the vocabulary learnt. Monitor as they do this giving support and correction where required.

Answers:

Exercise 2: Exercise 3: Exercise 5: Exercise 7: Exercise 8:

1. ancient 1. K 9. H 1. C 1. B 9. D noun forms verb forms
2. honour 2. G 10. J 2. E 2. H 10. E appreciation sacrifice
3. inspired 3. I 11. C 3. A 3. A 11. J campaign differ
4. activist 4. D 12. L 4. B 4. G forgiveness
adjective forms
5. differ 5. A 5. D 5. I tenderness
customary
6. customary 6. B 6. K gratitude
biological
7. joyous 7. F 7. F
8. complicated 8. E 8. C

© 2023 TEFLlessons.com. All Rights Reserved. Page 5 of 6

 Answers Continued & Pronunciation
Lesson: Mother’s Day (Reading & Vocabulary) Level: B1 / B2 - Time: 1 hour +

Exercise 9:

appreciate 4 appreciation 5 sacrifice 3 sacrifice 3

Did you enjoy this lesson?

campaign 2 campaign 2 different 2 differ 2 Subscribe for more at

forgive 2 forgiveness 3 custom 2 customary 4
tender 2 tenderness 3 biology 5 biological 5
grateful 2 gratitude 3

Vocabulary: British: American: Vocabulary: British: American:

abyss əˈbɪs əˈbɪs inspired ɪnˈspaɪəd ɪnˈspaɪərd
activist ˈæktɪvɪst ˈæktəvəst jewels ˈʤuːəlz ˈʤuəlz
ancient ˈeɪnʃᵊnt ˈeɪnʧənt joyous ˈʤɔɪəs ˈʤɔɪəs
appreciation əˌpriːʃɪˈeɪʃᵊn əˌpriʃiˈeɪʃən largely ˈlɑːʤli ˈlɑrʤli
biological ˌbaɪəʊˈlɒʤɪkəl ˌbaɪəˈlɑʤɪkəl maternal məˈtɜːnl məˈtɜrnəl
campaign kæmˈpeɪn kæmˈpeɪn motherhood ˈmʌðəhʊd ˈmʌðərˌhʊd
challenging ˈʧælɪnʤɪŋ ˈʧælənʤɪŋ nurture ˈnɜːʧə ˈnɜrʧər
complicated ˈkɒmplɪkeɪtɪd ˈkɑmpləˌkeɪtəd official əˈfɪʃəl əˈfɪʃəl
customary ˈkʌstəməri ˈkʌstəˌmɛri precious ˈprɛʃəs ˈprɛʃəs
dedicate ˈdɛdɪkeɪt ˈdɛdəˌkeɪt sacrifice ˈsækrɪfaɪs ˈsækrəˌfaɪs
differ ˈdɪfə ˈdɪfər soundly ˈsaʊndli ˈsaʊndli
establish ɪsˈtæblɪʃ ɪˈstæblɪʃ stepmother ˈstɛpˌmʌðə ˈstɛpˌmʌðər
figure ˈfɪɡə ˈfɪɡjər tenderness ˈtɛndənɪs ˈtɛndərnəs
grateful ˈɡreɪtfʊl ˈɡreɪtfəl throughout θruːˈaʊt θruˈaʊt
gratitude ˈɡrætɪtjuːd ˈɡrætəˌtud worship ˈwɜːʃɪp ˈwɜrʃəp
greeting ˈɡriːtɪŋ ˈɡritɪŋ
handmade ˈhændˈmeɪd ˈhændˈmeɪd
honour ˈɒnə ˈɑnər

Try our other celebration-themed

lessons for more practice!

© 2023 TEFLlessons.com. All Rights Reserved. Page 6 of 6