CHESTNUT ESL/EFL

“Love is the affinity which links and draws together the elements of the world…”
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955)

 QUOTE SOURCE: linguatics.com

CONVERSATION QUESTIONS (SOURCE: iteslj.org)

CONVERSATION QUESTIONS: LOVE (SOURCE: iteslj.org)

St. Valentine’s Story

Let me introduce myself. My name is Valentine. I lived in Rome during the third century. That was long, long ago! At that time, Rome was ruled by an emperor named Claudius. I didn’t like Emperor Claudius, and I wasn’t the only one! A lot of people shared my feelings.

Claudius wanted to have a big army. He expected men to volunteer to join. Many men just did not want to fight in wars. They did not want to leave their wives and families. As you might have guessed, not many men signed up. This made Claudius furious. So what happened? He had a crazy idea. He thought that if men were not married, they would not mind joining the army. So Claudius decided not to allow any more marriages. Young people thought his new law was cruel. I thought it was preposterous! I certainly wasn’t going to support that law!

Did I mention that I was a priest? One of my favourite activities was to marry couples. Even after Emperor Claudius passed his law, I kept on performing marriage ceremonies — secretly, of course. It was really quite exciting. Imagine a small candlelit room with only the bride and groom and myself. We would whisper the words of the ceremony, listening all the while for the steps of soldiers.

One night, we did hear footsteps. It was scary! Thank goodness the couple I was marrying escaped in time. I was caught. (Not quite as light on my feet as I used to be, I guess.) I was thrown in jail and told that my punishment was death.

I tried to stay cheerful. And do you know what? Wonderful things happened. Many young people came to the jail to visit me. They threw flowers and notes up to my window. They wanted me to know that they, too, believed in love.

One of these young people was the daughter of the prison guard. Her father allowed her to visit me in the cell. Sometimes we would sit and talk for hours. She helped me to keep my spirits up. She agreed that I did the right thing by ignoring the Emperor and going ahead with the secret marriages. On the day I was to die, I left my friend a little note thanking her for her friendship and loyalty. I signed it, “Love from your Valentine.”

I believe that note started the custom of exchanging love messages on Valentine’s Day. It was written on the day I died, February 14, 269 A.D. Now, every year on this day, people remember. But most importantly, they think about love and friendship. And when they think of Emperor Claudius, they remember how he tried to stand in the way of love, and they laugh — because they know that love can’t be beaten!

READ ARTICLE (SOURCE: pictureframes.co.uk)

The Legend of St. Valentine– READ ARTICLE & VIEW VIDEOS  (SOURCE: history.com)

LESSON PLAN ON THIS VIDEO:  This lesson is based on a poignant short film about love called Love is Like Life but Longer directed by Poppy de Villeneuve.

(SOURCE: film-english.com)

This lesson is based on a beautiful animation called A Short Love Story by Carlos Lascano, and the theme of dreams. It also encourages students to write narratives using a fantastic storytelling site called Storybird. The lesson is probably best suited to young learners, but could also be used with older learners.

RELATED SLIDE

Valentine’s Day Love Poetry (SOURCE: DLTK’s Holiday Activities for Kids)

VALENTINE’S WORKSHEETS-CRAFTS-COLORING PAGES  (SOURCE: DLTK’s Holiday Activities for Kids)

LESSONS FOR VALENTINE’S DAY-RELATIONSHIPS-DATING (SOURCE: eslflow.com)

Valentine’s Day Interactive Games and Activities (SOURCE: karenogen.blogspot.com)

VALENTINE’S DAY PRINTABLES (SOURCE: homeschooling.about.com)

ALPHABETISING VALEENTINE’S DAY WORDS (WORKSHEET) SOURCE: tlsbooks.com

VALENTINE’S DAY WORD SEARCH (WORKSHEET) SOURCE: tlsbooks.com

Valentine’s Day worksheets and activities (SOURCE: eslprintables.com)

“Valentine’s Day” – advanced lesson plan– TEXT & WORKSHEET (SOURCE: eslhandouts.com)

All About Love – Official Valentine’s Resources POSTED by ddeubel (SOURCE: community.eflclassroom.com)

The Best Sites To Learn About Valentine’s Day  CLICK HERE (SOURCE: larryferlazzo.edublogs.org)

Valentine’s Day Hearts by Judie Haynes–  Idioms with “Heart” (SOURCE: everythingesl.net)

Valentine’s Day Interactive Games and Activities– SEE VALENTINE’S WORD HEART (SOURCE: karenogen.blogspot.com)

Valentine Pictures & Coloring Pages (SOURCE: holidays.kaboose.com)

VIEW MORE (CARDS, PAGES, COLORING PAGES) SOURCE: worksheets.theteacherscorner.net

Glenn Close reads the poem ‘I Like For You To Be Still’ by Pablo Neruda

In this love poem, Pablo Neruda speaks of embracing his lover’s silence.  When he says, “a kiss had sealed your mouth” he shows that a simple kiss can express your love and affection for another.  There is much that you can learn about a person while in silence.  It is like both of your souls come together, “Filled with my soul You are like my soul”.  Pablo also states that a simple smile is enough to show ones presence when he says. “One smile is enough”.  COMMENT SOURCE & VIEW POEM (SOURCE: best3.edublogs.org)

Heart Writing Fun (SOURCE:technologyrocksseriously.com)