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GENERAL ENGLISH · GENERAL ISSUES · INTERMEDIATE (B1-B2)

AMERICAN
INDEPENDENCE
DAY
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1 Warm up

Look at the picture and answer the questions.

1. What do you think is happening?

2. When and where do you think this took place?
3. Why do you think it was important?
4. How do we remember this event today?
5. Where can you see this picture now?

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2 Vocabulary

Match the words and pictures.

a bonfire a landmark a parade fireworks

1. 2. 3. 4.

Read the sentences and try to understand the meaning of the phrase in bold. Then match each phrase
with the correct definition.

• The president gave a speech about the legal rights of workers.

• The government declared its approval of the new law.
• In the 16th century, English people set up a colony in Virginia with the official name,
"Roanoke".
• There are 14 representatives on the school student committee - one from each class.
• So you’re looking after your uncle’s business affairs? What are the origins of this
arrangement?

1. the beginnings or causes of something, how it started

2. well-known, related to a government decision
3. a formal talk that someone gives in public on a special occasion
4. accepting or allowing something because it’s a good idea
5. money and decision-making related to a person or country
6. an area controlled by another country, which is often far away
7. made a public announcement or statement
8. a small group of people who make decisions for a larger organization
9. people who speak for a group
10. related to or allowed by the law

How do you think these words will be used to talk about Independence Day, or the fourth of July?

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3 Listening

Listen to the information about Independence Day and choose the best option to complete each
sentence.

1. The American colonies did not want to be controlled by King George the First / Third / Fourth of
England.
2. The Declaration of Independence was signed on the second / third / fourth of July 1776.
3. Two / Three / Four US presidents died on the fourth of July.
4. Between 1870 and 1938, all Americans / only people who lived in the original thirteen colonies
/ only government workers could have an official unpaid holiday on the fourth of July.
5. Some people in the US / Everyone in the US / No one in the US can buy fireworks to use at home.

Listen again and answer these questions.

How did the colonies change their mind about separating from England?

1.

Did anyone at that time realize that this would be celebrated as an important day?

2.

What types of public celebrations do many people enjoy on Independence Day?

3.

Who doesn’t enjoy the fourth of July and why?

4.

Why is the fourth of July also a serious holiday?

5.

What is the most interesting or surprising information that you heard about?

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4 Language point

When you learn new vocabulary, it’s a good idea to learn the related forms in the word family. Read
these sentences and choose the correct word.

1. When you visit another country, you have to go through Customs to make sure that nothing in
your luggage is legal / illegal.
2. Be sure to complete your Customs declare / declaration before the plane lands.
3. Some food items will not be approved / approval for bringing into the country.
4. A Customs official / unofficial will check your suitcase.
5. They may ask you where your flight origin / originated.
6. If you don’t speak English, they can arrange for a speech / speaker of your language to translate.
7. If you have done something wrong, you may need a lawyer to represent / representative you.

Now complete the word family table with words from the exercise. Underline the stressed syllables.

verb: infinitive noun adjective

(1) ................................. (2) ................................. approved

(3) ................................. (4) ................................. declared

— law / legality (5) ................................. /

(6) .................................

— (7) ........................ official (8)

.................................

(9) ................................. (10) ................................. original

(11) ................................. (12) ................................. representative

speak (13) ................................. / spoken

(14) .................................

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5 Talking point

Discuss these questions in pairs or small groups.

1. Red, white and blue party foods are very popular on the fourth of July. What foods can you see
in this dish? Can you think of another red, white and blue party food to serve on this day?
2. When does your country celebrate independence or national day? Is this an official holiday? What
do you do on this day?
3. Are there any other important occasions in your country that you celebrate with fireworks, parades
or bonfires?
4. Can you suggest any ways to make holidays with fireworks less stressful for pets?
5. Did the Declaration of Independence bring freedom and opportunity to all Americans immediately?

6 Optional extension

Choose one or both of these activities if you have time in your lesson

Activity 1: rewriting

These words from the Declaration of Independence are famous. However, it can be difficult to understand
the formal language used here. Read the text carefully and then rewrite it in modern natural English.
You can use a dictionary to help.

We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by
their creator with inherent and certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, & the
pursuit of happiness.

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Activity 2: phrasal verbs

When you read or listen to something in English, it’s a good opportunity to notice phrasal verbs in
context. Underline the three phrasal verbs in these sentences from the lesson.

• In some states, it is legal for people to buy and let off fireworks themselves.
• Most big cities put on huge fireworks displays and light up landmarks.

These phrasal verbs can have several meanings. Write the phrasal verb in the correct box.

1 .......................

• set fire to something and then see/hear the result

• (with steam) release negative feelings by acting wildly for a little while
• decide not to punish someone even though they have done something wrong

2 .......................

• use illumination to make a building look beautiful

• (with face/eyes) this happens when somebody looks happy because they recognize or
enjoy something they see or hear about

3 .......................

• organize an activity for other people to watch and enjoy

• (with weight) get larger and heavier
• start to wear an item of clothing

1. Almost all of these phrasal verbs follow this pattern: verb + object + preposition. Which one is
different?
2. You can look in a dictionary to see example sentences of how these phrasal verbs are used.
3. Write original sentences for one meaning of each phrasal verb. Ask your teacher to check.

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Transcripts

3. Listening

Reader: A birthday party for the country - that’s how Americans see the fourth of July, or
Independence Day.

Reader: Let’s take a closer look at this famous celebration. The holiday has its origins in
the 18th century War of Independence when the thirteen North American colonies
were fighting to free themselves from the rule of England’s King George the Third.

Reader: Although the colonies were asking for more control over their own affairs at first,
in the summer of 1776, they decided to declare a complete break with England.
In June of that year, a committee headed by Thomas Jefferson began to write the
Declaration of Independence, including these famous words:

Reader -quote: We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal...

Reader: The declaration was really signed by representatives from all thirteen colonies on
the second of July, 1776, but the date of its approval, the fourth of July, became the
actual holiday.

Reader: At that time, politician and future president John Adams predicted that the signing
would be celebrated with parades, speeches and games, bells, bonfires, and
fireworks. Adams was right. Americans celebrated the holiday with all this and more.

Reader: Strangely, Adams himself and Jefferson, the second and third presidents of the
United States, actually died on the fourth of July in 1826, the fiftieth anniversary
of the signing of the declaration.

Reader: A third signer, and the fifth president, James Monroe, also died on the fourth of July
in 1831. Throughout much of the 19th century, Americans celebrated this holiday
unofficially. However, in 1870, the United States government made this an unpaid
holiday for government employees.

Reader: It wasn’t until 1938 that Independence Day became an official paid holiday for all
Americans. These days, people celebrate with barbecues and picnics, family parties
and baseball games, red, white, and blue decorations, flags, and parades.

Reader: In some states, it is legal for people to buy and let off fireworks themselves. Most
big cities put on huge fireworks displays and light up local landmarks. It’s a noisy
celebration, though, and many pets find this stressful.

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Reader: Underneath all the parades and parties, Independence Day is an occasion when
Americans remember the freedom and opportunities that their country can offer.
Lawmaker Louis D. Brandies sums up what many Americans are thinking about on
this day, "Those who won our independence believed liberty to be the secret of
happiness".

Reader: If you’re ever in the United States on Independence Day, head for the park with a
picnic and a cold drink to enjoy the warm summer weather. It’s sure to be a day to
remember.

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Key

1. Warm up

5 mins.
The purpose of this stage is to introduce the topic and arouse curiosity. Work with the whole class to answer the
questions, establishing answers similar to the samples. It’s fine if the class has limited knowledge of the historical
event and the holiday – they will discover more during the lesson.

1. Some people are signing a document.

2. In the 18th century, in the United States.
3. This was the document that created the United States as an independent country.
4. This event is celebrated on July 4.
5. On US currency.

2. Vocabulary

10 mins.
Explain that students will need to know some vocabulary to understand the lesson content. In the first exercise,
work with the whole class to define vocabulary through pictures. Explain the second activity and do the first one
as an example with the class. Students continue the exercise alone and then check answers. When you check all
the answers, drill pronunciation.
Pose the follow-up question for students to discuss in pairs for a minute or so. This will help to prepare them for
the listening; there is no need to check answers.

1. a landmark 2. a bonfire 3. a parade 4. fireworks

Read the sentences:

1. origins 2. official 3. speech 4. approval 5. affairs

6. colony 7. declared 8. committee 9. representatives 10. legal

3. Listening

10 mins.
First, go over the sentences and ask students to work in pairs to predict the answers before they listen - this stage
will probably be very brief. Then students can listen to the recording and check their ideas. If they need a second
listening, that’s fine. Before you check answers with the whole class, students can check answers in pairs.

1. Third 2. second 3. Three

4. only government workers 5. Some people in the US
Listening 2
10 mins.
Go over the instructions and give students a few minutes, working in pairs, to recall/predict the answers. Then
listen again. Students can check answers again in pairs before you go over the answers with the whole class. Then
pose the follow-up question to wrap up this stage. If any students need extra support for this exercise, you could
make the tapescript available to them while they listen or after they listen. Students often enjoy listening and
reading anyway – if you haven’t repeated the listening more than twice so far, they may want to do this now.

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1. At first, they just wanted more control over their affairs, but then they decided that they wanted a complete
break from England.
2. Yes, future president John Adams predicted that the day would be important, and he also correctly predicted
how it would be celebrated. (Note: he may have been predicting that July 2 would become a holiday!)
3. Parades and fireworks and seeing local landmarks lit up.
4. Pets - the noisy fireworks are stressful.
5. Americans think about freedom and happiness on this day.

4. Language point

10 mins.
In this stage, students extend their command of items from the vocabulary section by identifying other members of
their word families. This knowledge is very important for exams like Cambridge B2 First. Go over the instructions
and make sure students understand the context of the sentences: customs. Then students can work alone to
choose the correct item from each pair. Check answers and then direct students to complete the table. They
will place both the correct and incorrect options from the first exercise in the table. As words become longer in
English when suffixes are added to change word class, the stressed syllable may shift, so students need to record
pronunciation information as part of learning all the members of a word family.

1. illegal 2. declaration 3. approved 4. official

5. originated 6. speaker 7. represent
Stressed syllables
Answers: 1 approve / 2 approval / 3 declare / 4 declaration / 5 legal / 6 illegal / 7 official / 8 unofficial / 9 originate
/ 10 origin / 11 represent / 12 representative / 13 speech /14 speaker.

5. Talking point

15 mins.
Students can work in pairs or small groups to discuss these questions. If your classroom set-up allows, students
could move around the room, forming small groups to discuss one question at a time, changing groups for each
new question. Conduct a quick round-up of answers either after each question or at the end, encouraging students
to give reasons and examples for their answers.
Dish
-Food: Watermelon, feta cheese, and blueberries.
-Fireworks Students may mention medicating pets or using silent or lower noise fireworks; they do exist.
-Declaration of Independence: Students may mention that enslaved people, women and indigenous Americans
did not enjoy the rights that the declaration describes.

6. Optional extension

15 mins +.
You can use either or both of these activities as a follow-up to the lesson if you have time. You could also use
them as homework.
Activity 1:
Students examine a famous sentence from the Declaration of Independence and practice rephrasing. This is an
extremely valuable skill for language learners at all levels: as a communication repair strategy, as an exercise of
range and accuracy, and as a way of avoiding repetition or plagiarism in academic contexts. Students can work

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alone or in pairs and can use a dictionary if they need to. They may wish to update the content too, e.g., changing
men to people.
Sample answer:
We believe that it is obvious that all people are equal, that all people are born with certain rights and that they
can never lose them. These rights include life, freedom, and opportunities to find happiness in life.

Activity 2:
Students work with three phrasal verbs from the lesson: noticing them in context, defining them, and encountering
other meanings and collocations. Students then consider the grammar patterns, and they can also use a dictionary
to find more examples before they produce original sentences.
phrasal verbs: let off, put on, light up
Almost all of these phrasal verbs follow this pattern: verb + object + preposition. Which one is different?
A face/eyes light(s) up - no object, intransitive verb.

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