Valentine's Day - Communicating with Greeting Cards

Purpose: Greeting cards offer students an enjoyable way to explore U.S. culture, especially holidays and celebrations, and to acquire related vocabulary terms and idioms.

Preparation Time: 20 minutes, assuming you already have a collection of greeting cards.

Materials: A variety of valentine cards (or greeting cards), meant for different people and written in different registers (serious, funny, dramatic, et cetera).

Procedure:

1. Students form small groups of three or four. 
2. Give each group a worksheet and a set of four greeting cards.  Be sure to include a wide variety of cards for each group, e.g. serious, funny, casual, different recipients: husband, wife, life partner, sister, friend, child, parent, et cetera.
3. Ask students to look at and read the cards as a group and fill in the grid. Assist students if they are having trouble understanding the cards.
4. Ask the students to choose one card that they like and explain it to the rest of the class.
5. As a whole group, go over the vocabulary and expressions in the cards. Discuss how the language and images on a card determine its formality and mood. Also, share the customs related to Valentine’s Day in the U.S. Students can compare U.S. customs with those in other countries.
6. Ask students to make their own valentine cards for a family member or friend. Some students might need a model in addition to the cards. Have them complete the poem “Roses are red, Violets are blue…” to help them get started. 
7. Be sure to point out that valentines aren't necessarily romantic, but that we give them to people we care about. It’s important to remember, too, that some of our students are gay, lesbian or transgender. Valentine’s Day is for celebrating all loving relationships!

Note: You can use greeting cards for lessons about other holidays and customs, such as birthdays, anniversaries, expressions of sympathy or get-well wishes.