1. Every family has unique and treasured family traditions and stories. The oldest members of extended families are often the keepers of these riches and pass them from generation to generation. The greater the connection with the generations that came before, the more traditions and stories there are to share with the next generation.
2. Almost all families have traditions, at least subconscious ones, often centering on holidays or special occasions. But some parents come to realize the importance of traditions and the ability of good traditions to teach values to improve communication, to give security to kids, and to hold families together. Such parents can refine and redefine their family traditions and give them true and lasting bonding power.
3. Family traditions vary from culture to culture and family to family. They may include recipes, holiday celebrations, songs, books, or games. These traditions are the legacy one generation can leave for the next. But traditions can mean so much more, when the older members of the family share the stories behind the traditions, the reasons why the family tradition exists. Family stories help to provide valuable perspective and understanding of the past and the present, as well as strengthen family ties across the ages. One way to capture these stories is through oral history.
4. Oral history is a method of gathering and preserving historical information through interviews. For families, it is a wonderful way for young people to interview older relatives about their personal stories, family history, and cultural traditions. Through oral history interviews and conversations, older relatives give children a better understanding of who they and their family are and the forces that shaped the family's identity. Children and youth give older relatives love, time, and the knowledge that they and their experiences are valued.
5. Family traditions are the glue that holds family members together. Spending your free time together may bring a lot of fun. Young people can use their creativity by composing poems, songs, or skits based on their conversations with older relatives. The whole family can get involved by performing the song, skit, or play that portrays the family stories. Family members and older relatives always keep meaningful objects and other things to share that may help continue traditions - photos, books, quilt, songs, recipes, poems, jokes, family sayings, letters, newspaper clippings, and other family heirlooms.
Task 6. Find words in the text that mean the following:
1. Valuable (paragraph 1) –
2. Way of doing smth that has existed for a long time (paragraph 1 ) –
3. To have or use smth with other people (paragraph 1) –
4. Just below the level of smb’s awareness (paragraph 2) –
5. Family ties importance (paragraph 2 ) –
6. Heritage, smth to pass on (paragraph 3 ) –
7. Keeping smth (paragraph 4 ) –
8. Exact sameness / authenticity (paragraph 4) –
9. Sketch, short performance (paragraph 5 ) –
10. An excerpt cut from a newspaper or magazine (paragraph 5) –
11. Smth that has been in a family for generations (paragraph 5) –
Task 7. Complete the sentences below with suitable words from the text. Change word forms if necessary.
1. Every nation and country has its own unique customs and _______________________
2. These ancient paintings and jewelry were part of their _______________________
3. Everything you see in this house: furniture, books, pictures, decorations and other ____________ belongs to the McKenzie’s clan.
4. Everyone who has a family has stories ___________.
5. This is a very old and valuable ____________ about our forefather from the oldest British Sunday newspaper.
6. Family traditions, quotes and tales are valuable tools that can be used to help create a unique family_______________.
7. _________________should be a very important emotional element in your family.
Task 8. Scrambled sentences. Rearrange the words to make sentences about family traditions.
1. family / unique / traditions / Every / and / treasured / family / and / stories /has.
2. family / vary / Family / traditions / from / to / culture / and / family / to / culture.
3. can / the / These / are / legacy / the / generation / leave / next / traditions / one / for/
4. are / that / Traditions / the / holds / together / families / glue.
5. based / old / rules / Family / is / on / their / good / golden / life / usually
6. looks / Twenty / different / first / century / family / a lot / than / it / fifty / life / ago / did / years
7. a / Family / belonging / be / to / way /can / create / a / sense / of / traditions,
8. A / night / family / can / games / be / a / tradition / family ,
9. a / is / Starting / great / new / to / family / a / time / start / traditions / new.
10. forefathers / Families / our / the / have / customs / and / rooted / in / cultures/ traditions / of.