Chapter 12 - Cultural Identities and Differences
Teachers' Notes.

3) "The First Birthday"
Groups: 20 minutes 
Students performed a similar activity in Chapter 6. Here there is a cultural flavor, one that the students should be able to identify with. As before, the text (Teachers' Resource) is put in a prominent place by the teacher, and one student from each group dictates it to the others. This will involve walking (or running) to the text, remembering a short section, and repeating it to the other group members.

On the other hand, the teacher might want to try a different format. For instance the text could be the basis of a telephone conversation between a Korean and a confused foreigner, or a lecture (with students taking notes), or it could be used for the progressive deletion of words that we saw in Chapter 5 ("Travel in Korea" - "Transportation in Seoul". In this case, the students will need new instructions. 

กก3) "The First Birthday"
Teachers' Resource

The "tol", or first birthday, begins with offerings of rice and soup to the Samshin Halmoni. However, the highlight of this celebration is when the child symbolically foretells its future. For this ritual the child is dressed in new traditional Korean clothes. A male child wears the traditional headgear of the unmarried youth, and the female wears make-up. The child is seated before a table of various foods and objects such as thread, books, note-books, brushes, ink, and money which have been given by friends and relatives. 

The child is urged to pick up an object from the table, as it is believed the one selected foretells the child's future. If the child picks up a writing brush or book, he is destined to be a scholar. If he picks up money or rice, he will be wealthy; cakes or other food, a government official; a sword or bow, a military commander. If the child picks up the thread, it is believed he will live a long life.