Saint Nicholas: Gold Through a Window at Night… The Real Saint Nicholas
Level A1 (Beginner) · Watch the video and do the online quiz at https://brightlivesenglish.com/lessons/saint-nicholas-gold-window/
A Match the words to their meanings
- coin (noun)
- window (noun)
- daughter (noun)
- give (verb)
- Christmas (noun)
- bishop (noun)
- Santa Claus (noun (name))
- chimney (noun)
- a tall pipe on a roof; smoke from the fire goes out through it
- a holiday on 25 December
- an opening in a wall; you look out of it
- a girl in a family; the child of a mother or father
- to let someone have something (past: gave)
- a happy old man in stories who brings children presents at Christmas
- a small, round piece of money
- a leader in the church
B Complete the sentences from the story
coins · window · Christmas · bishop · Santa Claus · chimney · daughters · give
- The bag was full of gold .
- The name Sinterklaas became .
- Today, his story is part of .
- The gold came in through the .
- The man had three .
- Nicholas was a in Myra.
- In stories, Santa Claus comes down the .
- Nicholas liked to to poor people.
C Did you understand?
- Nicholas lived about 1,700 years ago.True / False
- How many daughters did the poor man have?
- Three
- One
- Two
- Five
- Nicholas wanted everyone to know about his gift.True / False
- How did the gold come into the house?
- Through the window
- Through the door
- In a letter
- With a horse
- What is Saint Nicholas's name in Dutch?
- Sinterklaas
- Santa Claus
- Father Christmas
- Myra
D Put the words in order
- gave / the / gold / He / girls
E Grammar: give + someone + something
We use it for to say who gets the thing. He gave the girls gold. · Who gave his family gold? · Sinterklaas gives them sweets.
Example from the story: He gave the girls gold.
- He gave gold. (the girls / to the girls of / for the girls)
- Sinterklaas gives sweets. (them / they / their)
- My friend gave me . (a present / to a present / present me)
F Your turn
Retell Saint Nicholas's story in 5–6 sentences. Use at least three words from exercise A.
Transcript
A poor man had three daughters and no money.
One night, a bag of gold flew in through his window.
Who gave it?
This is the story of Saint Nicholas.
Coin.
A coin is money.
The bag was full of gold coins.
Window.
We look out of a window.
The gold came in through the window.
Daughter.
A daughter is a girl in a family.
The man had three daughters.
Give.
When you give, you let someone have a thing.
The past is gave.
Nicholas liked to give to poor people.
Christmas.
Christmas is a holiday in December.
Today, his story is part of Christmas.
Now, one pattern: give, plus a person, plus a thing.
He gave the girls gold.
Ready?
Let's begin.
About 1,700 years ago, Nicholas lived in Myra, in today's Turkey.
He was a bishop, a church leader.
He was kind to poor people.
In his town lived a poor man with three daughters.
The girls wanted to marry, but there was no money.
Nicholas wanted to help, but in secret.
The story says he walked to the house at night.
He threw a bag of gold coins through the window.
In the morning, the father found the gold.
Now one daughter could marry.
Then a second bag came.
Some coins fell into socks by the fire.
The father wanted to know: who gave his family gold?
On the third night, he waited by the window.
Then he saw a man in the dark.
It was Nicholas!
He gave the girls gold.
But he said: please, tell no one.
Still, people told the story for hundreds of years.
Today, children remember him on 6 December.
They put out their shoes, and Sinterklaas gives them sweets.
Sinterklaas is Dutch for Saint Nicholas.
That name became Santa Claus.
Today, his story is part of Christmas.
Let's review.
The bag was full of gold coins.
The gold came in through the window.
The man had three daughters.
Nicholas liked to give to poor people.
Today, his story is part of Christmas.
And remember: he gave the girls gold.
Saint Nicholas's story teaches us: the best gifts are given quietly.
Answer key
A. 1g 2c 3d 4e 5b 6h 7f 8a
B. 1 coins · 2 Santa Claus · 3 Christmas · 4 window · 5 daughters · 6 bishop · 7 chimney · 8 give
C. 1 True · 2 a · 3 False · 4 a · 5 a
D. 1 He gave the girls gold.
E. 1 the girls · 2 them · 3 a present