History of Valentine's Day
ESL Lesson PlansHistory of Valentine's Day

History of Valentine's Day

Discover the surprising history behind Valentine’s Day in this B1 lesson for adults. Students practice reading, speaking and vocabulary as they explore Saint Valentine’s story, learn key words like affection, and romance, complete gap-fill and true/false exercises, and discuss modern Valentine traditions. With comprehension tasks, matching activities, and group discussions, this lesson helps learners understand cultural celebrations while building confidence in English through historical and real-life contexts.

Skills

  • Can read straightforward factual texts on subjects related to their field of interest with a satisfactory level of comprehension.
  • Can give or seek personal views and opinions in discussing topics of interest.
Online Interactive
Based on CEFR
Fully Customizable
1

Read the facts about Valentine's Day and fill in the gaps. Did you know any of them before?

Cupid
South Korea
145 million
50%
Finland
goddesses
Richard Cadbury
Japan
1
Approximately
cards are sent each year for Valentine's Day.
2
The tradition of giving roses comes from the ancient Greeks, linked to love
.
3
More than
of all Valentine's Day gifts are given to wives or partners.
4
In
, women typically give chocolates on February 14th, then men respond a month later.
5
In
, a "Black Day" exists for singles to eat black noodles on April 14.
6
, associated with Valentine’s Day, is derived from the Roman god Eros.
7
In
, Valentine's Day is called "Friend's Day," celebrating friendships, not romance.
8
The first heart-shaped box of chocolates was created by
in 1868.
2

Match the words to the definitions.

3

Read the text and mark the statements as 'True' or 'False'.

4

Answer the questions about the text.

5

Discuss these questions with your group.