Session 4 · The Gift of the Magi

Sessions 1 · Structure 2 · The Necklace 3 · Comparative literature 4 · The Gift of the Magi 5 · The Interlopers 6 · The Cask of Amontillado Evaluation C1/C2 essay Teacher

Worksheet of this session
Scan to open it on a phone or print it.

Recap check · marked · starts as you come in

Sit down, take your notebook and answer on paper at once. 3 students are drawn at random and marked.

How do you translate « toilettes » in the story?
Give one thing that is lost in translation.
What is a false friend?

Marking scale	Points
Each correct answer	1
Full sentence in English	bonus 1
Total	3 + 1

Corrigé

gowns
the double meaning of « parure », the silence of « !… »
a word that looks the same but means something else

The story

Portrait — O. Henry (William Sydney Porter), Doubleday portrait, Wikimedia Commons, public domain

New York, Christmas Eve. Della has one dollar and eighty seven cents to buy a present for her husband Jim. Each of them owns one treasure.

Read the full text of The Gift of the Magi (public domain)

Describe and interpret the picture

Look at the illustration at the top of the page. You can see: a young woman with short hair, a small red present, snow at the window, a pocket watch with a chain and two combs on the table.

Describe the picture in three sentences.
Which details reveal the twist before we read it?
Find one sentence of the text that matches the picture.

Useful phrases: It shows… · In the foreground / background… · The colours suggest… · This reminds me of the moment when… · It reveals that… · I think the artist wants us to feel…

Corrigé

Her short hair and the combs on the table: she has sold her hair, and the combs are now useless. The watch chain will be useless too.

“One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all.”
O. Henry, “The Gift of the Magi”, Project Gutenberg #7256

1. Vocabulary

Word	Meaning	En français
to save	to keep money for later	économiser
flat	an apartment	appartement
treasure	something very precious	trésor
to sell	to give something for money	vendre
watch chain	a chain to attach a pocket watch	chaîne de montre
combs	objects to hold or style hair	peignes
sacrifice	giving up something you love	sacrifice
wise	showing good judgement	sage
generous	happy to give	généreux
irony	when the result is the opposite of what we expect	ironie

2. Characters

Character	Who?	Wants	What happens
Della	young wife	to buy a perfect present for Jim	sells her long hair
Jim	her husband	to buy a perfect present for Della	sells his gold watch
Madame Sofronie	hair merchant	to buy hair	pays twenty dollars

3. The arc of the story

Stage	In this story
Exposition	Della has very little money; Christmas is tomorrow.
Inciting incident	She decides to sell her hair.
Rising action	She buys a platinum watch chain for Jim.
Climax	Jim comes home and stares at her short hair.
Resolution and twist	Jim sold his watch to buy combs for her hair.

4. Text dependent questions

How much money does Della have, and how did she save it?
What are the two treasures of the couple?
What does Della buy and why?
Why does Jim stare at Della when he comes in?
Explain the irony of the ending.
Why does the narrator call them “the wisest”?

Corrigé

One dollar and eighty seven cents, saved penny by penny by bargaining with the grocer and the butcher.
Jim's gold watch, from his father and grandfather, and Della's long beautiful hair.
A platinum fob chain: it is simple and elegant, worthy of Jim's watch.
He has bought combs for her long hair, which she no longer has.
Each sold their treasure to buy a present for the other's treasure; the gifts are now useless, but their love is proved.
Because their gifts express pure love and sacrifice, like the gifts of the Magi.

5. Speaking

Talk for one minute: what is the most precious thing you own, and would you give it up for someone? Use “I would… because…”.

6. Writing

Write the dialogue between Della and Jim the next morning (8 to 12 lines).

C1/C2 track

Situational irony or sentimental tale? In 250 words, analyse how O. Henry uses the narrator's voice to turn a twist into a message about love. Is the ending sad or happy?

Homework · required

To do for next lesson. It is checked at the start of the lesson in the Recap check.

Exercise 1 · Gap-fill: Della sells her …… . Jim sells his …… . Della buys a …… ; Jim buys …… . (hair, watch, chain, combs)
Exercise 2 · Answer: why is the ending ironic?
Exercise 3 · Write 60 words: the best present you ever received, and why.

Corrigé of the homework

hair · watch · chain · combs
Each sells the treasure the other's present was made for: both presents become useless.
Personal answer; past simple, because, at least three words of the vocabulary.

For the teacher

Gerex step	What the class does
Warm up (5 min)	Recall of the last story in three sentences, cold calling or volunteers.
Discovery (15 min)	Reading of the text or extract of The Gift of the Magi, first with a gist question.
Analysis (20 min)	Tables in pairs, text dependent questions, shared correction.
Speaking (10 min)	Short oral task, the teacher circulates and notes two strengths per group.
Writing (5 min + homework)	Short writing task, finished at home.

Need	Lever
Struggling readers	Glossary given in advance, audio reading by the teacher, questions 1 to 3 only.
Fast finishers	Extension question, a quotation to explain, a sentence of the story to translate into French.
Dys students	Dys version of the page: Lexend font, larger spacing, sentence starters, shorter tasks.

Recap check, how to run it	Detail
Before the bell	The questions are on the board or projected when students walk in.
Minutes 0 to 4	Everyone writes; no talking. The teacher takes the register meanwhile.
Minute 4	Random draw of three names (cards, app or dice), oral answers.
Marking	Marks on the scale given, noted in the gradebook; homework checked at the same time.
Why	Not one idle minute: the class starts the moment students enter, and homework is reinforced.

Sessions 1 · Structure 2 · The Necklace 3 · Comparative literature 4 · The Gift of the Magi 5 · The Interlopers 6 · The Cask of Amontillado Evaluation C1/C2 essay Teacher

Reminder, the sequence online: https://short-stories-anglais.netlify.app