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What is World Food Day and when is it celebrated?
World Food Day is celebrated every year on 16 October, the day the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) was founded in 1945. It was established by FAO member countries in 1979, and today it is marked in about 150 countries with events that raise awareness of hunger and of the future of food. For English teachers, it is a natural occasion for a themed lesson in which students talk about what they eat, how they cook and what food means to them.
How can I celebrate World Food Day in my English class?
Open the lesson with a quick warm-up, such as a "Name 2" challenge in which students name two kinds of food that match each prompt, and then move on to a longer discussion in pairs or small groups. Beginners can talk about the food they like and practise ordering at a café, B1–B2 students can describe food pictures and explain the difference between similar words, and advanced groups can discuss food idioms and what it is like to work in a restaurant. With Lingstar's discussion starters, you can build the whole lesson around food without writing a single question yourself – you open an activity, display it and let your students talk.
What food activities does Lingstar offer?
Lingstar has more than 30 food ESL speaking activities, and restaurant role-plays are only one part of them. Your students can name and describe food, choose their favourite pizza in "This or that" questions, describe food pictures, explain the difference between similar words such as "cuisine" and "kitchen", talk about cooking and eating habits, discuss vegetarian and vegan diets and explain food idioms. There are also question sets for food days such as International Pizza Day and World Chocolate Day, and listening activities about classic Thanksgiving recipes and table manners. Each speaking activity is a set of ready-made ESL speaking cards designed to get the whole class talking.
Which levels are the food activities for?
The food activities cover every level from A1 to C1. Beginners name food, choose between two options, practise "much" and "many" and role-play simple situations at a café. At A2–B1, students talk about cooking and eating out, discuss vegetarianism and veganism and act out common restaurant situations. B1–B2 learners describe food pictures, decide who says typical restaurant phrases – the customer or the waiter – and explain the difference between similar words. Upper-intermediate and advanced groups discuss food idioms, dinner parties and working in a restaurant, and C1 students can even talk about how pizza is portrayed in different forms of media.
Do you have restaurant role-plays?
Yes, at several levels. A1 students act out real café situations, A1–A2 learners respond to short restaurant prompts, and A2–B1 students role-play common restaurant situations with a partner and make complaints about problems at a restaurant or hotel. B1–B2 groups decide whether typical phrases are said by customers or waiters, and B2–C1 learners answer questions about working in a restaurant. Together, these activities give your students the English they need the next time they eat out abroad.
What questions can I ask my students about food?
The best discussion starters for World Food Day are simple, personal and open. What did you have for breakfast today? Do you prefer eating out or a home-made meal? Which dish from your country would you recommend to a visitor? Could you ever become a vegetarian? Lingstar's activities are full of questions like these, arranged by level and ready to display, so you can focus on the conversation rather than on preparation.
Can my students talk about vegetarian and vegan diets?
Yes. Two A2–B1 activities are about vegetarianism and veganism: students discuss why people become vegetarians, what can be done to promote veganism and what they think about these diets themselves. The topic fits World Food Day well because it connects everyday food choices with bigger questions about health, animals and the planet – and it always gets the class talking.
Are there activities with food idioms?
Yes. Upper-intermediate and advanced students can work with three sets of idioms: food idioms, fruit idioms, and sweet and bitter idioms. The idioms appear in personal questions – for example, "What is your cup of tea?" – so students learn each expression and use it straight away in conversation.
How much preparation do the activities need?
None. Every activity is ready to display on your projector, interactive whiteboard or computer screen, so you simply open it and start the lesson – no copying, cutting or laminating. This makes World Food Day easy to celebrate even in a busy week.
Can I use these activities in online lessons?
Yes. Open the activity on your computer and share your screen or browser window in the video-call tool you already use with your students. Full-screen mode keeps the cards large and easy to read, so the conversation runs just as smoothly as in the classroom. The same activities work equally well in one-to-one lessons and with larger groups.
How do I find the food activities in Lingstar?
Log in to Lingstar and type "food" into the search bar. You will see the food activities for every level, from beginner to advanced, and you can open any of them straight away. If you are looking for role-plays, type "restaurant" instead. It takes less than a minute, so you can find the right activity even during the break before your lesson.
Can I try any of the food activities for free?
Yes. With a free Lingstar account, you can open "Restaurant scenarios – prompts", an A1–A2 activity with short restaurant situations, together with other free speaking activities from the library. The rest of the food activities are part of the premium membership.
Can I use these activities after 16 October?
Of course. Food is a topic that works all year round – from the first food vocabulary with beginners to restaurant role-plays before a holiday abroad. The teaching resources about food stay available in Lingstar, so you can come back to them whenever they fit your plan.
Why should English teachers choose Lingstar?
Lingstar is built specifically for English teachers who want to spend less time preparing and more time teaching. It offers a large and growing library of ESL speaking cards, discussion starters and other teaching resources, arranged by level and topic and ready to display in class. For World Food Day – and for every other lesson – you open an activity and your students start speaking.