✨ 1. Vocabulary Match: Key Fortune Terms
Match the **Fortune Term** (Gold border) to its **Meaning** (Gray border). Click two cards to form a pair. Use the interactive pop-ups!
📰 2. Reading Text: The Cookie's History
The Modern Fortune Cookie
Fortune cookies, despite their strong association with Chinese food in the West, are actually believed to have originated in **Japan**. They were brought to the United States by Japanese immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Their popularity surged during World War II when Japanese-American bakers were interned, leaving Chinese-American bakers to take over production. The concept was simple: to offer a sweet reward after a meal, often including a piece of **advice** or a hopeful **prediction** about the future.
The messages inside are designed to offer mild optimism and encouragement. They generally focus on themes like health, love, wealth, and travel, and almost always contain a verb in the future tense (e.g., *will* or *may*) or a modal verb of advice (*should* or *must*). This grammatical feature is central to their function: they are not just cookies; they are conversation starters and tiny, hopeful glimpses into one's destiny.
🧠 3. Reading Comprehension Check
1. Where are fortune cookies generally believed to have originated?
2. According to the text, why did the popularity of fortune cookies increase significantly during World War II?
3. What is the key grammatical feature common in fortune cookie messages?
📝 4. Vocabulary Gap-Fill
Choose the word from the bank to complete the sentence. Click a **Word**, then click the **blank space** to place it. Click the word in the space to put it back.
Word Bank:
1. The small sweet taste is a nice after a big meal.
2. Her fortune said she should not worry about her .
3. With great , he believed the predictions.
4. Reading the note creates a strong feeling of .
5. The messages often contain sound , even if they are very general.
6. It is a modern to eat these cookies in the US.
⚙️ 5. Grammar: Future Forms in Fortunes
Fortune cookies use different future forms to suggest possibilities, strong predictions, and advice:
- Will: Used for a strong, definite prediction about the future. *("You **will** find great success.")*
- Be going to: Used for predictions based on current evidence or a clear sign. *("Your luck **is going to** change soon.")*
- May / Might: Used for possibilities (less certain than *will*). *("You **may** travel far.")*
- Should / Must: Used for strong advice or obligation. *("You **must** be true to yourself.")*
Choose the Correct Sentence
1. Which sentence expresses the **strongest prediction**?
2. Which sentence gives **necessary advice or a moral obligation**?
3. Which sentence expresses only a **small possibility**?
🔮 6. Idioms Match: Future & Advice
Match the **Idiom** (Gold border) to its **Meaning** (Gray border). These idioms often appear as advice in fortune cookies!
📝 7. Idiom Gap-Fill
Choose the **Idiom** from the bank to complete the sentence. Click a **Word**, then click the **blank space** to place it. Click the word in the space to put it back.
Idiom Bank:
1. Good luck with the performance tonight; I hope you !
2. My car broke down last night, but, , I met a very nice young man who gave me a lift home.
3. If you get the new job you might have to move to Munich, but you can .
4. My friend's stopped spending money on coffee because she says .
🗣️ 8. Discussion Questions
Use these questions to discuss the language and ideas found in typical fortune cookies.
- If you had to write your own fortune, which modal verb (*will, must, may*) would you use to start it, and why?
- Do you agree with the idiom **"A penny saved is a penny earned"**? Why or why not?
- Have you ever received a fortune that actually came true?