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Things that make Britain great...

Ideas and Articles by David Robinson

17th September 2008

Category: Culture / Life / Great Britain

Level: Upper intermediate / Advanced

This lesson is the copyright of www.newsflashenglish.com

Things that make Britain great...

At the Olympics in China this year Team GB won an incredible 47 medals including 19 gold medals. It was their best performance in a hundred years. It brought people together in Britain – they cheered on Team GB. The athletes accomplished some remarkable feats. It demonstrated the greatness in Britain today. It got me thinking. What else is Britain great at? There are 101 answers to this thought: The football league with fans worldwide. Bands and singers have been leading the charts since the 60’s. GB is constantly producing top movie stars. It is the source of some of the best TV shows including comedy that are repeated and translated worldwide. It is the origin of international top class brands like Rolls Royce, Harrods, Cadburys etc…& Tesco! It has the world’s most famous and internationally known monarchy - The Queen. There is HP and Daddies sauce, real ale, parks, piers, seaside’s and rock - the stuff you eat! Tea - a nice cuppa PG Tips! Roundabouts. It has some of the best tabloid and broadsheet press in the world.

There is also the British sense of humour and self-ridicule. Free entry to museums and art galleries. Diversity. Britain is so culturally, religiously and racially eclectic. It has cheap airlines. There are great cities like Bath, Oxford & Edinburgh. Liverpool is the European culture capital in 2008. Hot water bottles! Fish N chips with salt & vinegar wrapped in paper. Britain has equal opportunities for everyone. The NHS! Church bells. Milk floats – where in the world do you find these? Ice cream vans playing tunes. Cricket & rugby of course. Toasted tea cakes. Springtime. The Proms. Free speech. Black cabs, Double Decker buses & red phone boxes. Dr Who! Curry – Chicken Tikka Masalla, drizzle, the festive season in Oxford street, “Mind the gap” at Bank underground. Kew gardens, youth hostels, post offices - those not yet closed, Scottish Highlands, trains to everywhere. Food like sausages, back bacon, baked beans, pork pies, Coleman’s mustard, Bisto granules, Cornish pasties & some great Cheddar cheese.

There is green countryside and trees. Blackberrying. Georgian architecture, historic castles, big houses & ancient buildings. The love of an underdog, good natured swearing and vulgarity. There are Sunday roasts, British pubs, & pub lunches. Some of the most talented artists, writers and musicians. Afternoon tea, ‘cats eyes’, Little Chef, Wimbledon, the FA Cup, the Red Arrows, cakes, flapjacks, muffins, scones with strawberry jam and cream, marmalade & lemon curd. A picnic in the countryside. The BBC. The rag and bone man. Cars stopping at Zebra crossings, queuing, Richmond park near London, The Archers, road works, Big Brother, cold weather, moaning about the weather, public footpaths, and sausage rolls. British pronunciation, posh and regional accents, British fashion, markets – but not Chelmsford, bagpipes, Harry Potter and last but not least the capital - London. There are many more but I hope this gives you a taste of some of the things that make Britain great.

START

1. GREAT BRITAIN: Where is Great Britain? Name the countries in it. What islands are also in Great Britain? Go round the room swapping stories. Change partners often.

2. VISIT GREAT BRITAIN: Have you ever been to Great Britain? When? With who? Did you like it? What did you like? Go round the room swapping stories. Change partners often.

3. DICTATION: The teacher will read some of the article slowly and clearly. Students will write down what they hear. The teacher will repeat the passage slowly again. Self correct your work from page 2 - filling in spaces and correcting mistakes. Be honest with yourself on the number of errors. Advise the teacher of your total number of errors. Less than 5 is very good. 10 are acceptable. Any more is room for improvement! More than 20 - we need to do some work!

4. READING: Get students to read the passage aloud. Swap readers every paragraph.

5. VOCABULARY: Students look through the article. Underline/highlight any vocabulary you do not know. Look in dictionaries. Discuss and help each other out. The teacher will go through & explain any words or phrases you do not understand.

6. GREAT BRITAIN: Think of 10 things you like about Great Britain. Discuss with your partner.

1 6
2 7
3 8
4 9
5 10

The teacher will choose some pairs to discuss their findings in front of the class.

7. YOUR COUNTRY: Think of 10 things you that make your country great. Discuss with your partner.

1 6
2 7
3 8
4 9
5 10

The teacher will choose some pairs to discuss their findings in front of the class.

8. GREAT BRITAIN: With your partner on the board write as many words you associate with ‘Great Britain’ as you can. One-two minutes. Compare with other teams. Using your words compile a short dialogue together.

9. SENTENCES: Choose six/nine of the words from no 8. Write two/three sentences using two/three words in each. Underline your chosen words. The teacher will if necessary correct your work. Students might be asked to read their sentences aloud.

10. ROLEPLAY: ACTING: TOUR GUIDE: In pairs:

1 Students at High School 4 Retired couple
2 Some backpackers 5 A family
3 A tour group from your country of mixed age

Roleplay 1 - One of you is the new tour guide for Great Britain Tours. The other is one of following people listed above. The tour guide has to think of 5 places you would take the visitor to in Great Britain / Your country. Why these? List them below.

Roleplay 2 – Swap roles picking another from above.

Prepare your selections below.

Roleplay 1 Roleplay 2
1 1
2 2
3 3
4 4
5 5

The teacher will choose some pairs to discuss their findings in front of the class.

11. ARTICLE QUIZ: With your partner or in small groups: (1 point for each correct answer. Lose ½ point if you look at the article for help!)

    Student A
  1. How many answers to the thought are there?
  2. What are roundabouts?
  3. What are milk floats?
  4. Name the doctor. (An extra point if you can name the current Dr)
  5. How much does it cost to go into a museum?
  6. Where do trains go?
  7. Which market isn’t great?
  8. What are ‘cats eyes’?
  9. Who are The Red Arrows?
  10. What is marmalade?
    Student B
  1. What is a posh accent? An extra point if you can you give an example.
  2. What do we mean by the love of an underdog?
  3. What are bagpipes?
  4. What is vulgarity?
  5. Where do we “Mind the gap”?
  6. What is a tabloid?
  7. What is back bacon?
  8. Describe the rock you eat.
  9. What is drizzle?
  10. What is a hot water bottle?

12. A TYPICAL DAY IN GREAT BRITAIN: Think of a typical day in Great Britain, using as many words from the article as you need. Add your own thoughts. Describe your day to your partner. (Imagine!)

13. COMPARISON: Look at the article again. Compare it with your country. How does it differ? How does it compare? List your findings below. Discuss with your partner.

Differences Similarities
1 1
2 2
3 3

14. SENTENCE STARTERS: With your partner(s), finish these sentence starters. Change partner(s) and talk about the sentences you made.

  1. Great Britain ________________________________________________________

  2. I like GB because ____________________________________________________

  3. The _______________________________________________________________

  4. “Mind the gap” ______________________________________________________

  5. London _____________________________________________________________

AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: After reading the article guess whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F):

a.

Team GB won 17 silver medals in the Olympics

T / F

b.

A total of 47 medals were won by Team GB at the Olympics

T / F

c.

“Mind the gap” is spoken by a woman

T / F

d.

GB is constantly producing top movie stars

T / F

e.

International top brands include Rolls Royce, Harrods & Woolworths

T / F

f.

GB has some of the best tabloid press in the world

T / F

g.

Entrance to museums and art galleries is free

T / F

h.

Leeds is the European culture capital in 2008

T / F


2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:

a.

Demonstrate

Barbeque

b.

Source

Legendary

c.

Famous

Sample

d.

Moan

(Waiting) in a line

e.

Great

Pedestrian crossing

f.

Queuing

Origin

g.

Picnic

Super

h.

Zebra crossings

Dialect

i.

Taste

Wail

j.

Accent

Show


3. PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article:

a.

At the Olympics

some remarkable feats

b.

It was their

British sense of humour

c.

The athletes accomplished

producing top movie stars

d.

Bands and singers have been

tabloid and broadsheet press in the world

e.

GB is constantly

with salt & vinegar wrapped in newspaper

f.

It is the origin

cheap airlines

g.

It has some of the best

in China this year

h.

There is also the

of international top class brands...

i.

It has

leading the charts since the 60s

j.

Fish N chips

best performance in a hundred years

GAP FILL: READING

Put the words into the gaps in the text.

 

At the ________ in China this year Team GB won an incredible 47 medals including 19 gold medals. It was their best ___________ in a hundred years. It brought people together in Britain – they cheered on Team GB. The athletes accomplished some remarkable feats. It demonstrated the greatness in Britain today. It got me thinking. What else is Britain great at? There are 101 answers to this ________: The football league with fans worldwide. Bands and singers have been leading the charts since the 60’s. GB is constantly producing top movie stars. It is the ______ of some of the best TV shows including comedy that are repeated and translated worldwide. It is the ______ of international top class ______ like Rolls Royce, Harrods, Cadburys etc…& Tesco! It has the world’s most famous and internationally known ________ - The Queen. There is HP and Daddies sauce, real ale, parks, piers, seaside’s and rock - the stuff you eat! Tea - a nice cuppa PG Tips! Roundabouts. It has some of the best tabloid and __________ press in the world.

broadsheet

brands

performance

Olympics

origin

monarchy

source

thought

There is also the British sense of ______ and _____________. Free entry to museums and art galleries. _________. Britain is so culturally, religiously and racially ________. It has cheap airlines. There are great cities like Bath, Oxford & Edinburgh. Liverpool is the European culture capital in 2008. Hot water bottles! Fish N chips with salt & vinegar wrapped in paper. Britain has _____ opportunities for everyone. The NHS! Church bells. Milk floats – where in the world do you find these? Ice cream vans playing tunes. Cricket & rugby of course. Toasted tea cakes. Springtime. The Proms. Free speech. Black cabs, Double Decker buses & red phone boxes. Dr Who! _____ – Chicken Tikka Masalla, drizzle, the festive season in Oxford street, “Mind the gap” at Bank ___________. Kew gardens, youth hostels, post offices - those not yet closed, Scottish Highlands, trains to everywhere. Food like ________, back bacon, baked beans, pork pies, Coleman’s mustard, Bisto granules, Cornish pasties & some great Cheddar cheese.

curry

diversity

sausages

self-ridicule

equal

underground

eclectic

humour

GAP FILL: LISTENING:

Listen and fill in the spaces.

Things that make Britain great...
At the Olympics in China this ___________________ incredible 47 medals including 19 gold medals. It was their best performance in a hundred years. It brought people together in Britain – they ___________________. The athletes accomplished some remarkable feats. It demonstrated the greatness in Britain today. __________________. What else is Britain great at? There are 101 answers to this thought: The football league with fans worldwide. Bands and singers have been leading the charts since the 60’s. GB is constantly producing top movie stars. ___________________ some of the best TV shows including comedy that are repeated and translated worldwide. ___________________ international top class brands like Rolls Royce, Harrods, Cadburys etc…& Tesco! It has the world’s most famous and internationally known monarchy - The Queen. There is HP and Daddies sauce, real ale, parks, piers, seaside’s and rock - the stuff you eat! Tea - a nice cuppa PG Tips! Roundabouts. It ____________________ tabloid and broadsheet press in the world.

There is also the British sense of humour and self-ridicule. Free entry to _________________________. Diversity. Britain is so culturally, religiously and racially eclectic. It has cheap airlines. There are great cities like Bath, Oxford & Edinburgh. Liverpool is the European culture capital in 2008. Hot water bottles! Fish N chips ___________________ wrapped in paper. Britain has equal opportunities for everyone. The NHS! Church bells. Milk floats – where in the world do you find these? Ice cream vans playing tunes. Cricket & rugby of course. _________________. Springtime. The Proms. Free speech. Black cabs, ___________________ & red phone boxes. Dr Who! Curry – Chicken Tikka Masalla, drizzle, the festive season in Oxford street, “Mind the gap” at Bank underground. Kew gardens, youth hostels, post offices - those not yet closed, Scottish Highlands, ____________________. Food like sausages, back bacon, baked beans, pork pies, Coleman’s mustard, Bisto granules, Cornish pasties ____________________ cheese.

DISCUSSION

STUDENT A's QUESTIONS(Do not show these to student B)

  1. Did the headline make you want to read the article?
  2. Have you ever seen a milk float? If yes, where? When?
  3. Have you ever tried eating rock? (The edible sort!)
  4. Which is your favourite British city and why?
  5. What do you think of British roundabouts?
  6. Do you watch Dr Who?
  7. Have you ever been to the Scottish Highlands?
  8. Do you eat curry? What is your favourite curry?
  9. Have you ever tried a Cornish pasty?
  10. Can you play cricket or rugby?

---------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B's QUESTIONS(Do not show these to student A)

  1. What do you think about what you read?
  2. Do you watch the FA Cup?
  3. Have you ever tried to play the bagpipes?
  4. Are you a Harry Potter fan? Do you read the books or watch the films?
  5. Have you ever visited any famous castles in Britain?
  6. Have you ever listened to The Archers on Radio 4?
  7. What do you think of British markets?
  8. Have you ever seen a rag and bone man ringing their bell?
  9. Have you bought an ice cream from an ice cream van that has just played its tune?
  10. Did you like this discussion?

SPEAKING

Things that make my country great!
In pairs or small groups:

Find out what makes your country great. Why? Discuss together. Write down your thoughts and findings.

 

The teacher may select some groups to present their findings to the rest of the class.

LANGUAGE:

CORRECT WORD:
Choose the correct words from a-d below and write them in the article.

At the Olympics in (1)__ this year Team GB won an incredible 47 medals including 19 (2)__ medals. It was (3)__ best performance in a hundred years. It brought people together in Britain – they cheered on Team GB. The athletes accomplished some remarkable (4)__. It demonstrated the greatness in Britain today. It got me thinking. What else is Britain great at? There are 101 (5)__ to this thought: The football league with fans worldwide. Bands and singers have been leading the (6)__ since the 60’s. GB is constantly producing top movie stars. It is the source of some of the best TV shows including comedy that are repeated and translated worldwide. It is the origin of international top class brands like Rolls Royce, Harrods, Cadburys etc…& Tesco! It has the world’s most famous and internationally known monarchy - The Queen. There is HP and Daddies sauce, real ale, parks, piers, seaside’s and rock - the stuff you eat! Tea - a nice cuppa PG Tips! Roundabouts. It has some of the best tabloid and broadsheet press in the world.

There is also the British sense of humour and self-ridicule. Free entry to museums and art galleries. Diversity. Britain is so culturally, religiously and (7)__ eclectic. It has cheap airlines. There are great cities like Bath, Oxford & Edinburgh. Liverpool is the European culture capital in 2008. Hot water bottles! Fish N chips with salt & vinegar wrapped in paper. Britain has equal opportunities for everyone. The NHS! Church bells. Milk floats – where in the world do you find these? Ice cream vans playing tunes. Cricket & rugby of course. Toasted (8)__ cakes. Springtime. The Proms. Free speech. Black cabs, Double Decker buses & red phone boxes. Dr (9)__! Curry – Chicken Tikka Masalla, drizzle, the festive season in Oxford street, “Mind the gap” at Bank underground. (10)__ gardens, youth hostels, post offices - those not yet closed, (11)__ Highlands, trains to everywhere. Food like sausages, back bacon, baked beans, pork pies, Coleman’s mustard, Bisto granules, Cornish pasties & some great (12)__ cheese.

1. (a) London (b) China (c) Seoul (d) Australia
2. (a) bronze (b) silver (c) gold (d) zinc
3. (a) their (b) the (c) they (d) there
4. (a) fleets (b) feet (c) feat (d) feats
5. (a) answered (b) answers (c) answer (d) answering
6. (a) farts (b) Herts (c) charts (d) parts
7. (a) radically (b) racial (c) radical (d) racially
8. (a) tea (b) lunch (c) breakfast (d) dinner
9. (a) Who (b) Where (c) When (d) What
10. (a) Cue (b) Queue (c) Q (d) Kew
11. (a) Welsh (b) English (c) Scottish (d) N. Ireland
12. (a) Stilton (b) Cheddar (c) Cheshire (d) Gouda

GRAMMAR 1: MIDWAY

Put the words into the gaps in the text.

Things that make Britain great...

At the Olympics in China this year Team GB won an incredible 47 medals including 19 gold medals. It was (1)__ best performance in a hundred years. It brought people together in Britain – (2)__ cheered on Team GB. The athletes accomplished some remarkable feats. It demonstrated the greatness in Britain today. It got me thinking. (3)__ else is Britain great at? There are 101 answers to (4)__ thought: The football league with fans worldwide. Bands and singers have been leading the charts since the 60’s. GB is constantly producing top movie stars. It is the source of some of the best TV shows including comedy (5)__ are repeated and translated worldwide. It is the origin of international top class brands like Rolls Royce, Harrods, Cadburys etc…& Tesco! It has the world’s (6)__ famous and internationally known monarchy - The Queen. (7)__ is HP and Daddies sauce, real ale, parks, piers, seaside’s and rock - the stuff you eat! Tea - a nice cuppa PG Tips! Roundabouts. It has (8)__ of the best tabloid and broadsheet press in the world.


there

most

this

they

some

what

that

their

There is (1)__ the British sense of humour and self-ridicule. Free entry to museums and art galleries. Diversity. Britain is so culturally, religiously and racially eclectic. It has cheap airlines. (2)__ are great cities like Bath, Oxford & Edinburgh. Liverpool is the European culture capital in 2008. Hot water bottles! Fish N chips (3)__ salt & vinegar wrapped in paper. Britain has equal opportunities (4)__ everyone. The NHS! Church bells. Milk floats – where in the world do you find (5)__? Ice cream vans playing tunes. Cricket & rugby of course. Toasted tea cakes. Springtime. The Proms. Free speech. Black cabs, Double Decker buses & red phone boxes. Dr Who! Curry – Chicken Tikka Masalla, drizzle, the festive season in Oxford street, “Mind the gap” at Bank underground. Kew gardens, youth hostels, post offices – (6)__ not yet closed, Scottish Highlands, trains to (7)__. Food like sausages, back bacon, baked beans, pork pies, Coleman’s mustard, Bisto granules, Cornish pasties & (8)__ great Cheddar cheese.

some

with

also

those

for

these

everywhere

there

GRAMMAR 2: EASY

Put the words into the gaps in the text.

Things that make Britain great...

(1)__ the Olympics in China this year Team GB won (2)__ incredible 47 medals including 19 gold medals. It was their best performance in a hundred years. It brought people together in Britain – they cheered (3)__ Team GB. The athletes accomplished some remarkable feats. It demonstrated the greatness (4)__ Britain today. It got (5)__ thinking. What else is Britain great at? There are 101 answers to this thought: (6)__ football league with fans worldwide. Bands and singers have been leading the charts since the 60’s. GB is constantly producing top movie stars. (7)__ is the source of some of the best TV shows including comedy that are repeated and translated worldwide. It is the origin of international top class brands like Rolls Royce, Harrods, Cadburys etc…& Tesco! It has the world’s most famous and internationally known monarchy - The Queen. There is HP and Daddies sauce, real ale, parks, piers, seaside’s and rock - the stuff you eat! Tea - a nice cuppa PG Tips! Roundabouts. It has some (8)__ the best tabloid and broadsheet press in the world.


of

at

me

an

the

in

on

it

There is also (1)__ British sense of humour and self-ridicule. Free entry to museums and art galleries. Diversity. Britain is (2)__ culturally, religiously (3)__ racially eclectic. It has cheap airlines. There are great cities like Bath, Oxford & Edinburgh. Liverpool is the European culture capital (4)__ 2008. Hot water bottles! Fish N chips with salt & vinegar wrapped in paper. Britain has equal opportunities for everyone. The NHS! Church bells. Milk floats – where in the world do you find these? Ice cream vans playing tunes. Cricket & rugby (5)__ course. Toasted tea cakes. Springtime. The Proms. Free speech. Black cabs, Double Decker buses & red phone boxes. Dr Who! Curry – Chicken Tikka Masalla, drizzle, the festive season in Oxford street, “Mind the gap” (6)__ Bank underground. Kew gardens, youth hostels, post offices - those not (7)__ closed, Scottish Highlands, trains (8)__ everywhere. Food like sausages, back bacon, baked beans, pork pies, Coleman’s mustard, Bisto granules, Cornish pasties & some great Cheddar cheese.

at

the

so

and

of

to

yet

in

HOMEWORK

1. NEWSPAPER ARTICLE: Write an article on "Things that make my country great" (Minimum 200 words)

Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Which article was best and why?

WRITING: IN CLASS:

1. FIVE MINUTE ARTICLE: Write an article on "Things that make my country great" (Minimum 200 words) You have five minutes. Afterwards swap articles with your partner. Read through their article and correct any mistakes. The teacher will select some students to read out their work.

Countdown: Every minute the teacher may say, "You have xx minutes."

 

 

SPELLING TEST

The teacher will ask the class individually to spell the following words that are in the article:

1 incredible

11 pronunciation

2 internationally

12 queuing

3 self-ridicule

13 architecture

4 opportunities

14 blackberrying

5 diversity

15 picnic

6 roundabouts

16 monarchy

7 feats

17 remarkable

8 performance

18 origin

9 vulgarity

19 tabloid

10 marmalade

20 source

Your score: 12 = pass, 15 = good, 18 = very good, 20 = excellent

ANSWERS:

TRUE / FALSE:

a. F b. T c. F d. T e. F f. T g. T h. F

SYNONYM MATCH:

a.

Demonstrate

Show

b.

Source

Origin

c.

Famous

Legendary

d.

Moan

Wail

e.

Great

Super

f.

Queuing

(Waiting) in a line

g.

Picnic

Barbeque

h.

Zebra crossings

Pedestrian crossing

i.

Taste

Sample

j.

Accent

Dialect


PHRASE MATCH:

a.

At the Olympics

in China this year

b.

It was their

best performance in a hundred years

c.

The athletes accomplished

some remarkable feats

d.

Bands and singers have been

leading the charts since the 60s

e.

GB is constantly

producing top movie stars

f.

It is the origin

of international top class brands

g.

It has some of the best

tabloid and broadsheet press in the world

h.

There is also the

British sense of humour

i.

It has

cheap airlines

j.

Fish N chips

with salt & vinegar wrapped in newspaper

GAP FILL: Things that make Britain great...: At the Olympics in China this year Team GB won an incredible 47 medals including 19 gold medals. It was their best performance in a hundred years. It brought people together in Britain – they cheered on Team GB. The athletes accomplished some remarkable feats. It demonstrated the greatness in Britain today. It got me thinking. What else is Britain great at? There are 101 answers to this thought: The football league with fans worldwide. Bands and singers have been leading the charts since the 60’s. GB is constantly producing top movie stars. It is the source of some of the best TV shows including comedy that are repeated and translated worldwide. It is the origin of international top class brands like Rolls Royce, Harrods, Cadburys etc…& Tesco! It has the world’s most famous and internationally known monarchy - The Queen. There is HP and Daddies sauce, real ale, parks, piers, seaside’s and rock - the stuff you eat! Tea - a nice cuppa PG Tips! Roundabouts. It has some of the best tabloid and broadsheet press in the world. There is also the British sense of humour and self-ridicule. Free entry to museums and art galleries. Diversity. Britain is so culturally, religiously and racially eclectic. It has cheap airlines. There are great cities like Bath, Oxford & Edinburgh. Liverpool is the European culture capital in 2008. Hot water bottles! Fish N chips with salt & vinegar wrapped in paper. Britain has equal opportunities for everyone. The NHS! Church bells. Milk floats – where in the world do you find these? Ice cream vans playing tunes. Cricket & rugby of course. Toasted tea cakes. Springtime. The Proms. Free speech. Black cabs, Double Decker buses & red phone boxes. Dr Who! Curry – Chicken Tikka Masalla, drizzle, the festive season in Oxford street, “Mind the gap” at Bank underground. Kew gardens, youth hostels, post offices - those not yet closed, Scottish Highlands, trains to everywhere. Food like sausages, back bacon, baked beans, pork pies, Coleman’s mustard, Bisto granules, Cornish pasties & some great Cheddar cheese.

LANGUAGE WORK

1 - b 2 - c 3 - a 4 - d 5 - b 6 - c 7 - d 8 - a 9 - a 10 - d 11 - c 12 - b