Geography of the UK The official title of the UK is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland . Great Britain (the formerly separate realms of England and Scotland, and the principality of Wales. ) Northern Ireland (also known as Ulster) Numerous smaller islands including the Isle of Wight, Anglesey, and the Scilly, Orkney, Shetland, and Hebridean archipelagos. The UK is an island nation in Western Europe just off the coast of France. The UK lies between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, and comes within 35 km (22 miles) of the northwest coast of France, from which it is separated by the English Channel. The UK has a total area of approximately 245,000 km², almost a quarter-of-a-million square kilometres. The UK is made up of several islands. The UK is bordered by four seas: to the south by the English Channel, which separates it from continental Europe to the east by the North Sea to the west by the Irish Sea and the Atlantic Ocean Lakes Find out more about the landscape of England
EDUCATION in ENGLAND British children are required by law to have an education until they are 16 years old. Education is compulsory, but school is not,children are not required to attend school. They could be educated at home. Full-time education is compulsory for all children aged between 5 and 16 (inclusive) across England. This can be provided by state schools, independent schools, or homeschooling. About 94 per cent of pupils in England, and the rest of the UK, receive free education from public funds, while 6 per cent attend independent fee paying schools or homeschooling. (Homeschooling numbers uncertain - BBC report) All government-run schools, state schools, follow the same National Curriculum. The school year runs from September to July and is 39 weeks long. For many areas the year is divided into six terms: September to October October to December January to February February to March April to May June to July (Some counties in England still follow the traditional three terms a year.)
Bonfire Night All around the world, festive days like New Year’s Eve are celebrated with fireworks. But here in Britain, there is one night that is very special. It’s November the fifth, Bonfire Night, and I’m wrapped up warm for some autumn fun. Tonight’s the night for lighting bonfires and setting off fireworks. Bonfire Night parties take place in towns and cities across Britain. Joe: Steve, what’s the plan for tonight’s celebrations? Steve: OK, tonight actually kicks off at 6pm in the city centre by our Guild Hall. Joe: It sounds like a hectic night. Steve: On the night itself, we have a hundred and eighty volunteers and many, many other people to help us out. Joe: And be honest, is this about history or is it just an excuse to have fun? Steve: Bonfire Night is about history. So how did this all start? Leon’s probably got the best job in the world. Joe: Leon, talk me through the sort of display you’re going to put on. Leon: There’s about four thousand fireworks which all create different effects.
Let's talk about the UK (still with Scotland) At the beginning of the new school year teachers usually explain to their students what they are going to study. Sometimes efl teachers not only teach grammar but also British culture, so one of the first cultural topics they discuss with their students are the geography of the UK and its form of government. Here you can find an interactive mindmap, a digital poster and a collection of useful websites, just to simplify the work. Click on the Glogster digital poster below, you will find general information about the United Kingdom and some videos. Now take a look at my Cacoo mindmap below about the UK form of government. I have edited it with Thinglink to make it interactive. You can also click on the following link to enlarge the above image: Last September, 18th Scottish people voted for Scotland independence. Scottish referendum explained for non-Brits If you want more general information about the Uk government, the Queen and the Royal Family, open my Blendspace lesson.
Tell Me about Christmas - Part 2 Advent Calendar Hi, I’m gonna tell you about our advent calendar. This has got all the days until Christmas Day on. And when I was a child we’d have these, and in the family, each child would take it in turns, different day, to open the window and would be very excited about it. Mistletoe People often put mistletoe in their homes at Christmas. Christmas Cracker Christmas crackers are something that most people have at Christmas but I think they… It’s a bit of a silly tradition really because nobody, nobody takes Christmas crackers very seriously. And then inside the cracker, you find usually three things I think. So I think what happens is people kind of think, “oh, we’re not gonna bother having Christmas crackers because they are rubbish anyway” but then you just feel like, “oh well, but it wouldn’t be Christmas without Christmas crackers”.
Window on Britain - Holidays Fill the gap: When the British people go on ________________________ How much time do they take? Where do they go? Fill the gap: Lots of people take ________________________ weeks holiday break. Fill the gap: British people make 40 millions ________________________ every year . Fill the gap: ________________________ is number one for a holiday choice. Fill the gap: Why do so many British people go abroad for their holidays? Fill the gap: In the 19th century, there weren't any cars or planes. Fill the gap: People con here to swim, wind surf or just sit in the deck ________________________ Fill the gap: They all have a ________________________ time, and it doesn't matter how old you are. Fill the gap: Some people cam in ________________________ or stay in caravan. Fill the gap: Everyone hopes for a lot of sunshine and not too much ________________________ . Fill the gap: Not everyone wants to spend two weeks lying on a beach.
Liverpool History Animation customs-and-culture Every November 5th, on a cold winter’s night, the dark skies of England are lit with bright fireworks and filled with the smell of wood smoke. People recite the famous lines: “Remember, remember the fifth of November,Gunpowder, Treason and Plot.” By Charlotte Mountford riends and families gather in private gardens or public parks to light bonfires and set off the fireworks – ‘rockets’, ‘sparklers ’, ‘catherine wheels’ and more. This is called ‘Guy Fawkes Night’ or ‘Bonfire Night,’ which is quite an unusual tradition, and all because four hundred years ago, on November the fifth, 1605, a man named Guy Fawkes tried to assassinate the King of England and all his government. Fawkes’ plan is known as the “Gunpowder Plot.” Like most plots, wars and conspiracies of the age, his motive was religion: Catholics had been fighting Protestants in England for decades, and though both were Christian, each side bitterly persecuted the other. Your Comments
Window on Britain QUEEN Elizabeth II, the longest reigning British monarch of all time, is 94-years-old and still working. So how does she spend her days, and what are her hobbies? The Queen is incredibly busy, with a long history of taking her royal duties seriously. The official website of the British Monarchy reports that the Queen has sent around 100,000 telegrams to centenarians in the UK and the Commonwealth. Her reign has seen her travel more widely than any other monarch in British history, including travelling to Australia 15 times, Canada 23 times, Jamaica six times and New Zealand ten times. The Queen continues to carry out a full programme of engagements, including work with the 600 charities of which she is a patron. What does her day look like? Things kick off at 9am, when she is awoken by a 15-minute melody from a bagpipe player outside her window. She then spends her weekdays dealing with the extensive amount of paperwork which makes up the bulk of her day-to-day royal duties.
Stonehenge - Tour around Britain Stonehenge is a mystical place. Its stone circles are probably more than 4,000 years old. The huge stones come from an area about 30 km north of Stonehenge. The smaller stones possibly are from the Preseli Mountains in Wales, almost 400 km away from Stonehenge. Nobody knows for sure what the function of Stonehenge was.
British Life and Culture in the UK - Woodlands Junior School Teenagers and UK culture Why bring UK culture to the teen classroom? We can introduce UK culture into the English classroom to help our students improve their English and at the same time learn about values and ways of doing things which may be different to theirs. Learning about life and culture in the UK can be very motivating as it brings the language alive for learners and creates a link between language and real life. See if you agree with these comments from teachers on teaching UK culture to their teenage learners: ‘We need to avoid reinforcing erroneous British stereotypes to our teenagers. ‘Culture is the fifth skill in addition to reading, writing, listening and speaking. ‘I try to make British culture "real" to my students. What materials can I use to introduce UK culture? Life in the UK In this section teenagers can read about topics with a British connection. Before you read or watch you could focus on vocabulary to help prepare students for the text or video. By Sally Trowbridge