Overseas Teachers of English Course Teaching English Through British Life & Culture
Professional Development Course Teaching English Through British Life & Culture: The UK British Food Education National
Round Britain Quiz Which sea separates England from Ireland? a. the North Sea b. the Atlantic Ocean c. the Irish Sea Where are Britain’s oil rigs? a. the Channel b. the North Sea
c. the Atlantic
How many countries make up Great Britain? a. four b. three c. five What nationality are the people of Northern Ireland? a. English b. Irish c. British 5.In which country is the Lake District? a. Scotland b. England c. Wales 6. Where are Britain’s ski resorts? a. the Pennines b. the Cheviots c. the Highlands 7. What is the climate in Britain like? a. tropical b. temperate / changeable c. Arctic 8.How many people live in the UK? a. 52 million b. 58 million c. 63 million 9. Which of these countries has road signs in two languages? a. England b. Scotland c. Wales 10. Where do they speak Scouse (dialect)? a. Manchester b. Liverpool c. Newcastle
Government Holidays
Overseas Teachers of English Course Teaching English Through British Life & Culture Map of Great Britain [source: http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/freefun/outlinemaps/]
Why ‘Great Britain’? Many people think that it is ‘Great’ Britain because the country used to be a large imperial power. This is incorrect. The name comes from the French, or more precisely the Bretons. The people of Brittany (Bretagne) saw a large island to the north of their region. Not knowing what this island was, they simply called it Larger Brittany, or Grande Bretagne. Roughly translated into English, we have Great Britain, which is only the name of the island, not the
The United Kingdom: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (a political title indicating governed boundaries) Great Britain: England, Scotland and Wales (the geographical name of the island; this is not a political distinction). The British Isles: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland (the geographical name for this group of islands)
Overseas Teachers of English Course Teaching English Through British Life & Culture
Here is a ‘round the wall’ reading exercise for your students: Put the texts around the wall and give the students the questions. They walk around and find the answers.
Fish and Chips Over half of you reckon fish and chips is your absolute favourite takeaway. So it's no surprise that we have over 11,000 chippy's in the UK. Ketchup is the single most popular topping, except in Scotland where brown sauce is a favourite. Long gone are the days when we enjoyed eating fish and chips from newspaper. Modern day hygiene standards have put paid to that. Nobody knows where this famous culinary delight originates from. However, we do know it was actually the French who invented chips. They appeared in Britain for the first time during the 17th century and somewhere along the line found their home with fish. Fish and chips became such a British institution that during World War II the Minister of Food declared them the only food not to be rationed.
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Overseas Teachers of English Course Teaching English Through British Life & Culture Sunday Roast Fry-ups, tea and Sunday roasts are the top three foods missed by Britons living abroad, according to a recent survey. Here in the UK, 1 in 2 of you say a roast dinner is the best meal to cheer you up. It was back in the 18th century when roasted meats, especially beef, became Britain's unofficial national dish. However, did you know the dish we today call a 'roast' isn't actually a roast at all? In the 18th century true roasts were cooked on a spit in the heat of an open fire. Now, we just pop them in the oven, so really we should rename it 'Sunday bake'! Whatever you call it, you can't have roast beef without Yorkshire pudding. Though the truth is, Yorkshire puddings were originally invented as a first course filler for poor people who couldn't afford much meat. Now they're a British delicacy.
Tea We British really do love our tea and drink 165 million cups every day! We've been drinking tea in Britain for over 350 years but have you ever wondered where your favourite cuppa originates from? According to legend, in 2737 B.C.E. the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung was sitting beneath a tree while his servants boiled water and some plant leaves from the tree blew into his water and it created what we now know as tea. Tea is always the first thing to be offered after a long day out, or in the event of bad news. In fact we see "a nice cuppa tea" as the answer to all our problems. Something else I bet you didn't know about tea - without milk there's no calories whatsoever!
Baked Beans on Toast 4
Overseas Teachers of English Course Teaching English Through British Life & Culture Even though baked beans are actually an American invention this dish really has become a British institution. So much so that we Brits buy a staggering 97% of the world's tinned baked beans. Which is an amazing figure since they've only been around in the UK just over a century. During the 1990's the humble baked bean was the reason behind one of the biggest ever price wars amongst supermarket retailers and some were actually selling tins at just 1 pence! While beans are just youngsters, toast has been around a staggering 6000 years. It might be one of life's simple pleasures now but in ancient times toasting bread was a means of preserving it.
Fry-ups There's nothing like a good old British fry-up for curing that hangover! You might think you're being naughty indulging in a fry-up but eggs are rich in cystine, an amino acid which helps purge toxins via the liver. But do go easy on the oil. The fry-up is actually a 19th century creation and was meant to fuel up agricultural and factory workers who expected to be spending a long hard day at work. Back then a typical fry-up consisted of bacon, eggs, sausages, kippers, tomatoes, mushrooms, baked beans and fried bread. It didn't take long to become a great British icon, even Queen Victoria was apparently partial to the odd banger, or two! Banger! That's a strange old word isn't it? Well sausages developed their nickname during World War II because they contained so much water they exploded when fried.
Fish & Chips 1. What do they put on their fish & chips in Scotland? 5
Overseas Teachers of English Course Teaching English Through British Life & Culture 2. to put paid to = a. to finish something / to cause something to end or stop. b. to buy something 3. Find an expression meaning over time / since then / during the process. 4. When did fish & chips first appear in Britain? 5. Find an expression meaning a popular tradition / custom. 6. Find an expression meaning to control the amount people can buy (because of shortage).
Sunday Roast 1. Which group of people miss fry-ups, tea and Sunday roasts? 2. How many people can you make happier with a roast? 3. What should a roast really be called? 4. What British delicacy used to be for poor people?
Tea 1. How much tea???? 2. What is the shortest (only one sentence!) legend? 3. What is the answer to all our problems? 4. Find an expression meaning absolutely zero.
Baked Beans on Toast 1. True or False? Baked beans are a British invention which has become an American institution. 2. 6
Overseas Teachers of English Course Teaching English Through British Life & Culture 3. Find an expression meaning amazing / impressive. And one meaning simple / unimpressive.
4. How cheap were baked beans in the 90’s? Why?
5. How long have people been eating toast? Why did they start?
Fry-ups 1. When should you have a fry-up, before you go out drinking or the next morning?
2. Is there anything good about a fry-up? What?
3. Find an expression meaning to clean out / to get rid of. 4. Find an expression meaning poison. 5. Find an expression meaning to give energy to. 6. Who originally benefited from fry-ups? 7. Which of the ingredients listed is not normally part of a modern fry-up? 8. Did Queen Victoria like sausages? 9. Why are bangers called bangers?
One common misconception is that British food is just fish & chips. This couldn’t be further from the truth of the wholesome and natural range of food there is available. From meat to seafood, dairy produce to fruit and veg, British cuisine offers some of the finest ingredients in the world. No cuisine is based solely on its indigenous produce - especially not a country such as Britain which, as a group of islands, was always open to invasion. Such invaders brought foods from various parts of the 7
Overseas Teachers of English Course Teaching English Through British Life & Culture world, slowly introducing new meats, fruit, vegetables, herbs and spices to (what they considered) our rather plain food. As a nation we rejected some of these offerings and embraced others, and as a result developed our own unique cuisine - which of course is still developing with each new influence that comes along. Sadly the industrial revolution and two world wars played their part on the erosion of British cuisine, and the tradition for plain, unfussy food set in. But thankfully the mid-80s saw the image of British cookery turn a corner, and we started to take a renewed pride in our classic regional cooking, and the simple but wonderful local ingredients that had somehow been forgotten along the way. Say ‘Cheese’! A diverse selection of cheeses are now produced all over Britain, each with its own characteristics unique to the region. From the south-west of England comes the soft creamy style of Somerset Brie, as well as hard mature flavours of Cheddar and double Gloucester. That smells a bit fishy… Sold locally at fish markets, Whitstable in Kent is renowned for its legendary fine oysters which are available from September through to the end of April, and the town attracts buyers from far and wide. Cornwall, Newlyn and Falmouth are the big ports where monkfish, sole, hake, skate and many other varieties are landed. A large proportion of fish ends up at West Country smokeries, each using its own blend of salt, sugar, herbs and spices, and sometimes spirits to give a unique flavour. The waters around Cornwall are also well stocked with various shellfish, spider crabs, crayfish and lobster. Up in Scotland the robust, yet delicate pink wild salmon is a luxury fish usually reserved as a delicacy, especially the smoked variety. And the more northerly Orkney Islands has been producing some of the best farmed salmon for hundreds of years. This won’t go all pear-shaped, in fact, it’s a peach! Kent is known as the garden of England, and amongst other treasures it is home to cherries and berries that appear in the summer months. Orchards also adorn Kent and Somerset, where crisp Bramley apples provide a versatile fruit for cooking, and also fermenting to make cider. Look out for pears, plums, gooseberries and quinces that are available throughout the country, all of which lend themselves to the profuse number of lip-smacking desserts of which we are so fond. To find out more about some delicious traditional food, flavoured with beautifulsmelling indigenous herbs, check out cook books by Gary Rhodes, Delia Smith and Jamie Oliver or go to: http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/features/default.asp?feature=british&section=recipe
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Overseas Teachers of English Course Teaching English Through British Life & Culture Travelling in London
Why do Londoners call the underground ‘the tube’?
1. Look at the map on the next page & answer the following questions: a. How many underground lines are there in London? b. Which line is named after a famous British Queen? c. Does the tube only cover central London? d. If you need to catch a flight from Heathrow Terminal 4, can you get there by tube? Which line? e. Does the tube go under the river Thames? 2. You are a tourist at Oxford Circus station. a. Which line will take you to i. Green Park? ii. Marble Arch? iii. Regent’s Park? b. If you want to travel from Oxford Circus to the following stations, where should you change? i. To Knightsbridge ii. To Goodge Street iii. To Sloane Square iv. To St. Paul’s
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Overseas Teachers of English Course Teaching English Through British Life & Culture
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Overseas Teachers of English Course Teaching English Through British Life & Culture London Sightseeing Quiz 1. What are the names of the following buildings? a. William & Kate got married here. b. The Prime Minister lives here. c. The political parties meet here. d. The Crown Jewels are kept here. 2. London has amazing museums. Use the internet to complete the table. Exhibit Museum Collider Vikings: Life & Legend Britain: 1 million years Disobedient Objects Nelson Mandela Printing the future Republic of the moon Cabaret Mechanical Theatre Confiscation cabinets
Tube Station
Street Markets: What are these markets famous for? Camden Market Portobello Road Old Spitalfields Market Brick Lane Market Petticoat Lane Market Islington Farmer’s Market What can you buy fresh at Billingsgate? What are these places?
Butchers Hook & Cleaver Old China Hand Old Dr Butlers Head Bald Faced Stag Spouters Corner A: They are all ______________!
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