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• Año XXI • Nro. 223 • Argentina$ 150,00

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 World
GLOBAL
CULTURE
CORNER

Hum a nit a ria n

(19th August)

Day
● Internet access to upload their videos to social
Background
● Link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
networking sites.
The United Nations designated 19th August as World
Humanitarian Day to commemorate the terrorist attack time_continue=7&v=XMIuWqaDnnw.
that took place in Baghdad on this date in 2003. In this
incident, twenty-two people were killed. Sergio Vieira de
Mello, the UN’s main representative in Iraq, lost his life
Tasks
on this occasion. 1. Ask students to watch the following video about World
Humanitarian Day.
What happens on this day? https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=7&v=XMI
uWqaDnnw.
As Antonio Gutteres, the UN’s secretary has pointed out:
"As humanitarian workers deliver aid and medical 2. Encourage them to reflect on the following questions:
workers provide for those in need, they are all too often a. Why do you think the video is called “Civilians are
targeted or treated as threats.” Therefore, the #NotATarget”?
Humanitarian community organises worldwide
b. Can you think of another title for the video you
campaigns advocating for the safety and security of
have just watched? Which one? Why?
humanitarian aid workers and civilians who are affected
by armed conflict every day. c. In what ways are civilians affected by armed
conflict?
Teaching sequence for teenagers
Age: teenagers/adults 3. Tell students to work in groups. They should look for
information connected to the impact of armed conflict
Level: any on civilians and about the importance of World
Aims Humanitarian Day.
4. Then, students get together and shoot a video to raise
● take action against armed conflict by shooting videos
Through this teaching sequence students will:
awareness on this issue.
5. Students edit their videos and share them with the rest
● feel empathy towards others.
to raise awareness on this issue;
of the class.
6. Carry out a whole-class discussion to comment on
● Notebooks or mobile phones to watch and shoot
Resources
what students have learned from this experience and to
provide some feedback on the videos students have

● Video editing software.

videos about World Humanitarian Day. recorded.
7. The videos are finally uploaded on social networking
sites and tagged with the hashtag #NotATarget.
Yesica Galliano

Sources and References

awareness-
https://www.awarenessdays.com/
-hum anitarian-da y-2019/
days-calendar/world
g/e n/even ts/h uma nitarianday/
https://www.un.or
urces/search/
https://globaldimension.org.uk/reso
?fwp_topic=aid-relief

2
T
Contents
Dear colleagues,
his month, The Teacher’s Magazine brings along plenty of materials Page 2:
especially designed to make your ELF classes appealing and help you Global Culture Corner:
save time and energy. World Humanitarian Day
Snow White is the story on Poster 2 with resources for very young Pages 4 to 7:
learners and young learners. Searching for the dwarves, matching words Phonics for Kids:
and pictures are some of the activities for kids. There’s the Bird
Fresh ideas to welcome the new season are also to be found in this issue, along with Pages 8 to 13:
pictures to use to introduce vocabulary and play games. Snow White
Poster 1 displays a map of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Page 14:
Ireland. Some iconic places have been drawn to include on the map if you want to. Rain
There are photocopiable activities for all ages and levels around the topic of The UK. Pages 16 to 18:
As usual, the Phonics for Kids section presents guided steps to introduce another Spring Time
vowel sound in There’s the Bird. As for next issue, consonants are to be introduced. Pages 20 to 21:
There is a great lesson plan on San Martin, called A Heroic Profile in which A Heroic Profile
students are encouraged to investigate and design a social networking profile for our Page 22:
Hero. Cards
We hope you make the most of this issue. Page 23:
Karina Uzeltinger British and American Folk:
Editor-in-Chief International Beer Day
Page 24:
English or British?
Page 26:
The UK
Pages 27 to 29:
The Bizarre Talents of the
British
Pages 30 to 31:
Iconic Places

Poster 1:
The UK Map
Poster 2:
Snow White

Download another
photocopiable activity
from www.ediba.com

Directora: Karina Uzeltinger / Dirección general: Adrian Balajovsky / Diseño y diagramación: Cristina Baridón / Colaboradores: Agustina Negretti, Mónica Buzada, Yesica Galliano, Fabricio Inglese, Daiana
Agesta / Administración: Claudia Traversa, Sergio Vicente / Asistente de dirección general: Darío Seijas / Archivo digital: Cecilia Bentivegna / Ilustración: Alberto Amadeo, Fernando Cerrudo, Emmanuel
Chierchie, Gabriel Cortina, Mariano Martín / Color digital: Mónica Gil, Natalia Sofio /Comunicación y atención al cliente: Carlos Balajovsky, Maia Balajovsky / Corrección español: Elisabet Álvarez, Marcelo
ISSN: 1514-142X Angeletti, Liliana Vera / Recursos humanos: Mariana Medina / Recursos multimedia: Martín Asteasuain, Francisco Del Valle, Aldana Meineri , Pablo Yungblut, / Fotografía: Fernando Acuña, Mónica
AÑO XXI - Nº 223 Falcioni, Patricia Perona / Marketing y publicidad: Favio Balajovsky, Fernando Balajovsky, Juan Meier / Recepción: Consuelo Pérez Fernández / Sistemas y web: Leandro Regolf, Bruno Meineri / Servicio
AGOSTO-SEPTIEMBRE 2019 técnico: José Celis / Taller de manualidades: Valentina Di Iorio.
ESTA ES UNA
PUBLICACIÓN DE:
Editora Responsable y Propietaria: EDIBA SRL, Pascual de Rogatis 80, Bahía Blanca, Buenos Aires. Argentina.
Impresión: IPESA Magallanes 1315 Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires. / Distribución: Argentina-Interior: D.I.S.A.,Luis Sáenz Peña 1832, (1135) CABA, Tel. 011-4304-2532 / 4304-2541 Argentina/CABA: Vaccaro Hnos. Representantes
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3
 There's
trying to provide as many words with the sound /ɜ:/ as
possible, for instance: girl, church, nurse, world, purse,
turtle, etc. It is important to put emphasis on the proper
pronunciation of the words and take advantage of
children who can read, write and spell to reflect on the
spelling of the words mentioned, asking questions such
as How do we spell bird? How do we spell girl? What
letters do those words have in common?
Now it is storytime! Have at hand a picture of a purple
bird and a turtle dove to show while you are telling the
tale, and share with children the following story:
Objectives:
• To expose children to systematic phonics Two birds were perched on a birch
instruction.
• To practise the sound /ɜ:/ and discover the
branch. They were watching the world
ways it is spelled. around them. Look at that girl! Said the
• To gain exposure to spellings <er> <ur> turtle dove. I love her purse!
<ir> <wor> <ear> <our>.

W
• To make associations between spelling and But you are a turtle dove, said the purple
pronunciation. bird. You don't need a purse. I'd prefer to
• To predict accurate spelling and pronunciation
of words given.
have a worm rather than a purse...
A squirming worm would be perfect. But
I'm thirsty; my throat burns! It hurts! I'm
e conclude the presentation of allergic. I need entertainment. What about
phonics instruction on English the circus?
vowels and glides with practice on
the central vowel /ɜ:/. Remote from The one opposite the church? They're
all peripheral Cardinal Vowels, its
quality coincides with that of the schwa, from which it is
rehearsing! And the hummingbird must be
distinguished by length. Apart from a few exceptions, there as well. Let's take a journey, before
the spellings of /ɜ:/ bear a vowel letter with a following
<r>, so warn your students against the articulation of
the thirst gets worse.
/r/, which will only be used for linking, when the And so, the birds left the birch tree in
following word, or syllable in the same word, begins
with a vowel. search of the circus and their friend, the
To work on the sound and the relationships that can be hummingbird.
established between certain spellings and /ɜ:/, a story is
presented together with pictures, that will provide plenty
of opportunities to articulate the vowel and see the
words written to make associations.
Explain that you are going to play a game called Where's
the...? in which you ask the question and the children
have to point at the answer. Make sure there is a picture
of a bird in the classroom and ask Where's the bird? and
prompt children to answer There's the … Keep asking,

4
the bird!
PHONICS
FOR KIDS

It is a good idea to tell the story making different voices

for each of the characters – the allergic turtle dove and
the purple bird – and, to involve kids in the tale, have
them invent names for each animal and repeat the
highlighted words after you. Once you have read the
story several times and children have repeated words
after you, it is a suggested you make flashcards with the
words with /ɜ:/ and point out the relationship between
vowel+r and the sound.
The first activity on page 6 has been designed to
entertain students while facing them with the written
words practised throughout the story. Ask children to
circle the pictures in the way prompted.
In activity B, kids have to match the activities birds do,
to the corresponding pictures. Walk around the
classroom, and ask What are the birds doing here? while
pointing at the different pictures. Activity C consists of
completing the words with the right spelling. Make sure
you have pointed out the different words several times
and students are familiar with them before handing out
the task.
Have a superb learning journey!
Agustina Negretti

5
 Level: A1 Age: Very Young Learners/Young Learners

There's the Bird!

A) Circle: 1. a turtle dove, 2. a purple bird, 3. a birch tree, 4. a worm, 5. a hummingbird, 6. a bird in a hand,
7. two birds in a bush, 8. a hurt bird, 9. a turtle, 10. an allergic bird, 11. a superb bird, 12. a circus,
13. a bird with a burnt wing, 14. birds on a journey, 15. a girl with a purse.

6 PHOTOCOPIABLE
 Level: A1 Age: Very Young Learners/Young Learners

There's the Bird!

B) Match.

JOURNEY
SEARCH
WORK
PERCH

C) Complete with ur, ir, or.

T _ _ TLE DOVE B _ _ CH TREE W _ _M

W _ _ LD P _ _ SE C _ _ CUS

PHOTOCOPIABLE 7
 Snow White
S
now White is probably the best-known fairy tale. Below,
you will find activities and ideas to work with this story
for students of different ages and levels.

The Story At the castle, the Queen asked again: “Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Once upon a time, who’s the fairest of them all?” “Snow White,” the mirror said.
there was a “That’s impossible,” shouted the Queen. “She’s dead.” “No, she
beautiful and happy isn’t,” the mirror said and showed the Queen where Snow White
girl called Snow was. The Queen was even more furious than before.
White. She lived in The Queen dressed in disguise, poisoned an apple and went into
a castle with her the woods. She found the dwarves' house and knocked on the
stepmother, the door. Snow White opened the door and found an old woman
Queen. She was a there. The old
Princess. woman offered her
an apple, she bit it
and fell to the
ground. The Queen
The Queen was not very nice. She had a magic mirror. She laughed madly. She
asked it every day “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest was happy. She was
of them all?” The mirror always answered, “You, my Queen.” the fairest of the
But when Snow White turned 16, and the Queen asked “Mirror, kingdom.
mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” the mirror
answered: “You are
not the fairest any The dwarves found
more. Snow White Snow White, and
is.” The Queen was placed her onto a
furious. She called stone. They were
a hunter and told very sad. The
him to take Snow animals in the
White into the woods were sad,
woods and kill her. too.

The hunter was a Along came a

kind man, and did prince, and saw the
not want to kill the dwarves and the
girl, so he took her animals crying. He
into the woods and stepped nearer and
showed her a saw the beautiful
house where she girl, lying there,
could hide from looking dead. He
the Queen. couldn’t resist it and
kissed her.

In the house, Snow White woke

there lived seven up. She looked into
dwarves. They the prince’s eyes
took Snow White and fell in love. They
in, and she helped lived happily ever
them with the after.
housework: she
cooked and
cleaned for them.

8
 • Revise clothes. Make a new wardrobe for Snow White.
Activities before telling the story • Change the ending or decide what happens next, after
Present the first picture and ask children to describe it. the last picture. Students draw their own ending.
Present or revise the word happy, and other items such • Comprehensive Sex Education: You may decide to use
as colours, numbers, etc. Introduce vocabulary they may the story as a starting point to debate about women’s
need later: castle, princess, birds. Ask kids to tell you roles in society. Snow White cleans and cooks, what
who the character is. Pre-teach Queen, mirror, hunter, other chores do women do in our society?
dwarves, apple. Encourage children to tell you what they
know about the story. • Imagine Snow White lives now, and she has got a
mobile phone. Who will she text to?
Activities during storytelling • Maths connection: how many plates, glasses,
silverware, etc. should there be in the dwarves’ house.
Ask children to point to different items in the pictures
and to answer questions such as Who’s this? What’s she • Science connections: talk about food poisoning.
doing? Is she happy? etc. • Revise food. Make a menu for a meal for eight people.
Tell kids to repeat the question the Queen asks to the • Safety: Snow White accepts an apple from an
mirror. What would the mirror answer, You are or Snow unknown person. Talk about the danger of accepting
White? gifts from people children do not know.
Check students’ predictions as the story unfolds.

Activities after telling the story

• Retell the story making mistakes for children to correct
Sources and References
https://www.twinkl.es/resource/t-t-6012-snow-white-
you or leaving a sentence unfinished for kids to complete
and-the-seven-dwarfs-lesson-plan-ideas-ks1
it. For example: Snow White is a very sad girl. She lives
http://www.myfreshplans.com/2010/07/snow-white/
in a palace and she is a … [princess].
• Ask children to draw their favourite part.
 Level: A1 Age: Very Young Learners/Young Learners
Snow White
A) Order and colour.

10 PHOTOCOPIABLE
 Level: A1 Age: Very Young Learners

Snow White
B) Help Snow White find the dwarves hidden in the forest.

PHOTOCOPIABLE 11
 Level: A1 Age: Young Learners

Snow White
A) Count and write.

1
ONE

12 PHOTOCOPIABLE
 Level: A1 Age: Very Young Learners

Snow White
B) Match.

SNOW WHITE

QUEEN

MIRROR

DWARVES

HUNTER

PRINCE

CASTLE

APPLE

OLD WOMAN

PHOTOCOPIABLE 13
 Level: A1 Age: Very Young Learners

Rain
A) Read and label.

When the water in the oceans and lakes heats up, it evaporates. That means it becomes water vapour and rises. Then,
the water vapour cools down and condenses to form water droplets. This happens in the sky and it forms clouds.
Then, it falls down as rain or snow.

B) Read and complete the text with the missing words.

The weather is a major factor in determining the way humans and animals behave and live. For example, the weather
affects which animals and plants can survive in different parts of the world. It also affects whether animals hibernate
or migrate, where we take holidays and the clothes we wear.

Seasons are a consequence of the rotation of the Earth around the Sun. Different parts of the world have different
seasons. Some parts have wet or dry seasons, while others have four: spring, summer, autumn and winter.

A LOT OF - LITTLE - MORE

During the wet season, the Amazon forest receives _____________________ rain and during the dry season, it
receives _____________________ rain.

C) Too much rainfall can cause flooding. Too little or no rainfall at all can cause drought.
Think about what happens in your town if there is too much or too little rain. Consider:

Who may be affected? Which buildings may be affected?

What may happen to plants and animals? What may happen to crops and cattle?

Find a piece of news about a flood in your area. Bring it to class. Complete the chart above with the information.

14 PHOTOCOPIABLE
 Sp ri n g Time
S
pring is coming, and you can use the topic Spring and clothes
to teach new words and revise already
Whether you have already taught
known vocabulary.
the topic or not, it is a good idea
Decorate the classroom using paper to present different clothes we
flowers. Revise colours and numbers. Count generally wear in spring. You
how many red/blue/yellow flowers are on can use the pictures on issue
the walls. # 214, July 2018, or kids
Make blown-up copies of page 17 and use the pictures draw themselves
to introduce new words. Children can colour or decorate wearing different
the pictures. Go around the class asking What’s this? items of clothing.
What colour is it? If your students can read, separate the
words from the pictures. Place the pictures and words on
two columns on the board. Kids come to the front and
put each label under (or next to) the corresponding
picture.
You can use the vocabulary cards to make different
games:
• Memory game: make two sets of copies for each
group of children. Laminate them for extra duration. If
kids are not familiar with the game, explain it with a Spring and weather
confident student.
Revise weather words. You may use the pictures on issue
• Matching game: Make a set of copies for each group. # 220, February 2019. Make a weather chart and register
Separate the written word from the pictures. Kids take what the weather is like each class. At the end of the
turns to match a picture with a word. month, count how many times it was
• Bingo: Make a set of copies for each student. Each sunny/rainy/cloudy, etc.
child chooses five pictures and five tokens to place on
them as they are called.
• Domino: Make a copy of the domino for each group.
You can decide to use only pictures or pictures and
words.
Hand out copies of the spring scene on page 18 for kids
to colour. It can be a free colouring activity, or you may
turn it into a colour dictation to revise vocabulary.

Spring and plants

If you have enough place in your class, bring different
Sources and References seeds and plant them for kids to see their growth. They

https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/signs-spring
can take notes when the seeds were planted, when they

https://www.eslkidstuff.com/lesson-plans/seasons.html
are watered (and who waters them), etc. You can also

https://www.education.com/lesson-plan/animals-and-
bring to the classroom already grown plants and count
the flowers or leaves they have each class.
offspring/
https://en.islcollective.com/resources/search_result?Tags=
Spring and animals
baby%20animals Introduce insects that we can find in spring and make
https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/farm-animals comparisons among them. Children can investigate their
https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/life-cycle-a- eating habits, for example.
flowering-plant
https://laiaprincep.wordpress.com/2018/05/27/plants-
Present different animals and their offspring. Children

flowers-in-the-esl-class/
can investigate or you can bring information about them.
Have fun teaching this spring.
Karina Uzeltinger

16
 Level: A1 Age: Very Young Learners/Young Learners

Spring Time
A) Vocabulary cards.

FLOWERS BUTTERFLY GRASS

TREE NEST EGGS

SUNSHINE BEE LADYBUG

PHOTOCOPIABLE 17
 Level: A1 Age: Very Young Learners/Young Learners

Spring Time
B) Colour.

18 PHOTOCOPIABLE
 A He r oi c P rofile
The final task of the project will consist of a Facebook or
Instagram profile of San Martín. To get there, students
Objectives: will go through a series of activities that include reading
• To present or revise vocabulary related to the maps, ordering according to time and creating a
Crossing of the Andes. timeline.
• To present or revise the use of the Present Start by brainstorming information about San Martín,
Continuous. write on the board what students share. Depending on
the frequency and duration of the classes you may begin
• To help students develop and enhance their
working on the topic a month before 17th August, the
tech skills.

T
date when we commemorate the hero's death. Once you
• To encourage the use of apps in different have put together some information, ask learners to
contexts. order the events chronologically. If you have access to
• To practise sequencing, ordering and spatial the internet or a library at school, you may suggest kids
organisation. do the research in class, otherwise, divide them in
groups and assign each group a decade in the life of José
• To develop a communal timeline.
de San Martín. Each group will have to investigate on
the main events that happened in the hero's life during
he tasks presented here aim at helping that decade, and where they took place. Once they have
young learners to develop and improve that information, hand out slips of paper and ask each
notions of historical events. By combining group to write 4 (you may vary this number) main
elements that are familiar to them with events that took place during the decade they
incidents that took place long ago, investigated – warn them against writing dates. Collect
children will get a better idea of the the slips of paper, shuffle them and randomly hand them
transcendence of the actions carried out out. Draw a line on the board (or on a long string of A4
by our forefathers.

20
timeline app such as https://www.tiki-toki.com/ and ask
pieces of paper glued one after the other, or use a mentioned. The edited photos must show the hero and
an event at which he was involved (for instance, take a
students to place the events on the slips of paper (or the picture of Mendoza, add a picture of San Martín to it and
information if you are using a timeline app on an some women giving away their jewellery). Learners send
interactive board) in the right place in the timeline. the pictures to the e-mail address of the profile and you
Check that the final product is accurate and ask each add them chronologically.
group to briefly explain the events chosen and where Now it is a good time to work on GoogleMaps or any

such as https://maps.me/. Once that is done, it will be

they took place. other app where you can pin places you deem important,
By now, students will have been able to visualise the
main feats carried out by the hero José de San Martín, easy to calculate the amount of miles our hero had to
and the many travels in which he found himself travel to reach each destination, and how long it took
involved. Ask students to share if they found it difficult him to do so 200 years ago.
or easy to gather all this information and if they knew all By the end of the project, everyone will be able to see
the events before carrying out the previous tasks. Elicit San Martín at the different places he got to know, doing
what elements we can count on nowadays to find out if the extraordinary things he did. It is a good idea to share
celebrities or family members participate in the final product with the rest of the school.
extraordinary events, go on a trip, move from a place, Hope your students get inspired to become the heroes of
etc. If the topic of social media does not arise, introduce the future generations!
it. Create a Facebook or Instagram private profile for San
Martín. Students continue working with the same
groups, and on the same decade they had been assigned, Agustina Negretti
and are asked to edit pictures from the different places
 Cards

Happy
San Martín’s Day Child’s Day

Welcome
Spring
p p y
Ha er’s
a c
Te ay h
D

22 PHOTOCOPIABLE
 International
BRITISH AND
AMERICAN FOLK

Beer Day
(2nd August)

Background
International Beer Day originally began in Santa Cruz,
California. The aim of this festival is to celebrate the
craft of brewing and to honour those involved in beer
making. This soon expanded to include bartenders and
other craft beer specialists.

What do people do?

Throughout this day, professional and amateur brewers
are encouraged to share techniques and steps in the
brewing process as well as taste different flavours.
On this occasion, people gather together with friends
and enjoy the taste of beer all over the world.

Teaching sequence
Age: Teenagers/Adults
Level: any
Aims: Tasks
● about different techniques for crafting beer,
Through this teaching sequence students will learn:
1. Ask students what they know about beer and its

● about steps in the brewing process,

origin. Brainstorm what students know about the history
of beer.
● how people celebrate International Beer Day around 2. Tell students to watch a video called “The Very
Interesting History of Beer” and write down important
● how to make timelines using ICTs.
the world,
and curious facts about it.
Link for the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=dTRuXpXb230.
● Whiteboard and markers.
Resources:

● Notebooks or mobile phones to watch videos and look

3. Encourage them to get in groups, find information
about the history of beer and create a timeline including

● Internet access.
for information. that data.

● Software for creating timelines such as Office Timeline

4. Ask students to look for information about the step-
by-step process of brewing beer.

● Link for the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?

or TimeGraphics. 5. Then, invite them to write an easy recipe for amateur
brewers. Students will share their recipes with the rest of
v=dTRuXpXb230. the class.
● Online dictionaries. Yesica Galliano

Sources and References

https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/international-beer-day/
Beer”)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTRuXpXb230 (“The Very Interesting History of
https://www.youtube.com /watch?v =myWBv lAyLzY (“How Is Beer Made?” Brewing
Documentary - History Channel HD)
http://dish.allrecipes.com/how-to-brew-beer/

23
 Level: A1 Age: Young Lerners/Teenagers

English or British?
A) What’s the difference between
English and British? Make
predictions if you do not know
the answer. ATLAnTIC
OCEAn n O RT H S EA
B) Read the text and check your
answer.
Sam speaks English and lives in
London, the capital of England.
He’s English.
Anne speaks English, she lives in
London, too, but she isn’t English,
D
she’s Scottish. She’s from T LAn
Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. S CO
She’s studying in London.
Liam speaks English and lives in
London too, but he’s not English
either. He’s from Cardiff, the capital
of Wales, so he's Welsh. He works
in London. THERn
nORLAnD
Sarah speaks English and lives in IRE
London, too. She’s from Belfast,
the capital of Northern Ireland.
She's Irish. F IRISH
O SEA
D
LA IC

nD
C) Read the text again and write
n

dublin
I R EU B L

the names of the countries and A

capitals on the map. L
P

G
RE

WAL ES

En

Wy
e
rn
ve
Se

CELTIC
SEA
THE EnGLISH
CHAnnEL E
C
n
A
FR

D) Complete the chart.

COUNTRY CAPITAL NATIONALITY

Belfast

Welsh

Edinburgh

English

24 PHOTOCOPIABLE
 Level: A1 Age: Young Learners

The UK
A) Colour.

WH BLUE RED BLUE

ITE
RE
D RED ITE
WH BLUE
BLUE

WHITE WHITE

RED RED

WHITE WHITE

BLUE BLUE
ITE RE
WH WH D
RED ITE
BLUE RED BLUE

B) What are they wearing?

26 PHOTOCOPIABLE
 Level: B1 Age: Teenagers/Adults

The Bizarre Talents of the British

A) Look for photos of the following events. Show them to the class and describe the pictures (people involved,
what they are doing, what they are wearing, location, etc.). Try to guess the objectives and characteristics of the
games.
Cooper’s Hill Cheese-rolling and wake
Man versus Horse Marathon
Annual Bog Snorkelling Championships
World Stone Skimming Championships
B) Read the following text and compare the description of the photos with the actual sports. Check your
predictions in A.
The British have always been considered talented people. If someone had the intention of writing a list of
British scientists, artists, sportspeople, inventors that have influenced the rest of the world, it will probably
result in being endless. As an example of the importance of the British Islands in contemporary and modern
sports, for instance, it is certain that the following have been created within the countries of the United
Kingdom: football, cricket, rugby, hockey, badminton, lawn tennis, table tennis, bungee jumping and darts
are all English sports; while golf and curling have Scottish origins. However, if the wit and cleverness for
which the British are known, is combined with their bizarre side of life, the results are unpredictable.

What would you think of a contest that welcomes its participants with the following sign: "Cheese rolling is a
dangerous activity for both participants and spectators. You attend entirely at your own risk!"? In the village of
Brockworth, Gloucestershire, in Southwest England, there is a tradition that dates back to, at least, the 1800s. It is
nowadays known and advertised as “Cooper’s Hill Cheese-rolling and wake”, and held on Cooper’s Hill, probably the
steepest hill in town. From the top of the hill, the Master of Ceremonies drops a 3 kg round Double Gloucester Cheese
which rolls down at speeds that can reach 110 km/h. Seconds later, the participants start running down the hill trying
to catch the cheese. They start running, but they may tumble and continue with a clumsy and uncontrollable fall that,
hopefully, leaves the contestants unharmed. On the one hand, there is only one winner per race, who gets the cheese
as a prize. On the other hand, there are always several participants that finish injured or in evident pain.

https://officialcheeserolling.com/

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 Level: B1 Age: Teenagers/Adults

The Bizarre Talents of the British

If you want to take part in the Llanwrtyd Wells marathon, you will have to know that, in order to win the race, you will
have to defeat about 650 other contestants… and around 60
horses. The “Man versus Horse Marathon” is a one-of-a-kind
competition in which men and horses run nearly 35 km over
mountainous and flat courses. It originated in 1980 in the
aforementioned Welsh town when the owner of a hotel
overheard a conversation between two guests. One of them
assured the other that when running long distances, a man
could beat a horse. The landlord organised the first marathon
without hesitation, and since then, it has become an
international event. Only two editions of the 38 organised so
far have been won by men. The first man that beat both men
and horses did it in 2004. He won the accumulated prize of
£25,000 which had been increasing since 1980. Each year a
horse defeats the men, the prize increases £1,000 until a

https://www.facebook.com/ManVerusHorse/
runner wins and takes it all.

Although this competition was conceived in Wales (curiously in Llanwrtyd Wells

as well), the Northern Irish have adapted it to their own geography and culture.
Every summer, in September, the people of Dungannon organise the Annual
Bog Snorkelling Championship. The competition includes swimmers that have
to complete a distance of a little more than 100 metres in the shortest time
possible. However, the conditions and location are not the expected ones.
Competitors cannot swim in a conventional way since they have to move only
with the aid of flippers and a snorkel. And perhaps the most important aspect,
they do so in a bog; a muddy freezing smelly dark bog. Apart from the
peculiarity of the venue and the conditions of this “sport”, there is an
educational side to it. The event coincides with International Bog Day, organised
as a means of raising awareness of the importance of bogs for biodiversity in
nature, and more particularly in Northern Ireland, where almost 90% of them
have disappeared. As a result, the Bog Snorkelling Championships assure fun,
https://www.green-events.co.uk/?wbs
information and lots of dirt.
_main

People travel from neighbouring England, Hungary, the United States, Japan or even New Zealand to spend a
weekend on Easdale, a tiny Scottish island with a population of 62. There, the World Stone Skimming Championships
are held with a limit of 350 entrants, but without a limit in age or gender provided the stones used are taken from the
local slate quarry. Skimming, the art of throwing a flat stone and making it bounce on the water, definitely attracts
many passionate followers. Nevertheless, this
apparently harmless and innocent activity has
generated some controversy in 2012 when the
owner of the island demanded £1,000 to the
organisers as a compensation for the use of the
slate quarry and as insurance. During some time,
the competition ran the risk of not being
celebrated until a regional newspaper located in
Aberdeen donated the amount of money
requested. The people responsible for the
newspaper argued that the competition drew
attention internationally and was a source of
income for the community.
http://www.stoneskimming.com/

28 PHOTOCOPIABLE
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The Bizarre Talents of the British

C) Read the text once again and decide whether the following sentences are true or false.
1) The British have had a great influence on the development of modern sports and games.
2) The organisation of the “Cooper’s Hill Cheese-rolling and wake” provides the participants with protective
elements.
3) Cooper’s Hill is the highest hill in Brockworth.
4) The winner of the Double Gloucester Cheese never ends up injured.
5) The “Man versus Horse Marathon” proves that men always defeat horses.
6) When a horse wins the marathon, that means that the prize will increase for the following year.
7) The circuit of the “Man versus Horse Marathon” has changes in altitude.
8) Bog Snorkelling originated in Northern Ireland.
9) Although bogs are not attractive places, they are relevant in terms of nature.
10) If people decide to participate in the Annual Bog Snorkelling Championships, they will surely finish dirty.
11) Anyone who wants to participle in the World Stone Skimming Championships can bring their own stones.
12) The island of Easdale is owned by one single person.
13) The organisers of the Skimming Championships could easily gather the money for the insurance from
many donors.

D) Choose one of the following titles for paragraphs 2 to 5. There is one extra title that does not correspond to any
of the paragraphs.
1) Fun and inconveniences brought by a kids’ game.
2) A dispute between Wales and Northern Ireland.
3) A salty prize for a long-lasting ache.
4) The hardest test of endurance.
5) The borrowed “sport” that promotes conservation.

E) In the text, there are certain words in italics. Find them and see which of the definitions given corresponds to
each of the words.
1) Someone who has been wounded, who is hurt or has been physically harmed.
2) A wet surface with spongy ground and soil composed of a great amount of decayed vegetable matter.
3) Something unique, original, that cannot be seen anywhere else.
4) Unlikely to annoy or worry people.
5) Someone with a special natural ability or aptitude.
6) An open space or pit dug in the ground where different types of stones can be extracted.
7) Something involving unexpected elements; outrageously strange or odd.
8) To hear someone or a speech without the speaker’s intention or knowledge.
9) Having an almost vertical slope or angle.

F) In groups, find out information about one of the following British events: World Gurning Championships /
World Haggis Hurling Championship / World Snail Racing Championships. Prepare a short presentation including
where they are organised, origins, rules, prizes and other curious facts.

overhear, 9) steep, 10) awareness.

Paragraph 3: 4, Paragraph 4: 5, Paragraph 5: 1; E) 1) injured, 2) bog, 3) one-of-a-kind, 4) harmless, 5) talented, 6) quarry, 7) bizarre, 8)
Key: C) 1) True , 2) False, 3) False, 4) False, 5) False, 6) True, 7) True, 8) False, 9) True, 10) True, 11) False, 12) True, 13) False; D) Paragraph 2: 3,

PHOTOCOPIABLE 29
 Level: A1 Age: Young Learners/Teenagers

Iconic Places

30 PHOTOCOPIABLE
Iconic Places