Living in the UK

Topic: The UK

Aims:

- To develop the ability to read and assimilate information from various

sources

Level: Intermediate/Upper Intermediate

Introduction

In this lesson, learners read about the different countries of the UK, either online

as a webquest or in paper form. They practise reading for specific information,

and guessing the meaning of words from the context, both important reading

micro-skills. There is an optional extension in the form of a role-play, in which

groups of learners compete to persuade a professional couple to move to ‘their’

UK country.

Procedure

Introduction (5 minutes)

• Give students Worksheet A In groups or with the whole class, ask them to

label the different countries of the UK, and to name the capital cities.

(England – London, Scotland – Edinburgh, Northern Ireland – Belfast,

Wales – Cardiff).

• Brainstorm words and phrases they associate with each UK country, either

as a whole class activity, or in groups with feedback to class.

Reading for specific information (35-40 minutes)

• If you have Internet access in class, direct students to the website

• Ideally they should work in pairs with one computer between two to

encourage communication. Give them Worksheet B and tell them to find

the answers to the questions as quickly as possible. The questions are not

grouped by country or page, which encourages learners to browse around

the entire site, and makes the exercise more challenging.

• Those without internet access can stick the texts from the site around the

classroom. Learners in pairs have to move around the room looking for the

answers. To keep the number of texts to a minimum, only the About…..,

National icons and Culture of …. sections of the site are included here. All

the answers to the questions on Worksheet B can be found in these

sections.

• When the first pair finish, stop the activity and hold a brief feedback

session.