"My kingdom for a horse"

Activity 1. Historical periods

Now, go to http://www.primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk/timeline.html find the different periods and write them down:

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10.

 

Activity 2. Famous people

Go to http://projectbritain.com/famous_people.htm; Make groups of three. Find one King or Queen, one writer, and one politician. After reading his/her biography, each of you will have to play the role of the selected person as faithfully as you can in front of the class. Imagine you are having a conversation. Example: one of you is Shakespeare, another one is Henry VI and the other is David Cameron. Try to make it as funny as possible! Then, the class will have to choose the best representation :)

 

Activity 3. Fill in the gaps.

Go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/timeline/victorianbritain_timeline_noflash.shtml and fill in the gaps with the correct answers.

Victoria comes to the throne after the death of William IV

Victoria became queen at the age of ________ after the death of her uncle, William IV. She reigned for more than_____years, longer than any other British monarch. Her reign was a period of significant social, economic and ___________________, which saw the expansion of Britain's industrial power and of the British ____________.

Charles Dickens' 'Oliver Twist' is published

Charles Dickens was one of the greatest ___________novelists. 'Oliver Twist' was, like many of Dickens' other novels, originally published in ___________form and brought to public attention contemporary social evils. Dickens' other works included 'The Pickwick Papers', 'A Christmas Carol', '_______________' and 'Great Expectations'.

Slavery is abolished in the British empire

In_________, slaves in the British empire started a period of 'apprenticeship', during which they were obliged to work without pay for their former owners.________________campaigned against the system and in the____________there were widespread protests. When the apprenticeship period ended in 1838, over __________ slaves were freed in the British Caribbean. Plantation owners received about £20 million in government compensation for the loss of their slaves. The former slaves received nothing.

The Great Exhibition opens at the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London

This event was the brainchild of Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, and was designed to provide a ____________ for the world's most advanced _____________, ______________ and works of ________. It was housed in the massive 19-acre Crystal Palace, designed by Joseph Paxton. The event attracted almost six million visitors during the five summer months it was open. Many ordinary people travelled to London for the first time on cheap-rate excursion trains.

 

Activity 4. Choose one famous person who appears in activity 2 and describe him or her. Why have you chosen this particular individual? Write your description using 100-150 words. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Activity 5. On this day...

Go to following webpage http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/on_this_day/ write down the historical events that happened on this particular day in the past. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Activity 6. The day you were born...

Go to the following webpage http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/on_this_day/, select the month and the day you were born. Did something interesting happen? In pairs, discuss your findings.