Visit Britain - Webquest (Reading / Scanning)

You are going to look at the Vist Britain website and answer some questions about Great Britain

Instructions
You only need to scan for information. Don't read everything. You only need to look for words which will help you find the answers.
Try and do it as quickly as you can.
Scanning is an important skill to learn especially for reading texts in exams.

Introduction

Discuss
What can you do or see in Great Britain?

Watch the video.
How many activities and places can you see?
Note as many as you can. Whoever gets the most is the winner!

Reading.

Click on the links and read the pages to find the answers. Try and do it as quickly as you can.

1) Britain
What is Britain?
Go here

2) Food

What's Britain's national dish?
Go here

3) History

A) When did "Britain" start to exist?
B) When did the Romans arrive?
C) How old was Queen Victoria when she became queen?
D) What achievements happened between 1901 - 1944?
Go here

4) Cities and Towns

What are the 4 capital cities in Great Britain?
Go here

5) Myths and Legends

A) Where was Robin Hood from?
B) Where can you see a monster?
C) How old is Stonehenge?
Go here

6) London

A) How many languages can you hear in London?
B) How many attractions are there?
C) How many shops are there?
Go here

7) England

A) What's the population of England?
B) What attractions can you see?
Go here

8) Northern Ireland

A) What's the capital of Northern Ireland?
B) What's the population?
Go here

9) Scotland

A) What is Scotland's largest city?
B) What is the population?
C) Why is it Scotland's "style capital"?
Go here

10) Wales

A) How many languages do the Welsh speak?
B) Why is it called "the land of castles"?
C) What is the Welsh national sport?
D) Where is the Millennium Stadium?
Go here

11) Government

What's the difference between the House of Commons and the House of Lords?
Go here

12) 2012
What happened in 2012?
Go here

13) Football

How old is the FA Cup?
Go here

14) Music

What can you do and see at the British Music Experience?
Go here

15) Things to do

Go here  Click on any of the links on the page.
Choose 3 things you would like to do and say why you want to do each activity.

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Finished? Now try the Visit Britain - You're Invited activities



Answers - Highlight below

1) Britain Britain is made up of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, together with the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland	8) Northern Ireland A) Belfast B) 1.7 million
2) Food Curry	9) Scotland A) Glasgow B) 580,690 C) Its innovative buildings, stylish shops, cultural centres, more than 30 art galleries and museums and an annual programme of performing arts and festivals
3) History A) around 6500 BC B) 43 AD C) 18 D) the invention of the television; the founding of the British Broadcasting Company (BBC); the discovery of penicillin by Alexander Fleming; and insights into the structure of the atom, which led to the development of nuclear weapons and energy.	10) Wales A) 2 B) It is home to 641 famous fortresses - more castles per square mile than anywhere else in the world C) Rugby D) Cardiff
4) Cities and Towns Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh, London	11) Government The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament. It’s a democratically elected body consisting of 646 members called Members of Parliament (MPs). The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament, and here members called ‘Lords’ meet to debate, change Bills and scrutinise the work of the Government. Members of the House of Lords aren’t elected; they either inherit their title or are appointed by the Government or shadow cabinet.
5) Myths and Legends A) Nottingham B) Loch Ness C) 50,000 years	12) 2012 The Olympics
6) London A) Over 300 languages B) 238 C) 30,000 shops	13) Football 140 years (founded in 1872)
7) England A) 50 million B) Historical sites like Stonehenge, ecological attractions such as the Eden Project and family attractions ranging from zoos and safari parks to picnic spots and beaches	14) Music Learn about music’s influence on art, fashion and politics and download music from the BME archive. You can also live your rock ‘n’ roll dreams and play guitar, piano or drums in the fully equipped Gibson Studio. There are also infamous, irreplaceable pieces of British music memorabilia.

Visit Britain - You're invited.

You are going to

• watch 3 tourist adverts for Great Britain
• do some listening and vocabulary activities
• look at adjectives to describe feelings and places
• write or present a descriptive advert for your country

Discuss

What do you know about Great Britain?

• What is it famous for?
• What famous British people do you know?
• What are the famous places in Great Britain?
• How do you feel when you visit new places?

Watch Advert 1

You are going to watch an advert for Great Britain. 

1) What adjectives can you hear?

Source http://www.visitbritain.com/en/GB/

2) Now look at the exercise below. Match the correct meaning to the participles on the left.
You can drag and drop the expressions into the right place.

Answer these questions
How do you feel when you go on holiday?
How do you feel when you watch a good film?
How do you feel when you fall deeply in love with someone or something?
How do you feel when you see a magic trick?
How do you feel when you do something dangerous?
How do you feel when your teacher tells you that you are a brilliant student?

Watch Advert 2

You are going to watch Jamie Oliver. Jamie is a famous TV chef.

1) Here are some adjectives. Watch the advert and match them with these topics;

cities  |  countryside |  seaside |  food

• amazing = cities
• busy
• bustling
• (really) special
• lush
• green
• amazing
• (absolutely) incredible
• great
• some of the very best (in the world)

Now do the exercise.

2) Jamie says the UK is "steeped in loads of tradition" but also we are a "magpie culture"

• What does he mean by "magpie culture"? (A magpie is a bird. It can also describe a person who collects and keeps many things)
• What examples does he give?

Answers - highlight below

• We are very multicultural. We take and embrace bits from different cultures.
• Food. Music. Fashion. The arts. 

Watch Advert 3

You are going to watch Dev Patel in London's Leicester Square. Dev Patel starred in the film Slumdog Millionaire

1) Before you watch. What do these expressions mean?  Double click on each word to find out.

cutting edge, forefront, really into, a melting pot, diverse, chilled out, buzzing, energetic, boisterous

2) Read his introduction. Why does he like Leicester Square?

Coming from the suburbs most exciting thing about central London for my friends and me was the energy of Leicester square. I always wanted to be an actor and this is the place where all the big premieres happen and I dreamt of one day having one of my films here too. My dream did come true. The British "Slum Dog Millionaire" film premier was down in Leicester Square.

3) Watch the advert. What adjectives does he use to describe Britain?

4) Now put these sentences from the video in the correct order. Watch again if you need to.
 You can drag and drop the sentences into the right place

Writing / Presentation

Write or present a short advert for your country, city or region
Look on the internet to find important information
Talk about the cities, countryside, food, culture and customs


Don't forget to use lots of adjectives

• Past participles say how something makes you feel - invigorated, involved, inspired...
• Adjectives describe something - amazing, busy, bustling, really special, lush, green, amazing, absolutely incredible, some of the very best, cutting edge, diverse, chilled out, buzzing, energetic, boisterous...

Reading and practice

More infomation and reading about Great Britain

http://www.visitbritain.com/en/GB/
Look at the Cities and Towns. Where would you like to go?
Choose 3 places. Say why you would like to go there.

More on participial adjectives http://www.grammar-quizzes.com/passive3a.html