Webquest on Bonfire Night by Mª Jesús García

Mª Jesús García San Martín, an EOI teacher at Luarca (Asturias, Spain) has devised a webquest for upper-intermediate and advanced students on the Bonfire Night.

The idea underlying the webquest is that students find out about the Gunpowder Plot by watching some videos and reading some online information that help them do some tasks.

The level of the activity may be a little bit demanding for That's English! students at Intermedio 2, but the wealth and quality of materials together with the amount of authentic language students are exposed to are worth giving a try, as our English will improve while learning about an outstanding episode of the history of England and finding out bits of information by ourselves.

English teachers can read Mª Jesús's presentation of her webquest here (it is written in Spanish).

Thank you so much, Mª Jesús, for this invaluable resource.

Christmas around the world

I know, I know. I should have posted about Christmas a long time ago, and not now that the season holiday is coming to an end. I wasn't in the right frame of mind, sorry!

Anyway, chance has it that through ESL Chestnut I came across this webquest by Julia Shpanchuk, from Ukraine, and, you know, better late than never. In this activity, originally thought-out as a class activity, you have to explore the way Christmas is celebrated around the world and prepare a presentation about a specific country.

We still have a few days on our hands before school is due to start, so choose a country out of the options Julia gives you, and use the resources she suggests to explore the customs and traditions in that country.

I hope you enjoy it and that it helps you with your English.

Thank you, Julia and Anna.

Natural Science Museum webquest

Natural Science Museum webquest is a different kind of post. It is aimed at those English students who have an interest in science.

The main task in the webquest is for the students to redesign the Mammals Gallery of the Natural History Museum. In doing so they will be exposed to lots of science-related texts, some videos and challenging tasks.

The webquest has been primarily designed for English students aged 11 to 14, which means it does not have the English student in mind. However, all the content is structured in a pedagogical way and we can develop our English reading skills and science vocabulary while getting engrossed in the task of redesigning the Natural History Museum.

Discovering London

You may already know the answer to some of these questions, but not to all:

1. What is the colour of the buses in London?
2. Where does the Queen live?
3. Name three means of transport you can use in London (Add pictures).
4. What is the other name used to name the underground?
5. Write the name of three museums in London.
6. What is the name of the river you can see in London? Write the name of three bridges the river runs by.
7. What´s the colour of the telephone box in London?
8. Name two famous markets in London.
9. What is the name of the square you can find Nelson Column and four lions?
10. What is Picadilly Circus?
11. Name three parks you can visit in London.
12. What is Big Ben? Where is it?
13. Who are beefeaters? Draw one and describe it.
14. Name three typical dishes you can try in London.
15. What is the name of the British currency?

These are the questions of the Discovering London Treasure Hunt I came across on the English Can Be Fun blog some time ago .
 

 
To find the answer to each of the questions, click on the Resources tab.

A Christmas Carol

This is a completely type of activity that I have found on Michelle Henry's website. It is a webquest based on A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens.

The activity is meant to be done in four groups of students, but I think that if you are working on your own, you can do it all the same, although it will take you longer and you won't be able to do the collaborative final stage, where all the information is shared among the people who took part in the webquest.