What is your favourite castle in England?

 

I love castles, learning about their history, enjoying the beautiful surroundings...

My favourite is Leeds Castle, not Leeds but in Kent. It was constructed in 1119 and  lies on two adjacent islands on the River Len. It's great to visit it your family or with students (see education programs and resources here).

This English Heritage page depicts the top 10 English castles recently chosen in Facebook: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/familydaysout/top-10-castles/

Simon Griggs:

I have fond memories as a schoolboy going to Leeds Castle. I was at a boarding school and we weren't allowed out very often so any trip was well received! 

These are photos of two other castles from near where I'm from: the first one is Orford Castle in Sufflok and the second one is Hedingham Castle in the north of Essex, both clear examples of Norman keeps.

Carmen Carbajo:

The castles and the stories behind them are a great way to get to know the place you visit.
From my point of view, the top 10 proposed English castles are amazing. I can´t decide on one.
I've never heard of David McCaulay, so I've been doing my research and have
discovered some interesting videos. I would like to share this one that talks about a 13th century Weslh castle.

Carmino Martínez recommends the series: Secrets of Great British Castles that you can watch in Youtube:

Celebrating David Attenborough's life and legacy

 

Internet freaked out this week when this hashtag became trending topic: #DavidAttenborough 

Fortunately is was his galaxy of fans wishing him Happy Birthday as he will be 95 on 8th May.

You can celebrate his life and work @AttenboroughSir in twitter, or much better, watching his documentaries -you can find some of them now in Netflix and Movistar+ or BBC-. 

Let's have a look:

https://youtu.be/r-91umZ7cQE

https://youtu.be/aETNYyrqNYE

Canadian Multiculturalism Day

 

June 27 is Canadian Multiculturalism Day! Discover the various cultures that bring Canadian society to life by participating in the virtual activities happening across the country! Learn more about the importance of multiculturalism in Canada.

Celebrate Canada

Take advantage of the numerous virtual celebrations that are being held across the country to discover and appreciate the wealth and diversity of Canadian society.

Find an activity

This year, join a virtual celebration to mark the Canadian Multiculturalism day. Discover the virtual activities that will take place across the country.

https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/multiculturalism-day.html

National Indigenous Peoples Day

Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day

Canada Day

National Acadian Day

Banksy in London. Lesson Plans

 Shared by M. Carmen Carbajo:

Banksy needs no introduction as an artist in the world of street art and popular culture. In fact, he has been responsible for the rising popularity of street art in recent years. From my point of view, not only some of his works make us think but they also critizice some important points of our society such as consumerism, inequality, power and so on.

Here there are three of my favourites pieces of art of Bansky located in London. They are food for thought.

1.    “Shop Till You Drop” also called as “Falling shopper” in Bruton Lane.

This work shows this work depicts a woman falling from the top of a building, clinging to a a shopping trolley containing a few items. The aim was to point out the dangers of consumerism.

2.    “The Jungle” in Knightsbridge

The work features the iconic image of Cosette from the historical novel Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. The iconic French emblem is depicted with Cosette shown with tears running down her face as she is engulfed in the fumes from the CS gas canister on the ground below her.

This stencil work criticizes and draws attention to the measures that the French authorities were taking to deal with the refugees in ‘The Jungle’ refugee camp in Calais, namely the use of deploying CS gas as a form of crowd control in the thousands of refugees who at that time resided there. It also points out the double standards of europe and criticizes.

3.    ‘Aachoo!!’ in Bristol´s Totterdown neighborhood.

This work appeared on one of the side walls of a house at the junction of Vale Street y Park Street. this painting reflects the importance of wearing a mask to avoid the spread of coronavirus. In addition to the importance of taking care of our elders so that they are not infected by coronavirus.

Exit Through the Gift Shop - Documentary: 

Where to find Banksy murals in London

https://www.myartbroker.com/artist/banksy/londons-top-12-banksy-murals/

Free Lesson plans and resources about Banksy

Banksy art raises money for hospitals by Lingua House

https://www.linguahouse.com/es/esl-lesson-plans/general-english/banksy-art-raises-money-for-hospitals

Street Art by Kimball Art Center

https://kimballartcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/EVA_2019-20209.pdf

Graffiti by British Council

https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/graffiti

Lesson Plans: Banksy  (B2 to C1) by That ELT Blog

https://thateltblog.wordpress.com/2018/01/17/lesson-plan-banksy-part-1/

https://thateltblog.wordpress.com/2018/02/07/lesson-plan-banksy-part-two-b2-fce/

Art or Prank? by ESL Brains

https://eslbrains.com/art-or-prank/

Funeral poems

 

Shared by Inmaculada González:

This poem is often read at funerals. The author, Henry Scott-Holland (1847-1918), a priest at St. Paul's Cathedral of London, did not intend it as a poem, it was actually delivered as part of a sermon in 1910. 

The sermon, titled, "Dead the King of Terrors" was preached while the body of King Edward VII was Lying in state at Westmister.

Death Is Nothing At All

By Henry Scott-Holland

Death is nothing at all.
It does not count.
I have only slipped away into the next room.
Nothing has happened.

Everything remains exactly as it was.
I am I, and you are you,
and the old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged.
Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.

Call me by the old familiar name.
Speak of me in the easy way which you always used.
Put no difference into your tone.
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.

Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes that we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was.
Let it be spoken without an effort, without the ghost of a shadow upon it.

Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same as it ever was.
There is absolute and unbroken continuity.
What is this death but a negligible accident?

Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am but waiting for you, for an interval,
somewhere very near,
just round the corner.

All is well.
Nothing is hurt; nothing is lost.
One brief moment and all will be as it was before.
How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!

Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/death-is-nothing-at-all-by-henry-scott-holland

Death is nothing at all.
I have only slipped away to the next room.
I am I and you are you.
Whatever we were to each other,
That, we still are.

Call me by my old familiar name.
Speak to me in the easy way
which you always used.
Put no difference into your tone.

Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.

Laugh as we always laughed
at the little jokes we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me. Pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word
that it always was.
Let it be spoken without effect.
Without the trace of a shadow on it.

Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same that it ever was.
There is absolute unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of mind
because I am out of sight?

I am but waiting for you.
For an interval.
Somewhere. Very near.
Just around the corner.

All is well.

Nothing is past; nothing is lost. One brief moment and all will be as it was before only better, infinitely happier and forever we will all be one together with Christ.                         

_______________________________________________

When I am dead, my dearest

When I am dead, my dearest,
Sing no sad songs for me;
Plant thou no roses at my head,
Nor shady cypress tree:
Be the green grass above me
With showers and dewdrops wet;
And if thou wilt, remember,
And if thou wilt, forget.

I shall not see the shadows,
I shall not feel the rain;
I shall not hear the nightingale
Sing on, as if in pain:
And dreaming through the twilight
That doth not rise nor set,
Haply I may remember,
And haply may forget.

                                  by Christina Rossetti

Death is nothing at all.
It does not count.
I have only slipped away into the next room.
Nothing has happened.

Everything remains exactly as it was.
I am I, and you are you,
and the old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged.
Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.

Call me by the old familiar name.
Speak of me in the easy way which you always used.
Put no difference into your tone.
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.

Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes that we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was.
Let it be spoken without an effort, without the ghost of a shadow upon it.

Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same as it ever was.
There is absolute and unbroken continuity.
What is this death but a negligible accident?

Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am but waiting for you, for an interval,
somewhere very near,
just round the corner.

All is well.
Nothing is hurt; nothing is lost.
One brief moment and all will be as it was before.
How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!

Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/death-is-nothing-at-all-by-henry-scott-holland

Death is nothing at all.
It does not count.
I have only slipped away into the next room.
Nothing has happened.

Everything remains exactly as it was.
I am I, and you are you,
and the old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged.
Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.

Call me by the old familiar name.
Speak of me in the easy way which you always used.
Put no difference into your tone.
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.

Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes that we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was.
Let it be spoken without an effort, without the ghost of a shadow upon it.

Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same as it ever was.
There is absolute and unbroken continuity.
What is this death but a negligible accident?

Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am but waiting for you, for an interval,
somewhere very near,
just round the corner.

All is well.
Nothing is hurt; nothing is lost.
One brief moment and all will be as it was before.
How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!

Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/death-is-nothing-at-all-by-henry-scott-holland

Death is nothing at all.
It does not count.
I have only slipped away into the next room.
Nothing has happened.

Everything remains exactly as it was.
I am I, and you are you,
and the old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged.
Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.

Call me by the old familiar name.
Speak of me in the easy way which you always used.
Put no difference into your tone.
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.

Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes that we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was.
Let it be spoken without an effort, without the ghost of a shadow upon it.

Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same as it ever was.
There is absolute and unbroken continuity.
What is this death but a negligible accident?

Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am but waiting for you, for an interval,
somewhere very near,
just round the corner.

All is well.
Nothing is hurt; nothing is lost.
One brief moment and all will be as it was before.
How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!

Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/death-is-nothing-at-all-by-henry-scott-holland