Cultural lesson: Bonfire Night

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 1

Bonfire Night November 5th

Today's lesson:

• Bonfire night?
• Vocabulary exercise
• Film clip
• Questions
• Text + drag and drop question 

What do you think about if you hear 'bonfire night'?

Drag the words into the correct boxes

1.  a large fire that people build outdoors

2.  a small rocket that shoots into the sky and explodes with bright colours and loud bangs

3.  a long line of people walking slowly as part of a special event

4. to make something explode

5. the main government building in the UK

6. an explosive substance in fireworks and bullets

7. a cultural activity that people have done for many years

a tradition

a procession

gunpowder 

the Houses of Parliament

a bonfire

a firework

to blow something up

When is Bonfire Night?

1. 5th of November
2. 25th of December
3. 31st of December

How do people celebrate Bonfire Night?

1. They make bonfires
2. They set off fireworks
3. Both A and B

How many people attended the Bonfire Night event in the video?

1. over 2,000
2. over 20,000
3. over 200,000

What time did the procession start?

1. 4 p.m.
2. 6 p.m.
3. 7.45 p.m.

Bonfire Night commemorates a man called Guy Fawkes. What did he try to do 400 years ago?

1. blow up the Houses of Parliament
2. rob the Houses of Parliament
3. become a politician

What do people put on the bonfire?

1. rubbish
2. rag dolls called 'Guys'
3. potatoes

What does Leon do?

1. He researches the history of Bonfire Night
2. He organises Bonfire Night processions
3. He organises firework displays

What did the members of the public who were interviewed think of Bonfire Night?

1. They didn't like it
2. Some of them liked it
3. All of them loved it

Read the text and answe the questions

Guy Fawkes, The Gunpowder Plot and Bonfire Night

In 1605, thirteen men made a plan to blow up the Houses of Parliament in England. One of them was Guy Fawkes, a man now famous as Britain’s most well-known traitor.

After Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603, Catholics in England hoped that the new king, James I, would be kinder to their religion because his mother was Catholic. However, James I was just as strict as Elizabeth. This made a group of young men, led by Robert Catesby, very angry. They decided to use violence to make a change.

The plan was to blow up the Houses of Parliament to kill the King, maybe even the Prince, and other important people who made life hard for Catholics. Today, we would call these men "extremists" or "terrorists." They managed to get 36 barrels of gunpowder and hid them in a cellar below the House of Lords.

As they continued with the plan, some of the group began to worry. They realized that many innocent people could be hurt or killed, including some who actually supported Catholic rights. One of the group members decided to warn a friend, Lord Monteagle, to stay away from Parliament on November 5th. Lord Monteagle showed this letter to the King, and soon the King’s men were preparing to stop the plan.

Guy Fawkes, The Gunpowder Plot and Bonfire Night

On the early morning of November 5th, the King’s men found Guy Fawkes in the cellar with the gunpowder. He was arrested, tortured, and later executed. We still don’t know if their plan could have worked because some think the gunpowder was too old to explode. But since they were caught before they could try, we will never know for sure.

The "Gunpowder Plot" shocked England. Even today, the King or Queen only goes into Parliament once a year for an event called the "State Opening of Parliament." Before this, the Yeomen guards check the cellars to make sure it’s safe.

On the night the plot was stopped, November 5th, people lit bonfires to celebrate the King’s safety. Since then, this day has become "Bonfire Night." Every year on November 5th, people in Britain celebrate with fireworks, bonfires, and food. Children make dummies called effigies of Guy Fawkes using old clothes and newspapers to burn on the bonfire. One of the best known places to celebrate bonfire night is in Lewis (where Mrs Hoebeke is from). 

1. A group of people wanted to kill King James

2. Guy Fawkes planned to blow up the house of parliament in 

3. Guy Fawkes and his men put              barrels of explosives in the Houses of Parliament.

4. People remember the plot on                  th of November.

5. the             of the Guard still search the cellars of the Palace of Westminster every year.

6. The event is celebrated every year with fireworks and burning

     of                  Guy Fawkes on a bonfire

the first

1605

36

5

Yeomen 

effigies

Why did they want to kill King James the first?

1. The king was Catholic
2. The king treated his people badly
3. Guy Fawkes had an argument with him

What was the plot Guy Fawkes thought up called?

1. The Guy Fawkes night
2. Bonfire night
3. The gunpowder plot
4. The bonfire plot

Did the bonfire plot succeed?

1. Yes
2. No

What were the Guy dolls which were thrown on the fire made of?

1. Rubbish and paper
2. Newspapers and old clothes
3. Old rags and wood

What is the other name for the 5th of November?

1. Guy's night
2. Plotting night
3. King's night
4. Bonfire night

What typical dish is served on Bonfire night?

1. Hot baked tomatoes
2. Hot baked potatoes
3. Hot baked volcanoes
4. Hot baked apples

Question

Do you remember the rhyme of Guy Fawkes day?

What did you learn about
Bonfire Night/Guy Fawkes Day?