Cultural lesson: Bonfire Night

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

Cultural lesson: Guy Fawkes Day

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 young men planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament. Among them was Guy Fawkes, Britain's most notorious traitor. After Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603, English Catholics who had been persecuted under her rule had hoped that her successor, James I, would be more tolerant of their religion. James I had, after all, had a Catholic mother. Unfortunately, James did not turn out to be more tolerant than Elizabeth and a number of young men, 13 to be exact, decided that violent action was the answer. A small group took shape under the leadership of Robert Catesby. Catesby felt that violent action was warranted. Indeed, the thing to do was to blow up the Houses of Parliament. In doing so, they would kill the King, maybe even the Prince of Wales, and the Members of Parliament who were making life difficult for the Catholics. Today these conspirators would be known as extremists, or terrorists. To carry out their plan, the conspirators got hold of 36 barrels of gunpowder – and stored them in a cellar, just under the House of Lords. But as the group worked on the plot, it became clear that innocent people would be hurt or killed in the attack, including some people who even fought for more rights for Catholics. Some of the plotters started having second thoughts. One of the group members even sent an anonymous letter warning his friend, Lord Monteagle, to stay away from the Parliament on November 5th. Was the letter real? The warning letter reached the King, and the King's forces made plans to stop the conspirators. Guy Fawkes, who was in the cellar of the parliament with the 36 barrels of gunpowder when the authorities stormed it in the early hours of November 5th, was caught, tortured and executed. 

Guy Fawkes, The Gunpowder Plot and Bonfire Night

 It's unclear if the conspirators would ever have been able to pull off their plan to blow up the Parliament even if they had not been betrayed. Some have suggested that the gunpowder itself was so old as to be useless. Since Guy Fawkes and the other conspirators got caught before trying to ignite the powder, we'll never know for certain. Even for the period which was notoriously unstable, the Gunpowder Plot struck a very profound chord for the people of England. In fact, even today, the reigning monarch only enters the Parliament once a year, on what is called "the State Opening of Parliament". Prior to the Opening, and according to custom, the Yeomen of the Guard search the cellars of the Palace of Westminster. Nowadays, the King and Parliament still uphold this tradition. On the very night that the Gunpowder Plot was foiled, on November 5th, 1605, bonfires were set alight to commemorated the safety of the King. Since then, November 5th has become known as Bonfire Night. The event is celebrated every year with fireworks and burning effigies of Guy Fawkes on a bonfire. Children made effigies of Guy Fawkes from old clothes, pillows, newspaper, cardboard, or anything handy. And with a lot of food. Traditional Bonfire Night food ideas that’ll make your bonfire party go with a bang! From bangers and hot baked potatoes to black peas, parkin and treacle toffee. 

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?