ENGLISH SPEAKING COUNTRIES
 
 
SCOTLAND
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SCOTLAND

http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotland

Have a look at these websites before the activities:

http://www.visitbritain.com/VB3-en/destinationguides/Scotland/index.aspx  - Visit Britain - Scotland homepage.

 http://www.britishcouncil.org/ism-ukinfocus-regional-scotland.htm – for information about living in Scotland.

          

  • Scotland Quiz. Test your knowledge of Scotland with this quiz.

    1) What’s the capital city of Scotland?

    a) Glasgow

    b) Aberdeen

    c) Edinburgh

    2) Scotland used to be an independent state. When did it lose its independence and become part of Great Britain?

    a) 1507

    b) 1707

    c) 1907

    3) What colour is the Scottish flag?

    a) Blue with a white cross

    b) White with a blue cross

    c) Green with a white cross

    4) What’s the name of the famous lake where a monster is said to live?

    a) Loch Monstro

    b) Loch Grass

    c) Loch Ness

    5) What’s the name of the type of skirt that Scottish men sometimes wear?

    a) Kilt

    b) Scot skirt

    c) Skilt

    6) What’s the national drink of Scotland?

    a) Vodka

    b) Gin

    c) Whisky

    7) What’s the name of the musical wind instrument that is from Scotland?

    a) Wind pipes

    b) Bag pipes

    c) Scottish sax

    8) When did Scotland get its own Parliament?

    a) 1899

    b) 1959

    c) 1999

    9) How many languages are spoken in Scotland?

    a) 1

    b) 2

    c) 3

    10) What’s the name of Scotland’s national poet?

    a) Robert Burns

    b) Robert Louis Stevenson

    c) Walter Scot

    Extra: What is Hogmanay?

 

Reading task - Living in Scotland:

Read about Scotland, then write the questions to these answers! Q = question, A = answer.

Q1)

A1) 130.

Q2)

A2) Glasgow.

Q3)

A3) Travis and Franz Ferdinand

Q4)

A4) 1999

Q5)

A5) The computer games industry.

Where it is

Scotland is the UK’s most northern country and has around 790 islands off its coasts – 130 of which have people living on them. Scotland is well known for its stunning landscapes, beautiful beaches and lochs, which are fresh water lakes. There are over 600 square miles of lochs in Scotland including the most famous one, Loch Ness. It has a population of just over five million people which is about 8.5 per cent of the whole UK population. Over 2 million of these live in Glasgow and Edinburgh, and almost half of Scotland's population live in the Central Belt, where both the largest city (Glasgow) and the capital city (Edinburgh) are located.

Festivals and music

Scotland also hosts one of the biggest arts festivals in the world. This is commonly known as the Edinburgh Festival but is actually made up of a number of different festivals which happen at different times of the year, though many do take place in August and September. Many people have heard of the Fringe Festival, but there are also the International Festival, the Film Festival, the Children’s Festival and the Edinburgh Mela which is an intercultural festival. Musically it has recently produced bands Travis and Franz Ferdinand and other famous Scots include Ewan McGregor, Sean Connery and JK Rowling.

Political devolution

In July 1999 the Scottish Parliament was opened, the first for over 300 years as Scotland had been governed from London. Scottish Parliamentary responsibilities include health, education and local government.

Stereotypes

Stereotypical images of Scotland often focus on things like tartan, kilts, heather and haggis as well as the scenery. These are all still a part of the country but contemporary Scotland is building a name for itself in other areas, such as its thriving computer games industry.

Source: http://www.britishcouncil.org/ism-ukinfocus-regional-scotland.htm

 

 

An idea about modern Scottish cuisine have a look at the Eat Scotland website.: http://eatscotland.visitscotland.com/

What is the Scotland’s national dish? 

The ingredients include:

Sheep’s heart, Sheep’s liver, Sheep’s lungs, Sheep’s windpipe, Beef suet, Toasted oatmeal, Herbs and spices.

Method:

The ingredients are mixed together and put inside a sheep’s stomach. The xxxxx   is boiled before eating.

When is it eaten?

It is eaten on special occasions like Burn’s Night, a special dinner to celebrate the life of Robert Burns, Scotland’s national poet, which is held on January 25th. There is even a special poem that is read when the national dish is brought to the table. There are now many vegetarian versions of the dish so that everyone can join in the party!

 

Get to grips with Gaelic!

Did you know that English isn’t the only language spoken in Scotland? 86,000 people who live in the north of Scotland and on the Western Isles speak Scottish Gaelic. The word for Scotland in Gaelic is Alba. Have a look at the days of the week and the numbers one to ten and then discuss the questions below.

Translate the following words into English:

Diluain –

Dimŕirt –

Diciadain –

Diardaoin –

Dihaoine –

Disathairne –

Didňmhnaich –

Aon –

Dhŕ –

Trě –

Ceithir –

Cňig –

External Links with general information.

 
 Scottish Maps, Regions & Places
 Discovering Scotland through Tourist Portraits, Media & Film and Scottish Literature
 The Arts in Scotland 
 Scottish Music, Song and Dance
 Traditional Scottish Food and Drink
 The Scottish Weather (forecasts, images, snow conditions)
 Sport in Scotland
 Scottish Dress and Tartans
 A miscellany of questions answered about Scotland
 A collection of culture from the Gathering of the Clans (Canada)
 Scottish Events near to you
 Tourist Gateway, all you need to know about visiting Scotland 
 Tracing your Scottish Ancestry
 All about the Scottish Flag(s)

 

ACTIVITIES BASED ON DIFFERENT SOURCES.

SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS TO:

 © BBC | British Council 2007

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