This week's English lesson for Upper Intermediate and Advanced English language learners is about Guy Fawkes.In this lesson, you are going to read a text and watch a short video about Guy Fawkes.
Look at this picture of Guy Fawkes.
Who was Guy Fawkes? When did he live?
What is he famous for? How is he remembered?
Task 1
Read this text about Guy Fawkes
Guy Fawkes (A.K.A. Guido Fawkes) belonged to a group of dissident Roman Catholics from England who plotted to displace Protestant rule by blowing up the Houses of Parliament.The Gunpowder plot was masterminded by Robert Catesby, another conspirator. Guy Fawkes was put in charge of carrying out the plot because he had military experience and knew how to use explosives.
Guy Fawkes and his fellow conspirators were aggrieved by widespread discrimination against English Catholics. The conspirators planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament at a time when King James the 1st and the British aristocracy and nobility would all be inside the building. By doing this, they hoped that Britain would be restored to Catholic rule.
Having failed in an attempt to dig a tunnel under the building, the conspirators rented a cellar beneath the House of Lords and by March 1605, they had hidden 36 barrels of gunpowder in the cellar under pieces of wood and coal.
However, some of the conspirators began to have second thoughts, as the bomb blast would be bound to kill and injure innocent people. One of the conspirators wrote an anonymous letter to a friend, Lord Monteagle, warning him to stay away from Parliament on the 5th of November. Although Lord Monteagle thought the letter was a hoax, he decided to show it to the King.
Task 2
What do you think happened next?
Watch this short video clip, and then discuss the questions below with a partner.
Questions:
1) Why were the guards' suspicions aroused when they searched the cellar?
2) How many searches of the cellar were carried out?
3) What would have happened to anybody standing above the cellar, if the gunpowder had exploded?
Task 3
Work with another student, or a friend.
Decide which of these statements are true, and which are false.
1) Guy Fawkes masterminded the Gunpowder Plot. True/False
2) Guy Fawkes was also known as Gazza Fawkes. True/False
3) The Gunpowder Plot was hatched in 1605. True/False
4) The conspirators planned to blow up The Tower of London. True/False
5) The conspirators wanted to restore England to Catholic rule. True/False
Task 4
How do you think The Gunpowder Plot would be reported today?
Can any parallels be drawn between the Gunpowder Plot and modern day events?
How might the British tabloid newspapers report it?
How might the broadsheet newspapers report it?
Do you think any newspapers might display bias, either for or against the conspirators?
Writing Activity
Work with a partner.
Imagine you are given the task of writing a short piece for one of these newspapers:
A) The Guardian
B) The Independent
C) The Daily Mail
D) The Sun
Write a headline and a short paragraph about The Gunpowder Plot for one of these newspapers.
Task 5
How might the story spread via social media if it happened today?
Writing Activity, Using TwitterWork with a partner or with a group of students and friends.
Discuss these questions on Twitter.
Who was Guy Fawkes?
When did he live?
What is he famous for?
How is he remembered?
Related Activities:
Bonfire Night - Online ESL Quizzes and Worksheets >>
Free Online Exercises for Upper Intermediate English Students >>
Free Interactive Listening Activities for English Learners >>
Reading Quizzes and Games for English Language Students >>
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