Ireland

Objective & content

This sheet on Ireland starts from a conversation in Galway, on the west coast, between Lucas, a French exchange pupil from Lyon, and Aoife, his Irish host. Aoife explains the road signs in English and Irish, hurling, camogie and Gaelic football, traditional music sessions, the harp, the Cliffs of Moher and St Patrick's Day. Pupils answer eight multiple-choice questions, label six pictures from a box of eight words, match ten words such as amateur, county and parade with their meanings, complete seven sentences and write the adjective for a country (Ireland, Irish). The last and hardest task is a crossword of ten words, and its clues send pupils back to the conversation.

Pedagogical guide

The conversation carries the words of the topic, so pupils meet each one before working on it. It also models the present perfect with since (I've played since I was six), which pupils can reuse to say how long they have done a sport or a hobby; no task tests it. The tasks go from recognising words to using them: pictures, meanings, new sentences, then word forms. The adjective task asks for one kind of word only, with a worked example; point out the spelling and the capital letter (Scottish, Welsh). The crossword gives no word list: pupils find each word from its clue. Every task tests words, never grammar.

Suggested procedure

1. (5 min) Show Ireland on a map: Dublin, Galway, the Cliffs of Moher and Belfast.
2. (10 min) Two pupils read the conversation aloud; the class answers the eight questions.
3. (8 min) Pupils label the pictures, then match the words with their meanings.
4. (10 min) Pupils complete the sentences (two words are extra), then do the adjective example together and write the other adjectives.
5. (12 min) Pupils read the clues and do the crossword.
6. (5 min) Check with the answer key on pages 4 and 5.

Adaptations

[S] Show a photo of a hurling match and of the Cliffs of Moher before reading. Read the conversation aloud in two voices before pupils work alone.

[A] Pupils compare Irish and French traditions in four sentences. To take it further, pupils prepare a St Patrick's Day presentation for the class.

Materials & prerequisites

One copy of the three pupil pages per pupil, in colour or in black and white. Pages 4 and 5 are the answer key: keep them. Pupils should know the past simple of common verbs and the names of some countries.