The Story of Guy Fawkes

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Plunge your students into the heart of British history with this epic ballad about Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot! More than just a song, it's a true musical narrative that makes a complex historical event accessible and captivating. It's the ideal resource for working on narration in the past tense (preterite) within a rich and authentic cultural context. A memorable way to link English and History lessons, which is sure to pique your students' curiosity.

Em resumo

Nível CEFR :A1, A1+, A2

Tipo :Música

Eixos culturais :Pessoas e Personagens, Países e Paisagens

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Guia Pedagógico

Objective & Resource Content

The objectives are to improve comprehension of a **historical narrative** in English, to reinforce the use of the **Simple Past tense** for narration, and to discover the cultural origins of the British **"Bonfire Night"** tradition.

The song is a ballad that tells the story of the **"Gunpowder Plot" of 1605**. It explains that conspirators, unhappy with King James I, planned to "blow up Parliament House." **Guy Fawkes** was recruited to prepare the "barrels of gunpowder" in a cellar beneath the building. The plot was discovered thanks to a warning letter sent to Lord Monteagle. The police found Guy Fawkes in the cellar "on November 5th." Captured, he confessed the names of his accomplices under torture. The song concludes by explaining that this event is now commemorated in the U.K. with bonfires, fireworks, and by burning a Guy Fawkes effigy ("We burn a Guy Fawkes doll"). The entire narrative is in the Simple Past tense.

Suggested Lesson Flow

Before the Activity (~5 min): REMEMBER, REMEMBER...

Write the famous rhyme "**Remember, remember the fifth of November**" on the board. Ask students if they know it and what it suggests to them. Brainstorm vocabulary related to the conspiracy (*king, plot, fire, powder*...).

During the Activity (~15-20 min): UNDERSTANDING THE STORY

**First Listen:** Provide a worksheet with key terms (names, places, dates: *Guy Fawkes, King James, Parliament, November 5th 1605, gunpowder, letter*). Students listen and check the words they hear.
**Second Listen:** Hand out a gap-fill **timeline** with the major steps of the story to put in order (e.g., "A plan is made", "A letter is sent", "Guy Fawkes is found", "Today, people light fireworks"). Students listen again and number the events.
**Correction:** Correct the timeline as a large group, focusing on the **Simple Past verbs** used to describe each step.

After the Activity (~10 min): WHAT HAPPENED?

In pairs, students use the timeline as a guide to recount the main points of the story to each other. This allows them to actively reuse the Simple Past tense and vocabulary.

Adaptations

**To Simplify:** Focus only on the first listening task (checking the keywords). Pre-teach the most difficult vocabulary (*gunpowder, treason, cellar*) using plenty of images.
**To Extend:** Start a discussion: the song mentions that Guy Fawkes is sometimes seen as a "**rebel with a cause**". Is he a terrorist or a freedom fighter? Students can also do a short research on the history of the **Guy Fawkes mask**, which has become a global symbol.