
- •Theme “Great Britain: Introduction”
- •Theme “Great Britain: Introduction” Part 1
- •Introduction
- •Theme “Great Britain: Introduction” Part 2
- •Additional Material
- •Theme “Physical Face, Rivers and Lakes”
- •Theme “Flora and Fauna”
- •Theme “Climate and Weather”
- •Theme “Mineral Resources”
- •Tests Geographical position of the uk
- •Choose the right variant.
- •Match the name of the mountains and its highest peak.
- •Give short answers to the questions.
- •Social system:
- •Theme “History of the British Isles” Part 2 Roman Invasion
- •Theme “History of the British Isles” Part 3 Anglo-Saxon Invasion
- •Linguistic traces:
- •Theme “History of the British Isles” Part 4
- •Vikings' Raids
- •Theme “History of the British Isles” Part 5 Norman Conquest
- •Theme “History of the British Isles” Part 6 Great Britain: Unification of England, Wales and Scotland. Colonisation of Ireland.
- •Ireland:
- •Theme “Modern Population of the uk: Ethnic Composition, National and Linguistic Differences”
- •Immigration:
- •Additional Material Text for Reading and Discussion The importance of not being English
- •S cotland
- •Tasks to the text
- •Tests The history of the British Isles
- •Test II
- •1. Choose the right variant.(10 points)
- •2. True or false? Correct the false sentences(20 points)
- •3. Give short answers to the questions .(20 points)
- •4. Write a short summary on one of the following topics.(20 points)
- •Theme “British People” Part 2 Meals. Food
- •Theme “British People” Part 3 Customs and Traditions
- •Theme “British People” Part 4 Holidays:
- •Tests Traditions and customs of the British
- •Theme “Commonwealth of Nations”
- •1. History of the Commonwealth
- •2. Present-day Commonwealth
- •Structure of the Commonwealth
- •4. Commonwealth Organisations
- •Theme “State System of the u.K.” Part2 British Constitution
- •U nwritten Constitution
- •Theme “State System of the u.K.” Part 3 British Parliament: History, Composition and Functions
- •P arliament
- •Theme “State System of the u.K.” Part 4 Procedure of Passing a Bill in British Parliament
- •Theme “State System of the u.K.” Part 5 British Government
- •Theme “State System of the u.K.” Part 6 Political Parties in the u.K.
- •Theme “State System of the u.K.” Part 7 Electoral System in the u.K.
- •Theme “State System of the u.K.” Part 8 Devolution in Britain
- •The Political System of Great Britain
- •Political System of Great Britain.
- •Theme “The British Educational System” Part 2 Nursery and Primary Education
- •Theme “The British Educational System” Part 3 Secondary School
- •Theme “The British Educational System” Part 4
- •Independent (Public) Schools
- •Theme “The British Educational System” Part 5 Post-school and Higher Education
- •The Educational System of Great Britain.
- •Today state schools are divided into following types:
- •Public schools.
- •Higher and Further Education In Great Britain
- •Reading comprehension check
- •Assignments
- •Additional Material
- •The British Economy.
- •The north-south divide
- •British Transport.
- •Additional Material The British Media: The Press, Radio and Television.
- •Introduction
- •Say if the sentences are true or false.
- •Answer the questions
- •Complete the sentences.
- •Show on the map/ describe the position of the following geographical names.
- •Points for discussion
- •The relief.
- •Say if the sentences are true or false.
- •Answer the following questions.
- •Complete the sentences.
- •Flaura and Fauna.
- •Climate and weather in the uk.
- •Answer the following questions.
- •Complete the sentences.
- •Points for discussion
- •Cards for speaking
- •Mineral resources in the uk.
- •Say if the sentences are true or false.
- •Answer the questions.
- •Complete the sentences.
- •Guess the mineral resource according to the description.
- •The history of the British Isles
- •Iberians, Celts. Roman invasion. Anglo-Saxon invasion.
- •Say if the sentences are true or false.
- •Match the tribe with the influence they had. Put c- Celts, a – Anglo-Saxons, r – Romans.
- •Put the following events in the chronological order
- •Answer the following questions
- •The Danes, the Normans. Formation of the uk
- •Say if the sentences are true or false.
- •Answer the questions.
- •Complete the sentences.
- •What happened at this time?
- •Population. Linguistic differences.
- •Say if the sentences are true or false.
- •Answer the questions
- •Complete the sentences
- •Traditions and customs of the British Holidays of the British.
- •Political and state system in the uk. The Development of the State system in the uk.
- •2. Match the events with the times and ages.
- •The Queen of England. State system of the uk.
- •Complete the sentences.
The Political System of Great Britain
Constitution: no written constitution, but a constantly evolving process of laws-making
Britain’s Royalty → the role of the Monarch: ceremonial and representative role as Head of State but no real political power:
representative roles:
Head of State in the UK
Head of the Church of England
Ceremonial Head of the Commonwealth countries
Commander-in-Chief of the British Armed Forces
symbolic/ceremonial functions:
pays state visits overseas/to foreign countries
receives ambassadors and entertains foreign Heads of State
supports and attends charitable events
performs various ceremonial duties during national celebrations
visits parts of Britain, especially after disasters/tragedies
confers peerages, knighthoods and other honours on people recommended by the PM
political functions:
formally summons and dissolves Parliament
makes a speech (written by the Prime Minister) at the opening of Parliament each year
gives Royal Assent to laws/signs state papers and bills passed by Parliament
gives advice about current events
officially appoints the Prime Minister and the Cabinet
makes treaties and declares wars and peace
appoints judges, bishops, governors
Parliament:
1) The House of Commons: consists of 651 Members of Parliament (MPs) who are elected by the adult population of Britain by secret ballot (they vote secretly). + the Speaker
the main functions: to pass laws, to control government policy and administration and to debate current political issues.
2) The House of Lords:
the Lords Spiritual [(arch)bishops]
the Lords Temporal [hereditary peers, life peers]
the Lords of Appeal/the Lords of Law [the High Court Judges]
the main functions: to debate laws before they are passed and the highest Court of Appeal
Government:
1) The Prime Minister: Leader of the majority party in Parliament; the most powerful person in the State. Makes important decisions about governing the country (with the Cabinet)
2) The Cabinet: Consists of about 20 senior MPs, called Ministers of State. Responsible for policy-making in various state departments.
British electoral system: the Prime Minister can choose when to hold a general election at any time during 5 years.
Political System of Great Britain.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a constitutional monarchy. It means that there is either a Queen or a King – as Head of State, but the power of the monarch is limited by the country’s constitution and Parliament. In practice, the Queen is only a formal ruler: she reigns but does not rule. All real power lies with Parliament and the existing Government. In fact the Queen acts only on the advice of her ministers. Thus, most of her functions are symbolic. The nation’s ceremonial is one of the most important functions of the Queen. On every great occasion, the Opening of Parliament, for example, the Queen rides through London in her golden carriage guarded by soldiers.
Great Britain is the only country in the world which does not have a written constitution set out in a single document. For this reason the term “a constitutional monarchy” might seem, to some extent, a puzzling notion. At the same time the constitution is rather flexible and may be changed by an act of Parliament.
The legal authority/legislative branch (the passing of acts)
Nowadays the main functions of Parliament are to pass laws regulating the life of the country and to scrutinize government policy. The British Parliament consists of two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons.
The House of Lords consists of over 1,000 non-elected members and can be described as politically conservative. It is made up of hereditary peers (belong to the aristocratic families and got their titles from their fathers or grandfathers) and life peers (got their titles for their whole life and their titles are not hereditary); appointive members – bishops and archbishops of the Church of England, the High Court Judges.
The Lords’ main functions are to examine and to discuss the Bills introduced in the House of Commons. The power of the Lords has decreased dramatically. There was even a strong movement to abolish the House of Lords completely.
The House of Commons is elective and more powerful; it is responsible for creating the national policy. Its main purpose is to make laws as well as to discuss current political issues.The 651 Members of Parliament (MPs) who sit in the Commons are elected representatives of the British people. Each MP represents one of the 651 constituencies into which the UK is divided.
In principle, the legislation passed by Parliament becomes law upon Royal Assent. But in practice, the Prime Minister and the Cabinet, who are politically responsible for the administration of the law and the affairs of the nation, dominate legislation.
The executive authority/executive branch (the carrying out of laws)
Though the British monarch is Head of State, executive power, however, is in hands of British Government led by the Prime Minister and a committee of 20 ministers called the Cabinet. The party which wins the majority of seats in the House of Commons during the general election creates the government. The one who leads this party becomes Prime Minister and he is responsible for appointing the Cabinet. By custom, cabinet ministers are selected from among members of the two houses of Parliament. The Cabinet takes all major political decisions and exercise supreme control of government. The party which was second is called the Opposition and it may form the “Shadow Cabinet”. The most popular Prime Ministers were Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher and ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Many of the British people still regard the monarchy as a useful and desirable institution. It is a symbol of national identity; it provides the State with a sense of continuity, no matter which political party is in power. The Monarch personifies the State.
At present there are three main political parties in Great Britain: the Conservatives (or Tory), the Labour Party and the Liberals.
General Elections
When we speak of the British Parliament we usually mean the House of Commons. This is the only chamber of the British Parliament which is elected at General Elections. The United Kingdom is divided into 651 electoral districts, саllеd constituencies of approximately equal population and each constituency elects one member of the House of Commons.
Voting is on the same day (usually а Thursday) in аll constituencies, and the voting stations are kept open from seven in the morning until nine at night.
The elected MPs represent 651 constituencies in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The size of the constituencies varies, the average being about 60,000 electors.
In а British election the candidate who wins the most votes is elected, even if he/she does not get as many as the combined votes of the other candidates. In other words, the winner takes it аll. This is known as the notorious majority electoral system that is often criticised for being unfair to smaller parties that have very little chance to send their candidate to the Commons.
It is often argued that the British system of election is so unfair to be changed by the introduction of а form of proportional representation in an election system which seeks to give minority parties representation. It aims to give each party а proportion of seats in Parliament and corresponds to the proportion of votes it receives in аn election. For ехаmрlе, а minority party receiving 5% of the votes at а general election should get 5% of the seats.
As soon as the results of а General election are known, it is the leader of the party who will form the Government. If the party which had а majority of seat in the Commons has а majority again in the new parliament, then the situation doesn’t change; but if the majority changes from one party to another the defeated Prime Minister usually resigns at once, and the Queen appoints the leader of the new majority in his place. The new House of Commons meets.
Theme “The British Educational System”
Plan:
General Overview
Nursery and Primary Education
Secondary School
Independent (Public) Schools
Post-school and Higher Education
Theme “The British Educational System”
Part 1
General Overview
The U.K. meets the requirements of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and offers free of charge compulsory education up to the age 16 (with an option to educate children privately if the parents are prepared to spend money on education).
There are 3 stages of education:
primary;
secondary;
tertiary (college, university).
The educational system in the U.K. is decentralized. The service is administered separately in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (because of the devolution). Three bodies are responsible for the education service:
The Department of Education and Science (DES) - is concerned with the formation of national policies for education and minimum national standard for education;
Local Education Authorities (LEAs) - is responsible for the provisions (buildings, materials, equipment) and day-to-day running of the schools and colleges in their area and the recruitment and payment of the teachers;
Schools - decide on textbooks, timetable and methods of teaching.
The Education reform Act of 1998 introduced the National Curriculum. It is compulsory in all state schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (Scotland has its own curriculum). The Curriculum specifies what children must study and what they are expected to know at different ages. It places greater emphasis on the more practical aspects of education. It also determines how performance will be assessed and reported.
The Curriculum is based around:
core subjects (English, mathematics and science (biology, chemistry, etc.);
foundation subjects (technology, history, geography, music, art, physical education and modern foreign languages).
There are 4 key stages of education:
KS 1 - 5 - 7 years;
KS 2 - 7 - 11 years;
KS 3 - 11-14 years;
KS 4 - 14-16 years.
The children are tested at the end of each stage and it is called "the programme of Records of Achievements".
Compulsory education begins at 4 in Northern Ireland, at 5 in England, Wales and Scotland. The pupils stay at school until 16, about 9% remain until 18 (voluntarily).
The classes are usually held between Monday and Friday. The school year is divided into 3 terms. In England and Wales it begins in September and ends in July. In Scotland and Northern Ireland it begins in mid-August and ends in June.
Every school has a governing body (a board of governors - members of the LEA, politicians, members of the local community, teachers and parents) that manages the budget and recruits teachers.
There are also Parent Teacher Associations (РТА) - to develop partnership between home and school.
Types of schools:
state schools (free of charge):
county schools (maintained by LEAs);
grant-maintained schools (receive funding directly from the central government, are independent of LEAs);
voluntary schools (Church of England schools, Church of Wales schools, Roman Catholic schools)
private schools (fees are payable).