London - let's make preparations for our journey!

Next July I am going  to London with some of my students. I would like to give them some information before leaving. Here there are some activities, videos, tips and a final webquest!

Top 10 Attractions of London

A brief history of London:
http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/a-brief-history-of-london

If you want to investigate the British history further:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/

A virtual tour

Now let's take a virtual tour of London! Click on the image above. You are on the London Eye and you have the whole city at your feet! Choose a place and click on it. You can take a virtual tour of each landmark and have all the information (clicking on "More Information") about its history. After visiting a place, click on "Back to London Eye" to go back in your capsule and choose another destination. Sometimes, while visiting a place, you will see the following button:

It redirects you to the website of that specific sight. Click on it to have more information.

The Tube

While visiting London, you can't help taking the Tube! It's the easiest way to get around the town. Visit the following site to learn more about the London underground, there are some useful tips for the travellers:

http://www.visitlondon.com/traveller-information/getting-around-london/london-tube

How to use the London Tube

The London tube is the oldest underground in the world. It was opened in 1890. Let's practise to use the tube map! Click on the following image and look for your destinations:

WEBQUEST

Now you are ready to complete this simple questionnaire I prepared for you about  London! Surf the sites I suggested above, watch the video you will find at the beginning of the webquest and answer the questions. Write your name and click on "send" at the end of the quiz. If your answers are right you are ready to leave!

See some other posts of mine about London.
London landmarks:
http://thetravellingteachers.blogspot.it/2013/09/london-august-2013.html
London museums:
http://thetravellingteachers.blogspot.it/2014/05/international-museum-day-may-18.html

International Museum Day - May, 18

MUSEUM COLLECTIONS 

MAKE CONNECTIONS

May, 18 is the International Museum Day. The theme for 2014 Museum Day proposed by ICOM (International Council of Museums) Advisory Committee is "Museum collections make connection" suggesting that museums help create bonds between visitors and different cultures and generations. 

For more information:

http://icom.museum/events/international-museum-day/

“After all, isn't the purpose of the novel, or of a museum, for that matter, to relate our memories with such sincerity as to transform individual happiness into a happiness all can share?” 

Orhan Pamuk, The Museum of Innocence

Some students activities

The following activities about museums could be  useful  in our EFL classes for many reasons:

• to enrich vocabulary
• to talk about foreign culture (and culture or art in general)
• to enhance listening skills (through videos), reading skills (through the websites' contents) writing skills (through essays and compositions), speaking skills (through oral reports)
• to talk about giving or asking for directions (through maps activities)

1) Let's start with a video about some useful museum vocabulary 

by Linguaspectrum Interesting English

2) Then, let's go to London to visit some of its most famous museums!

Click on the link below to have some information about the major London museums:

http://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/sightseeing/tourist-attraction/museum/major-museums

3)  Now let's have a 3D tour and let's see where the most famous 

London museums are on the map thanks to Googleearthweb.

4) Let's watch the following video to get some more information 

about the top five museums to visit in London by Howcast.

5) Now, click on the Thinglink image I prepared and have some 

virtual or online tour! 

Once you open the image, you have to click on each icon you see on the map. 

The stars bring you to each museum site and the circles allow you to have a virtual tour! 

6) Now, try to answer the following questions:

You have just seen some of the most interesting London museums, could you tell which one you like the most and why?

Have you ever been to London? Did you already visit some of these museums? If you didn't, talk about a museum you visited and about the things you saw.

Do you think art and cuture can connect different people and countries? Why?

"Museums are living institutions that help create bonds 

between visitors, generations and cultures around the world. 

The museum is an institution that preserves and communicates the past, yet it is grounded in the present. 

In its very essence, it is a link between the generations, 

as it allows present and future generations 

to better comprehend their origins and history."

ICOM

In a museum you can travel through time and space... and you can live fantastic adventures... 

VISIT A MUSEUM!

"When I was growing up, my mother would take me 

to plays and museums, 

and we'd talk about life. 

Those times helped shape who I became."

Jill Scott