All About Britain (Primary 4)

Where is Britain?

Map of Britain

• Great Britain is a country made up of three kingdoms England, Scotland and Wales.

• The capital of England is London.

• The capital of Scotland is Edinburgh.

• The capital of Wales is Cardiff.  

What is Britain?

England

Scotland

Wales

Flags

The U.K flag

The English flag

The Scottish flag

The Welsh flag

Facts about Britain*The population of Britain is 58 million.

*The official language is English, but in Wales and Scotland Celtic languages are spoken.

*The term British refers to people, places and things from England, Scotland and Wales. Each kingdom also has its own identity.

Facts about Britain

*People from Britain are called British.

*People from England are called English.

*People from Scotland are called Scottish.

*People from Wales are called Welsh.

Britain’s National Anthem

God save our gracious Queen! Long live our noble Queen!

God save the Queen! Send her victorious, Happy and glorious,

Long to reign over us, God save the Queen.

Weather in BritainBritain has all four seasons (winter, summer, spring and autumn). It sometimes snows, but mainly in Scotland. The weather is often different across the country.

The climate in England is mild , In the winter, the temperature drops below freezing point.

It is cold, wet and windy and it sometimes snows between December and March.

In the summer, it can be as hot as 32°C but mostly the temperature only reaches 26°C.

The best months to travel in England are May, June, September and October. These months generally have the most pleasant temperatures and less rain. July and August are the warmest months, but they are also the wettest.

British symbols Symbols are objects, places or

people that remind us of a particular thing.

Here are a few symbols that remind us of Britain.

British symbols

Double-decker bus Taxi

Post box Telephone box

A cup of tea Wimbledon

English rose

Cricket – Britain’s national sport

Famous LandmarksBritain is full of famous places.

Stonehenge

It is the most famous Prehistoric monument in Britain. People began Building Stonehenge about 5,000 years ago.

Big Ben

Big Ben is one of the most famous landmarks in the world.

The clock tower is situated on the banks of the river Thames.

Buckingham Palace

Who lives here?

The Buckingham Palace is the residence of the royal family. The 600-room palace is surrounded by a 40-acre garden.

Tower of London

The Tower has been host to many famous executions and imprisonments.

Mealtimesthe British people tend to have a big breakfast before they go to work and the meal at midday is not spent with the members of the family but with workmates or schoolmates.

Lunch is normally eaten between 12.30 pm and 1.30pm. Most people finish work at five thirty. It often takes at least an hour to get home from the school or workplace so people tend to eat their evening meal or "dinner" between 6.30pm and 8pm.

On Sundays people don't have to work so they take the opportunity eat together with their family.

Sunday lunch is usually the best meal of the week and many of the meals which are considered typically British are eaten for Sunday lunch. For example roast beef and yorkshire pudding.

This is a typical British family eating together on Sunday. After lunch the father will smoke his pipe and read the newspaper sitting on his favourite armchair while his wife washes the dishes. The children will play traditional English games such as hopscotch, skipping or doctors and nurses.

Traditional British Food

The British breakfast is much bigger than in most other countries.

English Breakfast consists of eggs, bacon, sausages, fried bread,

mushrooms

and baked beans.

Children usually eat

Cereals.

What is traditional British food?Bangers and mash – sausages and mashed

potatoes

Lunch A packed lunch normally

consist of some sandwiches, a packet of crisps, an apple and a can of something to drink, for example, coca-cola. The contents are kept in a plastic container and you take it with you when you go to school or work.

Afternoon TeaThis is a small

meal, not a drink.

Traditionally it

consists of tea or

coffee served with scones,

sandwiches or pastries.

Tea-time treats

A crumpet is crunchy on the outside, spongy on the inside, with a smooth golden bottom .

People usually eat them with butter.crumpets

People eat scones for afternoon tea .

They usually them eat

with cream and jam.

scones

Jam roly-poly

It is served with ice cream , custard or cream.

Others

Fish and chips

Traditionally, the fish and chips are covered with salt and vinegar.

British Animals

More than 50 per cent of British families own a pet. The largest mammal is the red deer. In the wild, foxes and rabbits are often seen.

British Animals

Red Deer

Robin

sheep

Birdwatching is a popular pastime in Britain. England is home to nearly 230 kinds of birds and a temporary home to

200 migrating birds. A common bird in England is the red robin.

Squirrel

Badger

Hedgehog

Transport in England • Roads and motorways

are Britain's primary domestic transport routes

• Travel by car, van or taxi is by far the most common means of transport

Cars :

Most people in Britain travel by car. About 75% of households have at least one car.

Lorries:Most goods are transported by roads in lorries.

Buses and Coaches:There are single decker and double decker buses. You can see them in towns and cities. People use coaches for travelling longer distances or for going on school outings.

Double-decker bus

Single decker bus  Coach Long distance travel

Taxis: In London, the taxis are black but in the rest of the country they are different colours.

Black Cabs are the only taxi you can hail from the street (though they now come in other colours as well). With the "for hire" sign lit, the driver is obliged to stop for you.

Trains: Britain's rail network covers 16,659 kilometr

es. The rail network can take you anywhere in the country from the major stations in London.

The Tube

When in London, "the Tube" is a great means of getting around! "The Tube" is the name of London's underground system.

British Sports

• Sports play a huge role in British culture.

• Football is the most popular sport, but the national sport of Britain is cricket. cricket

British Sports

Cricket

Football

Netball

Rugby

Rounders

Famous People

Queen Victoria Queen

Elizabeth

Prince Charles Prince William

David Beckham

A Typical English House Most English people live in towns and cities.

More families own their homes than rent them.

a semi-detached house

The house is joined to another house.

There are three rooms downstairs and three rooms upstairs. We have central heating which keeps our house warm. Some houses have an open fire place.

Different types of English houses

A Tower Block of Flats

A row of Cottages

A large Detached House

A small block of flats (apartments)

Daily life for British children

School Life

School usually starts at nine o'clockin the morning andfinishes at about three o'clock in the afternoon. Most schools in Britainrequire their students to wear a school uniform.

Classrooms In all classrooms there is an CD Rom computer,

overhead projector, white board and flip chart.

What is a typical day in an English school like ?

Daily life for British children

Playground Games

The games children love to play in England .

• Playing SportIn England children enjoy playing and watching sports such as football, cricket, tennis and netball.

• ClubsMany children belong to clubs such as Cub Scouts, Brownies, Boys Brigade, St Johns Ambulance, Judo, Karate, dance and Youth Clubs.

• Other popular activities are watching television, playing computer games, cycling and skateboarding.