The 100 Greatest Britons

The 100 Greatest Britons

Topic: Talents Level: FCE

Read the information about the television programme.

100 Greatest Britons was a series made in 2002 by the BBC. Firstly, a poll was conducted to determine who the United Kingdom public considered to be the 100 greatest British people in history. Some interesting facts from the results were that all of the top ten were deceased by the time of broadcast, and the highest-ranked living person was former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who was 16th. Next, ten hour-long programmes were made, in each of which a different celebrity argued in favour of one candidate. Viewers had the chance to vote after each programme. The series finished with a final programme including a debate and the announcement of the winner.

Answer the questions. 1. What was the purpose of the programme? 2. How was the result decided? 3. How many of the top 10 were still alive in 2002? 4. What is the difference between famous, popular and

great? 5. Which people do you think might have been in the top ten?

Listen to an extract nominating a Great Briton.

Who is the Briton being discussed? What reasons are given for their nomination?

Listen again. Complete the extracts.

__ __ _____, she has become more than this, a symbol to the British public of duty, of dignity, of a time when Britain truly was great.

___ _______ ___ ____ __her leadership through many problems such as the Second World War, the Falklands War, numerous problems with her family and so on.

___ ___ _______ ____most people in their eighties are enjoying their retirement

Match each phrase below to the reason you might use it.

To give your opinion

To support your opinion

To give general public opinion

To present fact

Its undeniable/ It cant be denied that. Personally, I think/believe/feel This is because I honestly think/believe/feel In my opinion/view Many people believe/say/think/suggest The way I look at it/see it It appears/seems to me that

Its often said/thought/suggested that Its a fact that If you ask me One example of/reason for this is Id say that We know for sure/certain that The reason I say/think/believe that is



Choose the most appropriate phrase for each sentence.

1. Its a fact that / In my opinion David Beckham is the greatest Briton ever to have lived. The first reason I believe this / Many people believe that is his huge popularity across the world. Even apart from his footballing salary, he earns millions of pounds every year from merchandising. Its undeniable / If you ask me for example that he is one of the highest earning British sportsmen.

2. The famous nurse Florence Nightingale is in my opinion/the way I look at it deserving of the title The Greatest Briton. I honestly believe that / We know for certain that she saved many lives during the Boer War but the reason I say that is / it seems to me / this is because her ideas continue to help people even today. Its a fact that / One example of this is her insistence on cleanliness in her hospital.

Use the phrases from task 3 to make three sentences suggesting why JK Rowling, author of Harry Potter, or Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the internet should be considered for the title.

You are going to prepare a short presentation.

Each pair will be given some information about one of the top five Greatest Britons. You have twenty minutes to prepare a 2-3 minute presentation about that person to persuade the group to vote them Greatest Briton.

Both of you must speak during the presentation. You can only use notes with prompts (one or two words) Include some of the language introduced today and give

your opinion why this person should be considered, not just a list of facts.

Tell the group why your person should be Greatest Briton What did they do? How did they affect other people? Do their actions still affect peoples lives today? How? What were the persons positive characteristics?

Give your presentation. Whilst listening to the others, mark each famous person.

Candidate Actions (/10) What did they

contribute to the world?

Legacy (/10) Do their actions still affect people now?

Character (/10) What kind of person were they?

Discuss with your partner If there was a Greatest Pole vote, who do you think might finish in the top 5?



Level: Class Size: Age: Time: First Certificate 7-8 14-25 1 hours (with break)

Main Aim: Assumptions: Possible Problems

To practice presenting opinion and fact in spoken form

Students have heard of featured famous people

Students lack knowledge of celebrities - sources given

Syllabus Links: Syllabus Fit: Cultural Links:

Talents (FCE Masterclass Unit 3) Inspiration (FCE Result Unit 4)

Next lesson writing articles based on The Greatest Pole

British History / British Television

Materials Needed:

Student worksheets, Source information on famous people, Dictionaries

Timing: Procedure: Sub-Aims:

00:00-02:00

Inform students they are going to read about British television programme. Ask them to read the piece in Task 1.

To introduce context of lesson

02:00-05:00

Ask students to answer questions based on the text. Check centrally.

To check understanding of context

05:00-07:30

Tell students you are going to read them an extract nominating a Great Briton. During the first reading they should do Task 3(a).

Link context to language input

05:00-10:00

Read them the extract again. This time they should complete the missing words from the reading (Task 3b)

Introduce target language categories. Modal useage.

10:00-15:00

Ask students to work in pairs to decide why each phrase in Task 4 might be used.

Introduce target language

15:00-25:00

Students should choose the correct phrase from the options given to complete the sentences (Task 5).

Once they have done this they will prepare a few sentences using the target language and read them to their partner.

Check understanding of useage for each phrase

Controlled, limited practice

25:00-50:00

Divide students into pairs and give each pair one of the top 5 Briton (Brunel is probably not well known enough for this so use Churchill, Diana, Shakespeare and Darwin). Give them the source material and give them 20 minutes to prepare. They should not just prepare a list of facts but a presentation of opinions based on facts. Only prompt notes will be allowed during the presentations.

Monitor them while they are working. As it is the framing language rather than the substantive content which is being targeted here, it is fine for you to give them the basic ideas. They may need help extracting information from the source material.

Preparation for presentation

Break

60:00-75:00

The groups will then deliver their presentations. Students must listen and mark each nominee (not presentation) on character, legacy left behind and their effect on other people (Task 7)

Free practice

75:00-77:00

Feedback and announcement of winner of Greatest Briton. Compare the result with the real life competition (full 100 included in teachers notes).

Conclusion to activity

77:00-85:00

Ask pairs to decide if there were to be a similar programme in Poland, which people they think should/would make the top five?

Discuss this as a class. Make a top of the selected personalities as this will form part of the writing articles lesson next week.

Extension and set-up for next lesson

Materials for Teacher



Listening Extract for Task 3 My nomination for Greatest Briton is a woman who has already ensured her place in British history as the longest serving monarch. In my opinion, she has become more than this, a symbol to the British public of duty, of dignity and of a time when Britain truly was great. One reason for this is her leadership through many problems such as the Second World War, the Falklands War, numerous problems with her family and so on. It is undeniable that most people in their eighties are enjoying their retirement and yet Queen Elizabeth II still greets her public with a cheerful smile and a wave during her almost daily work.

The Full Top 100 1. Sir Winston Churchill, (1874-1965), PM (1940-45, 5155) 2. Isambard Kingdom Brunel, (18061859), engineer, creator

of Great Western Railway and other works 3. Diana, Princess of Wales (19611997), first wife of Charles,

Prince of Wales. Mother of Princes William/Harry 4. Charles Darwin (18091882), naturalist 5. William Shakespeare (15641616) poet and playwright, 6. Sir Isaac Newton (16431727), physicist, mathematician,

astronomer, natural philosopher, and alchemist 7. Queen Elizabeth I of England 8. John Lennon (19401980), musician with The Beatles,

philanthropist, peace activist, artist 9. Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson, (17581805), naval commander 10. Oliver Cromwell (15991658), Lord Protector 11. Sir Ernest Shackleton (18741922), polar explorer 12. Captain James Cook (17281779), explorer 13. Robert Baden-Powell(18571941), founder- Scouts/Guides 14. Alfred the Great (849?899), King of Wessex 871899 15. Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (17691852),

military commander, statesman, PM 18281830/1834 16. Baroness Margaret Thatcher (born 1925), PM 19791990 17. Michael Crawford (born 1942), actor and singer 18. Queen Victoria (18191901), monarch 18371901 19. Sir Paul McCartney (1942), musician, philanthropist, activist 20. Sir Alexander Fleming (18811955), biologist and

pharmacologist, discoverer of penicillin 21. Alan Turing (19121954), pioneer of computing 22. Michael Faraday (17911867), scientist 23. Owain Glyndr (13591416), Prince of Wales 24. Queen Elizabeth II (born 1926), reigning monarch (1952) 25. Prof. Stephen Hawking (born 1942), theoretical physicist 26. William Tyndale (14941536), translator of the Bible 27. Emmeline Pankhurst (18581928), suffragette 28. William Wilberforce (17591833), humanitarian 29. David Bowie (born 1947), musician 30. Guy Fawkes (15701606), English revolutionary. 31. Baron Leonard Cheshire (191792), aviator, charity organiser 32. Eric Morecambe (19261984), comedian 33. David Beckham (born 1975), footballer 34. Thomas Paine (17371809), political philosopher 35. Boudica (died c.60), leader of Celts against Roman Empire 36. Sir Steve Redgrave (born 1962), Olympic rower 37. Saint Thomas More (14781535), saint, lawyer, politician 38. William Blake (17571827), author/poet, painter, printer 39. John Harrison (16931776), clock designer 40. King Henry VIII (14911547), monarch 15091547 41. Charles Dickens (18121870), author 42. Sir Frank Whittle (19071996), jet engine inventor 43. John Peel (19392004), broadcaster 44. John Logie Baird (18881946), television pioneer 45. Aneurin Bevan (18971960), politician, founder of NHS 46. Boy George (born 1961), musician with Culture Club 47. Sir Douglas Bader (19101982), aviator, charity campaigner 48. Sir William Wallace (c.12701305), Guardian of Scotland 49. Sir Francis Drake (c.15401596), English naval commander

50. John Wesley (17031791), founder of Methodism 51. King Arthur, legendary Celtic monarch 52. Florence Nightingale (18201910), nurse/charity worker 53. T. E. Lawrence of Arabia (18881935), Arabist, soldier 54. Robert Falcon Scott (18681912), polar explorer 55. Enoch Powell (19121998), politician 56. Sir Cliff Richard (born 1940), musician 57. Alexander Graham Bell (18471922), telephone pioneer 58. Freddie Mercury (19461991), musician with Queen 59. Dame Julie Andrews (born 1935), actress and singer 60. Sir Edward Elgar (18571934), composer 61. Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (19002002), Queen consort 62. George Harrison (19432001), musician with The Beatles 63. Sir David Attenborough (born 1926), broadcaster 64. James Connolly (18681916), leader of Irish 1916 rising 65. George Stephenson (17811848), railway pioneer 66. Sir Charlie Chaplin (18891977), comic actor/film director 67. Tony Blair (born 1953), Prime Minister (19972007) 68. William Caxton (c.1415~1422c.1492), English printer 69. Bobby Moore (19411993), footballer 70. Jane Austen (17751817), author 71. William Booth (18291912), founder of Salvation Army 72. King Henry V (13871422), monarch 14131422 73. Aleister Crowley (18751947), occultist, writer, social

provocateur 74. Robert the Bruce (12741329), King of Scots 75. Bob Geldof (born 1951), Irish musician, philanthropist 76. The Unknown Warrior, soldier of the Great War 77. Robbie Williams (born 1974), musician, Take That 78. Edward Jenner (17491823), pioneer of vaccination 79. David Lloyd George (18631945), PM (19161922) 80. Charles Babbage (17911871), mathematician, computing

pioneer 81. Geoffrey Chaucer (c.13431400), English author 82. King Richard III (14521485), monarch 14831485 83. J.K. Rowling (born 1965), author 84. James Watt (17361819), developer of the steam engine 85. Sir Richard Branson (1950), businessman and adventurer 86. Bono (born 1960), Irish musician with U2, philanthropist 87. John Lydon (Johnny Rotten) (born 1956), musician 88. Bernard Law Montgomery(18871976), military commander 89. Donald Campbell (192167), water speed record challenger 90. King Henry II (11331189), monarch 11541189 91. James Clerk Maxwell (18311879), physicist 92. J.R.R. Tolkien (18921973), author and philologist 93. Sir Walter Raleigh (15521618), English explorer 94. King Edward I (12391307), monarch 12721307 95. Sir Barnes Wallis (18871979), aviation pioneer 96. Richard Burton (19251984), actor 97. Tony Benn (born 1925), politician 98. David Livingstone (18131873), missionary and explorer 99. Sir Tim Berners-Lee (born 1955), inventor of the www

100. Marie Stopes (18801958), promoter of birth control

100 Greatest Britons


Sir Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill (30 November 1874 24 January 1965) was an English politician, who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during and after World War II. He is the only person to have been a member of the British Government during both world wars, and the last non-royal to be given a State funeral. Many people say that he was the greatest British leader of the twentieth century. He was also a soldier, journalist, and author. He won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1953. He is the only British Prime Minister to have received the Nobel Prize in Literature.

He joined the British Army in 1893. He fought in wars in Pakistan and the Sudan, before going to the Boer War in South Africa in 1899 as a newspaper reporter. He was captured by the Boers, but escaped. In 1900 he became a politician in the Conservative Party, and was elected to Parliament.

In 1910 Churchill became Home Secretary, one of the most important members of the government. Just before World War I, he was put in charge of the Royal Navy. During the war he organized an invasion in Gallipoli which went wrong, and because of this, he was made to leave the government. He joined the army and was sent to fight in France, although he was still a Member of Parliament.

From 1917, Churchill had many different jobs in the government including Secretary of State for War, Secretary of State for Air and Chancellor (Finance Minister). After 1929, Churchill disagreed with many things the Conservative party believed in and no longer had any job in the government. Instead he wrote books. When Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany, Churchill warned that Britain should strengthen its military and oppose Hitler. However, very few leaders agreed with him.

At the start of World War II, Churchill was again put in charge of the Navy. In 1940 the war was going badly for Britain, and the Prime Minister resigned. Churchill was given the job. Some people thought that Britain could not win the war, and that the government should make peace with Hitler. Churchill was sure that Britain could win, and promised to continue the fight. He made famous speeches that are still remembered today, motivating the British public to keep fighting and never surrender

In 1945, his Conservative party lost an election, and he stopped being Prime Minister. However, he became Prime Minister again in 1951, which he was until 1955. In 1953, he was knighted Sir Winston, and also won the Nobel Prize in Literature. In 1955, he retired from being Prime Minister. In 1964, he retired from Parliament. In 1965, he died at the age of 90 with his wife Lady Clementine Churchill and other members of the family at his bedside.

(c) Wikipedia, 2011

Soldier, politician and finally prime minister, Winston Churchill was one of Britain's greatest 20th-century heroes. He is particularly remembered for his indomitable spirit while leading Great Britain to victory in World War II. Churchill fought with the British Army in India and Sudan, and as a journalist was captured in South Africa. He became a member of Parliament in 1900 and remained an MP for over 64 years. His political career earned him many enemies, but his stirring speeches, tenacity and refusal to make peace with Adolf Hitler made him the popular choice to lead England through World War II. When Britain and its allies won in 1945, Churchill's place in history was assured. Churchill had a quick wit, with many famous quotes attributed to him. He also wrote many history books, biographies and memoirs. In 1953 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature and he was knighted the same year. (c) http://www.answers.com/topic/winston-churchill-political-leader-writer



Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales, (1 July 1961 31 August 1997) was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales. Their sons, Princes William and Harry[1], are second and third in line to the throne of the United Kingdom. Diana was hugely popular with both the British public and worldwide media, right from the time of the announcement of her engagement to Prince Charles until her death in a car crash in Paris, France. Her death was followed by a long show of public mourning in Britain.

Moving on quickly from her pre-marriage job as a nursery nurse, Diana became famous not just in Britain but all over the world for her sense of compassion, fashionable style and high-profile charity work, as well as her difficult marriage to Prince Charles. During her lifetime, she was often described as the world's most photographed woman. One biographer suggested that Diana was possibly suffering from borderline personality disorder. Diana admitted to struggling with depression, and the eating disorder bulimia, which recurred throughout her adult life.

Starting in the mid - to late 1980s, the Princess of Wales became increasingly known for her support of numerous charities. This stemmed naturally from her role as Princess of Walesshe was expected to visit hospitals and other state agencies in the 20th century model of royal patronage. Diana, however, developed an interest in serious illnesses and health-related matters outside the purview of traditional royal involvement, including AIDS and leprosy. In addition, the Princess patronised charities and organisations working with the homeless, youth, drug addicts and the elderly. From 1989, she was President of Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children.

She became known for breaking the usual social rules surrounding the royal family. Often during her charity visits to sick children and other people, she would hug them or hold a young child in her arms. For this reason she became known as the Peoples Princess. Another example of her stepping outside what was expected of a royal was her support of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, visiting minefields with other campaigners, a risk previously thought unthinkable for a member of the royal family. Of course this gained huge publicity for the campaign, which went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 after her death, which many believed was a posthumous tribute to the Princess.[19] (c) Wikipedia, 2011

She was a wonderful and warm human being. Though her own life was often sadly touched by tragedy, she touched the lives of so many others in Britain throughout the world with joy and with comfort. How many times shall we remember her, in how many different ways, with the sick, the dying, with children, with the needy, when, with just a look or a gesture that spoke so much more than words, she would reveal to all of us the depth of her compassion and her humanity. How difficult things were for her from time to time, surely we can only guess at but the people everywhere, not just here in Britain but everywhere, they kept faith with Princess Diana, they liked her, they loved her, they regarded her as one of the people. She was the peoples princess and thats how she will stay, how she will remain in our hearts and in our memories forever.

She seemed full of happiness, full of life, she was great fun to be with and she was an unusual but a really warm character and personality and I will remember her personally with very great affection. I think the whole country will remember her with the deepest affection and love and that is why our grief is so deep today. Tony Blair, Prime Minister, 1997, after Dianas death



Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin FRS (12 February 1809 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist who presented compelling evidence that all species of life have evolved over time from common ancestors, through the process he called natural selection.

The fact that evolution occurs became accepted by the scientific community and much of the general public in his lifetime. The agreement that natural selection is a basic mechanism of evolution took longer.

At Edinburgh University Darwin neglected medical studies and helped to investigate marine invertebrates, then the University of Cambridge encouraged a passion for natural science.[7] His five-year voyage on HMS Beagle established him as an eminent geologist whose publication of his journal of the voyage made him famous as a popular author.

Puzzled by the geographical distribution of wildlife and fossils he collected on the voyage, Darwin investigated how species changed according to location (transmutation) of species and came up with his theory of natural selection in 1838. Although he discussed his ideas with several naturalists, he needed time for extensive research and his geological work was more important. He was writing up his theory in 1858 when Alfred Russel Wallace sent him an essay which described the same idea, prompting immediate joint publication of both of their theories.

His 1859 book On the Origin of Species established evolutionary descent with modification as the dominant scientific explanation of diversification in nature. He examined human evolution and sexual selection in The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex, followed by The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals. His research on plants was published in a series of books, and in his final book, he examined earthworms and their effect on soil.

In recognition of Darwins importance, he was one of only five 19th-century UK non-royal personages to be honoured by a state funeral, and was buried in Westminster Abbey, close to John Herschel and Isaac Newton. His work continues to be the basis for further scientific work even now.

DARWIN, Charles Robert (1809-82), British scientist, who laid the foundation of modern evolutionary theory with his concept of the development of all forms of life through the slow-working process of natural selection. His work was a major influence on the life and earth sciences and on modern thought in general.

http://charles-darwin.classic-literature.co.uk/



William Shakespeare William Shakespeare (26 April 1564 died 23 April 1616) was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's most famous dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon". His surviving works consist of 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.

Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, and they had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part owner of a theatre company He appears to have retired to Stratford around 1613, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive, and there has been considerable speculation about such matters as his physical appearance, sexuality, religious beliefs, and whether the works attributed to him were written by others.

Shakespeare produced most of his known work between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were mainly comedies and histories. He then wrote mainly tragedies until about 1608, including Hamlet, King Lear, and Macbeth, considered some of the finest works in the English language. In his last phase, he wrote tragicomedies, also known as romances, and collaborated with other playwrights.

Many of his plays were published in editions of varying quality and accuracy during his lifetime. In 1623, two of his former theatrical colleagues published the First Folio, a collected edition of his dramatic works that included all but two of the plays now recognised as Shakespeare's.

Shakespeare was a respected poet and playwright in his own day, but his reputation did not rise to its present heights until the nineteenth century. The Romantics, in particular, acclaimed Shakespeare's genius, and the Victorians worshipped Shakespeare with a reverence that George Bernard Shaw called "bardolatry".In the twentieth century, his work was repeatedly adopted and rediscovered by new movements in scholarship and performance. His plays remain highly popular today and are constantly studied, performed and reinterpreted in diverse cultural and political contexts throughout the world.

Shakespeare's work has made a lasting impression on later theatre and literature. In particular, he expanded the dramatic potential of characterisation, plot, language, and genre. Until Romeo and Juliet, for example, romance had not been viewed as a worthy topic for tragedy. In Shakespeare's day, English grammar and spelling were less standardised than they are now, and his use of language helped shape modern English. Samuel Johnson quoted him more often than any other author in his A Dictionary of the English Language, the first serious work of its type. Expressions such as "with bated breath" (Merchant of Venice) and "a foregone conclusion" (Othello) have found their way into everyday English speech. (c) Wikipedia, 2011

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The 100 Greatest Britons