Students discover some of the mysteries of Scottish culture.
What to do
1. Write the name 'Scotland' on the board. Ask students to tell you three facts about Scotland and write these on the board. Then ask students to make a list of things they associate with Scotland in small groups. Invite some groups to read out their lists and write any interesting words on the board. If the name Robert Burns isn't already on the board, add it now. Do the students know anything about him? Make sure they know he was a poet and that he is strongly associated with Scotland.
2. Give students copies of the activity sheet and ask them to complete the first task in pairs. They read the short text about Burns and complete the fact file. Check through the answers and then go through the instructions to the next activity, making sure they understand what they have to do. Go through the definitions and then let students do the activity. Check answers and help with any comprehension problems.
3. Write 'Ode to a haggis' on the board. Explain that an ode is a poem written for or about a particular person, thing, or event. Tell students they're going to read an extract from the poem. It's written in the language of the time so they shouldn't expect to understand much of it. Ask them to read the poem and then try to match each line with the translation. Students do the activity.
3. Find out if any of your students have ever eaten haggis and then discuss whether or not they would like to eat haggis in the future. Are there any traditional foods in their country that don't sound very nice but taste delicious?
Answers
A
Date of birth: 25th January 1759
Place of birth: Alloway, Scotland
Nickname: the Ploughman Poet
Age at death: 37
B
1. clan
2. tartan
3. bagpipes
4. Scots
5. kilt
6. haggis, porridge
C
Fair fa' your honest sonsie face (c)
Great chieftan o' the puddin' race! (f)
Aboon them a' ye tak your place (a)
Painch, tripe or thairm: (e)
Weel are ye worthy o' a grace (b)
As lang's my arm. (d)
Teaching material
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Burns
Night
A. Read about Robert Burns and complete the fact file.
Date
of birth:
Place of birth:
Nickname:
Age at death:
Robert Burns was born in Alloway, a small village in southern Scotland, on 25th January 1759. He was the son of a farmer, and was called the Ploughman Poet because he had been a farm worker. The small cottage in Alloway where he lived is now a museum. He died in 1796 from rheumatic fever, at the age of 37.
B. Read about Burns night and match the words related to Scotland (in bold) with the definitions.
1. a large group of families
2. a pattern of lines
and squares
3. a Scottish musical instrument
4. people from Scotland
5. traditional Scottish clothing
6. two
examples of traditional Scottish food
On Burns Night, Scots all over the world commemorate the birthday of Robert Burns. A traditional Burns Night celebration consists of a large formal dinner. The men wear kilts - "skirts" in the tartan of their clan - and old songs are sung, there is Scottish dancing and, of course, Burns' poetry.
At the dinner they eat the traditional Scottish dish haggis. A haggis is made from a sheep's stomach stuffed with minced heart, liver, suet (animal fat) and oatmeal (a cereal that is also used to make porridge, another famous Scottish food). It doesn't sound very nice, but in fact it's delicious! It is called "The king of the feast", and is carried in to the sound of bagpipes. Burns' poem "Ode to a haggis" is often recited to the haggis.
C. Read the extract from the poem "Ode to a haggis" and then match each line with the modern translation.
Fair fa' your honest sonsie face
Great chieftan o' the puddin' race!
Aboon them a' ye tak your place
Painch, tripe or thairm:
Weel are ye worthy o' a grace
As lang's my arm.
a.
Above them all you take your place
b. Well are you worthy of a grace ('grace' is a prayer spoken before
a meal)
c. A blessing on your honest friendly face
d. As long as my arm
e. (these are all names for very cheap parts of an animal!)
f. Great leader of the pudding race