'Network Now' postcards - Big Ben, Marching Guardsmen

This teaching tip here gives you ideas on how you could use two of the Network now postcards - 'Big Ben' and 'Marching guardsmen' - in the classroom, for a bit of fun and to introduce your students to the things we love about Britain...

 

Here are some fun ideas for using the postcards Big Ben and Marching Guardsmen with your students if you have five minutes to spare at the end of the lesson or want to give your students a breather.
 

 

Postcard 1: Big Ben

 

 

 

 

 

 

What's the time?

• Ask: What's the time on Big Ben? (It's one o'clock.)
• Ask the students what the time is now.

Words with … time

• Write time on the board and ask your students to think of a word which goes with time (e.g. tea).
• In groups, the students try to find as many words as they can to go with time (e.g. dinner time, lunchtime, bedtime, summer time, winter time, springtime).

 

Postcard 2: Marching guardsmen

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Good morning!"

• Show your students the postcard of the guardsmen marching.
• In pairs, ask your students to imagine the conversation which the front guardsman might be having with his colleague in the box. Something along the lines of …
  "Good morning."
  "Good morning. How are you today?"
  "I'm a bit cold. I would like a cup of tea."
  "Me too, with a little bit of milk and a lot of sugar!"

 

Colour matching

• Write the following words randomly on the board: red, hat, black, furry, belt, white, coat, shoes, shiny, trousers.
• Be prepared to explain furry and shiny - you could have items which are furry and shiny to show the students. Also, the words trousers, coat, hat and belt might be unfamiliar to the students. You can either show / explain them or point them out on the postcard.
• Ask the students to look at the guardsmen photos and match up the words which go together. (Key: black trousers, red coat, furry hat, white belt, shiny shoes)

 

 

Postcards 1 and 2: Big Ben and Marching guardsmen

 

Partner or group-finding activity

• Cut the postcards into two or more pieces, depending on the size of the group you want the students to work in.
• Give out the pieces of card, one to each student. Each person looks for the other(s) to make up the picture and find his / her partner or group.

 

Sending a postcard

• Ask your students to imagine they are in London and have seen Big Ben and / or the marching guardsmen. They want to send a postcard to you, their teacher, and tell you about what they've seen.
• Ask for a volunteer to come to the board to write and sit at the back yourself.
• Let the students work as a class to write a (simple) postcard to you – with the class telling the 'volunteer' what to write on the board.