SPORTING SCOTLAND/DARK SCOTLAND

There are two sports that are special to Scotland: curling and golf. Today there are well over six hundred curling clubs in Scotland and the sport is played by over fifteen thousand people of all ages If you want to see how it is played click here. As for golf, it seems that more Scots play golf than football.

Scotland has won junior women's title at the World Junior Curling Championships twice so far, and an European World Competition for young junior golfers is held near Edinburgh every year. Nowadays, Scotland is considered the home of golf.

There are also other popular sports & games which are played in this land: tennis, Highland Games, football & mountain boarding. We can mention the Murray brothers in the world of tennis, and the Celtic Football Club, which was the first British team to become European Champions in 1967. In addition, the Scots have got the Highland Games, which is a day of traditional sporting competitions (piping, dancing, running & "heavy" competitions) celebrated all across Scotland through the summer months in cities, towns & villages. Besides, we must say that mountain boarding is the latest sporting fashion to hit Scotland these days!

DARK SCOTLAND

Not everything about Scotland is bright and sunny. There are also some dark stories: stories of lies, criminals and murderers.

-"Macbeth" is a famous story by the English writer, William Shakespeare. It's better known as "The Scottish play" and not Macbeth, as it's believed that it brings bad luck to say the name "Macbeth" unless you are actually acting in the play. There's also a film, by clicking here you can see a part of it. Nobody knows whether saying the name "Macbeth" really brings bad luck or not, but certainly some strange things have happened after mentioning it.

- There is another story, which took place in Glencoe, towards the end of the 17th century, which is considered to be Scotland's darkest hour. When visitors come to Glencoe, one of the most beautiful places in the west of Scotland, they can feel that something terrible happened here in the past.

- There is also the story of Scotland's most famous murderers: William Burke & William Hare, two Irishmen who came to live in Edinburgh in the early 1800s. By day Burke and Hare seemed to be good, hard-working men, but at night it was a very different story.

CORRECTIONS IN PURPLE

Once again our man is here to remember you to start the corrections for chapter four. Please post the comments for the chapter soon, otherwise people can't start the corrections. Thank you very much

MYSTERIOUS SCOTLAND

Ilustración de E.C.

Scotland has a long and rich history that reaches back to before the Romans came to Britain. During this time, many things have happened that are mysterious or difficult to explain. Many places have stories about them that are hard, maybe even impossible to believe.

There are lots of stories, myths and legends about castles, ghosts, chapels, kings and so on. Pehaps one of the most well-known story about Scotland and one of the biggest argument is the existence of a sort of monster in Loch Ness, Big as a dinosaur, and not aggresive at all, as far as we know. a friendly monster like the one we have in the picture below. Click here or here if you want to see films taken from you tube.

Read chapter four in your book to see what other things you can find and try to look for similar stories in your region. You can ask your grandparents about legends and myths in your place, they are a great source of information. Try it

CORRECTIONS IN GREEN

Here it is again. This time you have to write your corrections for chapter three. Read carefully your classmates' comments and start correcting them. Don't be afraid of doing it, everybody has to do the same and it's really an useful activitity. If you can correct others you will be able to correct yourselves when writing, and this will help you. Thanks once more for your work!

HISTORICAL SCOTLAND

Ilustración de E. C.

The Romans came to Scotland from Britain and they fought against The Scots. But they couldn't conquer them. The Romans built the wall to separate England and Scotland but they were not always successful. They left in the 5th century.One of the most important areas of Scottish history is the relationship between the Scots and the English. There have always been difficulties. These often led to war. You can see the film "Braveheart" just to have an idea how things were centuries ago. Below you have a trailer of this film, pay attention to the clothes and places you see. You will get an image of this land in those years. Not all the things said in the film are true but some of them are

Later on there were more fights to become the king of Scotland. Both John Comyn and Robert the Bruce argued until Bruce killed Comyn. Bruce kept on fighting against the English. At the end the large English army lost to a small number of brave Scots. And Scotland was at least free from the English. If you want to know more about this period, click here

Throughout history and in all aeas of life there have been Scots whose names and work hae been famous during their lifetime and have lived on after their death. For example David Hume, the philosopher, Adam Smith, the economist, David Livingstone, the explorer, or the scientist Alexander Fleming. What about your region? Look for important people in any field and write about them.

CORRECTIONS IN RED

Here again, but this time in red. Don't forget to write your corrections for the second chapter "Traditional Scotland". Obviously students have to post their comments for this part of the book. But we know, holidays are holidays.
Now they are finished so go ahead, please.

TRADITIONAL SCOTLAND

WHAT IS A CLAN?
A clan in Scotland is a large family or group of families.Traditionally,they always did what the "chief" told them to do.There was often fighting between different clans over land or animals.They were more important in the Highlands than in other parts of Scotland.

WHAT IS GAELIC?
It is the oldest language used in Scotland, but today it is spoken by just under sixty thousand people. It is very similar to Irish Gaelic. If you want to hear it click here

WHAT IS A KILT?
It is genarally thought of as traditional Scottish clothing. In fact, it used to be traditional only in the Highlands. Today it is worn all over Scotland. People wear it like a skirt on important occasions.

WHAT IS TARTAN?
It is the name given to the pattern you usually find on kilts, though it is also used for all sorts of other things such as skirts, trousers and scarves.

WHAT ARE BAGPIPES?
They are the traditional form of Scottish music. In Scotland the most popular kind is the Highland bagpipe or "the Great Pipe".

BODEGA-NEW SCOTTISH MUSIC ROCKS US FESTIVAL
Bodega is the name of a five-piece band who came from different parts of the Highlands and islands of Scotland. They mix traditional Gaelic music with American folk songs and some of their own songs.

WHAT IS A CEILIDH?
It is a Gaelic word that means "visit". In the past people would get together in someone's house and tell stories and poems.

WHAT IS A BURNS SUPPER?
Robert Burns was a famous Scottish poet. On 25 January, all over the world, Scots people have a traditional Burns supper to remember him.

WHAT IS HOGMANAY?
It is the word the Scots use for new Year's Eve. At midnight, they sing a Robert Burns song and then, they go and visit their friends and neighbours to wish them a Happy New Year.

WHAT IS WHISKY?
It is the Scottish national drink and has been made in Scotland for longer than anyone can remember.

WHAT IS HAGGIS?
It is probably the most famous Scottish food. A traditional Haggis will include the heart, liver and lungs of a sheep, onions, oats, and spices. However, today there are many different recipes for Haggis.

FAST FOOD
You can find a large number of different fast foods in Scotland, but there are also some strange fast foods. Most of them are deep fried in oil. The most famous of these unusual fast foods is the deep-fried chocolate bar.

CRANACHAN-A TRADITIONAL SCOTTISH PUDDING
- 300ml fresh double cream
-30g oatmeal
-20ml thick Scottish honey
-20ml Scotch whisky (optional)
-500g fresh raspberries