Kids in the Victorian Times and Now

Life was very hard for British children in the past, Charles Dickens wrote a book about it that is called Oliver Twist, have you read it? The video you are going to watch is about 2 kids Eric and Mona who are daydreaming about Victorian times. 

Watch the video and answer the questions:

1. Who is starving?

• Eric
• Mona
• Oliver Twist

2. Why does Mona need fuel?

• Because she didn’t have any food today
• Because it’s the first day of their school play today
• Because she is on a diet

3. Mona is starring in ______:

• Oliver Twist
• Olivia Twist
• Oliver with a Twist

4. What year is it?

• 1938
• 1848
• 1838

5. Who lives in the workhouse?

• poor people
• homeless people
• jobless people

6. Who is always hungry, until they see what dinner is?

• Mona
• Oliver
• Eric

7. Eric wants ______ of the food.

• more
• less
• all

8. Eric and Mona have had some ______ jobs since they’ve been there.

• wonderful
• horrible
• awful

9. It’s the height of the ________ revolution:

• industrial
• agricultural
• manufacturing

10. What time do they start working in the mine?

• at 3 in the morning
• at 2 in the morning
• at 4 in the morning

11. How many hours do they stay below ground?

• 16 hours
• 17 hours
• 18 hours

12. Who can make a good scavenger in the cotton mill as Mr Rumble thought?

• Eric
• Mona
• Oliver
  Twist

13. What is made in the cotton mill?

• bed sheets
• table cloth
• curtains

14. What do the scavengers in the cotton mill do?

• they wash the floors
• they paint the floors
• they pick bits of material off the floor

15. What kind of job doesn’t Eric want to do again?

• factory worker
• cotton scavenger
• chimney sweep

16. Eric and Mona want to go ______.

• to work
• to school
• for a walk

17. What is one of the cures for whooping cough?

• to swallow a fly in butter
• to swallow a ladybug in butter
• to swallow a spider in butter

2. Questions for discussion:

1. Do you like your school?
2. How old do you have to be to start work?
3. Why shouldn’t children work?
4. Would you like to have a job now? If yes, what job?
5. What kind of jobs can teenagers do?

3. Watch a presentation about a British boy called Jonathan and answer the questions:

1. Why is he British and English at the same time?
2. Where does he live? What is his town famous for?
3. What is his family like, where do they usually go on holidays?
4. What is his house like?
5. What is his school like?
6. What sports does he play?
7. What is his favourite food?

4. What about you? Tell me about your country, house, family, school, hobbies and favourite food. How are they different from Jon’s in the presentation?

5. Go to the penpal site and choose 3 people that you would like to write to.

• Why did you choose these people?
• What can you write to each other about?

HOW TO GET A PENPAL
Here are some tips for writing interesting emails.

1. Be sure they know who the letter is from and why you are writing it.
2. Tell them your name, age, gender and the country you live in.
3. Let them know where you found their name and email address. This way they know you are someone serious about finding a pen pal.
4. Let your penpal know your hobbies and interests.
5. Be specific. Don't say you like to read. Tell them what you like to read. Say something like, "I read a lot of adventure novels and my favorite ones are the Hardy Boys".
6. Never, never, never demand that your pen pal write you back. That is not friendly and very rude. Invite them to write you back, for example, "Looking forward to hearing from you", "I can't wait to hear all about your camping trip", etc.
7. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. In-other-words, write to more than one person. Write to at least 3 or 4 different people and your chances of having at least one of them email you back are increased.
8. Try not to lie. If you lie and you get caught, you can kiss your new friend good bye.
9. Always keep safety in mind when writing to any stranger. Check out this guides article on, "Is It Safe To Write Letters?".
10. Make sure you close your emails with something friendly that promotes friendship. For example, "Your New Friend", "Cheery Good-byes", "Yours" or "Cheers".

Here is an example of a first letter to a pen pal.
Hello Sarah.
My name is Shauna and I found your name and email address at Kids Pen Pals from The Youth Online Club. I am from Canada and am very interested in becoming your pen pal.
I am 15 years old and in grade 9. My favorite subject is science. I have been listening to N'SYNC a lot lately. I am a big fan of comedies and my favorite is Liar Liar with Jim Carey. Have you ever seen that movie?
I belong to the Girl Guides and enjoy camping. I see that you are a Girl Guide too. Are you enjoying being a Girl Guide? Does your troop camp a lot?
I am looking forward to hearing from you and becoming friends.
Your new friend,
Shauna