Unit 4 — Ireland: Stories from the Island

Learning objectives Link to heading

• I can read a short narrative about Ireland and identify the speaker’s perspective.
• I can use relative clauses (who, which, that, where).
• I can write a 120-word place-portrait of an English-speaking region.

Bildungsplan alignment Link to heading

• 3.2.1 Soziokulturelles Orientierungswissen / Themen
• 3.2.2 Interkulturelle kommunikative Kompetenz
• 3.2.3.2 Leseverstehen
• 3.2.3.5 Schreiben
• 3.2.4 Text- und Medienkompetenz

(Source: https://www.bildungsplaene-bw.de/,Lde/LS/BP2016BW/ALLG/SEK1/E1)

Lead-in story Link to heading

Hawa’s pen-pal Niamh lives in Galway, on the west coast of Ireland. Her e-mails are mostly about wind, music, and people who walk faster than they talk. Hawa printed one and read it aloud at the breakfast table. Her father said: “That’s the kind of place where you’d lose three umbrellas in a week.”

1. Activate Link to heading

Map quick-think. On the slide is a map of Ireland with five towns marked. With your partner, guess which one is on the west coast, which is the capital, which is in Northern Ireland.

2. Input Link to heading

Reading — Niamh’s letter from Galway Link to heading

Hi Hawa, today the wind tried to take my school bag along Salthill prom. I won. Galway is the kind of city where you can walk into a pub at lunchtime and find three musicians playing for the joy of it. My grandmother, who learned Irish (Gaeilge) as a first language, says the language is louder than ever. The shops where the staff speak only Irish are still rare, but they exist. I’ll write more on Tuesday, which is when I’m meant to be doing homework but I’ll probably write to you instead.

Grammar — relative clauses Link to heading

who — for people: My grandmother, who learned Irish, … which — for things: The wind, which is famous, … that — people or things (informal): The pub that has the best music … where — places: Galway is a city where …

Defining (no commas) vs. non-defining (with commas): The pub that has music (defines which pub). Galway, which is on the west coast, is famous for music (extra info).

3. Practise Link to heading

Niveau G Link to heading

1. Choose: who, which, that, where. The musicians __________ play in the pub. The wind __________ took the bag. Galway is a place __________ the rain is constant.
2. Combine: Niamh has a grandmother. She learned Irish. → ___ .

Niveau M Link to heading

3. Build 4 sentences with one relative clause each (use who, which, that, where).

4. Produce Link to heading

Place-portrait, 120 words. Write a short letter describing a place you know (or want to know) in an English-speaking country. Use 4 relative clauses.

Sample Link to heading

Hi Niamh, I’d love to visit a place where the sea and the city sit next to each other — like your Galway. I want to find the pub that has music every lunchtime. My friend Jonas, who has been to Dublin twice, says the buses there are run by people who actually answer questions. I’d start with the Cliffs of Moher, which I have only seen on postcards. Then I’d ask your grandmother to teach me one Irish phrase, just one, that I could use every day.

5. Reflect Link to heading

• I can read a short Irish letter and find the speaker’s perspective.
• I can use relative clauses (who/which/that/where).
• I can write a 120-word place-portrait letter.

One thing in your notebook: Write one sentence using something you learned in this Unit.

Exam example Link to heading

Task 1 — Listening (10 BE) Link to heading

Listen twice.

“Galway is a city on the west coast of Ireland that is famous for music. The pub which I love has live music every lunchtime. My pen-pal, who is called Niamh, sends letters about it.”

1. Galway location: ___ . 2. Famous for: ___ . 3. Pub has: ___ . 4. Pen-pal name: ___ .

Task 2 — Reading (12 BE) Link to heading

Read the Niamh’s letter extract above. Answer.

1. What did the wind do? ___ . 2. What does Galway have at lunchtime? ___ . 3. What does the grandmother think about Irish? ___ . 4. Where does the writer write instead of doing homework? ___ .

Task 3 — Use of English (10 BE) Link to heading

Insert the correct relative pronoun.

1. The musicians __________ play in the pub.
2. The shops __________ sell only Irish books.
3. Galway is a city __________ the rain is constant.
4. The wind, __________ is famous in Galway, is very strong.

Task 4 — Writing (13 BE) Link to heading

Write 120 words: a place-portrait letter. Use 4 relative clauses.

Downloads Link to heading

Common pitfalls Link to heading

• The man which → ✗ / The man who → ✓.
• Comma misuse with defining clauses: The pub, that has music, → ✗ — no commas in defining clauses.
• Stereotype check: avoid all Irish people drink Guinness.

Further reading / listening Link to heading

• RTÉ Learning English — Ireland-focused content.
• Tourism Ireland — accessible articles for young learners.

Downloads

Presentation

Download .pptx

Worksheet

Download .pdf