Phileas Fogg and The British Empire

The British Empire referred to the countries ruled by Britain under the reign of Queen Victoria in the 19th century. Among these countries were Canada, India, Pakistan, Jamaica, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Funnily enough Phileas Fogg's trip around the world include several of these countries.

You can read more about the British Empire and Victorian England here.

"Around the world in 80 days" starts in London in 1872, late in the 19th century. It's set in Victorian London. What Phileas Fogg wants to do is to circumnavigate the late Victorian world in 80 or fewer days.

Life in the late 19th century was very different from nowadays. People dressed, spent their free time and travelled in a different way. There was a big gap between rich and poor people. You were either very rich or very poor. There was no middle class. Sometimes poor people didn't even have a house to live in and many of them lived on the streets and had to steal to survive. Answer these questions in your notebook:

  • How do you think people travelled?

  • How do you think people spent their free time?

  • How do you think people dressed?

  • Do you think Phileas Fogg belonged to the upper class or the lower class of society? Why?

  • Do you think the streets of London were safe at night in the late 19th century? Why? Why not?

Have a look at these presentations and check your answers:

Presentation by Mehdi, birlocha del

IES Poeta Sánchez Bautista

(Llano de Brujas)

Victorian London

TASK 1: Choose one of the countries from the British Empire and using smore design a leaflet with information about the country you choose. You have to do this in groups of 4/5 people. The deadline is Friday, 6th March. You can include:

  • Name of the country you choose

  • Capital city

  • Other important cities

  • Main language

  • Popular sports

  • Popular food and drink

  • Popular music

  • Any other information you think it is interesting

MIREYA, GABRIELA, MARÍA, ALEXIA

AND EUNICE

PATRICIA, ELENA, AIDA, MARIBEL

AND LAURA VERDÚ

JESÚS ROJO, ANA ISABEL, INÉS,

ANA MARÍA AND MÓNICA

AQUILINO, DAVID EGEA, RAÚL,

SEBASTIÁN, ENRIQUE

AND JOSÉ LUIS

DAVID VALERO, LAURA MARÍA,

ISABEL AND ANDREA

ORAL PRESENTATIONS

TASK 2: In groups of 4/5 people you need to design a Google map of Phileas Fogg's trip around the world. You need to include the countries he visits and what happens in each country. The deadline is Friday, 8th May.

Here is a tutorial on how to use Google Maps. Have a look over the Easter period and after Easter we will start designing our maps ;-). Click on the photo to read it:

STUDENTS' MAPS:

JESÚS ROJO, MÓNICA, INÉS,

ANA ISABEL AND ANA MARÍA

ALEJANDRO ROJO, SEBASTIÁN, JESÚS TORRANO,

JOSÉ BOLARÍN AND PABLO PRIETO

PATRICIA, MARIBEL, ELENA,

AIDA AND LAURA VERDÚ

DAVID EGEA, ALEJANDRO SORIANO, RAÚL,

AQUILINO AND JOSÉ LUIS

MIREYA, EUNICE, ALEXIA,

MARÍA AND GABRIELLA