Teaching English Through the Topic

A Scheme of Work

designed by

Gina Cocks

Upper Primary

Literacy, Science/Geography/History, Art

Curriculum Learning Objectives through the

cultural theme

Pancake Day also Known as Shrove Tuesday

Teacher’s Information Sheet – Pancake Day/Shrove Tuesday

By Gina Cocks

In the UK, Shrove Tuesday is also known as Pancake Day because

it is the one day of the year when almost everyone eats a

pancake.

The name Shrove comes from the old word "shrive" which means

to confess. On Shrove Tuesday, the local church would ring the

shriving bell to call people to come and confess their sins so that

they were forgiven before the season of Lent began. Over the

years the ringing bell has also become known as the pancake bell.

Lent is important in the Christian calendar and begins on Ash

Wednesday, the day after Pancake Day and lasts for 40 days

(not including Sundays). It reminds people of the 40 days and

nights that Jesus spent in the desert with no food being

tempted by the devil. It is a time when Christians prepare for

Easter by thinking of things they have done wrong and trying to

correct them. They think about promises they have made in the

past and how they can keep them. During Lent, some Christians

‘fast’. This means they stop eating ‘rich’ foods like meat, eggs,

butter and milk. Nowadays, it is more common for people to only

give up eating their favourite food, such as chocolate or cakes.

Shrove Tuesday is the last chance to indulge yourself, and to use

up the foods that aren't allowed during Lent. Since pancakes

contain, butter, milk, flour and eggs (which were all forbidden

during Lent) it became tradition to use up these ingredients by

making pancakes for dinner on Shrove Tuesday.

Pancake racing takes place in many counties across the UK.

According to tradition, in 1445 a woman in a village called Olney

in Buckinghamshire, heard the shriving bell being rang at the

church but was still preparing her pancakes. The story says that

so she wasn’t late to church she ran there in her apron, still

clutching her frying pan. The Olney pancake race is now world

famous. Competitors have to be local housewives and they must

wear an apron and a hat or scarf. Each contestant has a frying

pan containing a hot pancake and she must toss it three times

during the race. The first woman to complete the course and

arrive at the church, serve her pancake to the bell ringer, and

be kissed by him, is the winner. She also receives a prayer book

from the vicar. The current record is 63 seconds set in 1967.

During Shrovetide, (the three days before Lent) other activities

take place. In Scarborough, on Shrove Tuesday, everyone

assembles on the promenade to skip. Long ropes are stretched

across the road and there maybe be ten or more people skipping

on one rope. In Ashbourne, Derbyshire the oldest, largest,

longest and maddest football game in the world takes place. The

game begins on Shrove Tuesday and lasts two days, involving

thousands of players. The goals are three miles apart and there

are only a few rules. The ball is hand-painted and filled with

cork.

Vocabulary

fast - to stop eating

forbidden - not allowed

Lent – 40 day period before Easter

pancake - frixuelo – cake made from batter in a frying pan

promenade - wide pavement next to the seafront

rich foods - delicious, indulgent foods

shrive - to confess sins

shriving bell – bell rang to call people to church to confess

shrove - old English from the verb ‘to shrive’

Shrovetide – 3 days before the beginning of Lent

sins - bad things people say or do

skipping - jumping over a turning rope

toss - throw something high into the air and catch it again

Question and Answers Activity Game

Photocopy and then cut out the questions and answers. Put

children in small groups and give each group a question or an

answer.

The object of the game is for the children to read their paper

and find its pair. Ask the groups to walk around the room asking

each other to read their paper.

All groups share their information with the class.

Shrove Tuesday is the last chance to indulge

yourself, and to use up the foods that aren't

allowed during Lent. Pancakes are eaten on this

day because they contain, butter, milk, flour and

eggs which were all forbidden during Lent.

So why do we eat pancakes on Shrove

Tuesday?

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, the day after

Pancake Day and lasts for 40 days (not including

Sundays). 40 days has a special meaning because

it reminds Christians about the 40 days and

nights Jesus spent alone in the desert without

food being tempted by the Devil.

How long does Lent Last?

Lent is the time when Christians prepare for

Easter by thinking of things they have done

wrong and trying to correct them. They think

about promises they have made in the past and

how they can keep those promises.

During Lent, Christians used to stop eating

‘rich’ foods like meat, eggs, butter and milk.

This is known as fasting. Nowadays, some

people just give up their favourite food, such

as chocolate or cakes.

What is Lent?

The name Shrove comes from the old word

"shrive" which means to confess. On Shrove

Tuesday people used to confess their sins so

that they were forgiven before the season

of Lent began.

What does fasting mean?

Why do we call the day Shrove

Tuesday?

Websites

http://www.welovepancakes.com/history/

http://www.foodsiteoftheday.com/pancakef.htm

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/shrove.html

http://www.answers.com/topic/shrove-tuesday

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/religion/christianity/lent.shtml

Literacy

I find it useful to introduce a theme by reading a text together.

Teacher’s can chose the type of text they use depending on

what the learning objective focus is.

Genres

Children can try several different styles of reading/writing

about the pancake theme.

Newspapers

The following is a newspaper article published in the Mail Online.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-512262/Childrens-

pancake-race-axed-health-safety-killjoys.html

Children's pancake race axed by health and safety killjoys By CHRIS BROOKE Last updated at 21:00 04 February 2008 (from the Mail online)

A cathedral city's traditional pancake race has been scrapped because of fears over health and safety.

The event was revived 11 years ago and since then crowds have gathered in the centre of Ripon, North Yorkshire, on Shrove Tuesday to watch school children running down a cobbled street flipping pancakes as they go.

The start is signalled by the ringing of the cathedral's ancient "pancake bell" at 11 am on the day.

The bell, originally sounded to call worshippers to make their confession before the start of Lent, has been rung at that time for at least 600 years.

However, organisers have reluctantly scrapped the popular pancake race this year because of mounting costs and bureaucracy linked to health and safety rules.

Sorry, not this year: Choristers in a previous pancake race

Payments for road closures, policing, insurance risk assessments and volunteer staffing problems have forced the cathedral Dean to call time on the tradition.

The Very Rev Keith Jukes, the new Dean of Ripon, said: "We have looked at this and there are a number of reasons it won't take place and a big reason sadly this year is health and safety.

"Any organisation which runs an event has to go through a number of risk assessments.

"The insurance companies demand it and in the end you have to work out whether it's a risk you take.

"There is also the whole issue of road closures which can be an expensive business."

Organiser Councillor Bernard Bateman added: "Health and safety has just gone too far. It makes you think twice about even trying to hold events like this, even though they are extremely popular, especially amongst children.

"The main issue with health and safety is the cobbled street people could slip on, but it causes us so much trouble just for a little issue.

"Bureaucracy puts people off, with too much paperwork and most importantly outrageous costs.

"This stupidity never happened previously. It's a shame that these issues stop the children enjoying such a traditional event."

Mr Bateman said if the event had gone ahead organisers would have faced a charge for road closures, policing and St John Ambulance first aid cover for the first time.

"We had hoped to make the pancake race as much of a tradition as the pancake bell and it's a travesty that it has been killed off after just 12 years," he added.

Public opinion in the city echoed his criticism.

Jean Smith, 61, said: "It's totally daft. Why should paperwork get in the way of kids having fun. We seem to hear it all the time now but it's bureaucracy gone mad."

Recently, army caterers have set up a field kitchen to cook the pancakes for school children and choristers to toss as they race down the street.

And in years gone by the races were likened to a village sports day, providing families with the last chance to have fun before the hardships of Lent.

Before pancake races became a feature in Ripon, the cathedral bell would summon penitents to be "shriven" by confessing before the start of Lent.

The first pancake race was said to have taken place in Olney, Bucks, in 1445 and originated from a housewife, busy cooking pancakes to eat before Lent, rushing outside with pan in hand when the bells sounded to summon people to church.

Children could read comments sent into the newspaper online

from other readers and write their own response.

If this is difficult perhaps they could try writing an article

about a pancake race they took part in, like a sports report.

Below is an example:

Pancake Races at Atalia reported by Gina Cocks

Yesterday was not a normal day for pupils at Atalia School. Shrove Tuesday was celebrated as always with some exciting pancake races. The children from Primary took turns

in racing against each other whilst flipping their pancakes. Due to the poor weather conditions the races had to take place under the sports cover but this didn’t spoil the fun.Lots of Parents came to support their children and enjoy the tasty pancakes. This year it was particularly good to see teachers and parents racing against each other.

Instructional Writing

How do you make a pancake?

Recipes

Imaginative recipes for different flavoured pancakes.

Playscripts

Using factual information children can create their own

playscripts and perform these later in art sessions, (art includes

drama). Try writing some plays to explain the following:

– How the first pancake race happened.

– Traditional Stories like The Naughty Pancake

– A performance to enact factual information about

pancakes.

– A spoof cookery programme

– The Ashbourne football match – The year we couldn’t find

the special ball

Comprehension

Of course teachers can also write their own simple versions

of text and create question and answer style activities.

Gap fill exercises are useful for assessing children’s

understanding.

Question and Answer Activity Game is noisier but more fun.

Puzzles

If children are faced with new vocabulary its good to try a

present it in many different ways, crosswords and word

searches are good for this.