ELT

B1

Stage 3 B1
Robin Hood
Stage 3 B1

Robin Hood
The brave and handsome nobleman, Robin Hood, has
to live as an outlaw in Sherwood Forest, after the terrible
Sheriff of Nottingham kills his family and takes his
land and money. With the help of his Merry Men, Robin
becomes a hero, stealing from the rich to give to the poor.
Will the horrible Sheriff of Nottingham manage
to catch Robin and his friends? Will Robin get his
land back and be able to offer Marian, his love, a real

Stage 1
home? Read about this legendary hero of the English
Middle Ages and discover all the exciting and romantic
adventures he has with his band of Merry Men!

Readers
In this reader you’ll find:
- Focus on: Robin Hood - Legend or Reality; Robin
Hood in the 20th and 21st century; The East Midlands
- Glossary of difficult words
- Comprehension and grammar activities including
B1 style exercises and 21st century skills activities
- Final Test

Teen
Downloadable Look at the inside front cover flap
Audio to find out how to download
Files your free Audio files.

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STAGE 1 800 headwords Pre-intermediate A2 Flyers/Key
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STAGE 3 1000 headwords Intermediate B1 Preliminary

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8
 Robin Hood
Book brief

1 This is the story of the legendary hero Robin

Hood, and one of the best-known tales of
English folklore.

2 Robin appears in ballads as early as the 15th

century and is described as a brave fighter
and good at disguising himself.

3 Robin Hood, unjustly called an outlaw, has to

find clever ways to stop his biggest enemy,
the Sheriff of Nottingham, from capturing
him.
Spazio

4 His adventures take place in Sherwood didascalia

Forest, where he cleverly gets money from

rich people passing through the forest but
never kills anyone while doing so.

5 Main themes include knowing right from

wrong and helping people in difficulty.

1
www.eligradedreaders.com
In this reader:

21st To encourage students to

Century connect the story to the
Skills world they live in.

Preliminary B1 level activities.

Story A brief summary

Notes of the text.

Glossary Explanation
of difficult words.

Picture A brief explanation

Caption of the picture.

Audio These icons indicate start

the parts of the story
that are recorded. stop

To encourage students to develop

Think their critical thinking skills.

The FSC® certification For this series of

guarantees that the paper ELI graded readers,
used in these publications we have planted
comes from certified 5000 new trees.
forests, promoting
responsible forestry
management worldwide.
Robin Hood

Retold and Activities by

Silvana Sardi

Illustrated by
Paola Chartroux

Teen Readers
Contents

6 Main Characters
8 Before you read
10 Chapter 1 Robin Hood and Will Scarlett
18 Activities
20 Chapter 2 The Sheriff of Nottingham’s
wicked plans
28 Activities
30 Chapter 3 Robin and the Sheriff
of Nottingham
38 Activities
40 Chapter 4 Love and Weddings
48 Activities
50 Chapter 5 A Poor Knight and a
Rich Bishop
58 Activities
60 Chapter 6 Jasper the Tinker
68 Activities
70 Chapter 7 Sir Guy of Gisborne
78 Activities
80 Chapter 8 King Richard the Lionheart
86 Activities
88 Focus on... Robin Hood - Legend or Reality?
90 Focus on... Robin Hood in the 20th and
21st century
92 Focus on... CLIL Geography
The East Midlands
94 Test Yourself
95 Syllabus
Main Characters

Robin Hood
The hero of the story. He steals
from the rich to give to the poor.

Marian
The girl Robin
Hood loves.

Little John
One of Robin Hood’s
Merry Men.

6
 Will Scarlett
Robin Hood’s cousin.

The Sheriff of Nottingham

A wicked man who wants to see
Robin Hood dead.

King Richard the Lionheart

A brave and honest man.

7
Before you read

Reading
1 How much do you already know about Robin Hood?
Decide if the following sentences are true (T) or false (F).
T F
Robin Hood lived in Sherwood Forest. ■ 3 ■
1 The Sheriff of Nottingham was Robin’s friend. ■ ■
2 Robin lived with his mother and father in the forest. ■ ■
3 King Henry wasn’t kind to his people. ■ ■
4 Robin only stole from the rich. ■ ■
5 Robin and his Merry Men used guns. ■ ■
6 The ordinary people of Nottingham ■ ■
hated Robin Hood.
7 Robin was in love with Marian. ■ ■

Vocabulary
2a Match the words that mean the same.
■ a harm a hurt
1 ■ help b criminal
2 ■ outlaw c rob
3 ■ angry d wealthy
4 ■ rich e give (someone) a hand
5 ■ steal f annoyed

2b Complete the following sentences with a word from the

first column.
steal from the poor.
Robin Hood didn’t _______
1 The Sheriff got _______ when he couldn’t catch Robin Hood.
2 Robin Hood tried to _______ the poor.
3 The _______ people of Nottingham were afraid of being
robbed.
4 The Sheriff of Nottingham called Robin an _______.

8
Reading B1 Preliminary
3 Choose the best answer, A, B, C or D to complete the text
about Robin Hood.
Robin Hood is a folk hero from the Middle Ages in England. He has
appeared in many legends of that time. His story is (1) ________
very popular today, and there are many films and cartoons about this
character. These stories aren’t always the same, but usually Robin
Hood is an outlaw who lives in Sherwood Forest, (2) ________ the
town of Nottingham in England with his band of Merry Men. Following
the King’s instructions, the Sheriff of Nottingham (3) ________ the
ordinary people pay more and more tax until they have nothing left.
Therefore, Robin Hood and his men do their (4) ________ to rob from
the rich to give the money back to the poor. However, they do this
(5) ________ killing anybody, so everyone considers them as heroes
and not criminals (6) ________, of course, the Sheriff of Nottingham,
who hates Robin Hood and his men.
A in B to C on D from
1 A still B yet C already D just
2 A next B near C close D between
3 A gets B has C makes D lets
4 A good B better C well D best
5 A before B after C without D since
6 A besides B except C apart D even

21st
Speaking and Writing Century
Skills
4 Robin Hood is an adventure story. Discuss these questions
with a partner and write your answers.
1 What kind of books do you like reading? Why?
2 How important do you think it is to read in your free time? Why?
3 Do you prefer reading ebooks or paper ones? Why?
4 What else do you do in your free time?
5 Do you prefer spending your free time with
your friends or your family? Why?
6 How important do you think it is to do
some kind of sport in your free time? Why?
9
 Chapter 1

Robin Hood
and Will Scarlett

2 It was a warm sunny day in Sherwood Forest. Robin

Hood was enjoying the peace and quiet under the
shade of a big tree. He loved this forest where he
Robin Hood
has lived in lived with his band of Merry Men. They were his
Sherwood family now, since the Sheriff of Nottingham had
Forest with his
killed his parents and taken all his land.
band of Merry
Men since The Sheriff is probably looking for me now,
the Sheriff of thought Robin.
Nottingham
killed his The Sheriff called him ‘The Outlaw1 Robin
parents and Hood’ because Robin and his men helped the
took all his
land. Robin
poor people of Nottingham: they stole from the
and his men rich to give to the poor.
steal from the
King Henry wanted to become richer and
rich to give to
the poor. richer and invented a new tax2 every day, so many
people didn’t have enough money to live. Robin
Hood and his men tried to help these people, so
the poor loved them but the rich hated them.
Robin and his band of men were all good archers3.
This was important for hunting and defending

1
outlaw criminal
2
tax (here) money people had to give to the King
3
archer a person who uses these
10
 Robin Hood

themselves against the Sheriff’s soldiers. However Robin doesn’t

recognise his
they never harmed1 the rich people they stole from.
cousin Will
Instead they outwitted2 them. Gamwell at
Suddenly Robin heard a noise. He jumped up first. Then
William
quickly and hid behind the tree. Nearby, a young man pushes back
was about to shoot a deer3 with his bow and arrow4. his hood to
show Robin
‘Put down your arrow at once!’ Robin said. his red hair
‘Who do you think you are to give me such and Robin
orders?’ asked the stranger. realises it’s
him.
Robin was about to get angry, when he noticed
something familiar about the boy, so he said:
‘I’m Robin Hood. May I have the pleasure of
knowing your name?’
The young man was very surprised and, in a
trembling5 voice, he asked:
‘Robin, do you really not recognise your
cousin? Has the war changed me so much?’
‘Do you mean you’re William Gamwell?
William Gamwell, better known as Will Scarlett
because of the colour of your hair?’
In reply, William pushed back his hood6 to

1
to harm to hurt
2
to outwit to be cleverer than
3
deer
4
bow and arrow see front cover. Robin is holding a bow and
has arrows in the bag on his back
5
trembling shaky
6
hood see page 13. Robin has a hood on his head
11
 Chapter 1

Will’s family show his head of curly red hair. The two young
isn’t rich
anymore
men laughed and cried at the same time; they
because the were so happy to see each other!
King took
However, this happy moment ended when
their home
and land. Will asked Robin about his family.
Therefore, ‘I’m sorry, Will, but the King forced1 your
Will decides
to join Robin family to leave Gamwell Hall and took all your
and his Merry land. They’re now living in a smaller house in
Men to fight
the King and
Barnsdale with Maude and Marian.’
his friends. ‘But are they all well?’ asked Will.
‘Yes, my dear cousin,’ Robin answered. ‘They’re
all well, even though they’re less rich. But it’s more
important that they still have each other to love.’
‘You’re right, Robin,’ agreed Will, ‘but my
father made his fortune2 as an honest man. This
is all so unfair3!’
‘I know,’ said Robin. ‘Why don’t you join me
and my band of Merry Men? Together we can
fight against the King and his friends!’
‘It would be a great pleasure for me!’ exclaimed4
Will. >
Robin is
‘In that case you must meet my men,’ said happy that his
cousin,Will,
has decided to
join him and
his Merry Men
1
to force make someone do something in their fight
2
fortune (here) money and land against the
3
unfair unjust, wrong King and his
4
exclaim (here) shout because you’re happy
friends.
12
Robin Hood

13
 Chapter 1

Will, Robin, Robin, and he blew on his horn1. In a few seconds,

and two of his
men, Much
about a hundred men appeared, all dressed in
and Little green like Robin.
John, set out
That evening, at their hideout2 in the forest,
on foot for
Barnsdale they had a big dinner to celebrate Will’s return.
where Willl’s During the meal, Will said he wanted to go to
family lives.
Will can’t wait Barnsdale the next day to see his family again.
to see the Robin and two of his men, Much and Little John,
girl he loves,
Maude. Robin
decided to go with him.
is in love, too, Early next morning, they happily set out on
with Marian. foot for Barnsdale. Will Scarlett was excited
about seeing his family again and the girl he
loved: Maude… his sweet, beautiful Maude. Will
was lost in his dreams and only realised that
he had spoken his thoughts aloud when Robin
and Much laughed and said: ‘Maude, Maude, my
sweet beautiful Maude!’ William became as red
as his curly hair.
‘You shouldn’t laugh, Robin,’ he said. ‘While
you were sleeping last night, I heard you say the
name of your loved one, Marian.’
Now it was Robin’s turn to feel embarrassed
and everyone laughed again.
On the road to Barnsdale, they decided to stop

1
horn instrument used by hunters
2
hideout a secret hiding place usually used by criminals

14
 Robin Hood

at an inn1 for the night. Robin pulled his hood At the inn,
Will sees
down over his face in case the Sheriff’s men were a stranger
in town. They sat at a table drinking and talking. looking at
him, but he
Will Scarlett looked up as two men came into
doesn’t tell his
the inn. One of the men looked at Will intensely2, friends.
then quickly left the room. Will was excited about
seeing his family again, and said nothing about
the stranger to his friends.

The following morning, Much and Little John

decided to return to Sherwood Forest. Robin and Robin and
Will arrive
Will continued their journey.
at Will’s
When they arrived at the house, Robin entered house and his
first to prepare Will’s parents: he was afraid the mother and
father cry
shock would be too much for them. for joy when
At last Will embraced3 his mother and father they see their
son. Then the
again and his two sisters, and everyone cried for two men go
joy4. and look for
Maude and Marian weren’t there. They were Maude and
Marian who
out walking, so the two young men went to look are in the
for them. They soon saw the girls in the garden. garden.

Will was suddenly afraid.

‘And if Maude doesn’t like me anymore, what

1
inn small hotel
2
intensely (here) for a long time
3
embrace to put your arms around someone
4
cry for joy cry with happiness

15
 Chapter 1

Will asks shall I do, Robin?’ he asked sadly.

Maude to
marry him and
‘Are you mad, Will Scarlett? You’re talking
she says yes. about Maude, who loves you so much. How can
Robin loves
you doubt1 her love?’ asked Robin.
Marian but he
doesn’t want Will had no time to answer, because at that
her to have moment the girls turned round and saw the two
to live like an
outlaw in the young men. They ran to each other, shouting for
forest. Marian joy.
is also worried
about her
‘Will, you’re safe at last!’ exclaimed Maude.
brother, Allan ‘Yes, my beautiful Maude,’ replied Will, kissing
who’s fighting her tenderly2. ‘I’ll never leave you again. Please
in the war.
say you will marry me, dear Maude, and we can
be together forever!’
‘Yes, of course, my love. I’ll be the happiest
woman in England!’ she exclaimed.
Meanwhile, Robin and Marian stood together
hand in hand, watching the scene. They, too,
were in love, but Robin didn’t want his beautiful
Marian to live like an outlaw in the forest.
Besides, Marian was also worried about her
brother, Allan. He was away fighting in the war
and nobody knew exactly where he was.
‘Marian, I’ll bring you back your brother! Then,
when I have my home and land again, we, too, will

1
to doubt not to believe in, to be unsure about
2
tenderly in a gentle way

16
 Robin Hood

marry,’ promised Robin. Robin

promises
‘Bring me back my brother, but don’t worry Marian that
about the house or land. I’ll be happy to live he’ll find her
brother, Allan.
anywhere with you,’ replied Marian.
Marian loves
The young couple kissed, then followed Maude Robin so much
and Will who were running home to tell everyone that she says
she’ll live with
about their wedding plans. him anywhere.
The wedding was arranged for the following
day and everyone prepared for the happy event.
However, the next morning when they went to
call Will, they could find him nowhere. Will and
Maude start
to arrange
everything
for their
wedding the
next day, but
the following
morning,
nobody can
find Will.

Think
What good
things would
you do if
you and
your friends
decided to
form a group
like Robin’s
Merry Men?

17
After-reading Activities • Chapter 1

Reading B1 Preliminary
1 Complete the text about Chapter 1 with one word in each
space.
Robin has lived in Sherwood Forest with his Merry Men since the
Sheriff of Nottingham killed his parents and took all his land. Robin
and his men steal (1) __________ the rich to give to the poor
people of Nottingham who always (2) __________ to pay more and
more money to the King. When Robin’s cousin, Will Scarlett, hears
that the King made his family leave their home and took all their land,
he decides to (3) __________ Robin and his men to fight against
the King. Early next morning, they happily set (4) __________
on foot for Barnsdale where Will’s parents live. They stop at an inn
and Robin pulls his hood down (5) __________ his face in case
the Sheriff’s men are in town. Will sees a man looking at him but he
doesn’t say (6) __________ to his friends about it.

Writing
2 Complete the sentences with the verbs in the correct tense.
be not marry have (2) not be not catch
meet not see blow sit
has been an outlaw since his parents died.
Robin __________
1 At the moment, Robin __________ under a tree in the forest.
2 The Sheriff __________ Robin yet.
3 Two days ago, Robin __________ his cousin in the forest.
4 Last night, they__________ a big dinner at their hideout.
5 Now Will’s parents __________ as rich as before.
6 Will __________ Maude for a long time and he can’t
wait to get home.
7 Robin __________ Marian until he __________ his land
once more.
8 Robin’s Men always come when he __________ on his horn.

18
Grammar
3 Put the words in the correct order to make questions,
then discuss the answers with a partner. Begin your questions
with a capital letter.
Robin / live / with/ does/ who ?
Who does Robin live with?
1 Will Scarlett / colour / got / hair/ of / has / what ?
2 rich / why / from / Robin / steal / the / does ?
3 parents / Sheriff of Nottingham / did / whose / kill / the ?
4 is / get / Maude / to / when / married / going ?
5 brother / is / in / whose / the / fighting / away / war ?
6 call / men / does / his / Robin / how ?
7 does / hunt / archer / to / what / an / use / deer ?
8 many / there / in / men / Robin’s / how / are / band ?
9 say / sleeping / name / Robin / did / while/ was / whose / he ?
10 the / happened / wedding / of / day/ what / the / on ?

Before-reading Activity

21st
Speaking and Writing Century
Skills
4 At the end of Chapter 1, nobody can find Will Scarlett.
Discuss these questions with a partner and write
your answers.
1 What do you think has happened to Will ?
2 Where could he be ?
3 Do you think someone forced Will
to go away? Why / Why not?
4 Did anything strange happen in
Chapter 1 before Will
disappeared?
5 What’s the best way to find him?

19
After-reading Activities • Chapter 8

Reading B1 Preliminary
1 Complete the text about Chapter 8 with one word in each
space.
King Henry died, leaving the throne to his two sons. The poor people
of England thought that, at last, (1) _______ lives might be easier,
but they (2) _______ wrong. Prince Richard, (3) _______ was
more honest (4) _______ his younger brother John, decided to go
and fight in the Holy Land. Therefore, Prince John became King
of England. Henry had been bad, but John was even (5) _______.
The poor people suffered even more because of this weak, greedy
king. Crime grew in the towns and the people had very (6) _______
money to buy food, so Robin and his Merry Men continued to help
the poor as much as they could.

Reading
2 Decide if the sentences are true (T) or false (F).
T F
The Sheriff of Nottingham died one morning in spring. ■ 3
■
1 Christabel was no longer in love with Allan Clare. ■ ■
2 King Henry died after the Sheriff of Nottingham. ■ ■
3 Prince Richard was brave in battle. ■ ■
4 John was a generous king and everybody loved him. ■ ■
5 Robin Hood and his men helped King Richard’s army. ■ ■
6 King Richard took a bishop with him to Sherwood Forest. ■ ■
7 Robin’s real title was Earl of Huntingdon. ■ ■
8 At the end of the story, Robin was so happy he shouted ■ ■
for joy.

86
Writing
3 Write the questions for the following answers.
What kind of father was the Sheriff of Nottingham?
__________________________________________
He was a cruel father and did not show any love for his daughter.
1 Why ____________________________________ ?
Because he wanted to go and fight in the Holy Land.
2 What ____________________________________ ?
King John ordered his people to pay more taxes.
3 Where ____________________________________ ?
King John’s troops looked for Robin Hood in Sherwood Forest.
4 What ____________________________________ ?
In the Holy Land Richard was known as ‘Richard the Lionheart’.
5 What ____________________________________ ?
He arrested his brother for treason.
6 Who ____________________________________ ?
Robin stole from the rich.
7 How long ____________________________________ ?
Robin had been waiting for his guest all morning.

21st
Speaking Century
Skills
4 Discuss the following questions with a partner and see how
much you agree with each other.
1 Did you like the story?
Why / Why not?
2 Which chapter was the most
interesting? Why?
3 Which heroes like Robin Hood
are there in old stories from your
country?
4 Who would you consider
a modern hero of this century? Why?

87
Focus on...

Robin Hood - Legend

or Reality?
The outlaw, Robin Hood, is one of the heroes of the English Middle Ages.
No one knows if he really existed or if he’s just a legend. We first find
stories of Robin Hood in 14th century English ballads, short narrative songs,
which were very popular in the Middle Ages.
Robin Hood is the hero of about 40 ballads, which describe his generosity
to the poor and his kindness to women and children. Each ballad describes
an episode in Robin’s life, as he fights against injustice with his ‘merry
men’. In these ballads, Robin is a rebel who steals from rich landowners or
members of the Church.

Life in medieval England

The early ballads describe the cruelty which was part of
everyday life in medieval England.
At that time in England, there were strict laws against
hunting in the forest. It was also a period of great
poverty among the country people of England, which
led to the Peasant’s Revolt in 1381.
Therefore, the poor people loved the legend of
Robin Hood, the free outlaw, who hunted in the
forest and fought against the authorities.

A changing story
Over the centuries, the stories of Robin
Hood were told time and time again. Each
time, some changes happened. In the early
ballads, Robin Hood is a countryman. Then,
during the 16th century, new ballads describe
him as a nobleman who has lost his title and
lands. Here he’s known as Robert, Earl of
Huntingdon, born in Loxley. At this point they
also talk more about the love aspects of our
hero’s life and Maid Marian is introduced into the
story.
88
Historical Setting
One of the early ballads refers to King Edward.
There were three kings called Edward between
1272 and 1377. However, in the late 16th century,
the story of Robin Hood is moved back in time
to about 1190, when Richard 1st of England took
part in the Crusades. Then, in the 18th century,
Robin Hood becomes a Saxon who fights against
the noble Normans, and is mentioned in ‘Ivanhoe’ David Bruce, King of Scotland,
by Walter Scott. acknowledges Edward III
as his feudal lord.

The Sheriff of Nottingham

and Robin Hood
The Sheriff of Nottingham appears in the early ballads
with Robin’s other enemies, the rich bishops.
However, he doesn’t play an important part in the story.
Then, in Alexandre Dumas’ version called ‘Robin Hood
The Outlaw’, it’s the Sheriff of Nottingham who takes
Robin’s land from him. This is the version that we’ve
followed in retelling the story in this edition. His job is to
stop people killing the King’s deer in Sherwood Forest
and to ensure make sure the forest is safe for the rich
people who pass through the forest. However, he’s a
coward and not clever enough to outwit Robin Hood.

The Sheriff of Nottingham

today
This position actually still exists today, but in a totally
different context. Nowadays, the Sheriff of Nottingham
is no longer responsible for law and order. His job is
to attract visitors to Nottingham, mainly through the
legend of Robin Hood. The Sheriff travels all over
Britain and abroad to encourage people to visit the city
of Nottingham. So, even today, Robin Hood indirectly
continues to help the people of Nottingham by creating
jobs for them in the tourist industry. However, this time he
has a surprising friend - the Sheriff of Nottingham!
The Sheriff of Nottingham
89
Focus on...

Robin Hood in the 20th

and 21st century
The story of Robin Hood has The Sheriff of Nottingham is
remained popular over the years a big grey wolf 2, an aggressive
and there are several films about animal like the character of the
it. Each of them tells a different Sheriff.
story, but Robin’s courage and
generosity are always present. In 1991, Kevin Costner played the
Here we mention just some of the part of Robin Hood in the film
films based on the story of our ‘Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves’.
legendary hero. In this version, Robin returns
to England after fighting in the
Cinema Crusades. He joins a group of
villagers in the forest to fight against
One of the most expensive the evil Sheriff of Nottingham.
films of the 1920s was ‘Douglas In 2010, Ridley Scott’s film ‘Robin
Fairbanks in Robin Hood’. It cost Hood’ starring Russell Crowe,
about 1 million dollars to make. tells the story of
In the Hollywood Studios, they our hero before
built a set which included a castle he becomes an
and a medieval village. Fairbanks outlaw. This time,
wrote, produced and starred as Robin is a patriotic
Robin Hood in this version of the leader who fights
medieval legend. with the English
In the 1973 Disney cartoon to defend
version, all the characters are their country
animated animals. Each character against the
is an animal which shows his or French.
her personality perfectly. Robin,
for example, is a fox1, an animal
famous for being a quick thinker,
just like Robin.
1
fox
2
wolf

90
Television
The story of Robin Hood
has also been on television
many times. ITV had a
lot of success with their
television series called
‘The Adventures of Robin
Hood’. It was really popular
and was broadcast from
1955 to 1960 in the UK.
Some of the episodes were
based on the legend of
Robin Hood, while others
were invented by the
writers of the series.

In 2006, the BBC

broadcasted another TV
series called ‘Robin Hood’.
This programme was also
very popular.
Robin Hood was played
by the actor, Jonas
Armstrong, and the series
followed the traditional 1922: Swashbuckling US film actor Douglas Fairbanks (1883-
stories of the legend. It 1939), originally Douglas Elton Ullman plays, British folk hero,
Robin Hood.
ran for 3 years until the
principal actor left the
programme. They’ve Videogames
shown it in many parts of There are also a lot of video games on the market
the world. about Robin Hood.
These are usually strategy games involving
clever tactics, which reflect the characteristics
of the legendary figure. The player controls the
Kevin Costner played the
part of Robin Hood in the
movements of Robin Hood who has to complete
film ‘Robin Hood: Prince certain missions with his men. The missions differ
of Thieves’, 1991. according to each game. Many of these games
also let the player decide how to end the story.

91
 CLIL
Geography
Focus on...

The East Midlands

The East Midlands is the name of the region in the central-east part of
England and includes Nottinghamshire in its territory.
The word ‘shire’ means a division of land, and in the UK it’s also another
word for ‘county’.
In the Anglo-Saxon period, royal officials called ‘sheriffs’ governed these
shires. The sheriff had a lot of power and one of his main duties was to
collect the taxes ordered by the King. Therefore, he wasn’t a popular
figure among the ordinary people.

Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
This county borders Yorkshire,
Lincolnshire Lincolnshire, Leicestershire
Rutland and Derbyshire. Sherwood
Derbyshire is one of the districts of
Leicestershire Nottinghamshire, which is
where the forest gets its name
from.
Northamptonrshire

The City of Nottingham Castle is to the west

of the city. It looks over the city
Nottingham on a natural promontory called
Apart from Robin Hood, Nottingham ‘Castle Rock’. In the past, the castle
was also famous all over the world for was very important for nobles and
its lace1-making and bicycle production the Royal Family because it was
during the Industrial Revolution. near two important royal forests,
Nowadays, many big companies have Barnsdale and Sherwood. It was a
their main offices in Nottingham. In royal residence until about 1600.
the centre of the city, there’s the Old Now special events connected to
Market Square which is the biggest in the legend of Robin Hood are held
the UK. in the castle every year, and attract
1
lace
many visitors from all over the world.

92
Barnsdale Sherwood Forest
In the original ballads, Robin’s In the modern legends, Robin
hiding place is Barnsdale Forest. hides with his men in Sherwood,
Barnsdale is in Yorkshire, the which is north of Nottingham.
biggest county in England, about It was a very big royal hunting
50 miles north of Sherwood. forest. It’s now a nature reserve
Barnsdale Forest is a small area and tourist attraction. Every
of South Yorkshire. In medieval summer, there’s the Robin Hood
times it was a big forest. Royal Festival. There’s a medieval
deer hunts were organised there. atmosphere, and visitors can see
Yorkshire people are proud of famous characters from the Robin
their connections with Robin Hood legends.
Hood. In Barnsdale Forest there’s There are still some very old oak
‘Robin Hood’s Well’. The local trees. The oldest is the ‘Major
airport is called the ‘Robin Hood Oak’ people believe was Robin
Airport Doncaster Sheffield’. Hood’s favourite hiding place.

Robin Hood’s Well. Oak tree in Sherwood forest.

Decide if the sentences are true (T) or false (F).

T F
Yorkshire is in the East Midlands. ■ ■
3
1 Sherwood is in the East Midlands. ■ ■
2 Big companies in Nottingham produce
bikes nowadays. ■ ■
3 Members of the Royal Family used to
hunt deer in Sherwood Forest. ■ ■
4 Nottingham Castle holds yearly events to
celebrate the memory of Robin Hood. ■ ■
5 The city of Nottingham has become
an important business centre. ■ ■
93
Test Yourself
Choose A, B or C to complete the sentences.
At the start of the story, the King on the throne was
A ■ John. B ■ 3 Henry. C ■ Richard.
1 William Gamwell was known as Will Scarlett because of
A ■ the colour of his jacket. B ■ his red nose.
C ■ the colour of his hair.
2 Allan Clare was
A ■ Robin’s cousin. B ■ Maude’s husband.
C ■ Marian’s brother.
3 To save Will, Robin dressed up as a
A ■ monk. B ■ shepherd. C ■ musician.
4 Allan Clare was rescued by
A ■ Robin Hood B ■ Little John C ■ Much
5 Sir Tristan wanted to get married in
A ■ Nottingham Market Square.
B ■ Linton Abbey.
C ■ Nottingham Castle Chapel.
6 For his son’s pardon, Sir Richard of the Plain still had to pay the King
A ■ 500 gold coins. B ■ 400 gold coins.
C ■ 200 gold coins.
7 When the Bishop of Hereford arrived, Robin Hood and his Men were
eating
A ■ lamb. B ■ beef. C ■ venison.
8 Jasper the tinker fell asleep in the inn because he was
A ■ tired. B ■ hungry. C ■ drunk.
9 During their fight Robin Hood and Sir Guy of Gisborne each had a
A ■ sword. B ■ bow and arrow. C ■ gun.
10 King Richard the Lion Heart went to Nottingham Castle to
A ■ embrace his brother John.
B ■ apologise to his brother John.
C ■ arrest his brother John.

94
Syllabus

Topics
Love
Respect
Friendship
Loyalty
Courage
Generosity
Kindness

Grammar and Structures

Verb tenses: present / past simple, present perfect / past perfect
Future with present continuous, going to and will
Conditional sentences - type 1 and type 2

Modal verbs
Can, Could
Would
Shall
Must, Have to, Should, Ought to
May, Might
Need
Used to (past habits) present, past, future, conditional
Verb patterns - base form, infinitive, ing form
Adjectives - comparatives and superlatives
Adverbs - regular and irregular forms
Passive forms - present and past simple

95
 Teen Readers

Stage 1
Maureen Simpson, In Search of a Missing Friend
Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist
Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales
Janet Borsbey & Ruth Swan, The Boat Race Mystery
Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables
Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court
Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Angela Tomkinson, Great Friends!
Edith Nesbit, The Railway Children
Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna
Anna Sewell, Black Beauty
Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

Stage 2
Elizabeth Ferretti, Dear Diary…
Angela Tomkinson, Loving London
Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Mary Flagan, The Egyptian Souvenir
Maria Luisa Banfi, A Faraway World
Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden
Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island
Elizabeth Ferretti, Adventure at Haydon Point
William Shakespeare, The Tempest
Angela Tomkinson, Enjoy New York
Frances Hodgson Burnett, Little Lord Fauntleroy
Michael Lacey Freeman, Egghead
Michael Lacey Freeman, Dot to Dot
Silvana Sardi, The Boy with the Red Balloon
Silvana Sardi, Scotland is Magic!
Silvana Sardi, Garpur: My Iceland
Silvana Sardi, Follow your Dreams
Gabriele Rebagliati, Naoko: my Japan

Stage 3
Anna Claudia Ramos, Expedition Brazil
Charles Dickens, David Copperfield
Mary Flagan, Val’s Diary
Maureen Simpson, Destination Karminia
Anonymous, Robin Hood
Jack London, The Call of the Wild
Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
Gordon Gamlin, Allan: My Vancouver