Final Post!

Hey guys, I'm sad I didn't get to come into the class to answer your questions but I got my friend Harry to help out. Hope you enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbU8platfXU&feature=youtu.be

Photo of the Week

Hey guys! Here's a photo of King James VI and I for the last photo of the week. Fun fact: he was the first monarch to modernize the coat of arms as we know it today.

United by James VI and I??

Hey guys, it's crazy to think that this is almost the end of the blog! I hope you've enjoyed the process and have learned something along the way. For the last official week, I thought it'd be interesting to tell you guys some more history. 

Up until the mid 16th century, Scotland and England were two warring nations, ruled by separate monarchs. 



The English monarch of the time was Elizabeth I (left) , son of Henry VIII. Elizabeth started her rule by creating the Protestant Church of England which belittled Mary's authority, as she was Catholic. 

The Scottish monarch of the time was Mary Queen of Scots (right). Being born in France, Mary was brought up Catholic. Although being Catholic was a crime in Protestant English, Mary was allowed to practice her religion in private. 

In 1567, Mary's Protestant husband was murdered by a group of Scottish rebels. With rising talk of Mary being involved, Mary's defiance of the country's religion and a vague claim to the throne (Mary was Henry VIII's niece making her Elizabeth's cousin), Elizabeth felt the need to subdue the threat, and imprisoned Mary until she was executed 19 years later. 

It is said that it took the executioner three attempts to complete the beheading, but let's end this story on a brighter note.

Realizing she was going to die just a few years after Mary and having no heir, Elizabeth had to choose who would take up the throne. After much consideration, Elizabeth decided to appoint a leader who was already a monarch and who had some claim to the throne, James VI, son of Mary Queen of Scots. 

Although the two countries were ruled separately, this eventually led to the union of Scotland and England a century later uniting the two flags into one. 

In becoming the first James in his line to rule England, James became the I but remained the VI. This is why he is often referred to as James VI and I.

I hope you guys found this post to be interesting. Next week, I'll be posting a video to answer any last questions you guys have so start thinking about those and try to get them in before the week's end.

Have a great week!

Photo of the Week

Here is a picture of the Queen drinking tea, enjoying the drink of her country.

Tea

Hey guys, It's crazy how quickly this term is going! As some of you may remember I really like tea and being that there is a common association with the UK and tea, I decided to shed some light on that topic this week.




Tea gained popularity in the UK in the 17th century and by the 18th, the country was one of the world's top consumers of tea. As tea began to be associated with higher society, the British Empire embraced it as a symbol of their achievements.

During the time, teas were also more commonly used as herbal medicines for various ailments which aided in their popularity. The Industrial Revolution made the country's increased consumption possible by finding ways to mass produce the materials for the beverage.



Although tea lost popularity in the last decade, the drink is still very prevalent across the country. From a morning beverage to a social activity, tea weaves its way into most people's daily schedule.

As tea sales drop, espresso sales rise so maybe the UK will see a sudden switch in their social drinks. 

I remember quite a few of you saying you like tea near the beginning of the blog. What kinds of tea do you guys like? Have you ever just had tea with a friend? If not, what do you like to do when you get together with them?

Photo of the Week

Hey guys! I saw this really useful chart on Pinterest and thought it was be helpful of you guys to understand the school system here. GCSE's are in Years 10 and 11 and A-levels are Years 12 and 13. Additionally, students can go to vocational school to learn a trade instead of taking A-levels.

Interview

Hey guys! Unfortunately my friend's brother was unavailable for the interview but I have another friend volunteering at a private school nearby and she let me go in to interview one of the students. While there are some differences between public and private schools here, the subject matter in structure are fairly similar. 

I interviewed a student named Rob, but because of the circumstances under which I got the interview, I can't put his picture in this blog.

Rob told me that the UK has core subjects, like the US, including English, Math, and Science classes and optional courses. Rob is taking History and Spanish. The goal of these optional courses is to try new subjects to take for your GCSE's. Rob is in year 8 so he will be taking his GCSE's in two years. 

GCSE's are classes focussed on specific subjects to decide what you will take your A levels in. You can take as many GCSE's as you are able to if you do them outside of school but in school students generally take 10-12. You can only take up to 5 A-levels, however, and most of the people I know only took 3. From the A-levels you do well on, that's how you decide what you will study in a university.



Rob usually has about 1 hour of homework/ night, which he says is average. He says they do use some textbooks, but they mainly use workbooks and printed sheets.

The classes are generally an hour long with about 5 subjects through the day. The core classes usually go all the way through the year while the optional ones usually last just one semester.

Some of the differences in Rob being in a private school were the uniform and the food. While public schools don't use uniforms, Rob has to wear trousers, a collared shirt and a blazer to school. Also, this school makes homemade food for the students, but this is because the students live at the private schools.

All in all, UK schools seem to be structured very similarly to schools in the US, but their preparation for attending a university is a bit different. What do you guys think? Did anything sound wildly different from your school experience?