LESSON PLANS
The Porch of the Caryatids
GREECE
Καρυάτιδες
Fire
B1
Warming Up

What do you see in the painting?
At the top and on the left, what do you see?
In the centre of the painting, what is the man doing?
Do you think he was scared?
Vocabulary
Cultural Heritage Background
The Bizantine Empire or the Roman Empire of the East was a big territory along the Mediterranean. Over the centuries, the empire suffered numerous attacks at the hands of the Normans, Arabs, Bulgarians and later the Ottoman Turks. These last ones, could not break into Western Europe until the fall of its capital Constantinople (now Istambul) in 1453.
The fall of Constantinople shocked Europe and changed the geopolitical situation as the Turks interrupted trade in the Mediterranean. Many Christian kings feared that an Ottoman invasion was imminent. But it was not until the 16th century that Pope Pius V helped organise the “Holy League”. This group of armies had the goal to break the Ottoman Empire’s control of the Eastern Mediterranean.
The Holy League, which included the major Catholic powers of southern Europe, the Spanish Empire and the republics of the Italian peninsula, was successful on 25 May 1571. The Ottoman Turks lost the battle in Lepanto (now Greece). Lepanto is considered the greatest battle at sea of modern times as more than 400 ships were involved.
Coincidentally, the great Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes took part in the battle and described Lepanto as “the most memorable and noble occasion that the centuries have seen, and that those to come expect to see” (Exemplary Novels, Prologue).
True or False questions
Listening
Listen to a sentence from the Cultural Heritage text and answer the following questions…
The Bizantine Empire or the Roman Empire of the East was a big territory along the Mediterranean. Over the centuries, the empire suffered numerous attacks at the hands of the Normans, Arabs, Bulgarians and later the Ottoman Turks. These last ones, could not break into Western Europe until the fall of its capital Constantinople (now Istambul) in 1453.
The fall of Constantinople shocked Europe and changed the geopolitical situation as the Turks interrupted trade in the Mediterranean. Many Christian kings feared that an Ottoman invasion was imminent. But it was not until the 16th century that Pope Pius V helped organise the “Holy League”. This group of armies had the goal to break the Ottoman Empire’s control of the Eastern Mediterranean.
Listening Comprehension (optional)
Reading the story
Reading Comprehension
Grammar

Look at the painting and imagine. If you were the man at the centre, how would you feel?
Let’s continue playing:
If you could travel back in time, what would you do?
If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?
These types of imaginary questions are Conditionals and we use them, for example, to say that one thing depends on something else.
Here are some examples:
0 (zero) conditional = is used to talk about things that are generally true, especially for laws and rules (true facts or scientific truths).
If I drink too much coffee, I can’t sleep at night.
The structure is:
if/when + present simple > > present simple.
1st Conditional = is used to talk about future situations that we believe are real or possible.
If it doesn’t rain tomorrow, we’ll go to the beach.
In sentences with first conditional, the structure is usually as follows:
if/when + present simple > > will + infinitive.
2nd Conditional = it is used to talk about imaginary situations that are impossible or improbable in reality.
If we had a garden, we could have a cat.
The structure is usually: if + past simple > > + would/could + infinitive.
Now it’s time to practice: Fill in the blanks with the words in the boxes.
Zero Conditional
First Conditional
Second Conditional
Additional activities
Vocabulary:
Learn vocabulary for feelings: How do you feel? | Learning English | Cambridge English
Grammar:
Practice Conditionals with the following exercise: Conditionals 1 | LearnEnglish (britishcouncil.org)
Check your understanding with the following quiz: B1 Grammar: Zero, first and second conditionals – Detalles – Kahoot!
Extra resources for learners
Watch this video and learn more about the Battle of Lepanto: Battle of Lepanto 1571 – Ottoman Wars DOCUMENTARY – YouTube
Watch this video and learn about the Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes (American English) – MIGUEL DE CERVANTES – Draw My Life | con El Coleccionista de Mundos – YouTube