The Romans didn't
use to eat breakfast!
Skills: Listening
Learning goals:
Keywords
Learning about the history of breakfast,
lunch and dinner
cheese, cereal, coffee, porridge, oat
cakes, tea, toast
Listening for specific information
Becoming familiar with exam-style
listening texts and activities
Contents
Aims
Year 12
Lesson 12
Middle Ages, Romans, Stone Age,
17th/18th/19th Century
rich(er)
poor(er)
artificial, gadget, grains, grinding,
lavish, sliced, stale, stalls
Language Analysis
Listening for specific information
When we are listening for specific information, it is a good idea to have an idea beforehand of what we
are going to listen to and the specific details we need to listen out for. The intonation and stress of some
words can also indicate how relevant or important they are in the dialogue.
Some ideas to help students while they are listening for specific information are:
1) make notes of key ideas
2) ask questions to clarify information
3) repeat or rephrase information to show understanding
Multiple definitions for the same word in dictionaries
Sometimes when we look for the definition of a particular word in a dictionary, there is more than one
definition for that word. This can be because the word in question serves more than one function, eg it
might be a noun and a verb, or because the word can be used in different contexts. An example of this
can be seen in the word present.
present as a noun: I loved the present my gran gave me for my birthday.
present as a verb: They didn’t present the information well.
present as an adjective: She was not present for the opening of the gallery.
It should also be noted that there is a slight difference in the pronunciation of each of these.
There are a number of words in this lesson which will have more than one definition in a standard
dictionary:
natural
artificial
tool
stalls
© Young Digital Planet 2015 – Core Curriculum for English – Teacher’s Guide
Which definition to use?
Dictionaries usually list the different definitions in order of their usage in English. To make sure they are
looking at the correct definition for a particular word, students can read through the options and then
think about how the word fits into a sentence and whether a particular definition makes more sense and
is more appropriate than the others. In other words, it is important to look at the context the word is
being used in.
© Young Digital Planet 2015 – Core Curriculum for English – Teacher’s Guide
Procedure
Lead-in
Key:
Picture of different cheeses – cheese
Picture of an oat cake – oat cake
Picture of a teapot and two cups – tea
Picture of a bowl full of porridge – porridge
Picture of milk being poured into cereal – cereal
Picture of coffee beans – coffee
Picture of a slice of toast with jam – toast
Suggested answers for question 4:
The late Stone Age – around 5,000-10,000 years
ago
Roman times – around 2000-1500 years ago
The Middle Ages – 12th-15th Centuries
The Industrial Revolution – approximately mid18th to mid-19th Century
Focus students’ attention on the pictures and tell
them to match them with the correct food names.
Then tell students to answer the questions.
Extension: Choose some students to share their
ideas with the class.
Then give out a copy of the Handout. Tell
students to cut the boxes and match the pictures
with the clues.
© Young Digital Planet 2015 – Core Curriculum for English – Teacher’s Guide
Main input
Audio:
In many parts of the world, people have grown up
with the idea that the ‘traditional’ way of eating is
to have three main meals each day. But how long
has this pattern actually been a tradition?
Although there is some evidence that breakfast
existed in the late Stone Age (around 5,00010,000 years ago), when people used to make a
kind of porridge by grinding grains with large
stones, breakfast didn’t really exist for much of
history. The Romans (around 2000 years ago)
didn’t use to eat breakfast – they thought it was
healthier to eat just one meal in the middle of the
day.
In Britain in the Middle Ages (12th-15th Century),
only the poorer people ate breakfast because
they went out very early to work in the fields. They
used to have oatcakes or porridge. By the 17th
Century, all social classes used to eat breakfast,
but at quite different times from each other – and
richer people sometimes used to eat 24 different
dishes for breakfast! Around this time tea and
coffee became popular breakfast drinks.
In the 18th and 19th Centuries, working hours
became more regular because of the Industrial
Revolution, and workers used to need an early
meal before going to work. In the early 20th
Century, an American called John Harvey Kellogg
created the first cornflake when he baked some
corn that had gone stale. By the 1950s, breakfast
as it’s known in the UK – with sliced bread, toast
and breakfast cereals – had arrived.
Explain to students they will hear someone talking
about the history of breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Tell them to listen and complete the chart with 'Y'
if the meal used to be eaten, and 'N' if it didn't.
Lunch and dinner have changed a lot over the
years, too. Between Roman times and the Middle
Ages, everyone in the UK used to eat in the
middle of the day, but they called this meal
dinner, not lunch. In the Middle Ages, people got
up earlier and went to bed earlier than now. By
midday, workers had often been working in the
fields for six hours or more, so they were very
hungry for their meal of bread and cheese. Richer
people used to eat a much more lavish, formal
© Young Digital Planet 2015 – Core Curriculum for English – Teacher’s Guide
midday meal – their cooks used to spend all
morning preparing it.
Eating patterns changed as artificial light was
invented. Richer people started to have their big
meal later in the day, so they used to eat a small
lunch during the day to keep them going.
Again, the Industrial Revolution helped to define
the lunch and dinner that we know today. Many
people used to work in factories and offices, so
they needed to eat something in the middle of the
day. There was no room in towns or cities for
people to grow their own food or keep animals, so
they had to buy their midday meal. Pies used to
be sold on stalls near factories, and cheap
restaurants opened near offices in cities.
By the 18th Century most people in towns and
cities were eating three meals a day, and by the
19th Century, dinner for most people was an
evening meal after work. In 20th Century Britain,
dinner as it’s known today really developed in the
1950s, with the arrival on the market of new
ovens and cooking gadgets from the United
States.
Key:
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Stone Age
Y
Romans
N
Y
Middle Ages
Y
Y
17th century
Y
18th century
Y
Y
Y
19th century
Y
Y
Y
© Young Digital Planet 2015 – Core Curriculum for English – Teacher’s Guide
Practice 1
Audio:
In many parts of the world, people have grown up
with the idea that the ‘traditional’ way of eating is
to have three main meals each day. But how long
has this pattern actually been a tradition?
Although there is some evidence that breakfast
existed in the late Stone Age (around 5,00010,000 years ago), when people used to make a
kind of porridge by grinding grains with large
stones, breakfast didn’t really exist for much of
history. The Romans (around 2000 years ago)
didn’t use to eat breakfast – they thought it was
healthier to eat just one meal in the middle of the
day.
In Britain in the Middle Ages (12th-15th Century),
only the poorer people ate breakfast because
they went out very early to work in the fields. They
used to have oatcakes or porridge. By the 17th
Century, all social classes used to eat breakfast,
but at quite different times from each other – and
richer people sometimes used to eat 24 different
dishes for breakfast! Around this time tea and
coffee became popular breakfast drinks.
In the 18th and 19th Centuries, working hours
became more regular because of the Industrial
Revolution, and workers used to need an early
meal before going to work. In the early 20th
Century, an American called John Harvey Kellogg
created the first cornflake when he baked some
corn that had gone stale. By the 1950s, breakfast
as it’s known in the UK – with sliced bread, toast
and breakfast cereals – had arrived.
Lunch and dinner have changed a lot over the
years, too. Between Roman times and the Middle
Ages, everyone in the UK used to eat in the
middle of the day, but they called this meal
dinner, not lunch. In the Middle Ages, people got
up earlier and went to bed earlier than now. By
midday, workers had often been working in the
fields for six hours or more, so they were very
hungry for their meal of bread and cheese. Richer
people used to eat a much more lavish, formal
Ask students to listen and choose the correct
answers.
© Young Digital Planet 2015 – Core Curriculum for English – Teacher’s Guide
midday meal – their cooks used to spend all
morning preparing it.
Eating patterns changed as artificial light was
invented. Richer people started to have their big
meal later in the day, so they used to eat a small
lunch during the day to keep them going.
Again, the Industrial Revolution helped to define
the lunch and dinner that we know today. Many
people used to work in factories and offices, so
they needed to eat something in the middle of the
day. There was no room in towns or cities for
people to grow their own food or keep animals, so
they had to buy their midday meal. Pies used to
be sold on stalls near factories, and cheap
restaurants opened near offices in cities.
By the 18th Century most people in towns and
cities were eating three meals a day, and by the
19th Century, dinner for most people was an
evening meal after work. In 20th Century Britain,
dinner as it’s known today really developed in the
1950s, with the arrival on the market of new
ovens and cooking gadgets from the United
States.
Key:
1a2c3a4b5b6c7b
© Young Digital Planet 2015 – Core Curriculum for English – Teacher’s Guide
Practice 2
Audio:
In many parts of the world, people have grown up
with the idea that the ‘traditional’ way of eating is
to have three main meals each day. But how long
has this pattern actually been a tradition?
Although there is some evidence that breakfast
existed in the late Stone Age (around 5,00010,000 years ago), when people used to make a
kind of porridge by grinding grains with large
stones, breakfast didn’t really exist for much of
history. The Romans (around 2000 years ago)
didn’t use to eat breakfast – they thought it was
healthier to eat just one meal in the middle of the
day.
In Britain in the Middle Ages (12th-15th Century),
only the poorer people ate breakfast because
they went out very early to work in the fields. They
used to have oatcakes or porridge. By the 17th
Century, all social classes used to eat breakfast,
but at quite different times from each other – and
richer people sometimes used to eat 24 different
dishes for breakfast! Around this time tea and
coffee became popular breakfast drinks.
In the 18th and 19th Centuries, working hours
became more regular because of the Industrial
Revolution, and workers used to need an early
meal before going to work. In the early 20th
Century, an American called John Harvey Kellogg
created the first cornflake when he baked some
corn that had gone stale. By the 1950s, breakfast
as it’s known in the UK – with sliced bread, toast
and breakfast cereals – had arrived.
Tell students to listen and complete the
sentences.
Lunch and dinner have changed a lot over the
years, too. Between Roman times and the Middle
Ages, everyone in the UK used to eat in the
middle of the day, but they called this meal
dinner, not lunch. In the Middle Ages, people got
up earlier and went to bed earlier than now. By
midday, workers had often been working in the
fields for six hours or more, so they were very
hungry for their meal of bread and cheese. Richer
people used to eat a much more lavish, formal
© Young Digital Planet 2015 – Core Curriculum for English – Teacher’s Guide
midday meal – their cooks used to spend all
morning preparing it.
Eating patterns changed as artificial light was
invented. Richer people started to have their big
meal later in the day, so they used to eat a small
lunch during the day to keep them going.
Again, the Industrial Revolution helped to define
the lunch and dinner that we know today. Many
people used to work in factories and offices, so
they needed to eat something in the middle of the
day. There was no room in towns or cities for
people to grow their own food or keep animals, so
they had to buy their midday meal. Pies used to
be sold on stalls near factories, and cheap
restaurants opened near offices in cities.
By the 18th Century most people in towns and
cities were eating three meals a day, and by the
19th Century, dinner for most people was an
evening meal after work. In 20th Century Britain,
dinner as it’s known today really developed in the
1950s, with the arrival on the market of new
ovens and cooking gadgets from the United
States.
Key:
1 healthier
2 porridge
3 at different times
4 the Industrial Revolution
5 earlier
6 bread and cheese
7 buy
8 1950s
© Young Digital Planet 2015 – Core Curriculum for English – Teacher’s Guide
Practice 3
Audio:
In many parts of the world, people have grown up
with the idea that the ‘traditional’ way of eating is
to have three main meals each day. But how long
has this pattern actually been a tradition?
Although there is some evidence that breakfast
existed in the late Stone Age (around 5,00010,000 years ago), when people used to make a
kind of porridge by grinding grains with large
stones, breakfast didn’t really exist for much of
history. The Romans (around 2000 years ago)
didn’t use to eat breakfast – they thought it was
healthier to eat just one meal in the middle of the
day.
In Britain in the Middle Ages (12th-15th Century),
only the poorer people ate breakfast because
they went out very early to work in the fields. They
used to have oatcakes or porridge. By the 17th
Century, all social classes used to eat breakfast,
but at quite different times from each other – and
richer people sometimes used to eat 24 different
dishes for breakfast! Around this time tea and
coffee became popular breakfast drinks.
Ask students to look at the words from the
listening passage and match them with their
definitions. Allow students to use a dictionary to
help them. Then tell them to listen and check their
answers.
In the 18th and 19th Centuries, working hours
became more regular because of the Industrial
Revolution, and workers used to need an early
meal before going to work. In the early 20th
Century, an American called John Harvey Kellogg
created the first cornflake when he baked some
corn that had gone stale. By the 1950s, breakfast
as it’s known in the UK – with sliced bread, toast
and breakfast cereals – had arrived.
Lunch and dinner have changed a lot over the
years, too. Between Roman times and the Middle
Ages, everyone in the UK used to eat in the
middle of the day, but they called this meal
dinner, not lunch. In the Middle Ages, people got
up earlier and went to bed earlier than now. By
midday, workers had often been working in the
fields for six hours or more, so they were very
hungry for their meal of bread and cheese. Richer
people used to eat a much more lavish, formal
© Young Digital Planet 2015 – Core Curriculum for English – Teacher’s Guide
midday meal – their cooks used to spend all
morning preparing it.
Eating patterns changed as artificial light was
invented. Richer people started to have their big
meal later in the day, so they used to eat a small
lunch during the day to keep them going.
Again, the Industrial Revolution helped to define
the lunch and dinner that we know today. Many
people used to work in factories and offices, so
they needed to eat something in the middle of the
day. There was no room in towns or cities for
people to grow their own food or keep animals, so
they had to buy their midday meal. Pies used to
be sold on stalls near factories, and cheap
restaurants opened near offices in cities.
By the 18th Century most people in towns and
cities were eating three meals a day, and by the
19th Century, dinner for most people was an
evening meal after work. In 20th Century Britain,
dinner as it’s known today really developed in the
1950s, with the arrival on the market of new
ovens and cooking gadgets from the United
States.
Key:
gadget – a small, useful tool
lavish – large and extravagant
stalls – tables where things are sold
stale – old and no longer fresh
grinding – making into smaller pieces by crushing
sliced – cut into flat pieces
grains – seeds of wheat or other cereals
artificial – not natural, man-made
© Young Digital Planet 2015 – Core Curriculum for English – Teacher’s Guide
Practice 4
Audio:
In many parts of the world, people have grown up
with the idea that the ‘traditional’ way of eating is
to have three main meals each day. But how long
has this pattern actually been a tradition?
Although there is some evidence that breakfast
existed in the late Stone Age (around 5,00010,000 years ago), when people used to make a
kind of porridge by grinding grains with large
stones, breakfast didn’t really exist for much of
history. The Romans (around 2000 years ago)
didn’t use to eat breakfast – they thought it was
healthier to eat just one meal in the middle of the
day.
In Britain in the Middle Ages (12th-15th Century),
only the poorer people ate breakfast because
they went out very early to work in the fields. They
used to have oatcakes or porridge. By the 17th
Century, all social classes used to eat breakfast,
but at quite different times from each other – and
richer people sometimes used to eat 24 different
dishes for breakfast! Around this time tea and
coffee became popular breakfast drinks.
In the 18th and 19th Centuries, working hours
became more regular because of the Industrial
Revolution, and workers used to need an early
meal before going to work. In the early 20th
Century, an American called John Harvey Kellogg
created the first cornflake when he baked some
corn that had gone stale. By the 1950s, breakfast
as it’s known in the UK – with sliced bread, toast
and breakfast cereals – had arrived.
Ask students to listen again and choose True or
False.
Lunch and dinner have changed a lot over the
years, too. Between Roman times and the Middle
Ages, everyone in the UK used to eat in the
middle of the day, but they called this meal
dinner, not lunch. In the Middle Ages, people got
up earlier and went to bed earlier than now. By
midday, workers had often been working in the
fields for six hours or more, so they were very
hungry for their meal of bread and cheese. Richer
people used to eat a much more lavish, formal
© Young Digital Planet 2015 – Core Curriculum for English – Teacher’s Guide
midday meal – their cooks used to spend all
morning preparing it.
Eating patterns changed as artificial light was
invented. Richer people started to have their big
meal later in the day, so they used to eat a small
lunch during the day to keep them going.
Again, the Industrial Revolution helped to define
the lunch and dinner that we know today. Many
people used to work in factories and offices, so
they needed to eat something in the middle of the
day. There was no room in towns or cities for
people to grow their own food or keep animals, so
they had to buy their midday meal. Pies used to
be sold on stalls near factories, and cheap
restaurants opened near offices in cities.
By the 18th Century most people in towns and
cities were eating three meals a day, and by the
19th Century, dinner for most people was an
evening meal after work. In 20th Century Britain,
dinner as it’s known today really developed in the
1950s, with the arrival on the market of new
ovens and cooking gadgets from the United
States.
Key:
1T2F3T4F5F6T7F8T
© Young Digital Planet 2015 – Core Curriculum for English – Teacher’s Guide
Practice 5
Audio:
In many parts of the world, people have grown up
with the idea that the ‘traditional’ way of eating is
to have three main meals each day. But how long
has this pattern actually been a tradition?
Although there is some evidence that breakfast
existed in the late Stone Age (around 5,00010,000 years ago), when people used to make a
kind of porridge by grinding grains with large
stones, breakfast didn’t really exist for much of
history. The Romans (around 2000 years ago)
didn’t use to eat breakfast – they thought it was
healthier to eat just one meal in the middle of the
day.
In Britain in the Middle Ages (12th-15th Century),
only the poorer people ate breakfast because
they went out very early to work in the fields. They
used to have oatcakes or porridge. By the 17th
Century, all social classes used to eat breakfast,
but at quite different times from each other – and
richer people sometimes used to eat 24 different
dishes for breakfast! Around this time tea and
coffee became popular breakfast drinks.
In the 18th and 19th Centuries, working hours
became more regular because of the Industrial
Revolution, and workers used to need an early
meal before going to work. In the early 20th
Century, an American called John Harvey Kellogg
created the first cornflake when he baked some
corn that had gone stale. By the 1950s, breakfast
as it’s known in the UK – with sliced bread, toast
and breakfast cereals – had arrived.
Ask students to read and complete the summary.
Explain that the first letter is already given to
make things easier for them. Then tell them to
listen and check their answers.
Lunch and dinner have changed a lot over the
years, too. Between Roman times and the Middle
Ages, everyone in the UK used to eat in the
middle of the day, but they called this meal
dinner, not lunch. In the Middle Ages, people got
up earlier and went to bed earlier than now. By
midday, workers had often been working in the
fields for six hours or more, so they were very
hungry for their meal of bread and cheese. Richer
people used to eat a much more lavish, formal
© Young Digital Planet 2015 – Core Curriculum for English – Teacher’s Guide
midday meal – their cooks used to spend all
morning preparing it.
Eating patterns changed as artificial light was
invented. Richer people started to have their big
meal later in the day, so they used to eat a small
lunch during the day to keep them going.
Again, the Industrial Revolution helped to define
the lunch and dinner that we know today. Many
people used to work in factories and offices, so
they needed to eat something in the middle of the
day. There was no room in towns or cities for
people to grow their own food or keep animals, so
they had to buy their midday meal. Pies used to
be sold on stalls near factories, and cheap
restaurants opened near offices in cities.
By the 18th Century most people in towns and
cities were eating three meals a day, and by the
19th Century, dinner for most people was an
evening meal after work. In 20th Century Britain,
dinner as it’s known today really developed in the
1950s, with the arrival on the market of new
ovens and cooking gadgets from the United
States.
Key:
1 porridge
2 didn’t/did not
3 poorer
4 dinner
5 formal
6 tea
7 coffee
8 stall
© Young Digital Planet 2015 – Core Curriculum for English – Teacher’s Guide
English to take away
Key:
Students’ own answers.
This is a ‘free practice’ stage. The aim is
personalisation. Give students the following
instructions:
Now it's your turn. Work in pairs and ask and
answer questions.
Extension: Ask students to work together to do a
class project. Tell them to find out about how
meal patterns in their own cultures have changed
over history. Then get them to make a display or
posters to show the changes.
© Young Digital Planet 2015 – Core Curriculum for English – Teacher’s Guide
Handout
You can have this with butter or margarine, but if you want
more flavour, try it with jam or marmalade.
You can get different flavours of this drink and it can come
in ‘bags’.
I like eating this for breakfast, but you can have it with all
meals – you can eat it as it is, or use it in cooking.
This is a very healthy breakfast food but it tastes bland –
you can add some honey to make it sweeter.
I like mine with lots of fresh berries and cold milk, but my
sister eats it straight from the packet.
This is a healthier type of cake and is made of a grain that
gives you energy and fills you up in the morning.
This drink can be very strong and helps you wake up in
the morning.
© Young Digital Planet 2015 – Core Curriculum for English – Teacher’s Guide
Answers
Picture 1 – This drink can be very strong and helps you wake up in the morning.
Picture 2 – This is a healthier type of cake and is made of a grain that gives you energy and fills you up
in the morning.
Picture 3 – You can have this with butter or margarine, but if you want more flavour, try it with jam or
marmalade.
Picture 4 – I like mine with lots of fresh berries and cold milk, but my sister eats it straight from the
packet.
Picture 5 – You can get different flavours of this drink and it can come in ‘bags’.
Picture 6 – I like eating this for breakfast, but you can have it with all meals – you can eat it as it is, or
use it in cooking.
Picture 7 – This is a very healthy breakfast food but it tastes bland – you can add some honey to make
it sweeter.
© Young Digital Planet 2015 – Core Curriculum for English – Teacher’s Guide