Marking the 25th Anniversary of the Belfast (Good Friday Agreement)
Introduction by Jonathan Stewart, Country Director, British Council Northern Ireland
These teaching resource were developed to mark 25 years since the historic signing of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, which brought over 30 years of conflict in Northern Ireland to an end. The resources provide an opportunity for learners to, not only enhance their English language skills, but also gain a deeper understanding of the history and significance of the Northern Ireland peace process.
The materials reflect on the journey to the signing of the peace agreement, and provide opportunities for learners to gain a deeper understanding of the importance of the language of diplomacy, dialogue, and reconciliation.
The resources were developed as part of the Northern Ireland Office’s (NIO) programme of activity to mark the anniversary of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.
Audience and level
The four lesson plans have been developed for CEFR A2 and CEFR B2 level learners. The primary audience for these resources is learners in lower and upper secondary education. However, the resources are also suitable for young adult and adult learners of English.
Each lesson is designed to last for approximately 60 minutes in total.
Read an overview of each lesson plan below and click or tap on the title to access the classroom resources.
Belfast (Good Friday) Peace Agreement: video lesson - pre-intermediate
Age and level:
Lower secondary learners with a minimum CEFR A2 level in English
About this resource
This lesson plan explores the history of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement using the video From Conflict to Peace produced by The National Archives UK, and how the Peace Process was achieved.
By the end of the lesson, students will have learnt new vocabulary to help understand the content of the video, listened/watched for specific information and summarised what they learnt about the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement in a speaking activity.
Find out more and download the resources
Belfast (Good Friday) Peace Agreement – visual literacy
Age and level:
Upper secondary learners with a minimum CEFR A2 level in English
About this resource
In this lesson, students will learn about the Troubles which happened in Northern Ireland. They will do this by looking specifically at the murals of that time and learning how to ‘read’ images by developing some basic visual literacy skills. They will also get the chance to reflect on more contemporary street art and design their own mural.
Find out more and download the resource
Belfast (Good Friday) Peace Agreement: video lesson - upper-intermediate
Age and level:
Lower secondary learners with a minimum CEFR B2 level in English
About this resource
This lesson plan explores the history of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement using the video From Conflict to Peace produced by The National Archives UK, and how the Peace Process was achieved.
By the end of the lesson, students will have watched a video about the history of Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement and discussed some of the content of the Agreement and how this impacted different groups/ communities. They will also have learned some language on the topic of peace and reconciliation and discussed the importance of peace, reconciliation and social justice.
Find out more and download the resources
From Conflict to Peace in Northern Ireland
Age and level:
Upper secondary learners with a minimum CEFR B2 level
About this resource
In this multiple skills lesson, students will read about key groups who took part in the Northern Ireland Peace Process and identify key points to negotiate.They will learn some collocations connected to negotiating and some functional language for reaching a compromise. As a final activity, students will develop their speaking skills by taking part in a role play in which they have to resolve a conflict.
Find out more and download the resources
The resources in this series were developed by Sea Steele and Sarah Smith at eltonix