The This is England short-film festival in Rouen has a specific programme of short films for cycle 4e classes. This year you can access screenings all school year all around France. The cycle 4 selection has ants and a sporting dog, children living in rural communities, the 2012 Olympics and a DIY spaceship. If you … Continue reading “This is England 2025 films for Cycle 4”
The This is England short-film festival in Rouen has a specific programme of short films for lycée classes. This year you can access screenings all school year all around France. This year’s selection will make you laugh and make you cry, from the Troubles in Northern Ireland to sibling rivalry. Some films are very British, … Continue reading “This is England 2025 Films for Lycée”
On 18 October each year, Canada celebrates “Persons Day” in memory of the day in 1929 when women were legally recognised as “persons” in Canadian law, giving them access to political and institutional roles. The legal decision was in answer to a suit brought by five women, who became known as the Famous Five. … Continue reading “Breaking News: Women are Persons”
This year’s UK National Poetry Day is on 2 October. A great opportunity to get some poetry into your class, and to explore this year’s theme: Play. In any case, every day is Poetry Day! There are a couple of ideas of activities around the theme of play that you can use in an ESL … Continue reading “Celebrate Poetry Day in the Classroom”
The Netflix series Wednesday, now in its second season, draws upon the Addams Family cartoons created by Charles Addams in the 1930s. But it also takes inspiration from the abundant mythology of supernatural creatures in Western culture. The Addams family are part of a world called the Outcasts. The various outcasts have different powers. For … Continue reading “Wednesday Addams and Mythological Creatures”
It’s World Ocean Day on 8 June and this free poster is a great way to talk with classes about what they can do to help preserve the marine environment. The suggestions are fairly simple and some could be done in class, like the path to the sea, class party or art project. And language-wise, … Continue reading “Help Save the Oceans”
Since the 1970s, signs saying “No Ball Games” have been a familiar sight on British streets. Ball games were synonymous with noise and broken windows. But now a London council is changing the signs to encourage young people to participate in sport. Half of young people don’t do the recommended amount of physical activity per … Continue reading “More Ball Games Please”
Easter traditions are fairly similar from one English-speaking country to another, but it’s nice for pupils to discover them and compare them with their own traditions. Although originally a religious festival, many of the popular traditions such as chocolate eggs and the Easter bunny have more to do with secular celebrations. New York City’s Easter … Continue reading “Easter Traditions”
April is World Autism Awareness Month. It aims to raise awareness about the condition. This short video by a British schoolboy with autism is a great introduction for pupils to see how he experiences life and school, and the benefits of help he has received. This video was produced for Comic Relief for the 2023 … Continue reading “World Autism Awareness Month”
Talking about emotions can be hard when you are a teenager — even more so when the feelings are about love and romance, and you have to talk about it in another language! This video of American teenagers talking about crushes is an excellent conversation starter for A2-A2+ classes. Why not use it for Valentine’s … Continue reading “Valentine’s Day: Talking about Feelings”