Filming “First Man”

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 16 October 2018 > What's On

How do you make a biopic about one of the most famous men of the twentieth century but who was famously private and discreet? There can be few people on the planet who don’t know who Neil Armstrong was, or rather what he did. But do many of us even know what the astronaut looked … Continue reading “Filming “First Man””

Who Am I? Competition

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 20 September 2018 > Pedagogy

Have your A2-level pupils create a “Who Am I?” quiz about a famous English-speaker to enter our competition. We would like pupils to create ten questions, progressing from difficult to easy, to identify a mystery person, using the model of the “BioBox” quiz below. You can download this quiz and/or one on Nelson Mandela. We’ll … Continue reading “Who Am I? Competition”

The Soul of Civil Rights

Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 17 September 2018 > In the News

Aretha Franklin, dubbed “the Queen of Soul”, was one of the most influential musicians in the U.S. charts. She won 18 Grammy awards but also made a massive contribution to the civil rights movement: her songs would become their anthems. Aretha Franklin grew up in the 1950s in Detroit, where her father was a popular … Continue reading “The Soul of Civil Rights”

Spike Lee is Back

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 30 August 2018 > What's On

Spike Lee’s latest film, BlacKkKlansman, is based on the true story of an African-American police officer who managed to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan in the 1970s. Incredible as it sounds, Ron Stallworth masterminded an infiltration operation by posing as a white racist on the phone. The film, which won the Grand Prize at the … Continue reading “Spike Lee is Back”

Teaching with BlacKkKlansman

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 30 August 2018 > Shine Bright Lycée Webpicks

Spike Lee’s new film BlacKkKlansman is based on the true story of Ron Stallworth, a Colorado Springs policeman who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan. This downloadable audio interview with Stallworth is excellent for listening comprehension. The 13-minute interview is a downloadable podcast from the BBC World Service. It’s very clear and extracts are understandable from … Continue reading “Teaching with BlacKkKlansman”

Audio Interview with the Director of Mary Shelley

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 27 July 2018 > Ready to Use

A film about Frankenstein author Mary Shelley is being released on 8 August. This B1-B1+ resource allows pupils to explore an interview with Haifaa-Al-Mansour, its director, about Shelley, filmmaking and being the first female Saudi Arabian director. You may want to introduce the topic of Mary Shelley and Frankenstein first with our Ready to Use … Continue reading “Audio Interview with the Director of Mary Shelley”

Making Mary Shelley

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 27 July 2018 > Shine Bright Lycée What's On

In the year in which the bicentenary of the publication of Frankenstein is being celebrated, a new biopic of its author, Mary Shelley, turns the spotlight on the young author who has long been eclipsed by a creation which escaped the pages of her book to enter popular culture. Rather like the eponymous Dr Frankenstein … Continue reading “Making Mary Shelley”

Brontë Family Webpicks

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 04 July 2018 > Webpicks

The three Brontë sisters lived short, isolated lives in early nineteenth century England, but they produced some outstanding novels, in particular Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. The bicentenaries of their births are being celebrated from 2016 to 2020. To find out more about the Brontës, visit the Brontë Society site, which has information about each … Continue reading “Brontë Family Webpicks”

Back in Black… Hole

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 04 July 2018 > In the News

On Friday June 15th, after a memorial service which saw Stephen Hawking’s ashes interred at Westminster Abbey, his “message of peace and hope” was sent to the stars. Ashes to Ashes… The ashes of British physicist Stephen Hawking were buried Friday June 15th in a corner of Westminster Abbey between the graves of Charles Darwin … Continue reading “Back in Black… Hole”

Nelson Mandela

Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 04 June 2018 > Ready to Use

This year marks the centenary of Nelson Mandela’s birth, on 18 July 1918. Our Biobox video quiz will allow you to familiarise your students with Mandela’s life from A2 level. And in this B1 article your students will learn about Mandela and his part in the abolition of apartheid and the building of a democratic … Continue reading “Nelson Mandela”