The father of the historical novel, author of Ivanhoe and the romanticised image of Scottish history portrayed in the Waverley novels, and a collector and preserver of ballads from the oral tradition, Sir Walter Scott was one major figures of Victorian Britain. This year, Scotland celebrates the 250th anniversary of his birth. Scott was born … Continue reading “Sir Walter Scott at 250”
The Walk with Little Amal project aims to raise awareness of the plight of refugees and particularly refugee children. As Amal makes an 8,000 km journey across Europe on foot, the project hopes to help other children think about the issue, and they’ve provided lots of educational tools to help teachers explore the topic in … Continue reading “Teaching about Refugees”
It’s National Poetry Day in the UK on 7 October. On that day, or any day, why not have fun with poems in class? They’re a great way to explore language and practise diction. The National Poetry Day site has a lot of poems. Many are difficult for ESL learners but we’ve picked a couple … Continue reading “Read Poems Out Loud for National Poetry Day”
February 2021 sees the 200th anniversary of the untimely death of British Romantic poet John Keats. The author of “Ode to a Grecian Urn”, “La Belle Dame Sans Merci” and “To Autumn”, died of tuberculosis at the age of 25, convinced his literary career was a failure. Yet his poems became some of the best … Continue reading “Romantic Poetry: John Keats 200”
Every 25 January, Scots and Scotophiles around the world celebrate Robert Burns, Scotland’s national poet. And since one of his famous poems is about the national dish, haggis, Burns Suppers are an occasion to taste haggis, recite poetry and enjoy Scottish music. You certainly won’t be able to go to celebrate in Scotland this year, … Continue reading “Celebrate Scotland’s Burns Night Online”
The line-up for the Biden-Harris Presidential Inauguration includes an extraordinary young poet. Andrea Gorman was named the country’s inaugural National Youth Poet Laureate in 2017, at just 18. The Inauguration swearing-in ceremony traditionally includes a religious invocation and blessing, given by Father Leo J. O’Donovan and Reverend Dr. Silvester Beaman, a recitation of the Pledge … Continue reading “Presidential Poet”
American poet Louise Glück won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature for “her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal”, the Swedish Academy said on Thursday. "It's too new … it's too early here." Take a listen to this brief conversation with new Literature Laureate Louise Glück, recorded shortly after the … Continue reading “2020 Nobel Prize in Literature for American poet Louise Gluck”
You may know him best as Captain Picard in the series Star Trek, or Professor Xavier in the X-Men films, but Sir Patrick Stewart is a classically trained actor who was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company for 16 years. Currently in lockdown in Los Angeles, Stewart decided to start reciting a Shakespeare sonnet … Continue reading “Patrick Stewart Reads Shakespeare”
One of the most famous British poets is celebrating his 250th birthday in April! Why not introduce students to Wordsworth by studying one of his iconic poems, “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” (also known as “Daffodils”), a perfect start to spring! The following activities will help your students discover Wordsworth himself, through a Biobox … Continue reading “Studying Wordsworth’s Poetry for Spring”
The Education Ministry has commissioned a series of filmed lessons for pupils, to be shown on France 4. There are classes in English for lycée level, every Wednesday, starting on 25 March. The first lesson is on written comprehension, for 1ère and Terminale, around a letter to Judy Garland, an extract from Love Letters to … Continue reading “Classes on TV for your lycée students”