Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot are commemorated on 5 November every year in the UK on Bonfire Night. Pupils from A2 can discover the background to this annual event. Lycée pupils can investigate how a failed terrorist from the seventeenth century has become the face of the Anonymous protest movement. The British Parliament site … Continue reading “Guy Fawkes Webpicks: Protest and Plot”
A couple of years ago, Sheffield-based Forced Entertainment brought the complete works of Shakespeare to the Festival d’automne in Paris: all 36 plays, each summarised by a single actor, using household objects. This autumn, the videos of the performances will be available in turn online. You can find the full schedule on Forced Entertainment’s site. … Continue reading “Table-top Shakespeare Free Streaming”
In commemoration of the hundredth anniversary of women obtaining the right to vote in the U.S.A. in 1920, these videos and mini-site provide thought-provoking teaching tools. The Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality Monument is based in the house in Washington, DC, which has housed the National Women’s Party since 1929. It is now run but the National … Continue reading “Teaching about U.S. Women’s Fight for the Vote”
Originally, Artemis Fowl was the first of eight fantasy novels by Irish author Eoin Colfer. It was adapted for the cinema by Kenneth Branagh and finally released on Disney+ after being delayed by lockdown. It features first-time actors as well as experienced and even very experienced actors like Judi Dench who plays the part of … Continue reading “Artemis Fowl: Teen Bond Villain”
U.S. Independence Day will be a subdued affair this year due to Coronavirus but celebrations will take place. The U.S. Department of State Bureau of International Information Programs decided to mark the event with a video available in English and eight other languages. It’s a simple introduction to the event for students from A1+ (reading … Continue reading “Fourth of July in Lockdown”
The 70th anniversary of the arrival of the Empire Windrush in the UK, and the current scandal about the treatment of the children of the Windrush Generation, give an opportunity to look at the experiences of Commonwealth immigrants to the U.K. This is a nice simple explanation of the Windrush generation from the BBC children’s … Continue reading “Teaching About Windrush”
Watch this scene from Artemis Fowl.
Widespread protests have again broken out in the U.S.A. after the death of an African-American man in police custody. George Floyd, 46, was arrested in Minneapolis, Minnesota on 25 May on suspicion of passing forged money. During his arrest, a police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes, despite Mr Floyd protesting … Continue reading “His Life Mattered”
Have you ever wondered why the sound of bells in English is rendered by “ding dong”? “Zig zag” or “Kit Kat” or “ping pong” are more examples of the same linguistic phenomenon, called “ablaut reduplication”. This short video explains the phenomenon, which isn’t only prevalent in English, it is also present in French, German and … Continue reading “Ding Dong!”
What more pleasant way to pass the time while practising listening to English? The Harry Potter website, Wizarding World, is having some famous faces and voices read the chapters of the first book in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. The readings were kicked off by none other than Harry himself: actor Daniel … Continue reading “Harry Potter Reads Harry Potter”
