In our series “Your Students Have Talent”, check out these amazing diary entries created as an intermediate task by pupils using our Reading Guide Gangsta Granny. The 4e students were studying David Walliams’ humorous novel. After reading the extracts of the first part, where they learned some details about the main protagonist Ben’s life, his … Continue reading “Your Students Have Talent! Dear Diary”
This 4-minute video is a simple explanation of Thanksgiving, designed for young learners in the U.S.A. It would work well in an ESL classroom. We’ve indicated the content of the sections if you don’t want to use the whole thing. Thanksgiving in 2025 is on Thursday 27 November. The voiceover is slow and understanding is … Continue reading “Simple Thanksgiving Video”
There aren’t many people who publish two memoirs by the time they are 28 years old. But then there aren’t many people who have lived as much as Malala Yousafzai. The youngest ever winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Malala ran the risk of being a symbol rather than a fully-fledged person. Her second memoir, … Continue reading “Malala Looks Back… and Forward”
The 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth will be celebrated in December 2025. Start the celebrations with a mini-series about Miss Austen, about Jane’s story but focusing on a different Miss Austen. It is centred on Cassandra Austen, author Jane’s only sister and close confidant. And the series speculates on why Cassandra burned most of Jane’s … Continue reading “Meet Miss Austen”
Our bioboxes are short “Who Am I?” quizzes to help introduce pupils to famous figures in the English-speaking world. You will find here two bioboxes, one about Mary Shelley and the other about Victor Frankenstein’s creature. You can see them below, and download them to use in class at the bottom of the page.
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”
Guillermo del Toro resurrects Mary Shelley’s myth in a gothic and deeply human vision. Premiered at the Venice Film Festival in late summer 2025, Frankenstein marks Guillermo del Toro’s long-awaited return to the themes that define his work: monstrosity, compassion, and creation itself. A US–Mexican co-production, the film opened in select theaters on October 17, … Continue reading “Del Toro’s Frankenstein: A Gothic Vision for Netflix”
Wicked is back, with a vengeance and for good! The second part of the adventures of Elphaba and Glinda is released on 19 November, revealing another aspect of these two women’s relationship. Whether you teach A1+ students or B1 ones, these activities will help you explore the world of Wicked. We offer 2 levels of analysis … Continue reading “Wicked for Good”
On 4 November, Zohran Mamdani won the election to be Mayor of New York City at the age of just 34. Although a Democrat following two Democrats may not seem revolutionary, Mamdani, who describes himself as a Socialist, is far from the current line of the party. His youth delighted the many grassroots supporters who … Continue reading “Zohran Mamdani, A New Political Era for NYC”