As Boris Johnson said as he announced a new lockdown: “‘Tis the season to be jolly careful”. But it’s nice to know that some festive traditions have survived the pandemic. Friday 11 December is the ninth Christmas Jumper Day, organised by Save the Children U.K. Normally, people wear a Christmas-themed jumper to work or school … Continue reading “Ho, Ho, Ho, Christmas Jumper Day is Back!”
Every year, the Education Ministry finances 400 courses in language and culture in EU countries for language teachers in primary or secondary. Applications need to be in by 17 January 2021. The two-week courses take place during the summer holidays. Brexit oblige, the English-language ones are in Dublin this year, from 12 to 21 July. … Continue reading “Travel to Ireland for Training Courses”
Gitanjali Rao from Colorado, won America’s Top Young Scientist 2017, for her innovative gadget to test for contaminants like lead in drinking water. She’s continuing her research to try to bring her test to market, while also working on cyberbullying and opoid addiction. She has also mentored 30,000 students, encouraging them to use science and … Continue reading “Young Scientist Named Time’s “Kid of the Year””
Not all the scientists researching a Covid vaccine or cure are professionals working in labs. Anika Chebrolu, 14, from Texas, has been named America’s Top Young Scientist 2020 for finding a compound that could bind to the distinctive spike protein in the SARS-Cov-2 virus and potentially inhibit its ability to infect human cells. Anika is … Continue reading “Teen Scientist Looking for a Covid Cure”
It’s the traditional time of year for dictionary publishers to announce their “word of the year”. In a year dominated by the pandemic, Oxford Dictionaries decided to choose several, whereas Collins chose “lockdown” from a shortlist dominated by the health emergency. Merriam Webster in the States went with the word “pandemic” itself. Frequently-used words this … Continue reading “2020: A Year in Language”
After so long cooped up, it’s time to think of travel! If you teach English in secondary school, you can apply to spend two weeks teaching and observing in a school in the UK or Ireland. France éducation international (formerly the CIEP ) gives teachers possibility to spend two weeks in UK or Ireland to … Continue reading “Short Teaching Stays in the UK and Ireland”
Although President Trump is still making legal challenges over the election, it seems certain that after the January Inauguration, Joe Biden will become the 46th President of the U.S.A. and Kamala Harris, his running mate, will be the first black female Vice-President and to thus make history. Thanks to this B1 article, the students will … Continue reading “Joe Biden and Kamala Harris Profiles”
Now that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are President and Vice-President Elect of the U.S.A., your pupils will no doubt want to know more about them. This A2 article will provide materials for your pupils to speak about the American election in a factual way. Vocabulary and grammar: American institutions and politics: the White House, … Continue reading “Meet Joe Biden and Kamala Harris”
We know from your messages that you’ve been waiting for them… Our first two film guides in the Reading Guide series, Much Ado About Nothing and 12 Angry Men, are now available, as is Jane Eyre. Our film guides accompany students as they watch the film, and provide them with skills for film analysis as … Continue reading “New Reading Guides Available”
Britain’s most prestigious literary prize this year was awarded on 19 November to one of four debut novels in the shortlist: Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart, a story of family love and addiction in recession-hit 1980s Glasgow. The story is set in the era of Thatcherism and deindustrialisation. For working-class families, times were hard. When … Continue reading “The 2020 Booker Prize Goes to First-time Scottish Author”
