He Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 31 January 2020 > Celebrate

William Wordsworth was a leading light of the Romantics, famous in habitant of the Lake District, and Poet Laureate. 2020 marks his 250th anniversary. Wordsworth (1770-1850) is chiefly remembered as a nature poet in his beloved Lake District, where he was born and lived much of his life. But he was also a radical in … Continue reading “He Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”

Brexit Day

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 31 January 2020 > In the News

After more than three and a half years, three Prime Ministers and two elections, but with no celebratory ringing of Big Ben, Brexit finally means Brexit. Sort of. While Britain officially leaves the EU at midnight on 31 Jan 2020, it is only to enter a transition period that will last till 31 December. So, … Continue reading “Brexit Day”

Little Women

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 31 January 2020 >

Greta Gerwig’s latest movie based on Louisa May Alcott’s novel will take you into a female world in which conventions are defied, questioned and challenged by four sisters. Indeed, these four women on the brink of emancipation shatter the traditional image of upper-middle class young ladies whose role (and even duty) was to get married … Continue reading “Little Women”

1917

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 31 January 2020 >

The new World War I drama from director Sam Mendes, 1917, unfolds in real-time, tracking a pair of British soldiers as they cross the Western Front on a desperate rescue mission. Soldiers Blake and Schofield  must travel nine miles across the treacherous war zone to deliver orders to stop a regiment attacking enemy lines within … Continue reading “1917”

Brexit is Back On

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 20 December 2019 > In the News

With the Conservative Party winning an overall majority in the UK Parliament for the first time since 2017, Prime Minister Boris Johnson means to make good on his promise to, “Get Brexit done.” The Conservatives won at least a 78 seat majority on 12 December, with 364 seats,a much more comfortable position than the minority … Continue reading “Brexit is Back On”

William Blake: Visionary

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 20 December 2019 > Ready to Use Shine Bright Lycée

The Tate Britain exhibition on William Blake explores this talented 19th century artist whose poems and paintings are strikingly modern and pregnant with meaning. Differentiated activities from A2+ to B2 will allow you to add Blake to a sequence on the Gothic or the Romantic movements, for example Shine Bright 1ère Advanced File 1 “Freaky dreams”. … Continue reading “William Blake: Visionary”

Reading Guides for Your Students

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 20 December 2019 > Pedagogy Shine Bright Lycée

We promised them and here they are. Our first four Reading Guides are available for books on the 1ère LLCER curriculum by Edgar Allan Poe, George Orwell, Harper Lee and Mark Haddon. Designed for class or home use, they will help pupils successfully meet the challenge of reading their first full fictional works in English. … Continue reading “Reading Guides for Your Students”

Impeached

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 20 December 2019 > In the News

On 18 December, President Donald Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives, only the third president in U.S. history to be rebuked in this way. The second stage of impeachment, before the Senate, is unlikely to succeed, but it will run into the beginning of primary season for the November presidential election. The impeachment … Continue reading “Impeached”

Greta’s Speech

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 20 December 2019 > Shine Bright Lycée Webpicks

The speech young climate activist Greta Thunberg made to the UN Climate Action Summit in September 2019 is a great example of a speech for students. It can be added to work on several Shine Bright 1e themes. Greta Thunberg would also be interesting to study in connection with the LLCER literature curriculum The Curious … Continue reading “Greta’s Speech”