It’s always great to have an excuse to play Beatles songs in class and the latest one is this summer’s feel-good movie, Yesterday. In it a wannabe pop star from England wakes up from a bike accident caused by a global power cut to discover that he is the only person left on Earth who … Continue reading “Yesterday”
Juneteenth is an American celebration marking the end of slavery, when news of the Emancipation Proclamation finally reached the last U.S. state, Texas on June 19, 1865. These digital resources can be used to add to Shine Bright 2e File 19 “Breaking the Chains”. Read more about the history and traditions of Juneteenth in our … Continue reading “The End of Slavery: Juneteenth”
Shine Bright 1re File 16 is on Born-free South Africa: the young generation that was born after the end of apartheid. The legacy of Nelson Mandela’s life and politics is the cornerstone of today’s South Africa. In this B1 article, your students will learn about Mandela and his part in the abolition of apartheid and … Continue reading “South Africa: Nelson Mandela”
Dorothea Lange’s iconic photos of Depression-era America and the farming families forced to flee meteorological and financial disasters often focus on the roads the migrants travelled. In Shine Bright 1re Advanced File 4 “On the Road”, pupils analyse a photo by Lange juxtaposed with extracts from John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. This resource will … Continue reading “Dorothea Lange: On the Road”
Michelle Obama’s memoir of her life up until leaving the White House gives great insight in the U.S. political system and the extent to which the private is considered political, and to which spouses and children are expected to participate in candidates’ campaigns. It is an excellent addition to Shine Bright 1re File 5, “Politically … Continue reading “Michelle Obama Autobiography”
A new film, First Man, released a few months before the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landings gives an opportunity to look back at a discreet man who marked 20th century history. You can use this resource with Shine Bright 1re File 1, Biopics in Hollywood. Pupils will be asked to make timelines … Continue reading “First Man Biopic”
The 2019 film adaptation of James Baldwin’s novel If Beale Street Could Talk, a love story set in 1970s Harlem, makes an excellent complement to Shine Bright 2de File 1 “United Colors of Harlem” or Shine Bright 1re File 8 “African-American Art” . This video can be used in class to introduce the film and Baldwin. … Continue reading “James Baldwin: Love in Harlem”
Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë were wonderful storytellers, but their lives have fascinated generations of audiences almost as much as their books. The play Brontë by Polly Teale combines their biographies and their fiction. We talked to Barry Purves, who directed a recent production. Brontë by Polly Teale (2005), intertwines the biography of the Brontë … Continue reading “Staging the Brontë Sisters”
Every year on Australia Day, 26 January, the country honours the Australians of the Year: citizens who have made a major contribution to making other people’s lives better. This year’s Young Australian of the Year is Danzal Baker, alias Baker Boy, a 22-year-old Indigenous Australian who raps in three languages. As well as achieving success … Continue reading “Aboriginal Rap”
British Prime Minister Theresa May stepped down as leader of the Conservative Party on 9 June, starting the process of electing a new leader, who will take over as Prime Minister. For three years, May has tried to deliver Britain’s exit from the European Union, despite having campaigned for Remain in the Brexit referendum. But … Continue reading “May Leaves”