Florence Nightingale Video
Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 06 May 2020 > Celebrate
Watch the video and answer the worksheet.
Scotland’s Birth Certificate
Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 06 May 2020 > Celebrate
Seven hundred years ago, Scotland’s most powerful lords wrote a letter that many consider the country’s foundational document: The Declaration of Arbroath. In it, they swore they would never submit to English rule. In 1320, Scotland was in the midst of the Wars of Independence with its southern neighbour. After William Wallace’s ultimately doomed rebellion … Continue reading “Scotland’s Birth Certificate”
50 Years of Earth Day
Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 22 April 2020 > Celebrate Shine Bright Lycée
2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the first Earth Day marches to support the environmental movement. Like so many events in 2020, the marches and events planned to mark the anniversary on 22 April will have to become virtual. But these videos of 50 Voices for Earth Day, from age 8 to 80, from around … Continue reading “50 Years of Earth Day”
Celebrate Shakespeare’s Birthday on World Book Night
Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 20 April 2020 > Celebrate
William Shakespeare is believed to have been born and died on 23 April (in 1564 and 1616 respectively). Which is why the UK celebrates World Book Night on that date (and St George’s Day, England’s national day!) Normally, World Book Night is filled with book readings and events, as tens of thousands of books are … Continue reading “Celebrate Shakespeare’s Birthday on World Book Night”
April Fools
Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 24 March 2020 > Celebrate
Traditionally, on April Fools Day, the media in the English-speaking world love to run hoax stories. But in these days of fake news, how easy will it be to tell the April Fools from the usual run of internet rumours on 1 April? Luckily, April Fools Day is followed by International Fact-checking Day. Which of … Continue reading “April Fools”
Who is the Poet?
Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 23 March 2020 > Celebrate
A famous poet is celebrating an important anniversary. Find out who by watching the quiz below.
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”
Do Good in December
Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 02 December 2019 > Celebrate
Do you fancy using an advent calendar in class in December as a cultural reference, but want to avoid the religious connection? How about using this fabulous December Kindness Calendar instead? Produced by British charity Action for Happiness, it encourages you to do a kind act each day, like counting your blessings or seeing how … Continue reading “Do Good in December”
Vampires from “Dracula” to “Twilight”
Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 25 October 2019 > Celebrate
The cinema industry has long had a love affair with vampires, most often Dracula, based on Eastern European legends and Bram Stoker’s eponymous book. An exhibition at the Cinémathèque in Paris is a great opportunity to revisit the fascination with the undead across the arts: literature, painting, TV and film. It’s also an opportunity to … Continue reading “Vampires from “Dracula” to “Twilight””
Celebrate Scotland in St-Germain-en-Laye
Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 20 September 2019 > Celebrate
St-Germain-en-Laye in the Yvelines has a long historic connection with Scotland, and is twinned with the Scottish seaside town of Ayr. For the weekend of 21-22 September, St Germain will be taken over by kilts and bagpipes for a Highland Games. The castle in St Germain was home to the exiled King James II of … Continue reading “Celebrate Scotland in St-Germain-en-Laye”