Celebrate European Languages

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 23 August 2017 > Celebrate

The annual European Day of Languages on 26 September is a great reason to have some multilingual mingling and celebrations in your classroom! And for an instant teaching activity on comparing languages, why not get your pupils to participate in the competition to design a T-shirt for the 2018 event? Or participate in a world … Continue reading “Celebrate European Languages”

Labor Day: Back to School

Posted by Speakeasy News > Saturday 22 July 2017 > Celebrate

The Labor Day holiday weekend signals the end of summer for Americans. Although it takes place at the beginning of September, and the hot weather may continue for weeks, after Labor Day, schools start again it feels like the summer vacation has ended. Labor Day is the U.S. version of May Day in most other … Continue reading “Labor Day: Back to School”

Robin Hood Festival

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 18 July 2017 > Celebrate

Since the Middle Ages, Nottingham’s Sherwood Forest has been associated with Robin Hood, the outlaw who stole from the rich to feed the poor. The city celebrates its most famous son with a Robin Hood Festival in August and a Pageant in October. No one knows whether Robin Hood really existed. If he did, who … Continue reading “Robin Hood Festival”

Honouring Jane Austen

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 18 July 2017 > Celebrate

On 18 July, the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen’s death, the Bank of England revealed a new £10 bearing the image of one of Britain’s most enduring authors. Austen joins Winston Churchill, who has been honoured on the £5 note since September 2016, and the artist JMW Turner, whose portrait will adorn the £20 note … Continue reading “Honouring Jane Austen”

Remembering Jane Austen

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 18 July 2017 > Celebrate

Two hundred years after her death, Jane Austen remains one of Britain’s best-loved authors. Yet in her short lifetime, she was unknown. Austen was born in 1775 in Hampshire, the seventh of eight children of a vicar. She had a happy childhood and youth in a family that read books aloud to each other and … Continue reading “Remembering Jane Austen”

Happy Birthday, Harry Potter!

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 20 June 2017 > Celebrate

As every Harry Potter fan knows, Harry’s birthday is 31 July, like his creator JK Rowling. But 26 June, 1997, was also an important date in the Potter canon: it saw the publication of the first volume of the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. The 20th anniversary of a cultural phenomenon is being … Continue reading “Happy Birthday, Harry Potter!”

JFK, a 20th Century American Political Icon

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 20 June 2017 > Celebrate

John F. Kennedy was born 100 years ago in Brookline, Massachusetts. JFK was the 35th President of the United States (1961-1963) and the youngest man elected to the office. He was assassinated in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963 and became the forever-young president… A political and cultural icon Born in 1917, John Fitzgerald Kennedy would … Continue reading “JFK, a 20th Century American Political Icon”

World Refugee Day

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 20 June 2017 > Celebrate

20 June each year is United Nations World Refugee Day. In the UK, it is included in Refugee Week, 19-25 June. The UN refugee agency, the UNHCR, just released new figures showing that 2016 was yet another record year for refugees. The UNHCR’s Global Trends Report announces that 65.6 million people were displaced in 2016, … Continue reading “World Refugee Day”

Celebrating Canada

Posted by Speakeasy News > Saturday 03 June 2017 > Celebrate

Canada is celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2017. July 1 marks the 150 years since Confederation, when the British colonies in modern day Canada joined to form the self-governing British Dominion of Canada. June and July are already months when Canadians take time to appreciate their country. This year, they will push the appreciation to another level. Canada … Continue reading “Celebrating Canada”

Prom Time

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 02 June 2017 > Celebrate

Prom is an end-of-year tradition in North American schools, and a rite of passage for teenagers. It has spread across the Atlantic. Most British schools now organise some kind of end-of-school, prom-style dance. Proms started out as banquets for graduating university classes in the 19th century. Prom is short for “promenade”, the formal arrival of … Continue reading “Prom Time”