Ding Dong!

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 03 June 2020 > Webpicks

Have you ever wondered why the sound of bells in English is rendered by “ding dong”? “Zig zag” or “Kit Kat” or “ping pong” are more examples of the same linguistic phenomenon, called “ablaut reduplication”. This short video explains the phenomenon, which isn’t only prevalent in English, it is also present in French, German and … Continue reading “Ding Dong!”

The Victorian Era

Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 01 June 2020 > Webpicks

Learn more about the Victorian Era that Oscar Wilde lived in with this short slideshow.  

Nice posters for best social distancing practices

Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 25 May 2020 > Webpicks

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the National Park System (NPS) has closed or limited the public’s access to a majority of park sites in the U.S. But, while some nationals parks remain closed, several of the most visited are beginning to reopen. What about social distancing practices? On April 22, the Trump administration announced that it … Continue reading “Nice posters for best social distancing practices”

Saving Nemo

Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 25 May 2020 > Ready to Use

This A2 document aims at developing your students’ reading skills and autonomy, as well as guided writing skills. Its general theme is protecting the environment, and should prove of interest to most young people, all the more so as most of them will have seen the animated film Saving Nemo which gave its name to … Continue reading “Saving Nemo”

Tom and Jerry

Posted by Speakeasy News > Saturday 23 May 2020 > Ready to Use

Watch the trailer of the new Tom and Jerry film.  

Florence Nightingale

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 06 May 2020 > Ready to Use

2020 is Florence Nightingale’s bicentenary. After she and a team of nurses managed to significantly reduce the death count by improving the appallingly unsanitary conditions at a British hospital during the Crimean War, she became an authority on public sanitation issues. She also earned a reputation for her statistician’s skills, and her charts would influence … Continue reading “Florence Nightingale”

Feelgood Music 2: “Waterloo Sunset”

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 06 May 2020 > Ready to Use

For the second of our series of feelgood songs, we’ve crossed the Atlantic to the UK, 1967, and The Kinks’ classic “Waterloo Sunset”. Which gives plenty of scope to work on emotions, and London landmarks Waterloo Station and the Thames. Pupils can start by watching a Biobox about the year 1967 in music before going … Continue reading “Feelgood Music 2: “Waterloo Sunset””

Daily Routine with Rockwell

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 06 May 2020 > Webpicks

As we have said many times, teachers are finding amazing creative ways to keep providing their pupils with motivating, and feasible, work to do during lockdown. This sequence found on the Académie de Grenoble’s English site can be done entirely in distance learning. It mixes culture and language in a class for 6e about daily … Continue reading “Daily Routine with Rockwell”