Up Helly Aa Webpicks

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 19 January 2017 > Webpicks

The highpoint of the cultural calendar in the Shetlands, Scotland, is a spectacular Viking fire festival in January: Up Helly Aa. This video and photo galleries are useful for discussing the festival.  Find out more about the celebration in our article. In this video, an American man with Shetland roots describes discovering Up Helly Aa … Continue reading “Up Helly Aa Webpicks”

Prohibition

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 17 January 2017 > Webpicks

Ben Affleck’s gangster film Live By Night is a great opportunity to introduce your classes to the period of Prohibition. Live By Night centres on the organised crime gangs which profited from Prohibition by producing or importing illicit alcohol and running underground bars called speakeasies. The Bill of Rights Institute has free downloadable teaching resources … Continue reading “Prohibition”

Martin Luther King Day on the Web

Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 16 January 2017 > Webpicks

These videos will help you discuss Martin Luther King Day in class. The third Monday in January, close to MLK’s birthday on the 15th, is a federal holiday and a day of service when citizens are encouraged to volunteer in their communities. This 60-second Public Service Announcement for the day of service s simple – … Continue reading “Martin Luther King Day on the Web”

Sing: Animals Have Got Talent

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 06 January 2017 > Ready to Use

In this A1 towards A2 article, your students will read about Sing (Tous en scène), the recent American computer-animated musical directed by Garth Jennings and produced by Illumination Entertainment, with the voices of Matthew McConaughey and Scarlett Johansson among other famous actors. Set in a world inhabited only by animals, it centres around a music … Continue reading “Sing: Animals Have Got Talent”

Teaching with Trailers: Sing

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 06 January 2017 > Webpicks

The trailers for Sing, an animated musical film about a singing competition, provide lots of opportunities for language teaching – vocabulary about animals and music, following or telling a simple story, or organising a talent show. You’ll find two versions of the trailer below. The first one is simple, usable from A1+. The dialogue is … Continue reading “Teaching with Trailers: Sing”

Memory Interview

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 15 December 2016 > Ready to Use

In this audio interview, actress Kathryn Hunter discusses her role in Peter Brooks’ play The Valley of Astonishment: Sammy Costas, a mnemonist who can remember large quantities of numbers and text. The play is based on the real experiences of patients described by Dr Oliver Sacks. The extract tackles both the theme of memory and … Continue reading “Memory Interview”

Christmas Shopping

Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 12 December 2016 > Ready to Use

This A1+-level interactive picture, activities and audio will introduce beginners to Christmas vocabulary and Anglophone traditions for the festive season. Vocabulary and structures Christmas vocabulary numbers /ɪ/ and /aɪ/ sounds WH-questions: How many… Don’t miss the Webpicks below for more Christmas-themed resources at different levels.

Christmas on the Web

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 09 December 2016 > Webpicks

‘Tis the season to be jolly! Before the winter holidays, why not do a little cultural comparisons, looking at how Christmas is celebrated in English speaking countries in the northern and southern hemisphere? These digital resources will help you. There is are several videos and audio recordings with interactive comprehension activities about Christmas in the … Continue reading “Christmas on the Web”

Collaborative Science Online Resources

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 02 December 2016 > Webpicks

The recent success of Australian students who have drawn attention to a pharmaceutical price scandal by synthesising an essential medical drug in their high-school lab is a great subject for class discussion, involving science but also ethics and economics, as well as English of course. It can also inspire pupils to get involved in crowd … Continue reading “Collaborative Science Online Resources”