Ruby Bridges didn’t choose to become a civil-rights icon. It was her parents who, in 1960, chose to accept that their 6-year-old daughter would be the first African-American child to integrate a white school in the American South. But as an adult, Bridges, who was immortalised by Norman Rockwell, has fought indefatigably for civil rights … Continue reading “Ruby Bridges, Civil-Rights Icon”
Although President Trump is still making legal challenges over the election, it seems certain that after the January Inauguration, Joe Biden will become the 46th President of the U.S.A. and Kamala Harris, his running mate, will be the first black female Vice-President and to thus make history. Thanks to this B1 article, the students will … Continue reading “Joe Biden and Kamala Harris Profiles”
Now that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are President and Vice-President Elect of the U.S.A., your pupils will no doubt want to know more about them. This A2 article will provide materials for your pupils to speak about the American election in a factual way. Vocabulary and grammar: American institutions and politics: the White House, … Continue reading “Meet Joe Biden and Kamala Harris”
Roald Dahl’s The Witches was published in 1983, a typically twisted tale of witches who look like normal women and want to eliminate children by turning them into mice. A second film version, this time by American director Robert Zemeckis, was scheduled for a November release. Like everything else, it’s on hold for lockdown, but … Continue reading “Roald Dahl’s The Witches”
Despite his early death aged 25, Aubrey Beardsley (1872-1898) had a prolific career as an illustrator. Part of the Aesthetic movement, a friend of Oscar Wilde’s, Beardsley was a dandy and turned his own short life into a work of art. To accompany the exhibition currently on hold at the Musée d’Orsay, this resource explores … Continue reading “The Art of Being a Dandy: Aubrey Beardsley”
A hundred years after finally gaining the right to vote in the U.S.A., women today systematically both register and vote more than men. These two resources, one with a more complex article than the other, encourage pupils to discover the long campaign for suffrage, and some of the activists who worked for the 19th Amendment … Continue reading “Celebrating Votes for Women”
This article explains how the U.S. President is elected and focuses on the 2020 candidates, quickly exploring their careers as well as mapping out the electoral system and looking at the changes brought about this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. It’s an easy B1, usable in older classes in collège as well as lycée. … Continue reading “How to Elect a President”
Ray Bradbury took the popular genre of science-fiction to the level of literature with short story collections like The Martian Chronicles and novels like his masterpiece Fahrenheit 451. A hundred years after his birth, this B1-level article will allow your pupils to discover Bradbury and his work. It is ideal for the beginning of the … Continue reading “Ray Bradbury”
Four hundred years ago, on 16 September 1620, the Mayflower set sail from England, carrying the Pilgrim Fathers (and Mothers!) to found the first permanent British colony in North America. This A1+ article gives very basic information, to allow young learners to start building up a cultural competence about the founding of the U.S.A., Puritans … Continue reading “The Mayflower 400 Years On”
As the race to the White House is about to resume after the pandemic , Jon Stewart’s latest movie — released on 1 July in France — takes you behind the scenes to help you decipher a political campaign. Setting the movie in Wisconsin, and using (wry) humour, Stewart wants people to realise politics is … Continue reading “Irresistible: U.S. Politics on Film”
