Although a well-loved character from British children’s literature, Paddington Bear is from Peru in South America, and in the third film in the series about him, he returns to his home country to visit his Aunt Lucy. His adoptive family, the Browns, join him on his journey. This trailer for Paddington in Peru would be … Continue reading “Paddington Goes Home”
The National Theatre’s production of The Importance of Being Earnest, starring the current Doctor Who, Ncuti Gatwa, is wowing audiences in London’s West End. If your students are studying the play for LLCER, the trailer for the production would be a great addition to their portfolios. The trailer has no dialogue apart from Lady Bracknell’s … Continue reading “Teaching with Trailers: The Importance of Being Earnest”
Once every four years, a U.S. President is inaugurated. This video gives a succinct summary of the significance of this ritualised event. The first 1m30 gives an overview of the day from the oath to the speech and the inaugural balls, with some short extracts from Abraham Lincoln’s and John F. Kennedy’s inaugural speeches. Then … Continue reading “Presidential Inaugurations: A Video”
Richard Curtis has perfected the romcom, scripting Love Actually, Notting Hill, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Yesterday and more. His latest film is an animation about Christmas in a small English town, combining three of his own children’s books. That Christmas has Santa, traditions, humour, a variety of families, a pinch of romance and a … Continue reading “Christmas Actually”
The This is England short-film festival in Rouen has a specific programme of short films for cycle 4e classes. This year’s selection ponders the roles of young and old in today’s society, offers positive visions of a sustainable future, as well as featuring a beatboxing animated dog. If you sign up for a collège showing, … Continue reading “This is England 2024 films for Cycle 4”
The This is England short-film festival in Rouen has a specific programme of short films for lycée classes. This year’s selection features crime stories, young people forging a place for themselves in a world that isn’t always welcoming, a story of polygamy and a documentary about an inspiring ping-pong club. If you sign up for … Continue reading “This is England 2024 films for Lycée”
The This is England short-film festival in Rouen has a specific programme of short films for cycle 3 classes. This year’s selection focuses on children’s experiences, some as young carers, and stories from diverse cultures represented in the U.K. If you sign up for a Cycle 3 showing, your students will see six films ranging … Continue reading “This is England 2024 films for Cycle 3”
This short video is a great way to have pupils study how actors express emotions when they speak a text on stage, even something as short as Hamlet’s classic line “To be or not to be”. In this performance for the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death in 2016, Paapa Essiedu, who was playing Hamlet at … Continue reading “Staging Emotions: Hamlet”
It’s one of the best known charity fundraisers in the U.S.A. Since 1948, kids have been adding a civic element to their Halloween trick or treating by collecting donations for UNICEF, the United Nations’ children’s fund. Trick-or-treaters used to carry a little cardboard collecting box. The iconic box disappeared during COVID in favour of online … Continue reading “Put Some Meaning in Your Halloweening”
General elections in the U.K. have a lot in common with French legislative elections. Here are some resources on the British system that can help pupils think about democracy and compare and contrast the British and French systems. The video on this page has a 1-minute explanation of how a general election works, written for … Continue reading “Teaching About the UK Electoral System”