The Johnny English films are a great way to get pupils to think about the clichés of the James-Bond-type spy film. English, created and played by Rowan Atkinson (Mr Bean) is the perfect parody of 007. The third film in the series, Johnny English Strikes Back, is no exception. As the leaders of the G12 are … Continue reading “Teaching With Trailers: Johnny English”
A Star Is Born is so popular with Hollywood that the new version with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper is the fourth feature film based on the “rags to riches” fame story. We thought it would be interesting to compare the trailers for the four versions. The first two versions of the story are set … Continue reading “Teaching with Trailers: A Star is Born”
The Ocean Cleanup non-profit organisation is hoping to remove vast quantities of plastic pollution from the oceans. Here are some articles and videos you could use to introduce your pupils to this topic. To set the scene, and with lower-level pupils, there is an article provided at A1+, A2 and B1 levels about Ocean Cleanup … Continue reading “Ocean Cleanup Webpicks”
If you would like to work on Britain’s referendum on leaving Europe, the following article is a good resource. Pupils from A2+ level can understand this concise article from the BBC Newsbeat site (the news programme of their teen radio station Radio 1). At the end, there are a number of Tweets, which are more … Continue reading “Brexit Referendum Webpicks”
Spike Lee’s new film BlacKkKlansman is based on the true story of Ron Stallworth, a Colorado Springs policeman who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan. This downloadable audio interview with Stallworth is excellent for listening comprehension. The 13-minute interview is a downloadable podcast from the BBC World Service. It’s very clear and extracts are understandable from … Continue reading “Teaching with BlacKkKlansman”
If you are using our Murder on the Orient Express Resource with your students, this introductory scene from the film is a great way to introduce the characters. It’s 9 minutes long but with limited dialogue and pupils should be reassured that they are not expected to understand every word. They should have a grid … Continue reading “Teaching With Film: Murder on the Orient Express”
The three Brontë sisters lived short, isolated lives in early nineteenth century England, but they produced some outstanding novels, in particular Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. The bicentenaries of their births are being celebrated from 2016 to 2020. To find out more about the Brontës, visit the Brontë Society site, which has information about each … Continue reading “Brontë Family Webpicks”
The theme of World Oceans Day, 8 June, is the problems caused in the oceans by plastic pollution, a subject which is very much in the news at the moment. There are some great videos and teaching resources on this topic. And more to do in Plastic-Free July. This wordless video, “How will you celebrate … Continue reading “Fight Plastic Pollution”
Mandela Day, 18 July, is a United Nations International Day in honour of Nelson Mandela. The date is his birthday, and 2018 marks the centenary of his birth. As well as our Ready to Use Resource and BioBox quiz, here are some online resources for classroom use about Mandela Day. Our downloadable BioBox quiz is … Continue reading “Mandela Day Digital Resources”
Juneteenth is an American celebration marking the end of slavery, when news of the Emancipation Proclamation finally reached the last U.S. state, Texas on June 19, 1865. Read more about the history and traditions of Juneteenth in our article. If you would like to introduce your pupils to the event, these resources will help you. … Continue reading “Juneteenth Webpicks”