1917

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 31 January 2020 >

The new World War I drama from director Sam Mendes, 1917, unfolds in real-time, tracking a pair of British soldiers as they cross the Western Front on a desperate rescue mission. Soldiers Blake and Schofield  must travel nine miles across the treacherous war zone to deliver orders to stop a regiment attacking enemy lines within … Continue reading “1917”

Little Women

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 31 January 2020 >

Greta Gerwig’s latest movie based on Louisa May Alcott’s novel will take you into a female world in which conventions are defied, questioned and challenged by four sisters. Indeed, these four women on the brink of emancipation shatter the traditional image of upper-middle class young ladies whose role (and even duty) was to get married … Continue reading “Little Women”

Poppy Day

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 28 October 2016 > Celebrate

Any image of people in the UK, Canada and Australia in November is likely to include some who are wearing a red paper poppy in their lapel. The Poppy Appeal for war veterans in the run-up to Remembrance Day began in the aftermath of World War I. Today, as the British and Commonwealth armies commemorate … Continue reading “Poppy Day”

James Baldwin: Love in Harlem

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 13 June 2019 >

The 2019 film adaptation of James Baldwin’s novel If Beale Street Could Talk, a love story set in 1970s Harlem, makes an excellent complement to Shine Bright 2de File 1 “United Colors of Harlem” or Shine Bright 1re File 8 “African-American Art” . This video can be used in class to introduce the film and Baldwin. … Continue reading “James Baldwin: Love in Harlem”

First Man

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 16 October 2018 > Ready to Use

A new film, First Man, released a few months before the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landings gives an opportunity to look back at a discreet man who marked 20th century history.  This B1+-B2 resource about Neil Armstrong’s mission offers an insight into the race to the Moon. Not only does it focus … Continue reading “First Man”

Rockwell, Roosevelt and Freedom

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 04 June 2019 > Ready to Use

This B1-level article will introduce your pupils to the Rockwell and Roosevelt Four Freedoms Exhibition (Caen Mémorial, June-October 2019). It focuses and expands on a very specific passage from Franklin D. Roosevelt’s State of the Union speech delivered in January 1941 in which he put an emphasis on freedom, or rather freedoms: freedom from fear, … Continue reading “Rockwell, Roosevelt and Freedom”

Becoming American on July Fourth

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 03 July 2019 > Celebrate

Independence Day is a celebration for all Americans, but for some it has special significance. It’s a traditional day for holding naturalisation ceremonies, welcoming new citizens to the U.S.A. More than three-quarters of a million people obtained U.S. citizenship through naturalisation in 2018. Ceremonies take place all year round, but a lot take place in … Continue reading “Becoming American on July Fourth”

Becoming Michelle Obama

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 26 April 2019 > Ready to Use

The release of the former First Lady’s memoir and her accompanying conference tour is a great occasion for pupils to learn more about her biography, and about the role of the First Lady, which  Patricia Nixon (First Lady from 1969 to 1974) described it as “the hardest unpaid job in the world”. This article gives … Continue reading “Becoming Michelle Obama”

Indigenous Rap: Young Australian of the Year

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 21 May 2019 > Ready to Use

Every year on Australia Day, 26 January, the country honours the Australians of the Year: citizens who have made a major contribution to making other people’s lives better. This year’s Young Australian of the Year is Danzal Baker, alias Baker Boy, a 22-year-old Indigenous Australian who raps in three languages. As well as achieving success … Continue reading “Indigenous Rap: Young Australian of the Year”