For its eighth edition (8-11 September), Festival America offers a plethora of activities around literature in the Americas. There is a day for school groups on Friday 9th. This year’s Festival America has something for everyone. Readings, talks, workshops, beautiful exhibitions and translation “jousts” are all part of the programme. Look out for several events … Continue reading “Festival America Literary Celebration in Vincennes”
Irish poet, playwright, novelist, editor, dandy and wit Oscar Wilde was a major figure of the nineteenth century literary scene, and his work is still widely read and performed today. A major exhibition at the Petit Palais presents his life and work – both as an immensely popular writer and as an object of scandal … Continue reading “Oscar Wilde”
Shakespeare’s birth and death are both celebrated on 23 April, St George’s Day (the English national day). And this year is a special celebration, 400 years after his death in 1616. There are lots of Shakespeare events on all year and lots of online resources, such as an online exhibition at the British Library, an … Continue reading “Shakespeare Online Resources”
The Beat Generation exhibition at the Paris Pompidou Centre looks at the legacy of these anti-conformist writers from the 1940s-1960s. It fits well into a lycée theme on Mythes et héros or L’idée de progrès. Or in LELE, the themes Voyage, parcours initiatique, exil or L’écrivain dans son siècle. See our article about the exhibition. … Continue reading “The Beat Generation on the Web”
21 September is Peace One Day, a U.N. day of ceasefire and non-violence around the world. A day to bring peace into your classroom! On the Peace One Day website, you can find teaching packs in English (and also Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish if your colleagues would like to join in!) They include … Continue reading “Peace One Day Webpicks”
Les commémorations actuelles du centenaire de la première guerre mondiale sont une occasion parfaite pour construire des séquences mêlant histoire et culture. Le projet Remembrance, destiné aux 3èmes, organisé avec la collaboration d’un collègue en histoire et en partenariat avec un établissement européen, permet aux élèves de deux pays de communiquer régulièrement tout au long … Continue reading “Projet du souvenir: les champs de bataille de la Première guerre mondiale”
National symbols are a wonderful way into discussing a country’s culture — and encouraging pupils to think about their own country’s symbols, which we all tend to take for granted. The current debate in the U.S.A. about honouring a woman on a banknote is and excellent and realistic example. This topic is great for classwork … Continue reading “Women on Banknotes Webpicks”
For the last couple of years, there have been nothing but surprises in British politics. The latest is the nomination of Theresa May as Conservative Party leader, and Prime Minister, after the “vote leave” victory in the Brexit referendum. May, 59, was one of the most senior members of David Cameron’s government, in charge of … Continue reading “Theresa May: A Woman at Number 10”
The Battle of the Somme in 1916 was a tragic turning point in World War One for British and Empire forces. There are many on-going commemorations from 1 July to 18 November to mark the centenary of the battle. The Battle of the Somme was launched to try to provide relief for the French Army, which … Continue reading “The Battle of the Somme 1916”
C’est l’histoire d’une étudiante discrète et timide, qui manque de confiance, qui ne fait jamais de bruit en cours, que ce soit en anglais ou en français. Elle ne connaît personne qui parle anglais. Elle n’aura peut-être jamais les moyens de vraiment parler cette langue… Étudiante sérieuse, elle rencontre en ligne sur Facebook une jeune … Continue reading “Histoires virtuelles vraies”