If you’re working on the theme of heroes, why not take some advice from the late Stan Lee, co-creator of a dizzying number of superheroes for Marvel Comics from Spider-man to the Black Panther and The Fantastic Four. This TedX Talk Lee gave in 2013 is really clear and can be used from B1, or … Continue reading “Talking about Superheroes”
The Magna Carta is the foundation of British democracy, with its limitations of the power of the monarchy and the guarantee of habeas corpus, the right not to be imprisoned without a fair trial. Some simple resources from the British Library can introduce your pupils to this important cultural concept. The British Library has provided … Continue reading “Teaching Democracy: The Magna Carta and Habeas Corpus”
The This is England short films festival is returning to the Omnia cinema in Rouen from 12 to 18 November. The festival team includes several teachers and they have concocted a great programmes lycée classes every morning of the festival. Sign up now, and download the teaching pack to prepare for your visits. Short films … Continue reading “Teaching with Short Films: Lycée”
Raise awareness about bullying in November. On the 8th, it’s Anti-Bullying Day in French schools. And it’s Anti-bullying Week in the UK from 12 to 16 November. We look at some student-produced anti-bullying videos and apps that are helping fight the problem. This is the video for the 2017 anti-bullying week but it works better … Continue reading “Students Against Bullying”
If you’d like to discuss the American midterm elections with your classes, we have selected some great teaching resources. This 1’30” video from Voice of America News is short and to the point. It’s usable for written comprehension (there’s no voiceover or dialogue). Usable from A2. This BBC video is 2’25” and is a simple-ish … Continue reading “Talking About the U.S. Midterms”
Cécile Sempere-Brun recommends: The Verdun Affair, by Nick Dybeck A novel about love and loss, forgetting and remembering. Reading A Verdun Affair is like travelling through space and time. The novel is set immediately after WWI, in France and Italy, as well as against the more glamorous background of 1950s Los Angeles. As the story … Continue reading “Festival America: Reading Ideas for Literature Classes”
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”
The silent protest of two African American athletes on the podium at the 1968 Mexico Olympics was an iconic moment in civil-rights history. We’ve selected some teaching tools for language classes on the Black Power protest. In 2016, the prestigious Smithsonian opened a new, and long-awaited museum, the National Museum of African American History and … Continue reading “Mexico Olympics Black Power Protest Video”
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”
Pourquoi un calendrier interactif ? L’idée même du calendrier n’est pas de moi. Project Britain, site très apprécié des professeurs d’anglais en collège, en propose un depuis des années. Récemment, certains éditeurs de manuels ont élaboré des posters ou des agendas à destination des enseignants. C’est une conversation sur Twitter avec une collègue d’anglais de l’académie … Continue reading “Interactive Calendar”