Happy Hogmanay!

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 29 December 2023 > Celebrate

Hogmanay is the name for New Year’s Eve in Scotland. It was traditionally a much bigger celebration than Christmas in Scotland, and is still a big event. It’s associated with many traditions, some which will seem familiar and some specific to Scotland. As with new year celebrations in many cultures, it’s considered bad luck to … Continue reading “Happy Hogmanay!”

Toasting Robert Burns

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 21 January 2022 > Celebrate

Not many countries have an annual celebration of their national poet. In fact not all countries have a national poet. But Scotland does and millions of people around the world celebrate him on Burns Night every 25 January. The adoption of Robert Burns (1759-1796) as national poet was a natural, organic process born or real … Continue reading “Toasting Robert Burns”

Florence Nightingale: Nursing Pioneer

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 06 May 2020 > Celebrate

Florence Nightingale is one of Britain’s most recognisable names. The Victorian nursing pioneer and statistician left an indelible mark on the world of medicine. The first woman ever to be featured on a British banknote, her influence is such that 200 years after her birth, the emergency hospitals created for the coronavirus pandemic in the … Continue reading “Florence Nightingale: Nursing Pioneer”

Florence Nightingale

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 06 May 2020 > Ready to Use

2020 is Florence Nightingale’s bicentenary. After she and a team of nurses managed to significantly reduce the death count by improving the appallingly unsanitary conditions at a British hospital during the Crimean War, she became an authority on public sanitation issues. She also earned a reputation for her statistician’s skills, and her charts would influence … Continue reading “Florence Nightingale”

The House with a Clock in its Walls

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 28 September 2018 > Ready to Use

The House with a Clock in its Walls is a new film adapted from a classic of American children’s literature. This sequence uses one of the film’s trailers to work on Halloween vocabulary and revise clothes vocabulary with A1+ students. Language and structures : a/an plural of nouns pronunciation of the plural “s” ending invariable adjectives … Continue reading “The House with a Clock in its Walls”

Martin Luther King Slideshow

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 06 April 2018 > Ready to Use

Civil-rights leader Dr Martin Luther King, Jr, was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, on 4 April 1968. To commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of King’s death, this B1 sequence will allow pupils to explore his life and legacy. After briefly sharing what they already know about this inspiring figure, students will watch a video and learn more … Continue reading “Martin Luther King Slideshow”

Commonwealth Games

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 06 April 2018 > Ready to Use

In this A1+ article, your pupils will learn some basic facts about the Commonwealth, the four-yearly Commonwealth Games and Australia, which hosted the 2018 Games. They will compare the Commonwealth Games and the Olympics, and learn the names of some sports like netball, which is played in British schools. Vocabulary and structure sports, countries numbers … Continue reading “Commonwealth Games”