Celebrate European Languages

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 23 August 2017 > Celebrate

The annual European Day of Languages on 26 September is a great reason to have some multilingual mingling and celebrations in your classroom! And for an instant teaching activity on comparing languages, why not get your pupils to participate in the competition to design a T-shirt for the 2018 event? Or participate in a world … Continue reading “Celebrate European Languages”

David Hockney Video

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 20 June 2017 > Webpicks

The David Hockney exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris from 21 June to 23 October is a retrospective of the British pop artist’s work. Who better to acquaint your pupils with Hockney’s painting than the man himself in this excellent short video. Warning: There is a brief image of a naked man diving into … Continue reading “David Hockney Video”

David Hockney: The Pompidou Goes Pop

Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 19 June 2017 > What's On

The David Hockney exhibition that broke attendance records at the Tate Britain arrives as the Centre Pompidou in Paris. In London, almost half a million people saw the retrospective of Britain’s most famous pop artist, from his California swimming pool paintings to recent monumental landscapes and iPad art. Hockney was born in Yorkshire in 1937, … Continue reading “David Hockney: The Pompidou Goes Pop”

Inventing a Machine in Language Class

Posted by Speakeasy News > Saturday 03 June 2017 > Pedagogy

Let’s imagine a crazy machine! We look at a fun and active project that gets pupils moving and talking in English about a culturally specific phenomenon: a Rube Goldberg machine. Cartoonist Rube Goldberg was famous for drawing comically complex machines to complete everyday task. His drawings are so well known in the U.S.A. that there … Continue reading “Inventing a Machine in Language Class”

African-American Artists and Segregation

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 25 November 2016 > What's On

“The Color Line” exhibition at Quai de Branly in Paris reviews the history of discrimination in the U.S.A. through the eyes of African-American artists. The show is an exploration of 150 years of American history from the end of the Civil War with the abolition of slavery, to segregation, the civil rights movement and the … Continue reading “African-American Artists and Segregation”

Giant Dreams

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 29 July 2016 > What's On

In honour of the Roald Dahl’s centenary, and Steven Spielberg adaptation of Dahl’s book The BFG, London and other British cities is playing host to fifty “Dream Jars” representing the dreams of well-known personalities. In The BFG, the titular Big Friendly Giant collects and mixes dreams, which he blows into children’s bedrooms. Celebrities from Steven … Continue reading “Giant Dreams”