School of the Air in Australia

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 30 August 2017 > Ready to Use

In this A2 article your students will discover the special distance-learning schools which provide classes for children in the Australian Outback who live hundreds or even thousands of kilometres from the nearest school. We suggest going further with two downloadable short videos. For full listening-comprehension they require a B1 level, but there is plenty that … Continue reading “School of the Air in Australia”

Sorry Day Teaching Resources

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 19 May 2017 > Webpicks

Reconciliation Australia is an NGO set up to facilitate reconciliation between the wider Australian population and Indigenous Australians. They have a very attractive learning section on their Share Our Pride website which includes the following videos. It’s perfect for a theme about Indigenous Australians and/or Sorry Day. This is a relatively simple, short explanation (less … Continue reading “Sorry Day Teaching Resources”

Saying Sorry

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 19 May 2017 > Celebrate

For more than 150 years, tens of thousands of Australian Aboriginal children were forcibly removed from their families and communities. On 26 May, Australia recognises and commemorates this injustice on Sorry Day. Policies of “assimilating” indigenous children started early in the British colonial period in the nineteenth century. It accelerated and became more systematic from … Continue reading “Saying Sorry”

Oscars 2017: NotSoWhite

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 16 February 2017 > What's On

The 2016 Oscars received as much publicity for the people and subjects it didn’t honour as the red-carpet dresses or the tearful speeches. The #OscarsSoWhite campaign complained that the nominations to all four top categories only featured white faces and white stories. The 2017 nominations are a radical change. Even if the nostalgic musical La … Continue reading “Oscars 2017: NotSoWhite”

Australia Day

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 15 December 2016 > Celebrate

Australians celebrate their national day on 26 January, the anniversary of the first British colonisation of the continent in 1788. On 26 January, 1788, the British flag was first flown over the penal colony that was to be established at Sydney Cove. It marked the end of a nine-month journey for the 1,500 people, half … Continue reading “Australia Day”

Christmas on the Web

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 09 December 2016 > Webpicks

‘Tis the season to be jolly! Before the winter holidays, why not do a little cultural comparisons, looking at how Christmas is celebrated in English speaking countries in the northern and southern hemisphere? These digital resources will help you. There is are several videos and audio recordings with interactive comprehension activities about Christmas in the … Continue reading “Christmas on the Web”

High-School Science Heroes

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 02 December 2016 > In the News

When they see injustice in the world, some teenagers take to the streets, or social media to demonstrate. And some take to the science lab. A group of high-school students in Australia have just synthesised an essential medical drug that is at the centre of a pharmaceutical pricing scandal in the U.S.A. In September 2015, … Continue reading “High-School Science Heroes”