Our bioboxes are short “Who Am I?” quizzes to help introduce pupils to famous figures in the English-speaking world. This one was written by pupils for our “Who Am I?” contest. Thank you to Valerian, Dounia and Seham from Mme Boussaguet’s 2nde pro class, Lycée Dhuoda, Nîmes (30). You can download the MP4 file below … Continue reading “Biobox: Queen Elizabeth II”
Our bioboxes are short “Who Am I?” quizzes to help introduce pupils to famous figures in the English-speaking world. This one was written by pupils for our “Who Am I?” contest. Thank you to Miss Mazuet’s 4e Euro class, Collège Clément Marot, Douvres la Délivrande (14). You can download the MP4 file below to use … Continue reading “Biobox: Sherlock Holmes”
The release of the former First Lady’s memoir and her accompanying conference tour is a great occasion for pupils to learn more about her biography, and about the role of the First Lady, which Patricia Nixon (First Lady from 1969 to 1974) described it as “the hardest unpaid job in the world”. This article gives … Continue reading “Becoming Michelle Obama”
Back at the beginning of the school year, we launched three pupil competitions. The A2-level competition was to write a 10-question “Who Am I?” quiz about a famous English-speaker. We were absolutely inundated with replies for the three competitions. Please apologise to your pupils for the delay but we finally have the winners of the … Continue reading “Who Am I? Competition Winners”
Green Book — winner of the 2019 Best Picture Oscar —is a road movie about friendship and race relations in the 1960s American South. The film takes its title from a guide book published for almost thirty years from 1936: The Negro Motorist Green Book. These online resources will help you explore the real Green … Continue reading “Green Book: Online Resources”
This article explores the fates of two queens who reigned in neighbouring kingdoms in the 16th century. Both linked and opposed, they had to rule in a man’s world, in a conflict-ridden society, where religious and political unrest were rife and conspiracy and treason were the norm. Through the new biopic, Mary Queen of Scots, … Continue reading “Two Queens”
Films about Stuart queens are like buses — there are none for ages, then two together, just in time for the Oscars. Mary Queen of Scots and her descendant Queen Anne are both gracing our screens in radically different biopics, both diverging from history as it has traditionally been portrayed. The Favourite portrays the reign … Continue reading “Queens on Screen”
Green Book — winner of the 2019 Best Picture Oscar —is a road movie about friendship and race relations in the 1960s American South. The biopic is based on a real story: In 1964, Dr Don Shirley, a virtuoso classical pianist, was booked to play a series of concerts across the Deep South. Dr Shirley … Continue reading “On the Road with the Green Book”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg has had quite a year. The Supreme Court Justice has been the focus of a biopic and a documentary, which has been nominated for an Oscar. At 85, and despite frail health, Bader Ginsburg seems to have reached greater influence than she ever imagined. The 85-year-old is the doyenne of the Supreme … Continue reading “Myth and Hero”
The biopic about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is excellent for discussing gender issues in this class. This short clip should really get students talking. It’s suitable from B1+, as there is a lot of implicit content. It’s a scene from early in the film, On the Basis of Sex. It’s 1956, and Ruth … Continue reading “Teaching with Film: Ruth Bader Ginsburg”