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”
It’s been nine years since the final book in the Harry Potter series. But now Harry Potter is really back with a vengeance! Here are some useful online resources for working with Harry Potter. You can find articles about the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play, and visiting the Harry Potter studios in London … Continue reading “Teaching with Harry Potter”
Armistice Day, or Remembrance Day, commemorates the end of World War I on “the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month”: 11 November 1918. In the UK, Canada and Australia, it is synonymous with the Poppy Appeal to raise money for war veterans. This page written for British primary school kids has a very easy … Continue reading “Poppy Day on the Web”
In 2011, the United Nations declared 11 October the International Day of the Girl. It’s a day to celebrate girls and raise awareness of the problems they face. The UN, Plan International and USAID all have excellent resources for working on gender equality and education in class. Many of these topics would work well as … Continue reading “International Day of the Girl Webpicks”
These A2+ and B1-level articles and boxes will enable your pupils to have an overview of the 2016 U.S. presidential elections. It can be an opportunity to compare with elections in other countries (their own country as well as how it is organised in the United Kingdom for example). There are worksheets for A2+ and … Continue reading “Election Time”
The film Suffragette is an excellent occasion to talk about the movement for votes for women in the UK in the 19th and 20th centuries. As well as the trailer, below, the site for the Suffragette film has a clip called “We will win”, which would work well in class. There is also a gallery … Continue reading “Suffragette Webpicks”
We’ve sifted through the many resources online about the U.S. elections to find the ones best adapted for use in collège and lycée classes. The U.S. presidential elections is a hot topic and information is constantly changing. A lot of what is available online is too difficult for non-native speakers, who, as well as the … Continue reading “U.S. Presidential Election Webpicks”
The Battle of the Somme in 1916 was a tragic turning point in World War One for British and Empire forces. There are many on-going commemorations planned from 1 July to 18 November. And the British Legion, British Council and other organisations have prepared excellent tools to help teachers use this theme in the classroom. … Continue reading “Battle of the Somme WWI Webpicks”
Shakespeare’s birth and death are both celebrated on 23 April, St George’s Day (the English national day). And this year is a special celebration, 400 years after his death in 1616. There are lots of Shakespeare events on all year and lots of online resources, such as an online exhibition at the British Library, an … Continue reading “Shakespeare Online Resources”
You hardly need an excuse to familiarise your pupils with one of the most important figures in English-speaking culture: William Shakespeare. However, 2016 is the 400th anniversary of his death and there are events and celebrations all over the world. The Bard is everywhere, including classrooms! You will find below two articles, the first, A2 … Continue reading “Celebrating Shakespeare”