The Platinum Jubilee Concert coverage on 4 June opened with a sketch that featured the Queen inviting Paddington Bear to tea. The short video is great. for class use, and would make a good complement to the “deep fake” Queen’s Christmas speech that is featured in Shine Bright 3e Snapfile 11 Twist and Tell. The … Continue reading “Marmalade Sandwich, Your Majesty?”
Are you ready for la Semaine des langues? This year’s edition is from 4-8 April and is on the theme of « Vivre l’Europe, s’ouvrir au monde ». Lots of schools have events planned involving themed menus at the canteen, signs and posters in several languages around the school or short initiation sessions allowing pupils … Continue reading “Semaine des Langues 2022”
St Patrick’s Day, 17 March, is the Irish national day. But there are many communities of Irish origin around the world and on St Paddy’s Day, everyone is Irish! There is a large Irish community in the U.S. and the parades in Chicago and New York are famous. The Chicago River, and the Liffey in … Continue reading “Happy St Patrick’s!”
Queen Elizabeth II is celebrating her Platinum Jubilee this year, marking 70 years on the throne, a milestone no other British monarch has reached. The Queen marked the anniversary of her accession on 6 February with a quiet ceremony. It is always a sad occasion for her as it was the day her beloved father … Continue reading “A Historic Milestone”
This A1+-A2 slideshow will provide your students with information about the tradition of Valentine’s cards but also about the origins of Valentine’s Day, according to legend, and a connected celebration in Ghana, Chocolate Day. The accompanying activities help develop speaking and writing capacities. Vocabulary and structures Saying and writing dates and numbers (150 million…) Pronunciation: … Continue reading “Valentine’s Day Slideshow”
A Thanksgiving intergenerational project in the U.S.A. would make an excellent language activity anywhere. StoryCorps is an innovative oral history project that has been recording ordinary Americans having conversations with people they love since 2003. The concept is simple: the mobile StoryCorps recording booth sets up in a town. Anyone who wants to can come … Continue reading “Thanksgiving Stories”
We have a teacher recommendation for a site for creating posters for your classroom, and an example of a poster on the theme of Halloween to use in collège to work on the BE+ing present and reading comprehension around this celebration. Plus a worksheet on Halloween celebrations from A2, with a focus on the plastic … Continue reading “Create a Poster: Halloween”
This spooky A1+ audio activity is an original way to celebrate Halloween. The scene is Blood Manor, a haunted house attraction in New York. There are lots of ghoulish sound effects. And pupils will be asked to practise listening for and producing “H” sounds (and also focus on when not to add a “phantom H” … Continue reading “Blood Manor: Halloween House”
26 September is the Day of European Languages, celebrating all the diversity of languages across the continent. For the 20th anniversary edition, there are some great teaching resources. The general theme of the resources is interesting quirks and facts about the different languages, starting with a downloadable poster called “20 Things You Might Not Know … Continue reading “European Language Day 2021”
Both the U.S.A. and Canada celebrate their countries’ workers on the first Monday in September, they just don’t agree on the spelling! Featuring picnics, barbecues but also political speeches, both public holidays grew out of union movements in the late nineteenth century demanding shorter working days and more rights for workers. It’s no coincidence that … Continue reading “Labor or Labour Day?”