Fair Trade is in the air in May. The international “Celebrate Fairtrade” challenge runs from 12 to 14 May and France is celebrating la Quinzaine du commerce équitable from 13 to 28 May. As it approaches its 30th anniversary, the Fairtrade movement is spreading fast, both in terms of sales to consumers, and the number of producers who … Continue reading “Fair Trade Celebrations”
This A2+-level article sheds light on ways to take part in environmental issues, through the eyes of a teenage Native American boy very committed to ecology. As well as A2+ activities, we have suggested some B1 extensions and videos for use with mixed-level or more advanced classes. This is an excellent topic for an EPI … Continue reading “Eco-Warrior”
Discovering this teenage Native American environmental activist, Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, is inspiring on many levels. It fits well into themes of ecology, protest songs, indigenous cultures or young people taking action. We have provided an A2+-B1 downloadable article and activities in the Ready to Use Resources section. These videos can extend the sequence. The first 2:20 … Continue reading “Videos of a Teenage Eco-Warrior”
The new robot exhibition at London’s Science Museum offers several videos on this motivating subject which can lead to work on science and technology, but also on human anatomy, modals and comparisons. The exhibition trailer doesn’t have any voiceover, just onscreen text. It points out that by looking at robots we question what it is … Continue reading “Robot Videos”
In this A2-level article your students will read about the latest musical featuring the well-known characters of Beauty and the Beast. They will probably have seen the animated film on which this version is based when they were younger, but may not be familiar with the unfolding of the plot. The parallel drawn here between … Continue reading “Beauty and the Beast”
Robots seem futuristic, in the realm of science-fiction. But a new exhibition at London’s Science Museum traces their history back 500 years. A hundred mechanical wonders have taken over the museum. The exhibition’s curator, Ben Russell, explains that it was when astrologers developed a view of the universe as functioning like a clockwork mechanism, they … Continue reading “Robots Invade London’s Science Museum”
In this B1-level article, your students will learn how a group of dedicated female mathematicians known as ‘human computers’ used their talents to help NASA launch rockets, and astronauts, into space. Even if Virginia’s Jim Crow laws required them to be segregated from their white colleagues, the black women of Langley’s group contributed to America’s … Continue reading “Hidden Figures in the Space Race”
The film Hidden Figures reveals the untold true story of a team of African-American women mathematicians, or “human computers” who helped the success of the Apollo Moon landings program in the 1960s. These videos are a great follow-up after using our B1-level article and teaching activities with your pupils. This short video introduces the film … Continue reading “Hidden Figures: Teaching with Trailers”
This A2-level article will enable your pupils to understand the historical significance of portraits on American banknotes, and to compare with other currencies. The presentation of new notes featuring Harriet Tubman and other African-American and women’s suffrage activists includes suggestions for an EPI with history. Vocabulary and structures Verb tenses: simple past and simple present … Continue reading “The Face of Money: U.S. Banknotes Get a New Look”
Loving tells the astonishing true story of an American couple who married in 1958 and spent the first nine years of their marriage fighting the segregationist laws that found them guilty of the crime of loving someone who was a different colour. Richard Loving and Mildred Jeter were childhood sweethearts in Virginia. When Mildred became … Continue reading “Fighting for the Right to Love”