Maggie Smith passed away on 27 September at the age of 89, after a long and distinguished career in theatre, TV and film. Her talents in both comedic and dramatic acting won her two Oscars and countless awards across the acting world. Smith started acting at just 18 in 1952, and honed her craft on … Continue reading “Maggie Smith’s Amazing Career”
In our series “Your Students Have Talent”, check out these amazing comic strips created as an intermediate task by pupils using our Reading Guide Gangsta Granny. The 4e Euro students were studying David Walliam’s humourous novel and were tasked with creating an illustrated version of the scene where the protagonist Ben discovers a biscuit tin … Continue reading “Your Students Have Talent! Gangsta Granny”
The Johnny English films are a great way to get pupils to think about the clichés of the James-Bond-type spy film. English, created and played by Rowan Atkinson (Mr Bean) is the perfect parody of 007. The third film in the series, Johnny English Strikes Back, is no exception. As the leaders of the G12 are … Continue reading “Teaching With Trailers: Johnny English”
You may have heard about a complex concept described as a “Rube Goldberg”… then wondered what that meant. The Rube Goldberg machine is a complicated machine that does simple tasks. Rube Goldberg was an American inventor, sculptor, author, engineer, cartoonist and he is very famous for his zany inventions cartoons. Before he was known as … Continue reading “The Art of Rube Goldberg: Why do simple when it can be complicated?”
Animals are always a great subject to get pupils talking, and the film trailer for The Secret Life of Pets has great humour too. From A1 The teaser trailer for The Secret Life of Pets is perfect for introducing or revising lots of everyday vocabulary — animals, rooms in the house and household items … Continue reading “Secret Life of Pets: Teaching with Trailers”
What do our pets do alone in our homes all day? That is the question The Secret Life of Pets sets out to answer. Be prepared to be surprised! Max has a dream life. Katie has rescued him from an animal shelter and now he lives with her in a New York apartment. As soon … Continue reading “Look Out: Animals Home Alone”
It’s not often that you get two national treasures, a lot of laughs and a genuine social debate in one film. The Lady in the Van stars Dame Maggie Smith as a homeless woman who installs herself and her van uninvited in the driveway of playwright Alan Bennett. The Lady in the Van does what … Continue reading “Maggie Smith: The Lady in the Van”