February is Black History Month

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 16 February 2021 > Celebrate

It’s changed names and format several times since 1924, but February is the month when schools, cultural institutions and the general public celebrate the African-Americans whose stories have often been left out of official history books. The celebration of black history is credited to Dr Carter G. Woodson, an African-American historian with a doctorate from … Continue reading “February is Black History Month”

Columbus Day

Posted by Speakeasy News > Saturday 23 September 2017 > Celebrate

How did an Italian explorer working for the Spanish crown become an American hero? Columbus Day is a federal holiday in the U.S. It is celebrated on the second Monday in October and commemorates Christopher Columbus arriving in the Americas on 12 October 1492. In fourteen hundred and ninety-two Columbus sailed the ocean blue Children’s … Continue reading “Columbus Day”

President Kennedy Slideshow

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 13 September 2017 > Ready to Use

In 2017, the U.S.A. has been commemorating the hundredth anniversary of John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s birth. In this B1-B2 sequence, pupils view a short, downloadable animated slideshow giving basic facts about JFK’s life. They will then work in groups to expand their knowledge before preparing a presentation in the Bac oral format. Language and structures John … Continue reading “President Kennedy Slideshow”

Robin Hood Videos

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 18 July 2017 > Webpicks

Robin Hood is great way into British history as pupils can build on their prior knowledge of the character. If you are working on Robin Hood as part of a medieval theme, with the Robin Hood Festival in Nottingham, or as a theatre activity, these videos provide vocabulary help and food for thought. This one-minute … Continue reading “Robin Hood Videos”

Robin Hood Festival

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 18 July 2017 > Celebrate

Since the Middle Ages, Nottingham’s Sherwood Forest has been associated with Robin Hood, the outlaw who stole from the rich to feed the poor. The city celebrates its most famous son with a Robin Hood Festival in August and a Pageant in October. No one knows whether Robin Hood really existed. If he did, who … Continue reading “Robin Hood Festival”

JFK, a 20th Century American Political Icon

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 20 June 2017 > Celebrate

John F. Kennedy was born 100 years ago in Brookline, Massachusetts. JFK was the 35th President of the United States (1961-1963) and the youngest man elected to the office. He was assassinated in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963 and became the forever-young president… A political and cultural icon Born in 1917, John Fitzgerald Kennedy would … Continue reading “JFK, a 20th Century American Political Icon”

Churchill Hesitates

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 01 June 2017 > What's On

Churchill is a portrait of the wartime British Prime Minister, not as a one-dimensional heroic leader but as a far more human, and in some ways more likeable, character with all the frailties and contradictions that implies. Every country needs its national myths and in the wake of WW2, Britain constructed one where British people … Continue reading “Churchill Hesitates”