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”
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”
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 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”
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”
The centennial of John F Kennedy’s birth in 1917, and the recent film about Jackie Kennedy have put this short-lived but much-admired President back in the headlines. Here are some resources that will allow you introduce JFK into your classroom. The JFK Centennial site has a nice section on the President’s legacy. There is a … Continue reading “President Kennedy Webpicks”
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”
The world’s most popular female superhero has finally made it to the big screen for her first solo movie and has been named an Honorary Ambassador for the Empowerment of Women and Girls by the United Nations…for only 2 months! It took 76 years to bring the world’s most famous female superhero to the big … Continue reading “Wonder Woman: from Comics to the UN”
The Battle of Britain was a turning point in World War Two, when 3,000 fighter pilots were Britain’s last line of defence against a Nazi invasion. Just when Britain’s civilians thought the worst was over, the Luftwaffe started bombing cities in The Blitz. In May and June 1940, Britain had evacuated its troops from France, … Continue reading “Battling on the British Home Front”
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”
