Poetry in the Classroom

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 05 October 2023 > Webpicks

This year’s UK National Poetry Day is on 5 October. A great opportunity to get some poetry into your class, and to explore this year’s theme: Refuge. The National Poetry Day site has lots of poems and teaching resources. We picked out some which are especially well adapted to ESL learners. There are short films … Continue reading “Poetry in the Classroom”

Gothic Nightmares: Fuseli

Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 05 September 2022 > What's On

Under the pseudonym Henry Fuseli, Swiss artist Johan Heinrich Füssli, became one of the leading lights of the 19th-century British art world and a popular proponent of Romanticism and the Gothic. His many depictions of Shakespearean scenes, the supernatural, dreams and nightmares are rich food for the imagination. A new exhibition at the Musée Jacquemart … Continue reading “Gothic Nightmares: Fuseli”

They Spoke and They Conquered

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 07 April 2022 > Pedagogy

Back in January, we announced this year’s Cicéronnades competition organised by the Académie of Orléans-Tours, which enncourages pupils to video themselves reciting a poem or prose text. The winners have just been announced, as part of la semaine des langues vivantes.  The Académie of Orléans-Tours is organising a competition for pupils to recite texts in … Continue reading “They Spoke and They Conquered”

Toasting Robert Burns

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 21 January 2022 > Celebrate

Not many countries have an annual celebration of their national poet. In fact not all countries have a national poet. But Scotland does and millions of people around the world celebrate him on Burns Night every 25 January. The adoption of Robert Burns (1759-1796) as national poet was a natural, organic process born or real … Continue reading “Toasting Robert Burns”

Ready to Recite?

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 07 January 2022 > Pedagogy

Why not encourage your pupils to participate in a competition to video themselves reciting a poem or prose text? Practising recitation can be a valuable activity in any language class. The Académie of Orléans-Tours is organising a competition for pupils to recite texts in the languages they are learning, which is open to pupils and … Continue reading “Ready to Recite?”

Sir Walter Scott at 250

Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 18 October 2021 > Celebrate

The father of the historical novel, author of Ivanhoe and the romanticised image of Scottish history portrayed in the Waverley novels, and a collector and preserver of ballads from the oral tradition, Sir Walter Scott was one major figures of Victorian Britain. This year, Scotland celebrates the 250th anniversary of his birth. Scott was born … Continue reading “Sir Walter Scott at 250”

Teaching about Refugees

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 12 October 2021 > Webpicks

The Walk with Little Amal project aims to raise awareness of the plight of refugees and particularly refugee children. As Amal makes an 8,000 km journey across Europe on foot, the project hopes to help other children think about the issue, and they’ve provided lots of educational tools to help teachers explore the topic in … Continue reading “Teaching about Refugees”

Celebrate Scotland’s Burns Night Online

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 22 January 2021 > Celebrate

Every 25 January, Scots and Scotophiles around the world celebrate Robert Burns, Scotland’s national poet. And since one of his famous poems is about the national dish, haggis, Burns Suppers are an occasion to taste haggis, recite poetry and enjoy Scottish music. You certainly won’t be able to go to celebrate in Scotland this year, … Continue reading “Celebrate Scotland’s Burns Night Online”