2017 marks the sixtieth anniversary of the a major landmark in ending school segregation in the U.S.A.: when nine courageous black students braved screaming mobs, police and troops to gain access to Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas. Both the National Parks Service Visitors’ Center on the site, and the Dwight Eisenhower Memorial have … Continue reading “Little Rock School Integration Videos”
Give 20,000 schoolchildren £10 each and ask them to start a mini-business. It sounds ambitious, but the Tenner Challenge is a big success with British pupils and teachers. The competition is open to 11-19-year-old secondary-school pupils, alone or in teams, in two age categories. The basic format is simple and hasn’t really changed since the … Continue reading “Money for Nothing?”
This A1+-level article will introduce your pupils to an important and fun British charity event that involves many children across the United Kingdom: Red Nose Day. This fundraising event takes place every second year. In 2019, it is on 15 March. Vocabulary and Structures Numbers: important amounts and dates Vocabulary: lexical field around the word … Continue reading “Red Nose Day”
On 15 March, millions of people in Britain will be “doing something funny for money”… and wearing some very strange red noses. Red Nose Day was started in 1988 by Comic Relief, a collective of comedians that had formed in 1985 to do benefit shows to fundraise for victims of famine in Ethiopia. It could … Continue reading “Red Nose Day: A Very British Tradition”
Friday 2 December is Shakespeare Lives in Schools Day around the world, part of the commemorations of the 400th anniversary year of the Bard’s death. William Shakespeare died on 23 April 1616, at the age of 52, in his native Stratford-upon-Avon. Yet his 37 plays are still played constantly around the world, and have provided … Continue reading “Shakespeare Lives in Schools Day”
The British Council has produced various films to celebrate the anniversary, modern, short versions inspired by elements of Shakespeare’s plays. Some are difficult for learners, language-wise, but we’ve selected these two for class use. Plus an interactive film from Shakespeare’s Globe. This film is a satirical homage to Hamlet, and the main character is a … Continue reading “Shakespeare Lives in Schools Webpicks”
The Dinard British Film Festival will take place from 28 September to 2 October. But put your requests in now for the schools festival from 19 to 27 September! The schools festival gives class groups a chance to see some recent British film productions suited to their age groups, and some great teaching themes. The … Continue reading “Dinard British Film Festival for Schools”
