These videos of crazy contraptions inspired by Rube Goldberg and Heath Robinson’s drawings are a great addition to a project to make a machine. They allow you to show pupils some examples, practise describing the machines, and see models of how to present a machine. No commentary on this video, just the images of the … Continue reading “Rube Goldberg Machine Videos”
Let’s imagine a crazy machine! We look at a fun and active project that gets pupils moving and talking in English about a culturally specific phenomenon: a Rube Goldberg machine. Cartoonist Rube Goldberg was famous for drawing comically complex machines to complete everyday task. His drawings are so well known in the U.S.A. that there … Continue reading “Inventing a Machine in Language Class”
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?”
Cerys Lock, 14, loves computer coding, and in fact everything about computers. She was recently awarded the European Digital Girl Award and hopes it will help her encourage other teenagers, and particularly girls, to take up coding, and consider a career in computing. Cerys is from Stafford, England, where she is currently studying for her … Continue reading “Digital Girl of the Year”
Looking for interesting resources on the environment for Earth Day or any day? Don’t miss our Ready to Use Resource, and video suggestions, on a teenage, Native American eco-warrior. We’ve also selected some resources from around the web to help you. Ever since the first Earth Day in 1970, one of the main purposes of … Continue reading “Ecology on the Web”
This year on Earth Day, April 22, Washington D.C. will lead many other cities around the world in a March for Science. The organisers say that more than ever scientists need to be supported in the face of climate-change sceptics. As Earth Day approaches its 50th anniversary, the planet’s environment is still under threat. Since … Continue reading “Earth Day”
The new robot exhibition at London’s Science Museum offers several videos on this motivating subject which can lead to work on science and technology, but also on human anatomy, modals and comparisons. The exhibition trailer doesn’t have any voiceover, just onscreen text. It points out that by looking at robots we question what it is … Continue reading “Robot Videos”
Robots seem futuristic, in the realm of science-fiction. But a new exhibition at London’s Science Museum traces their history back 500 years. A hundred mechanical wonders have taken over the museum. The exhibition’s curator, Ben Russell, explains that it was when astrologers developed a view of the universe as functioning like a clockwork mechanism, they … Continue reading “Robots Invade London’s Science Museum”
The film Hidden Figures reveals the untold true story of a team of African-American women mathematicians, or “human computers” who helped the success of the Apollo Moon landings program in the 1960s. These videos are a great follow-up after using our B1-level article and teaching activities with your pupils. This short video introduces the film … Continue reading “Hidden Figures: Teaching with Trailers”
In this B1-level article, students will learn about Stephen Hawking, one of Britain’s most famous scientists, as he unexpectedly reaches his 75th birthday in spite of a terrible neurological disease. The film The Theory of Everything , released in 2014, pays tribute to this exceptional man, played by Eddie Redmayne who won a Golden Globe, … Continue reading “Happy Birthday, Professor Hawking”