Australia’s Prime Minister, Labor’s Anthony Albanese, has called a federal election for 5 May. Labor currently has a slim majority in parliament. Opinion polls put Labor neck and neck with the Liberal-National coalition led by Peter Dutton. Federal elections have to be held every three years, and the latest possible date for this election was … Continue reading “Australian Election Called”
The Mississippi is in the spotlight in April at the Institut Franco-Américain in Rennes. A talk and a documentary film explore the river. On 1 April, Hervé Nicolas, recently retired researcher from l’Institut Agro Rennes-Angers, will give a talk about the effects of climate change on the fourth longest river in the world. On 3 … Continue reading “Down the Mississippi”
What about a Civil Rights Trail Map to commemorate and remember this decade-long fight to reach equality? The map and website studied here offer a geographical exploration of the period rather than a more common and historical one, a good means for your B1-B2 students to see the Civil Rights movement from a different perspective. Vocabulary … Continue reading “Civil Rights Map”
Ernest Cole spent the early part of his life photographing his life in South Africa as a black man under apartheid in the 1950s and 60s. He was able to publish some at the time but many waited until he felt forced into exile in the U.S.A. His book of his photos House of Bondage … Continue reading “Ernest Cole Photographing Apartheid”
At 94, Clint Eastwood returns with Juror No. 2, a legal thriller that could mark the end of his prolific career. This 40th film explores the moral dilemmas of a juror who discovers his possible involvement in a crime. The limited release of the film in the United States (about fifty theaters and minimal promotion) … Continue reading “Clint Eastwood’s ‘Juror No. 2’: A Final Dilemma”
This online exhibition offered by the Centre culturel irlandais in Paris will give pupils an insight into the turbulent history of Irish independence. These B1+/B2 texts are a means for your students to better understand Ireland’s troubled history while learning / revising the lexical fields of war and violence. This resource could either be used … Continue reading “Irish Independence: Online Exhibition”
On the third Monday in February, Americans celebrate Presidents’ Day, in honour of all 46 Presidents but especially George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. A good time to brush up on what qualifications you need to be President. Today’s Presidents’ Day grew out of individual celebrations of George Washington’s birthday on 22 February and Abraham Lincoln’s … Continue reading “Remembering Presidents”
Steven Spielberg’s 1985 film The Color Purple was extremely unusual for having an almost entirely African-American cast. (Alice Walker, whose 1982 novel it is based on, was the first ever African-American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.) The film is an enduring classic, and the musical-theatre version of the story is now hitting … Continue reading “The Color Purple Returns”
The Boston Tea Party wasn’t a social event. It was an act of rebellion and it helped start the movement for the U.S.A. to become independent from Britain. In 1773, Boston was the capital of Massachusetts, one of 13 British colonies in the future United States. For several years, the British government, in financial trouble, … Continue reading “Starting a Revolution with Tea in Boston”
On 16 December 1773, an event took place that went on to spark the American Revolution: citizens of Boston, Massachusetts, dumped hundreds of crates of tea into the sea to protest against British “taxation without representation”. This December, the city is celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. This article paired with two … Continue reading “250 Years of U.S. Democracy: The Boston Tea Party”
