To “remember, remember the fifth of November”, as a children’s rhyme says, A1+-level pupils can watch a slideshow about Bonfire Night. At A2-A2+, useful links can be made with the history curriculum It’s worth giving pupils a few basic facts about the failed plot and the annual celebrations. This Powerpoint presentation from the UK Parliament … Continue reading “Guy Fawkes Webpicks”
This A1+ article is a short introduction to the Gunpowder Plot, which could of course be treated from a more complex historical point of view at a higher level. The traditions of Guy Fawkes night, fireworks, bonfires and the State Opening of Parliament are introduced. As 5e pupils are studying the same period in history (Thème … Continue reading “Guy Fawkes”
This spooky A1+ audio activity is an original way to celebrate Halloween. The scene is Blood Manor, a haunted house attraction in New York. There are lots of ghoulish sound effects. And pupils will be asked to practise listening for and producing “H” sounds (and also focus on when not to add a “phantom H” … Continue reading “Blood Manor: Halloween House”
The summer holidays are approaching, and it’s time for tennis with the Wimbledon tournament. These short videos will make an entertaining end-of-term activity. Wimbledon is a British tradition, even for people who are not sports fans. But that doesn’t mean they have to take themselves too seriously, as this short trailer shows. A nice opportunity … Continue reading “Wimbledon 2021 Videos”
For two weeks every summer, London is the world capital of tennis. Wimbledon is more than just a tennis tournament. It’s a national institution with some typically British eccentricities. This year’s tournament is from 28 June to 11 July. British tennis players have not dominated world tennis historically. Andy Murray has rectified that somewhat in … Continue reading “Time for Tennis at Wimbledon”
Tennis has a very idiosyncratic scoring system, and no one is sure why. Most sports count points by ones. But in a game of tennis, the players don’t start at zero, they start at “love”. If one player then scores, they have 15. The next score is 30, so you would probably expect the following … Continue reading “What’s the Score?”
Among many other special qualities, Queen Elizabeth II has two birthdays every year: the real one on 21 April (she was 95) and her official one on the second Saturday in June. That is marked by one of the great moments of British pageantry: the Trooping the Colour ceremony. Since 1748, the monarch’s official birthday … Continue reading “Trooping the Colour”
23 April is a day for celebration in England. It’s the national day, in honour of England’s patron saint, St George. It’s both Shakespeare’s birthday and death day. Each of the British home nations has a national day associated with its patron saint: George for England, David for Wales (1 March), Patrick for Northern Ireland … Continue reading “St George’s Day”
The line-up for the Biden-Harris Presidential Inauguration includes an extraordinary young poet. Andrea Gorman was named the country’s inaugural National Youth Poet Laureate in 2017, at just 18. The Inauguration swearing-in ceremony traditionally includes a religious invocation and blessing, given by Father Leo J. O’Donovan and Reverend Dr. Silvester Beaman, a recitation of the Pledge … Continue reading “Presidential Poet”
Assuming that anything happens as planned in this extraordinary election campaign, Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States, and Kamala Harris as Vice-President, on Inauguration Day, 20 January, 2021. The ceremony and traditional celebrations that follow will be much smaller than in previous years because of the coronavirus … Continue reading “Inauguration Day”