As Boris Johnson said as he announced a new lockdown: “‘Tis the season to be jolly careful”. But it’s nice to know that some festive traditions have survived the pandemic. Friday 11 December is the ninth Christmas Jumper Day, organised by Save the Children U.K. Normally, people wear a Christmas-themed jumper to work or school … Continue reading “Ho, Ho, Ho, Christmas Jumper Day is Back!”
Not all the scientists researching a Covid vaccine or cure are professionals working in labs. Anika Chebrolu, 14, from Texas, has been named America’s Top Young Scientist 2020 for finding a compound that could bind to the distinctive spike protein in the SARS-Cov-2 virus and potentially inhibit its ability to infect human cells. Anika is … Continue reading “Teen Scientist Looking for a Covid Cure”
Britain’s most prestigious literary prize this year was awarded on 19 November to one of four debut novels in the shortlist: Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart, a story of family love and addiction in recession-hit 1980s Glasgow. The story is set in the era of Thatcherism and deindustrialisation. For working-class families, times were hard. When … Continue reading “The 2020 Booker Prize Goes to First-time Scottish Author”
After four days of tense waiting, demonstrations and threats of legal challenge, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris emerged as the next President and Vice-President of the United States on Saturday 7 November. In the absence of a national election body, it was the media organisation Associated Press which called wins for the Democratic ticket in … Continue reading “Finally…. a Result”
Roald Dahl’s The Witches was published in 1983, a typically twisted tale of witches who look like normal women and want to eliminate children by turning them into mice. A second film version, this time by American director Robert Zemeckis, was scheduled for a November release. Like everything else, it’s on hold for lockdown, but … Continue reading “Roald Dahl’s The Witches”
Despite his early death aged 25, Aubrey Beardsley (1872-1898) had a prolific career as an illustrator. Part of the Aesthetic movement, a friend of Oscar Wilde’s, Beardsley was a dandy and turned his own short life into a work of art. To accompany the exhibition currently on hold at the Musée d’Orsay, this resource explores … Continue reading “The Art of Being a Dandy: Aubrey Beardsley”
Lors de la reprise des cours en présentiel début juin 2020, le défi a été de poursuivre le travail ensemble selon de nouvelles modalités, à savoir en présentiel pour certains élèves et en distanciel pour d’autres élèves. Continuité des outils numériques connus et maîtrisés de tous J’ai abordé cette période inédite en optant pour une … Continue reading “Black Lives Matter : Travail collaboratif et éducation aux médias autour d’un sujet d’actualité”
Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot are commemorated on 5 November every year in the UK on Bonfire Night. Pupils from A2 can discover the background to this annual event. Lycée pupils can investigate how a failed terrorist from the seventeenth century has become the face of the Anonymous protest movement. The British Parliament site … Continue reading “Guy Fawkes Webpicks: Protest and Plot”
A couple of years ago, Sheffield-based Forced Entertainment brought the complete works of Shakespeare to the Festival d’automne in Paris: all 36 plays, each summarised by a single actor, using household objects. This autumn, the videos of the performances will be available in turn online. You can find the full schedule on Forced Entertainment’s site. … Continue reading “Table-top Shakespeare Free Streaming”
In commemoration of the hundredth anniversary of women obtaining the right to vote in the U.S.A. in 1920, these videos and mini-site provide thought-provoking teaching tools. The Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality Monument is based in the house in Washington, DC, which has housed the National Women’s Party since 1929. It is now run but the National … Continue reading “Teaching about U.S. Women’s Fight for the Vote”
