Emoji Time

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 17 October 2017 > Ready to Use

This A2 article is based on The Emoji Movie released on 18 October. Gene is an emoji who lives in Textopolis, a digital city inside a smartphone. While all other emojis express only one emotion, he can make ‘the wrong face’ because he was born without a filter, and he is desperate to become ‘normal’. … Continue reading “Emoji Time”

Pop Art: Teaching Resources

Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 09 October 2017 > Webpicks

The exhibition POP ART: Icons That Matter at the Musée Maillol has excellent teaching resources to explore a key movement in 20th century U.S. culture. The exhibition features works from the permanent collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. The Musée Maillol’s teaching page lets you download a detailed teaching pack. … Continue reading “Pop Art: Teaching Resources”

Hitchcock’s Home in Dinard

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 27 September 2017 > What's On

From 27 September to 1 October, Dinard will celebrate the 27th edition of its British Film Festival. The winners’ statuettes for the festival are “Hitchcocks”, and the trailer for the festival sets a suitably eccentric British tone with an Alfred Hitchcock lookalike participating in a Busby Berkeley-style synchronised swimming routine. The films in this year’s … Continue reading “Hitchcock’s Home in Dinard”

Creative Activities for National Poetry Day

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 26 September 2017 > Webpicks

The organisers of National Poetry Day in the UK, 28 September, have a treasure trove of poems and teaching activities on their website, including  a free ebook of poems to download. This year’s theme is freedom. We’ve made a selection of those that work best for language teaching, with teaching suggestions. The Freedom Films page … Continue reading “Creative Activities for National Poetry Day”

Little Rock School Integration Videos

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 26 September 2017 > Webpicks

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”

2017 Deauville American Film Festival winners

Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 11 September 2017 > What's On

“A Ghost Story”, “Brooklyn Yiddish”, “The Rider” win Prizes at 43rd Deauville American Film Festival. David Lowery’s A Ghost Story is the big winner of the 43rd Deauville American Film Festival winning three awards on 9 September : the Jury Prize the Revelation Prize the Critics’ Prize A Ghost Story is a supernatural drama with Casey Affleck and Rooney … Continue reading “2017 Deauville American Film Festival winners”

Hurricanes Webpicks

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 08 September 2017 > Webpicks

Hurricanes are dominating the news at the moment but how do hurricanes form and how are they classified? This video and animation are useful teaching tools. This animation from U.S. National Hurricane Center shows the intensity of different levels of hurricane. It is purely visual and can be used for description. This report for children … Continue reading “Hurricanes Webpicks”

Teaching with Irving Penn’s Photography

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 07 September 2017 > Webpicks

The Irving Penn exhibition opening at Paris’s Grand Palais was shown in New York’s Metropolitan Museum this spring. The Met’s site has interesting videos and audio guides in English made to accompany the exhibition and which are useful teaching tools. The Grand Palais site has a teaching pack you can download giving you background information … Continue reading “Teaching with Irving Penn’s Photography”

Labor Day Video

Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 04 September 2017 > Webpicks

The first Monday in September is Labor Day in U.S. and Canada and heralds the beginning of the school year. This 1-minute video presentation explains the holiday. Perfect for a quick injection of Anglophone culture! It’s an animated slideshow with written text rather than voiceover and can be used from A2. It presents the holiday, … Continue reading “Labor Day Video”