For several months, the news in the U.S.A. has been dominated by the midterm elections. Depending on which survey you look at, these could mean a major revival for the Democratic Party, or a small bump on President Trump’s path to re-election. What are the midterms, and how important are they? The midterms are an … Continue reading “American Midterm Elections”
If you’d like to discuss the American midterm elections with your classes, we have selected some great teaching resources. This 1’30” video from Voice of America News is short and to the point. It’s usable for written comprehension (there’s no voiceover or dialogue). Usable from A2. This BBC video is 2’25” and is a simple-ish … Continue reading “Talking About the U.S. Midterms”
The film Suffragette is an excellent occasion to talk about the movement for votes for women in the UK in the 19th and 20th centuries. As well as the trailer, below, the site for the Suffragette film has a clip called “We will win”, which would work well in class. There is also a gallery … Continue reading “Suffragette Webpicks”
In the U.S. presidential elections, all the candidates are chasing the youth vote. The Democrats most of all. So Barack Obama has made a short video to encourage young people to sign up to vote. It would make a great classroom activity. The youth vote is a difficult demographic. Young people are more likely than … Continue reading “Chasing the Youth Vote”
In the U.S. presidential elections, all the candidates are chasing the youth vote. So Barack Obama has made a short video to encourage young people to sign up to vote. It would make a great classroom activity. The video shows the President doing “Five things that are harder than registering to vote.” Barack Obama is … Continue reading “Barack Obama Register to Vote Video”
The Suffragette campaign was one of the major civil-rights movements of 20th century Britain. It’s amazing that 100 years after women finally got the vote, there had never been a film made about it! Suffragette, starring Carey Mulligan (The Great Gatsby, An Education), Helena Bonham Carter and Meryl Streep, finally puts the Suffragettes centre stage. … Continue reading “Suffragettes on Screen”