80th Anniversary of VE Day

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 30 April 2025 > Ready to Use

The world is about to celebrate the 80th anniversary of a cornerstone day: VE Day, on May 8th. What about celebrating this day with your students by reading letters and testimonies from the period? These B1 activities based on authentic letters and testimonies from people who experienced WWII and VE Day will help the students get … Continue reading “80th Anniversary of VE Day”

Keep Calm and Carry On!

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 08 April 2025 > Celebrate

This slogan from 1939 symbolises British identity in 2025 . You can find it on T-shirts, mugs, postcards and posters. The simple white words appeared on a red poster prepared for World War Two. But the poster wasn’t distributed. In 1939, the British government was prepared for a major war, and possibly an invasion. It … Continue reading “Keep Calm and Carry On!”

Operation Overlord: the Turning Point of World War II

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 06 June 2024 > Celebrate

On June 6, 1944 at dawn, Operation Overlord, the largest airborne and naval offensive in history, was launched by the Allied forces to open a second front in Western Europe against Nazi Germany. After months of titanic preparations mobilising nearly 5 million men and immense logistics, an armada of 4,300 landing ships and 500 warships, … Continue reading “Operation Overlord: the Turning Point of World War II”

Winston Churchill’s Darkest Hour

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 12 January 2018 > Ready to Use

Darkest Hour, a new award-winning film about Winston Churchill’s role as Britain’s WW2 Prime Minister, gives an excellent opportunity to work on this historical figure and historical period with pupils at B1 level. The resource and the film focus on some of Churchill’s most famous speeches and their morale-boosting effect. The theme  can be related … Continue reading “Winston Churchill’s Darkest Hour”

The Miracle of Dunkirk

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 04 July 2017 > What's On

Dunkirk tells the story of one of the most extraordinary events of the Second World War: the evacuation of 338,000 men from the beaches of Dunkirk in northern France, against incredible odds. In May 1940, the Nazi Army was on the offensive. Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands and Belgium rapidly fell, then they set their sights … Continue reading “The Miracle of Dunkirk”

Dunkirk

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 04 July 2017 > Ready to Use

This B1-level article focuses on an important yet little recounted moment during WWII, the evacuation of British and Allied forces from the beaches of Dunkirk by the Royal Navy, aided by hundreds of civilian boats. This symbol of solidarity has been adapted into a movie by director and screenwriter Christopher Nolan. Language and structures Historical … Continue reading “Dunkirk”