The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

Before Harry Potter and the big-screen adaptations of Lord of The Rings, there was another fantasy world, a world in a wardrobe. Level: medium •  Category: reading; listening; vocabulary  • • • • • • • • • • • • If you have children who are also learning English, why not read a book […]

Real Business Emails

Emailing in a second language can be demanding: how you approach your contacts can have a huge effect on how they feel about receiving your email and how they respond. Level: higher •  Category: writing; vocabulary; reading  • • • • • • • • • • • • The vast majority of business correspondence […]

A night at the ballet

Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker has become part of US tradition and is the introduction to the world of ballet for many Americans. Level: medium •  Category: reading  • • • • • • • • • • • • The Nutcracker is perhaps best known for the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, which you can […]

The World of Dreams

What do you dream about when you dream? And what could it possibly mean? Level: basic •  Category: reading; vocabulary  • • • • • • • • • • • • Over the centuries, people have thought about what dreams are. Are they random thoughts or do they contain messages that we can learn […]

Before Banksy there was…

Dive into the world of Jean-Michel Basquiat through this TED Ed introduction to his life and art. Level: higher •  Category: listening, reading, writing, discussion  • • • • • • • • • • • • «I like kids’ work more than work by real artists any day.» Jean-Michel Basquiat was the first street […]

I need some cash!

If you go to the UK, you may need some money. Here’s how to deal with cash machines. Level:  basic • Category: reading; vocabulary  • • • • • • • • • • • • Watch the video above. 1. What are three other ways of saying «cash machine»? 2. Write down the sentences […]

Would I Lie To You?

Can you tell when someone’s lying? That’s the idea of this comedy TV show. Level: basic • medium • higher •  Category: listening, vocabulary, grammar, reading  • • • • • • • • • all levels  • • • • • • • • • «Would I Lie To You?» is a popular TV panel show where comedians tell each […]

Where are the Neanderthals?

Neanderthals had bigger brains than us! So what happened? Level: higher •  Category: listening, reading, writing, discussion  • • • • • • • • • • • • Have you ever wondered what happened to other kinds of humans? Yes, we’re just homo sapiens. But what about our good friends, homo neanderthalensis? It’s Okay […]

The Day of the Triffids

Read, listen and watch as the world is taken over by man-eating plants in John Wyndham’s science fiction classic, The Day of the Triffids. Level: medium • higher •  Category: reading, listening  • • • medium • • •  • • • higher • • • “When a day that you happen to know is Wednesday […]

TED Ed – Can Animals Be Deceptive?

Fireflies, geckos, snakes… animals are liars! Level: basic • medium • higher •  Category: listening, reading, writing, discussion  • • • • • • • • • all levels  • • • • • • • • • Find out about the mysteries of the animal kingdom in this video about how animals have evolved deceptive traits and behaviours. TED Ed […]