Sunday, June 28

Into the Blue: Have You Ever...? - Present Perfect x Simple Past

This movie is full of action and adventure. Teens love it. The setting is the gorgeous Bahamas sea. The scene is exciting and full of activities that most people haver never performed. It is great for the students to practice questions with Have you ever...? and contrast the use of the simple past and present perfect tenses. It is perfect for practicing Yet/Already, too.


A. Watch the video segment and check all the activities you can see .

( ) jet ski
( ) travel to the Bahamas
( ) swim in the sea
( ) dive among the sharks
( ) be inside a cave
( ) ride a speedboat
( ) kiss someone in the ocean
( ) go snorkeling
( ) see a live shark
( ) be inside a grotto
( ) lose something in the sea
( ) find something valuable on the beach

B. Ask a few partners the following questions. Use the activities on the left. Follow the pattern:

Ex:

S1 - Have you ever … (jet skied)?

S2 - No I haven’t. / Yes, I have.

S1 - Would you like to jet ski? / When did you jet ski?

S2 - Yes, I would. / I jet skied last summer.

B. Write 8 sentences about the information presented in exercise A , using the words in parentheses. You may use different sentences as well.

(never) …………………………………………………………………………………….
(never) …………………………………………………………………………………….
(already) ………………………………………………………………………………….
(already) ………………………………………………………………………………….
(yet) ……………………………………………………………………………………….
(yet) ……………………………………………………………………………………….
(last year)………………………………………………………………………………..
(when I was a child) ……………………………………………………………………..

C. Talk to a partner. Come up with a list of 5 things that both of you have never done but intend to do before you die.

1...............................................................................................................
2..............................................................................................................
3..............................................................................................................
4..............................................................................................................
5. ...........................................................................................................


D. Choose a different partner and ask him/her if he/she has ever done what you and your previous partner intend to do in the future. Use the patterns in exercise A.





WORKSHEET









How to prepare your own video activity:
- Select a scene in which the characters perform unusual activities or tasks
- Prepare a list with these tasks
- Have students ask each other questions with Have you ever....?
- Have them rewrite the sentences with yet, never, already and with a definite time in the past so they can use either the present perfect tense or the simple past.
- Students prepare a list of things they have never done in their lives, but intend to do in the future.
- They interview a different partner, using the target language.

Sunday, June 21

Rachel Getting Married: Adverb Clauses - Conjunctions



This scene shows the wedding of a caucasian American woman and a black man in an extremely relaxed atmosphere, perfect harmony, and joy. The wedding is very unusual, compared to the ones in Brazil. This activity helps students practice writing adverb clauses expressing opposition in a contextualized manner. The lesson plan fosters a cultural approach to the topic as well.




A. Talk to a partner about the following questions:

1. Tell your partner about the last wedding you have been to. Who was getting married? Where was it? Describe the party after the ceremony.
2. What was the most unusual wedding you have ever been to? Why was it unusual?
3. What would you like your wedding ceremony to be like? (or) Describe your own wedding ceremony?
4 – Is it important to get married nowadays? Justify your answer.

B. Read the descriptions below and check the ones you consider traditional in a wedding ceremony in your country. Then watch the segment and check the ones you saw in the movie.



Example:



1. The Wedding march is played by a guitarist and a drummer.
In my country (NO)
In the Movie(YES)

2. The bride carries a white flower bouquet.


3. The bride wears a sari.


4. The bridesmaids wear lilac saris.


5. The groom wears a flower necklace around the neck.


6. Both the groom and the bride tell each other and the guests about how their loving feels.


7. The groom sings a song for the bride.


8. They exchange rings.


9. They kiss each other.


10. They say “I Do”.


11. The guests scream and applaud the couple.




C. Combine 4 pieces of information above and write adverb clauses showing opposition, contrasting the information presented in the movie segment and in your country, which you checked in the exercise above.




Use WHEREAS or WHILE

Ex. In Brazil, the wedding march is played by a pianist and a violinist whereas in the movie it is played by a drummer and a guitarrist.







Answer key:



B. All the sentences are true for the movie segment wedding, but the answers about the students' own country will vary.

How to prepare your own video activity:



- Select a scene in which a traditional ceremony takes place.

- Write down steps that are part of the rite or ceremony.

- Ask students to decide whether the ceremony steps are the same as in their own countries.

- Students write down sentences with adverb clauses expressing opposition with whereas and while.


WORKSHEET

Sunday, June 14

City of Ember: Future Continuous

This movie is for children and teens but it has a great message for the whole family. I enjoyed watching it. The opening scenes are great for the students to practice the future continuous tense in a contextualized manner.



A. Imagine the following situation:



On the day the world ended, the fate of mankind was carried in a metal box. Scientists and engineers met and decided to build an underground city to protect people for the next generations. they will keep the people in the city for 200 years hoping the world will be inhabitable then. In the box, there are instructions about how to leave the underground city. The people in this city, Ember, do not know there is an outside world.



B. Check the alternatives with the information you think will be taking place in Ember when the box opens in 200 years.


( ) 1. People still live underground
( ) 2. Citizens experience several power blackouts during the day.
( ) 3. The world is falling apart
( ) 4. Children live for playing.
( ) 5. Teens work hard
( ) 6. The city mayor will determine the population’s occupations.
( ) 7. People live in comfortable houses
( ) 8. People face serious difficulties
( ) 9. People own modern cars.
( ) 10. People work as engineers, doctors and scientists.
( ) 11. People work as electricians, potato peelers and messengers.
( ) 12. Citizens work on computers.



C. Now watch the segment and check if you were right.


D. Now rewrite 8 of the sentences in exercise B using the future continuous tense.


Ex: People will still be living underground.

1 ...............................................................................

2...............................................................................

3...............................................................................

4..............................................................................

5.............................................................................

6..............................................................................

7..............................................................................

8.............................................................................


Answer Key:

The true sentences are:
1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 10.


How to prepare your own video activity:

- Select a scene in that takes place in the future.

- The scene must contain a time marker so that the students can use the future continuous tense meaningfully.

- Write a few sentences with possible alternatives for what will be taking plave when something else happens (the time marker). Use the simple present tense.

- The students watch the scene and decide which ones are true.

- The students rewrite the sentences using the grammar goal.






WORKSHEET

Sunday, June 7

New in Town: Quantifiers - Enough x Too

This is a delicious romantic comedy that shows a lot of contrasts between a big city like Miami and a cold little town in Minnesotta. This scene is funny and excellent for the students to students to practice the position and meaning of enough and too.







Talk to a partner about the following questions:


1. Have you ever seen/been in a car accident? Describe it.
2. Have you ever felt that your life was at risk? Talk about it.

3. What would you do if you were alone and stuck inside your car in the middle of a snow storm?

B. Watch the movie segment and rewrite them using either enough
or too, according to the information presented in the segment. Be
careful where you will place them.

1. The weather was snowy.

Ex: The weather was too snowy.


2. The car tracks weren’t visible.

3. She packed clothes for the trip.

4. There weren’t any flights because of the storm.


5. She was driving fast .

6. She was not concentrating on her driving.


7. She was clever to hang her red pantyhose on the antenna.


8. She drank liquor to keep her warm and resist the cold.


9. She got drunk to walk by herself.

10. She was lucky to be located.


C. Talk to a patner.



1. What’s your opinion about the main character’s decisions?

2. What were the wrong things she did?

3. What were the right things she did?


Teacher’s Key
B.
Ex:
1. The weather was TOO snowy.
2. The car tracks weren’t visible ENOUGH.
3. She packed ENOUGH clothes for the trip.
4. There weren’t ENOUGH flights scheduled because of the storm.
5. She was driving TOO fast .
6. She was not concentrated ENOUGH in her driving.
7. She was clever ENOUGH to hang her red pantyhose to the antenna.
8. She drank ENOUGH liquor to keep her warm.
9. She got TOO drunk to walk by herself.
10. She was lucky ENOUGH to be located.





WORKSHEET


How to prepare your own video activity:

- Select a scene with extreme weather, commotion, problems or complications.
- Write sentences about these situations without the target language (TOO/ENOUGH).
- Make sure you write sentences in which TOO and ENOUGH would suit perfectly.
- Ask the students to add the quantifiers to sentences you have selected.