A Bug's Life: Pre-Determiners - Such, What

This is such an interesting animation. I used this scene to teach pre-determiners - such and what. My lesson was contextualized and fun.


Introduction:

PRE-DETERMINERS: SUCH, WHAT

These words are normally placed before the indefinite article.

Such and what are often used to express surprise or other emotions:

Examples:

a. What a lovely day!

b. She's such a lovely woman!

c. What an incredible film!

d. He's such a fantastic guitarist!

I. Watch the movie segment and choose one of the adjectives provided to complete the sentences, according to the movie. Then rewrite the sentences, using the pre-determiner in parentheses and the adjective you have chosen. Follow the examples in the introduction.

1. Ants are very (organized/intelligent/agile) insects.

(such) ................................................................

2. The pile of food is (huge/amazing/impressive).

(what) .................................................................

3. The anthill is (awesome/complicated/interesting).

(such) ...................................................................

4. The grasshoppers are (terrifying/scary/aggressive) insects.

(what) ...................................................................

5. Flik is a (clumsy/stupid/ridiculous) ant.

(such) ....................................................................

6. Princess Atta is a (beautiful/ugly/nice) ant.

(what) ................................................................


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MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - A BUG'S LIFE

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answer key:

possible answers

1. ants are such organized insects

2. what a huge pile of fod

3. it’s such a complicated anthill

4. what terrifying insects

5. flink is such a clumsy ant

6. what a beautiful ant

The Ant Bully: This, That, These, Those - Demonstrative Pronouns

This is a wonderful movie. It's fun, clever and the graphics are amazing. I took advantage of this attractive scene to practice the use of demonstrative pronouns, because the characters use them all the time in a contextualized and visual manner.


I. Before watching the scene, complete the blanks with THIS, THAT, THESE, or THOSE. There is more than one possible answer.

1. __________ is a big nest.

2. What's ________?

It's just a door.

3. All your guests pass under __________ door?

4. Oh, ________ is too bad! Now we have to go home!

5. ________ is called hang-gliding.

6. Oh, sorry, was ________ the word?

7. ________ is Hawaii. We went there last summer.

8. ______ are the pyramids. Well, not the real pyramids...

9. Are __________ your nest mates?

Yeah, ________'s my family.

10. Is __________ what humans do when they are sad?

11. When we ants are sad, we do _________ .

II. Now watch the movie segment and check if your answers are correct, according to the segment.

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MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - THE ANT BULLY

Answer Key:

1. this, 2. that, 3. this, 4. that, 5. this, 6. that, 7. this, 8. these, 9. these / that, 10. that, 11. this

The Men that Stared at Goats: So x Too

This movie is amazingly interesting. Great actors in a a very unusual story, with great, funny moments. I used it to contrast the use of so and too before adjectives in a contextualized manner.

I. Watch the segment and choose the best alternative - SO or TOO







Lyn Cassady - George Clooney (right)




Bob Wilton - Ewan McGregor (left)






MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - THE MEN THAT STARED AT GOATS


1. The traffic signs were SO / TOO similar that the characters couldn't figure out which way to go.




2. Lyn was SO / TOO confident to drive without a map that he did not get one.



3. The car got SO / TOO damaged for them drive it.

4. They were SO / TOO unfortunate to choose the road they did.

5. The weather was SO / TOO hot that it was difficult for them to breathe.

6. Lyn was SO / TOO tired that he did not manage to acrry Bob across the desert.

7. Bob was SO / TOO thirsty to be okay in the desert.

8. Bob was SO / TOO angry that he screamed at Lyn several times.

9. They will probably have difficulties finding the right way because the desert is SO / TOO inhospitable.

10. If Lyn weren't SO / TOO confident to make the decisions they mightn't have had an accident.

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Answer Key:

1. so
2. so
3. too
4. too
5. so
6. so
7. too
8. so
9. too
10. so

What Dreams May Come: Determiners - Both, Either, Neither

This movie has a beautiful message. I used many scenes in my class. This one is to practice determiners - BOTH EITHER NEITHER. Sts who like arts and Monet or Van Gogh usually enjoy it a lot.

I. Look at these two impressionist paintings by Claude Monet. Check the alternatives you believe apply to the impressionist movement.

1. ( ) Color is not mixed.

2. ( ) They don't make use of black.

3. ( ) They reflect the outdoors.

4. ( ) They use very bright colors.

5. ( ) They transmit the idea of movement

6. ( ) They show nature and landscapes.

7. ( ) We can't see the details of the picture clearly, but we can see the essence.

II. Now watch this beautiful segment. Decide which items in exercise A also apply to the movie segment.

III. Write sentences comparing the paintings and the segment. Use Both ... and, Neither ... nor, Either ... or. Remember that each student may have a different perspective of art, so the answers may vary a bit.

Ex:

1. Neither the paintings nor the movie has mixed colors ( or Both the paintings and the segment have mixed colors).

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The Beach: Indefinite Articles

This is a great scene for indefinite articles practice. The scene is easy and interesting, and you can also generate discussion on what to take to a desert island.


A. Imagine that you live on a desert island. You can take with you only 10 items from the list below. In groups, check the parentheses of the ones your group would choose. Then complete the blanks of all the items with A, AN, or X (No article).



1. ( ) ...... toothpaste

2. ( ) ...... toothbrush

3. ( ) ...... new pair of swimtrunks

4. ( ) ...... new hat

5. ( ) ...... bottle of vodka

6. ( ) ...... bars of chocolate

7. ( ) ...... aspirin

8. ( ) ...... boxes of tampons

9. ( ) ...... industrial soap

10. ( ) ...... tin of beef curry

11. ( ) ...... batteries

12. ( ) ...... copy of the Daily Telegraph

13. ( ) ...... jasmine tea

14. ( ) ...... lip balm

15. ( ) ...... bath oil

16. ( ) ...... big box of bleach

17. ( ) ...... hair conditioner

18. ( ) ...... cinnamon

19. ( ) ...... anti-perspirant

20. ( ) ...... makeup remover


B. Now watch the segment and check your answers.


C. What would you add to the list?


Answer key:

1. x
2. a
3. a
4. a
5. a
6. x
7. x
8. x
9. x
10. a
11. x
12. a
13. x
14. x
15. x
16. a
17. x
18. x
19. x
20. x



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Ratatouille: Determiners A, An, Some

Ratatouille is a great animated movie. This scene is perfect for beginners. The language is very easy and the scene is funny. It is ideal to practice the use of determiners - a, an, some - and the students may write a recipe, if their level allows.

The final worksheet was developed by my reader, Alexandra Duarte from Portugal. She inserted this activity of mine into her own class plan and shared it with us. Thanks, Alexandra, for sharing and developing such great activities.

Alexandra Duarte has been an EFL teacher for about 20 years, most of them at MartinhoÁrias Secondary School in Soure / Portugal. For the last 3 years she has been involved in adult teaching.

http://www.clubeinglesoure.blogspot.com/

A. You can see these items during the movie segment. Match the vocabulary and the words. Add a/ an/ some before the nouns.

Ex: A tomato

1. Tomato

2. Carrots

3. Omelet

4. Eggs

5. Spaghetti

6. Wine

7. Onion

8. Egg

9. Cucumber

10. Soup

B. Now watch the movie segment and write the instructions to make the soup, using some of the words from the previous exercise. First, decide which verbs correspond to the pictures below:

1. Slice

2. Pour

3. Stir

4. Break

Recipe:

First, pick up ________________.

Then stir the _________ in a bowl.

Next, put __________ into a pan.

After that, pour ____________ into a glass.

Next, slice ________________.

Then break ________________.

Don't forget to slice ____________.

Put everything in the pan to make ___________.

Answer Key:

B.
1. a tomato
2. some eggs
3. some spaghetti
4. some wine
5. an onion
6. an egg
7. some cucumbers / a cucumber
8. some soup




WORKSHEET - 1





The next worksheet was developed by my reader Alexandra Duarte, a reader from Portugal. She inserted this activity of mine into her own class plan and shared it with us. Thanks, Alexandra, for sharing and developing such great activities.



WORKSHEET - Alexandra Duarte.

Alexandra Duarte has been an EFL teacher for about 20 years, most of them at MartinhoÁrias Secondary School in Soure / Portugal. For the last 3 years she has been involved in adult teaching.