Monsters, Inc.: Present Continuous x Present Simple

This is a great movie and activity. This activity was published on Sabrina de Vita's blog, a very inspiring and resourceful site. Sabrina kindly sent me this activity to share with my readers and I'm proud to publish it here. The activity is great and so is the movie segment. This great activity will certainly foster your visiting her site. Sabrina is a consciencious educator and she also likes sharing, just like I do. All the activities and text below were developed by her. Here is what she says about herself on her blog.

I’m from Buenos Aires, Argentina. I’m an English teacher. I have studied at the teacher training college Joaquin V Gonzalez-At the moment, I’m working in the primary and secondary school: Saint Exupery. With BE the Real Thing we specialised in teaching ESP (Legal and Medical English) and Business English. We also give online classes.

Thanks a lot, Sabrina. Can't wait for more!

I will share with you one lesson plan I have prepared to revise the use of Present Simple and Present Continuous. It is based on this scene from the movie Monsters Inc.

And here go the activities:

1) Complete the sentences with the appropriate tense ( Present Simple and Present Continuous)

a) Every day, Sulley _______________ (drive) to work. However, today they ____________ (walk)

b) Right now, Mike _______________ (talk) to Sulley’s mum on the phone.

c) Afterwards, they often ______________ (watch) tv, but today they __________ (also / star) on a tv commercial.

d) Sulley and Mike _____________ (not exercise) together. Sulley ______ (do) his routine and Mike __________ (guide) him.

e) Then, Sulley always ______________ (brush) his teeth.

f) Sulley usually ____________ (get up) at 6:00 but today he ____________ (still/ sleep) at 6:05.

2) Watch the film and put the sentences in the correct order.

3) Write 5 sentences about what the monsters Sulley and Mike encounter on their way to work are doing at the moment.

4) Did you like the scene? Why (not)?

Hope you like it and find it useful. If you have used it, please share your experience with us. If you have more ideas to work with this particular film or with movies in general, don’t hesitate to share your views.

Sabrina

Gran Torino: Modal Verb - Should (Advice)

A. Before viewing :


You and your partner will make a list of everything you know about China and its culture. Each piece of information scores 1 point. Your teacher will check which pair of students scored most points.

B. Write P (Polite) or I (Impolite) after the statements below. Make a guess! Which of the actions below are considered polite/impolite during a barbecue lunch according to the Hmong culture, an Asian ethnic group in the mountainous regions of southern China.

1- To eat cat meat (I)

2- To eat dog meat (I)

3 - To drink alcoholic beverages (P)

4 - To look at someone in the eyes (I)

5 - To touch the head of a person(I)

6 - To listen to the elderly (P)

7 - To eat very much (P)

C. Now watch the segment and decide whether your guesses were correct.

D. Imagine your partner is going to a barbecue in a Hmong family house. Rewrite the items above using should (NOT).

Ex: 1 – YOU SHOULDN'T EAT CAT MEAT.

WORKSHEET

How to develop your own video activity:

- Select a scene in which the characters talk about social behavior.

- Write down a few of the recommendations given.

- The students decide whether they are appropiate or inappropriate behaviors.

- Students give advice using - should.

Be Kind, Rewind: Simple Past x Present Perfect

A. Watch the movie segment. It is about a group of friends who decide to shoot a film about Fats Waller, a famous musician who had lived in their neighborhood, to raise money and stop the demolition of the building they work at.

Chech the tasks they did during the whole week. Then write the day of the week they performed them.

Ex 1. They interviewed the people around the neighborhood. (YES) (Monday)

2.They recorded the interviews about Fats Waller .

3.They chose the sequence of events of the movie .

4.They left the country to shoot the film .

5.Famous actors were invited to act on the film .

6.They designed the costumes and makeup.

7.They worked with art direction, imagining what the scene should look like .

8.They shot the film .

9.They finished shooting the film .

10. They had the film premiere .

11.They demolished the building.


B. Today is SUNDAY. Tell what the characters of the movie have (not) done during this very busy week. Decide which verb tense you should use.




EX: 1. They have interviewed the people around the neighborhood.
2……………………………………………………………………………………………………
3…………………………………………………………………………………………………….
4…………………………………………………………………………………………………….
5…………………………………………………………………………………………………….
6…………………………………………………………………………………………………….
7………………………………………………………………………………………………….....
8…………………………………………………………………………………………………….
9…………………………………………………………………………………………………….
10……………………………………………………………………………………………………
11……………………………………………………………………………………………………

C. Now write sentences saying when they performed the actions you have checked in exercise A. Decide which verb tense you should use.

EX 1: They interviewed the people around the neighborhood on Monday.
2…………………………………………………………………………………………………..
3………………………………………………………………………………………………….
4………………………………………………………………………………………………….
5………………………………………………………………………………………………….
6………………………………………………………………………………………………….
7………………………………………………………………………………………………….
8………………………………………………………………………………………………….

D. You and your partner have US$1.000.000.00 to shoot a film. Use your imagination and come up with a story with a beginning, a development and an unexpected ending. Your teacher and the class will choose the most original story.

E. Role play the best story.

Teacher’s Key

B.
1. They have interviewed…
2. They have recorded…
3. They have decided…
4. They haven’t left…
5. Famous actors haven’t been invited…
6. They have designed…
7. They have worked…
8. They have shot…
9. They have finished…
10. They have had…
11. They haven’t demolished…

C.
1. They interviewed… on Monday
2. They recorded… on Monday.
3. They decided… on Tuesday.
4. They designed… on Wednesday
5. They worked… on Thursday.
6. They shot … on Friday.
7. They finished… on Saturday.
8. They had… on Sunday.






WORKSHEET

The Bucket List: Possessive Pronouns with Gerunds

This is a great movie with touching messages. Although the story seems to be sad, the film itself is uplifting. This scene in particular is funny and exciting. I took advantage of such a thrilling scene to have students practice the construction of possessive pronouns before gerunds.

A. Talk to a partner:



1. Have you ever gone skydiving? Would you like to do it? Why (not)?

2. What was the most exciting adventure you have ever had? Tell your friend about it?

3. Do you prefer to have vacation time in a place to practice extreme sports and/or enjoy nature, or would you rather travel to the city in order to enjoy its night life? Explain it.

4. Are you braver than you used to be when you were younger or are you less courageous nowadays? Why do you think so?


B. Watch the movie segment and choose the best way to complete the sentences below.












Carter and Edward

1. Their/ They/ Them getting ready to jump was extremely awkward.
2. One of Carter's concern was his/ he/ him/ missing the chance to see his wife again.

3. Edward disliked Kyle's / Kyle making comments about Edward's second wife.

4. Edward supported Carter's / Carter jumping off the plane.

5. Carter was really concerned about the parachute's/ parachute not opening.

6. Their/ Them/ They having a few months of life made them experiment new adventures efore dying.

7. Edward's instructor was desperate with his/ he/ him singing while they were skydiving.

8. Edward and Carter seemed to have enjoyed their/ their/ they diving.

C. Complete these sentences. Use pronouns / possessive ('s) before gerunds in your answers.

1. One interesting thing in the scene was ………………………………………………………….
2. The funniest moment of the segment was ………………………………………………………..
3 . ………………………………………………………………………………………….….. was amazing.


D. Individually, make a list of 10 things you would like to do before you die. Don't show it to anyone.


E. Work in groups of three students now. Share your list with a friend and come up with a final one with 10 things the three of you would like to do before you die. You have to negotiate and convince your partners because only 10 activities are possible.



F. Share your list with your classmates.

Answer Key:

Their / His / Kyle's / Carter's / Parachute's / Their / His / Their

WORKSHEET

Meet the Robinsons: 3rd Conditional

This movie is wonderful. It is appealing to both children and adults. I love animated movies and this one is really special. I selected two scenes of the movie. The first one, when Lewis is abandoned by his Mom, and another one very close to the ending, when he travels back in time and has the chance to talk to his mom and change his past. The activity is also divided into two parts. It is perfect to practice the 3rd conditional in a creative and contextualized manner.



A. Watch the first part of the video segment. Because Lewis's mother left him at he door of a foster home, here are a few consequences of this act in his life. Check the ones YOU believe are possible:

1. He never met his biological mom.
2. He was raised in a foster home.
3. He was never adopted.
4. His life was lonely.
5. He did not have many friends.
6. He always wanted to meet his real mother.
7. He became a clever child anyway.
8. Many foster parents interviewed and refused to adopt him.






Part 1

B. Now watch the second part of the video segment. It took place 12 years later. Lewis traveled back in time and had the chance to change his past.

C. Now rewrite the statements in exercise A, saying how different Lewis’s life might/could/would have been if he had changed his past. Make sure you use the 3rd conditional.


If Lewis
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………....
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................

,

1. He would have met his biological mother.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Answer Key:

2 - He wouldn't have been raised in a foster home.
3 - He wouldn't have been adopted.
4 - His life might not have been lonely.
5 - He might have made friends.
6 - He wouldn't have wanted to meet his mother.
7 - He would have become a clever child anyway.
8 - He wouldn't have been interviewed by foster parents.





Part 2



D. Ask a partner the following questions:

1. If you could change something about your past, what would you change? Justify it.
2. If you could grant only one wish for the future, what would it be?
3) If you could change something that happened in the history of humanity, what would you change?


E. Switch roles.


WORKSHEET

The Heartbreak Kid: Adversative Conjuctions - Opposition

This segment is excellent because the main characters want to do completely different things, which is great to practice adversative conjunctions.

A. Talk to a partner:

1. Do you believe everyone has a soulmate? Have you found yours? Explain it.

2. Is it important for lovers to like the same things? Why (not)?

B. Watch the movie segment about a newly weds who do not know each other very well. Write HE in the square next to the sentence if it is about Eddie, SHE if it is about Miranda, or THEY if it is about both of them.

1 (He) loves to go fishing.

(She) gets seasick.

2 ( ) would like to go on an adventure and go up the mountains.

( ) thinks it would be nice to just relax on the beach.

3 ( ) kept on singing very excitedly.

( ) got tired of singing.

4 ( ) was sick and tired of her singing.

( ) wasn’t courageous enough to reveal it.

5 ( ) were going on their honeymoon.

( ) knew very little about each other.

C. Now combine the sentences above using the conjunctions below:

But / still / yet / whereas / while / although / despite the fact / though / however/ nevertheless

1 …………………………………………………….…………….

2 ………….....…………………………………………………....

3 …………………………………………………………………..

4 ............…………………………………………………………

5 ……………………………………………………………………

Answer Key:

B.

1. He/she
2. He/she
3. He/she
4. He/he
5. They/they

C. Answers will vary.

How to prepare your own video activity.

- Select a scene in which the characters enjoy or perform different activities.

- Prepare sentences for the students to identify who enjoys/performs the activities
- The students rewrite the sentences using the given conjunctions

WORKSHEET

How to prepare your own video activity:

- Select a scene in which two characters enjoy/ perform different activities
- Write down two sentences with the same or opposite ideas about the characters likes and dislikes
- Provide the students with the conjunctions you want them to use
- Ask them to combine both sentences with the conjunctions

The Butterfly Effect: Past Modals for Speculation - Might/ Must/ Could + Have + Past Part.

This is a very popular movie with a creative story. The main character, Evan, has occasional blackouts that prevent him from knowing exactly what happened at certain moments of his life. This is a scene of vandalism. Because Evan had a blackout, he doesn't know what took place during the elapsed 10 minutes of that day. We, spectators, dont know either. This is perfect for the students to practice past modals for speculation in order to guess what really happened.



A. Talk to a partner:


1. Should underaged individuals be legally responsible for their acts? Justify your answer.

2. Should teeangers go to jail like adults do when they are held responsible for a serious crime? Explain it.

3. What should the legal age be for an individual to be criminally responsible for their acts?

4. Does your city suffer with the acts of vandals? What are the most common ones?

5. What should be done about these cases?

B. Watch the segment and check the alternatives that you believe are possible explanations for the 10 minutes Evan blacked out, based on the evidence you have of their reactions and dialogs:

( ) 1. The bomb did not explode.

( ) 2. The owners of the house got seriously hurt.

( ) 3. A few people died because of the explosion.

( ) 4. A police officer saw what thet were trying to do and prevented a serious accident.

( ) 5. The bomb burned the house down.

( ) 6. Evan forgot what had happened to protect himself and his friends.





C. Now rewrite the sentences above using past modals (might/could/must/can't + have + past participle).

1 - ..................................................................

2 - ..................................................................

3 - .................................................................

4 - ................................................................

5 - ................................................................

6 - .................................................................

Answer Key:
All the items can be checked.


1. The bomb might not have exploded.
2. The owners might have got...
3. A few people might have died.
4. A police officer might have seen...
5. The bomb might have burned...
6. Evan might have forgotten...


WORKSHEET

How to prepare your own video segment:

• Select a segment in which the viewer cannot predict what happened before the scene actually takes place.
• Prepare an exercise with several possible (or impossible) explanations for the puzzle.
• Ask students to rewrite the same sentences, using the grammar point – Might/ Could/ Can’t/ Must + have + past participle.