Marie Antoinette: Adjectives (ING X ED)

This is a scene to work with participial adjectives. The segment is just great, full of visual input. Your students will enjoy it a lot. I loved the film. If you have suggestions, post a comment, please.

Before you watch:

Talk to a partner about the questions below:

1) How different would your life be if you could live in a palace with lots of maids around to help you?

2) Would you like to live in a historical period in which you would have to wear very uncomfortable, fancy clothes and wigs?

3) What's you opinion of pre-arranged marriages? Can they work out? Why (not)?

Watch the segment and pay attention to the people and the palace. Then choose the correct form of the adjectives.

Ex:

1) Marie Antoinette is a charming/charmed (charm) princess.

2) Her fiancé was embarassing/embarassed by the awkward introduction to his future wife.

3) They rode on carriages through the fascinating/fascinated gardens of the palace.

4) Marie Antoinette was amazing/amazed with the reception provided by the French.

5) The little girls handed her some flowers in a moving/moved attitude.

6) The guests were interesting/interested in observing every move she made.

7) The palace's overwhelming/overwhelmed beauty is magnificent.

8) The chandelier is stunning/stunned.

9) The garden is a relaxing/relaxed view from the palace.

10) She is totally touching/touched by the wealth of the palace.

11) Her wedding is full of monitoring/monitored guests observing every single detail of the ceremony.

12) The straining/strained groom was sweating during the wedding.

How to prepare your own video segment:

- Select a scene in which a lot of objects and situations can be observed

- Prepare descriptive sentences of the scene, adding adjective derived from verbs, for the students to choose the correct form of the adjectives provided.

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21 - Present Perfect x Present Perfect Progressive

This is a new activity for students to contrast the use of the present perfect and the present continuous tense uses. I hope you enjoy it. The movie is great!

Before watching the segment:

Discuss with a partner the following questions:

1) What's your opinion about gambling? Should it be legalized?

2) Should casinos be allowed to run in your country?

3) Would you bet your money on a game like 21 or poker? Why (not)?

4) What would you do if you won a lot of money gambling? Would you play a litlle more or quit and spend what you won? Why?

5) Should lotteries be prohibited too? Justify it.

Now watch the video segment and fill in the blanks of the exercise with either the present perfect or the present perfect continuous, according to the information presented in the movie segment. If both are possible, use the continuous form. You may use affirmative or negative forms.

Although the narrator is talking about the past, you are to suppose that what you SEE is the present, it's what is happening NOW.

1) The words "winner winner chicken dinner" _____________ (dance) around his head all night.

2) He ____________ (hear) it at least 14 times tonight.

3) He ___________________ (do) anything ilegal.

4) He ___________________ (count) the cards everytime he plays 21.

5) He ______________ (win) more than $640.000,00.

6) He ________________ (win) and _____________ (lose) for years.

7) He _______________ (use) codes to communicate with his partners when they gamble and cheat.

How to prepare your own video activity:

Assessing: Present Perfect x Present Perfect Continuous

- Select a scene in which the characters haven't finished the activity they were performing in the begining of the scene.

- Prepare a fill in the blanks exercise for students to use the target structures.

- Make sure you select activities that allow you to contrast the verb tenses.

If you like the activity or have suggestions, leave a comment, please. Have fun.

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Sex and the City - 3rd Conditional - Unreal Past Events

This is a great scene full of unfortunate happenings. The students will love the segment and have a great opportunity to practice the 3rd conditional, unreal past events, in a contextualized manner. Tell me if you like it by posting a comment, please.

Carrie and Big

Write True or False next to each of the statements below according to the information presented in the movie segment.

1) The little girl hid Carrie's cell phone. ( )
Carrie didn't receive any calls. ( )

2)Carrie didn't know where her phone was. ( )
Carrie didn’t receive Big’s messages and phone calls. ( )


3) Big wasn’t confident enough to walk into church all by himself. ( )
Big quit getting married. ( )


4) Big took too long to apologize. ( )
Carrie hit him with her wedding bouquet. ( )


5) Carrie’s friend didn’t let Big explain himself. ( )
Carrie went home in a state of shock. ( )

6) Carrie and Big didn't get married. ( )
They both had a horrible afternoon. ( )


Now fill in the blanks of the sentences saying how things would have been different if the characters had acted differently. Use the 3rd conditional.

Ex:
1) If the little girl hadn't hidden (hide) Carrie's cell phone, she would have received (receive) Big's calls.
2) If Carrie ____________(know) where her phone was, she ___________(receive) Big’s messages.

3) If Big ________________ (be) confident enough to walk into church all by himself, He ______________ (quit) getting married.

4) If Big ________________ (take) too long to apologize, Carrie ____________ (hit) him with the wedding bouquet.

5) If Carrie’s friend ______________ (let) Big explain himself, Carrie _______________ (go) home in a state of shock.
6) If Carrie and Big _______________ (get) married, they ___________________ (go) through a horrible afternoon.

Talk to a partner and discuss the following questions:

1) What would you have done if you were in Carrie’s shoes?

2) Who was right? Why?

3) How could the situation been prevented from happening?

How to prepare your own video activity:


- Select a scene in which the characters make wrong decisions with several undesired consequences.

- Prepare a set of sentences for students to write T or F, according to what they see in the segment.

- If all the sentences are true, it will be easier for the students to understand the context and write accurate sentences.

- The first sentence should be the cause and the second one the consequence.

- The students rewrite the sentences using the 3rd conditional.

- Remind the students that the sentences have to make perfect sense.

- Prepare some discussion questions about how they would react to the situations presented in the segment.

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MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - SEX AND THE CITY

Important Information

Teaching Grammar with Movie Segments

Movie segments can be a fun, less threatening alternative to assess students’ learning of various grammar points, such as reported speech, verb tenses, modal verbs, among others. This blog will provide a number of fun, challenging activities and tips to develop your own tasks.

Teaching grammar is often exhausting and not appealing to students. Teachers usually spend several sessions dealing with the same grammar point. The teacher can certainly provide the students with fun activities to foster learning. However, when it comes to assessing the students’ achievement of a certain grammar point, teachers often rely on traditional, mechanical exercises that help them check whether their lesson goals have been met. These exercises can formally state the grammatical features the teacher wants to test or make sure the students have actually learned. For the student, though, this is a threatening moment that demands concentration, introspection, analysis, and tension. Because he/she has been working with the grammar point for such a long time, they tend to be stressed out for the assessment activities, feedback that is crucial for the teacher to know what features of the lesson still need reinforcement. The teacher can find more exciting and less formal tools to assess the achievement of teaching goals

It is evident that movie segments are extremely attractive to most of the students. Watching a short movie segment is a moment when the students can listen to genuine language in context, plug off from the classroom environment, speculate about possibilities, come up with opinions about a certain topic, and have fun in the classroom. Using video segments to assess the students’ performance can be an enjoyable, attractive, and effective manner to provide the teacher with consistent feedback of the students’ learning.

Why Use Movie Segments to Assess Grammar Goals?

• Students like movie segments
• A break from previous grammar sessions
• Less threatening than traditional tests
• Students use the grammar point based on genuine language
• Connection between listening comprehension and grammar practice
• Instant feedback
• Assessment in a relaxed atmosphere

Tips on How to Prepare an Effective Assessment Tool

• Segment length: from 2 to 7 minutes
• Use subtitles in English
• Always prepare a written exercise to assess the grammar point
• Consider both the content of the segment and the grammar goal
• The whole activity should not last longer than 20 to 25 minutes
• Peers may work individually or in pairs
• Do not let the students do the exercises while they are watching the segment
• Make sure the students write down their answers
• Provide the students with feedback as well

Bee Movie: Simple Present

I simply love this animated movie. Bee Movie is really special, funny and carries a great message for everyone. I use one of the scenes to practice the simple present tense.

Adam

Martin Benson (Dad) and Janet Benson (Mom)

Barry

Check the characters who perform the following activities. Write (B) if it is Barry, (A) if it is Adam, (D) if it is Dad, and (M) if it is Mom.

( B ) wear only black and yellow clothes
( ) comb the hair in the morning
( ) spray honey deodorant every day
( ) serve breakfast
( ) use antennas to communicate
( ) sharpen the stinger
( ) read the newspaper during breakfast
( ) read the newspaper in the street
( ) like flying around the house
( ) drive a red car very fast in the city
( ) pick up a friend to go to school
( ) park the car perfectly

I. Write down sentences saying what the Bensons and Adam do everyday.

Ex: 1 - Barry wears only black and yellow clothes.
2 - __________________________________
3 - __________________________________

II . Write down 3 things The Bensons or Adam don’t do in the morning.

Ex: 1 – Adam doesn’t have breakfast with the Bensons.
2 – ______________________________________
3 - ______________________________________

How to prepare your own video activity:

Grammar Goal: Simple Present Tense - Affirmative and Negative Statements

• Select a scene in which the characters’ routines are evident
• Identify the characters in the segment
• List some of the activities the characters perform in the segment
• Students write the name of the characters who perform such activities
• Students write complete sentences, using the simple present tense

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Lady in the Water: Included Questions

I must admit that this is the weakest Shyamalan's movie, in my opinion, but this scene is just perfect to practice included / embedded questions.





Read the following questions and decide who asked them
in the segment you will watch. Write ( S ) if Story asked
it, and ( C ) if Cleveland did it.

1) ( ) Did you pull me out?

2) ( ) Where are you from?

3) ( ) Is that an apartment?

4)( ) Do you feel an awakening?

5)( ) Why am I not stuttering?

6)( ) Where did you learn that?

7)( ) Why are you scared?

8)( ) Are you okay?


Now rewrite the sentences above, asking the same questions politely by saying Do you know… ? or Can you tell me… ?

EX: 1) Can you tell me if you pulled me out?

2) Can you tell me where you are from?


Answer Key:


A.
1. S 2 C 3 C 4S 5C 6C 7C 8C 9C


B. Answers may vary:


3. do you know if it is an apartment
4. Can you tell me if you feel an awakening?
5. I'd like to know why I'm not stuttering
6. Can you tell me where you learned that?
7. Do you mind telling me why you are scared?
8. Can you tell me if you are okay?



How to prepare your own video activity:




• Select a scene in which several questions are asked

• Choose questions whose verb tenses suit your class

• Ask the students to identify the characters who said them in the segment.

• Ask the students to rewrite the questions politely, using indirect questions.



Watch the movie segment here:



]



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The Pursuit of Happyness: Simple Past x Past Continuous

This movie has a great message and the story is touching. My opinion is that the film is too down in the mouth, but the last 5 minutes are uplifting. Not my cup of tea, but most people really enjoyed it. The scene, though, is perfect for practicing the contrast between the simple past and the past continuous tenses.







Watch the movie segment and fill in the blanks with the simple past or the past continuous form of the verbs in parentheses.

1) Chris _________________ (cook) burgers for breakfast when his landlord ________________ (knock) on his door.

2) The police ______________ (arrest) Chris when he ________________ (paint) the house.

3) Chris _______________ (pay) some parking tickets when the officer __________ (tell) him he was supposed to spend the night in jail.

4) When Chris __________ (call) his ex-wife, she _____________ (work) hard.

5) When he _______________ (enter) the elevator, he _____________ (try) to button up his jacket.

1) He __________________ (wait) in the waiting room when the secretary _________ (call) out his name.

2) When he ___________________ (walk) through the office, businesspeople _______________ (talk) on the phone, _______________ (speak) very loudly, and _______________ (work) a lot.

3) The Board _____________ (wait) for Chris when the secretary ___________ (announce) him.

Answer Key:

1. was cooking / knocked
2. arrested / was painting
3. was paying /told
4. called / was working
5. entered/ was trying
6. was waiting / called
7. walked / were talking - speaking - working
8. was waiting / announced

How to prepare your own video activity:

Grammar Goal: Simple Past x Past Continuous

• Select a scene in which the characters’ actions are interrupted during the segment.
• Prepare an exercise in which the students have to identify when to use the target structures.
• Make sure the students know when to use both verb tenses before they actually do the exercise.





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