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

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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.


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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

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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...


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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.

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.

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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.

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.


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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.






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