Apr 28, 2012

Spirit - Stallion of the Cimarron: Dialog Writing



A. This movie is about Spirit, a wild mustang. Watch the segments and, in small groups, write down the dialog you imagine took place in the scenes. Imagine that the horses are speaking English! Use your imagination and be creative.

*Note to the teacher:

Pause the segments when the slide of a heart shows up. Have the groups write down the dialogs, following the instructions for each part as shown below, before you play the next segments, and pause again on the heart slides.

















Scene 1. Write down the dialog between Spirit and his mother.


Scene 2. Write down the dialog between Spirit and the other horses.


Scene 3. Write down the dialog between Spirit and the other horses.

Scene 4. Write down the final dialog between Spirit and his mother.

B. Now role play your dialogs, but you are people now, not horses. If possible, don't read the dialog, just act it out (if you prefer, you can be horses, not people, but the dialogs have to be in English, of course!!).

C. Extra Activity:
Write a short narrative/paragraph about the scene.



THERE IS NOT A WORKSHEET FOR THIS ACTIVITY FOR IT IS NOT NECESSARY FOR THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF THE TASK


MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - SPIRIT, STALLION OF THE CIMARRON



Apr 21, 2012

Puss in Boots: Comparatives & Superlatives

I simply love this movie. One of the best animated films ever. Unforgettable. I used it to practice contrasting comparative and superlative forms






Watch the movie segment and decide which adjectives better apply to Puss in Boots or Kitty Softpaws.









Puss and Kitty






SEXY / FAST / PROVOCATIVE / CHARMING / TALL / CONFIDENT




Write sentences comparing Puss and Kitty, using the adjectives above.

Ex: Kitty (Puss) is sexier than Puss (Kitty).


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

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

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

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

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



Now decide which adjectives best apply to either Puss in Boots, Kitty Softpaws, Humpty Dumpty or the Golden Goose

Humpty Dumpty, Kitty and Puss

Golden Goose




FUNNY / STRONG / SHORT / FAMOUS / UGLY / FAT / ELEGANT / TALENTED


Write sentences comparing Puss, Kitty, Humpty Dumpty and Golden Goose.


Ex: Humpty Dumpty is the funniest character.


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

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

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

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

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

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

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



WORKSHEET


MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - PUSS IN BOOTS

Apr 14, 2012

Dear John: Passive Voice with Simple Present, Simple Past and Present Perfect

This is an effective tearjerker which I liked a lot. This scene is full of passive voice structures, perfect for review on passive voice with mixed verb tenses.

A. Read the script of the first scene from the movie Dear John. The paragraph is in the passive voice. either the simple present tense, simple past or the present perfect tenses. Fill in the blanks with the passive voice of the given verbs. Decide which of the two tenses you will use, depending on the context.



Glossary:

punch out: hit someone or something hard and repeatedly

rim: to be round or along the edge of something

bevel: to give something a sloping edge

stamp: to make a mark

mint: to produce something new





1. I’m eight years old again, on a tour of the US Mint, listening to the guide explain how coins ______________ (make). How they _______________ (punch out) of sheet metal. How they ______________ (rim) and ______________ (bevel). How they _________ (stamp)and __________ (clean). And then how each and every coin _________ (personally / examine) just in case one has slipped through with the slightest imperfection.



2. I am a coin in the United States Army. I __________ (mint) in the year 1980. I ____________ (punch out) from sheet metal, I __________ (stamp) and ___________ (clean), my edges _____________ (rim) and _______________ (bevel).


B. Watch the movie segment and check your answers.








WORKSHEET


MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - DEAR JOHN


Answer key:


1. are made/ are punched out/ are rimmed and beveled/ are stamped and cleaned/ is personally examined

2. was mint/ have been punched out/ have been stamped and cleaned/ have been rimmed and beveled
A peer of mine said that he had used a slides presentation with links to my passive voice activities. I was sent the link and came across this really cool and thorough class on passive voice. I'm glad Simon Friend used my blog for his video activities. His slides are effective, fun and constructive. Thanks Simon Friend for these really cool slides. Thanks for linking my site to it.


Apr 7, 2012

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs: Double Comparatives

I believe I was lucky enough to find such a pertinent segment to practice double comparatives, a grammar point we often have to teach, but I had never managed to find the right scene. The movie is sensational! I strongly recommend it.




GRAMMAR TIP:


Double comparatives are used to describe a cause-and-effect process. Remember: When BE is used in double comparatives, it is often omitted.


A. Before watching the segment, match the cause with its effect.



1. We ask the machine to make more food.


2. The machine emits more radiation.


3. We make bigger food.





( ) These molecules could over-mutate more.


( ) The food is better.


( ) The machine takes more clouds




B. Now connect both sentences, using double comparatives. Make all the necesary changes to make it correct. There are more than only one possible answers.



1. __________________


2. __________________


3. __________________




C. Now watch the segment and check your answers:






WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS

Answer key:

A. 2, 3 ,1


B.


1. The more we ask the machine to make, the more clouds the machine takes in


2. The more radiation it emits, the more these molecules could over-mutate.


3. The bigger, the better

Apr 1, 2012

Avatar: Order of Adjectives

Avatar is a revolutionary movie with wonderful visual effects and a great story. I simply loved it and used the Na'Vis physical characteristics to practice the use of order of adjectives.


A. Watch the movie segment from the movie Avatar and put the adjectives below in the correct order. The scene shows the Na'Vis, the people who inhabit Pandora, and their relationship with nature. Take a look at the chart below to choose the correct order.

Types of adjectives:


Opinion: It explains what you think about somethig (other people may not agree with you). Examples: silly, beautiful, horrible, stupid)


Size: A size adjective tells how small or big something is. Examples: large, enormous, tiny, little.


Age: It tells you how young or old something or someone is. Examples: primitive, ancient, new, young, old.


Shape: It describes the shape of something. Examples: round, rectangular, flat, square.


Color: It describes colors. Examples: yellow, reddish, pale, pink, turquoise.


Origin: It describes where something comes from. Examples: lunar, French, eastern, Brazilian.


Material: It describes what something is made of. Examples: metal, cotton, paper, marble.


Purpose: It describes what something is used for. These adjective often end with ...ing. Examples: sleeping (bag), roasting (tin), frying (pan).





1. Na'Vis are a race of (extraterrestrial / intelligent/ tall) humanoids who inhabit the (dense / lush / jungle) moon of Pandora.


2. Na'Vis have a (blue / bright / smooth) skin, accentuated with (thin/darker/cyan) stripes.


3. Their bodies have feline-like characteristics, such as (long/elegant/sweeping) tails, (beautiful/pointed /blue) ears, and (golden/large/ hypnotic) eyes.


4. They have a (v-shaped/upper/ wide) back.


5. They have developed a (evolved/ nervous/ complex) system.


6. They make use of (primitive/ effective/ wooden/ killing) weapons, such as a bow and arrows.

WORSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - AVATAR



Answer key:


1. (intelligent/tall/extraterrestrial) / (dense/lush/jungle)

2. (smooth/bright/blue) / (thin/darker/cyan)

3. (elegant/long/sweeping) /(beautiful/pointed/blue) / (hypnotic/large/golden)

4. (wide/v-shaped/ upper)

5. (complex/evolved/nervous)

6. (effective/primitive/wooden/killing)