Flight Plan: Present and Past Modals for Speculation

I. Watch the movie segment. Then write down three different explanations for what happened in the segment on a piece of paper. Use your imagination.

Ex: The girl is sleeping somewhere on the plane.

1 ___________________________________

2 ___________________________________

3 ___________________________________

II. Teacher collects the sheets and redistributes them among the students. 

III. Students analyze their peers' explanations and write sentences with modal verbs for speculation. Remember that you should vary the modal verb according to what you believe really happened to the boy.

Observe if the sentences refer to the present or to the past. You will have to choose the correct verb form.

(PRESENT IDEA: MIGHT + BARE INFINITIVE)

(PAST IDEA - MIGHT + HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE)

Ex: 

The girl might be sleeping somewhere on the plane. (It is possible, but you don't think that is what really happened)

The girl must be sleeping somewhere on the plane. (It is very possible. You probably agree with the idea)

The girl can't be sleeping anywhere on the plane (It is not a plausible explanation. You don't believe it happened at all)

IV. Read the sentences out loud. Explain why you chose those modal verbs. Agree and disagree with your friends' ideas.

V. What is the most plausible explanation decided by the class?

WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - FLIGHT PLAN

Under the Dome: Modals for Speculation

I am a great fan of Stephen King and his imaginative stories. This one is no exception. The book, which I loved, became a CBS series. The book explores the psychological shades of the characters much more deeply than the series, but it is still worth following. This scene is one of my favorite scenes on this blog. This is the first post taken from a TV series. Others will come up.

I. Watch the segment. Then check the alternatives that you believe are possible explanations for the "dome".

1. ( ) It is a force field.

2. ( ) Extra terrestrials want to isolate human beings for experiments.

3. ( ) It is a military operation.

4. ( ) It is a natural phenomenon.

5. ( ) It is their imagination.

6. ( ) It is a nuclear shelter.

7. ( ) Your guess.

II. Check your guesses with a partner. Then write sentences speculating about what the dome is.

1. ________________________________ 

2. ________________________________ 

3. ________________________________ 

4. ________________________________

III. Look at the pictures below. Chester's Mill, a small town in Maine - USA, was isolated from the rest of the world by this mysterious dome. No one goes out; no one comes in. Think about possible consequences of such a happening. Think about the climate, water resources, food supplies, family members, politics, security, hospitals, etc. Then write down at least 5 sentences speculating about what might happen to Chester's Mill's population OR what they might have to do to survive.

CLIMATE: ___________________________

WATER RESOURCES: _______________________________

FOOD SUPPLIES: ______________________________

FAMILY MEMBERS / FRIENDS _________________________

POLITICS: ___________________________

SECURITY: ____________________________

HOSPITALS / HEALTH WELFARE ____________________



IV. Check your ideas with the students from the other groups.


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MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - UNDER THE DOME

Europa Report: Past Modal Verbs for Speculation

This movie could have been better, but it has intriguing moments. This scene, though, is wonderful for past modals for speculation because of the range of possibilities it may unravel.

I. Watch the segment and discuss the questions:

1. What is the new step for mankind the scientist mentions in the beginning of the segment?

2. What were the astronauts doing when they received their last image from the mission.

3. Dr. Samantha Unger was Europa Ventures Lead Mission Planner. She asked herself - What happened?

TASK:

Work in small groups. Speculate about what might have happened to the astronauts and present a report to Dr. Unger. You must come up with five possible/plausible explanations for the mystery. Use your imagination and creativity. 

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MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - EUROPA REPORT


Answer key:

1. They put men and women into deep space to explore Europa, one of Jupiter's moons, with similar atmospheric conditions as Earth. It was the first manned trip into deep space.

2. Nothing special, they were working and waiting for the following events to take place.

3. - TASK - Answers will vary.

The Happening: Modals for Speculation Might, Could.

Most reviewers criticized this movie, but I am a fan of Shayamalan, the director. All of his films have provided me with very interesting activities because the stories are very creative. I used this scene to practice modals for speculation - possibility.


A. Read the latest news in today's newspaper:












The Honeybees Disappearance:
Apparently, honeybees are disappearing all over the country. Tens of millions of them. Just disappearing. There are no bodies, no sign of them. They're just mysteriously gone.




B. Talk to a partner and come up with at least two different theories about why this might be happening. Be as creative as possible. Use modals for speculation (might, could, must ) to construct your theory.


C. Share your ideas with the whole class. Make sure you use modals for speculation while reporting your theory.


D. Each student votes for the following theories.



1. The most plausible one


2. The most farfetched one


3. The most creative one



E. Count all the votes and check what the class's opinion is.


F. Now watch the movie segment and check whether your ideas and the characters' theories matched.


G. What are the characters' theories? Write them using modals for speculation.


1. ......................................................
2. .....................................................
3. ...................................................
4. ...................................................
5. ....................................................






WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - THE HAPPENING


Answer Key
Ex: G
1. It might be a disease.
2. It could be a virus or infection.
3. It might be pollution.
4. It could be global warming
5. It might be an act of nature we will never fully understand.

The Mist: Modal Verbs - Possibility, Speculation - MIGHT, COULD, CAN'T

This is an excellent horror / thriller for those who enjoy this kind of movie, like I do. I would recommend the scene for adults or high teens because it is a tense, but not violent segment. Because none of the characters have an idea of what that mist is or what is in it, it is great for the students to practice modal verbs of speculation and possibility - might, could, can't. Although the movie has very frightening scenes, this one isn't and won't shock anyone. In fact, it is one of the best moments of this amazing movie, based on a Stephen King's story.

A. Watch the movie segment.

B. In column 1, write YES if you believe it is a possible explanation for the mystery, and NO if you believe it is an impossible explanation.

In column 2, check the items that the characters in the movie believe are possible explanations for what is in the mist.

WHAT IS (IN) THE MIST?

MY OPINION / THE CHARACTERS’ OPINIONS


( ) ( ) A military operation

( ) ( ) A pollution cloud

( ) ( ) A terrorist attack

( ) ( ) Some kind of chemical explosion

( ) ( ) Death

( ) ( ) Just their imagination

( ) ( ) An earthquake

( ) ( ) Aliens

( ) ( ) The end of days

( ) ( ) A poisonous gas cloud

( ) ( ) A nuclear explosion

( ) ( ) A war simulation
C. Now write sentences with might, could or can’t to express possibility or impossibility, speculating about what is in the mist.
Might
1 ………………………………………………………………………………..
2 ……………………………………………………………………………….

Could
1 ………………………………………………………………………………..

2 ………………………………………………………………………………..

Can’t
1.…………………………………………………………………………………..

2 ………………………………………………………………………………....

D. What would you do if you were the woman who needed to go into the mist in order to rescue her eight year-old daughter?

E. Talk to a partner and decide what is the most probable explanation to the situation. Justify your choice.

Answer Key:
The characters’ guesses:

A pollution cloud
Some kind of chemical explosion
Death
An earthquake
The end of days
A poisonous gas cloud

How to prepare your own video activity:
-Select a scene in which a mystery can't be explained
- Prepare alternatives for the mystery
- Ask the stsudents to write sentences with their guesses for the explanation of the mystery using the grammar point

WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - THE MIST