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 have 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.




WORKSHEET


MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - INTO THE BLUE





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 guitarist.






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.






MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - CITY OF AMBER



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New in Town: Quantifiers - Enough x Too

This is a delicious romantic comedy that shows a lot of contrasts between a big city like Miami and a cold little town in Minnesota. This scene is funny and excellent for the students to students to practice the position and meaning of enough and too.







Talk to a partner about the following questions:


1. Have you ever seen/been in a car accident? Describe it.
2. Have you ever felt that your life was at risk? Talk about it.
3. What would you do if you were alone and stuck inside your car in the middle of a snow storm?

B. Watch the movie segment and rewrite them using either enough
or too, according to the information presented in the segment. Be
careful where you will place them.

1. The weather was snowy.

Ex: The weather was too snowy.

2. The car tracks weren’t visible.

3. She packed clothes for the trip.

4. There weren’t any flights because of the storm.

5. She was driving fast .

6. She was not concentrating on her driving.

7. She was clever to hang her red pantyhose on the antenna.

8. She drank liquor to keep her warm and resist the cold.

9. She got drunk to walk by herself.
10. She was lucky to be located.

C. Talk to a partner.


1. What’s your opinion about the main character’s decisions?

2. What were the wrong things she did?

3. What were the right things she did?

Teacher’s Key
B.
Ex:
1. The weather was TOO snowy.
2. The car tracks weren’t visible ENOUGH.
3. She packed ENOUGH clothes for the trip.
4. There weren’t ENOUGH flights scheduled because of the storm.
5. She was driving TOO fast .
6. She was not concentrated ENOUGH in her driving.
7. She was clever ENOUGH to hang her red pantyhose to the antenna.
8. She drank ENOUGH liquor to keep her warm.
9. She got TOO drunk to walk by herself.
10. She was lucky ENOUGH to be located.





WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - NEW IN TOWN

How to prepare your own video activity:

- Select a scene with extreme weather, commotion, problems or complications.
- Write sentences about these situations without the target language (TOO/ENOUGH).
- Make sure you write sentences in which TOO and ENOUGH would suit perfectly.
- Ask the students to add the quantifiers to sentences you have selected.

Outlander: Transitional Words or Phrases - Connectors

I don't usually enjoy science fiction movies, but I decided to try this one out. This is a great scene for students to practice the use of connectors, transitional words, and writing a paragraph as well. I integrated grammar, writing, listening and speaking in the lesson plan. The main goal for this activity is to enable students to write a paragraph, using the movie context and the transitional words you are teaching

A. Watch the movie segment, talk to a partner, and put the events of the story in the correct order.

( ) They killed the Moorwens, the beasts that lived on the island, with fire.

( ) As part of his pay, he received a place for his family to live.

( ) He left on a journey.

( ) They hunted down those Moorwens they missed.

( ) They removed and buried all the dead Moorwens.

(1) They took the island they wanted.

( ) This surviving Moorwen killed everyone.

( ) He knew one of the Moorwens had survived
B. The Outlander was a man in conflict because of his memories. Write a paragraph telling his story, using the given transitional words below. In the end, write a concluding sentence justifying why the Outlander is such a sad man.

First

Second

Then

Next

After that

Three weeks later

Subsequently

Afterward

Finally

C. Paragraph writing:

His people was no different from hers, hungry for lands. First, they took the island they wanted

.............................................................................

.............................................................................

............................................................................

............................................................................

...........................................................................

..........................................................................

..........................................................................

..........................................................................

..........................................................................

..........................................................................

For your information:

Answer Key:

The correct sequence is:
2, 6, 3, 4, 5, 1, 7, 8.

The transitions words may vary.

How to prepare your own video activity:

- Select a scene in which a character or a narrtaor is telling a story.

- Write the sequence of the narration out of order.

- Students put the story in the correct order

- Students write a paragraph using the grammar point to connect their sentences in the paragraph.

- Ask them to come up with a topic sentence and/or a concluding sentence for their paragraph.

WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - OUTLANDER

Marley & Me: Zero Conditional

When I read the book, I thought a movie about Marley would be sensational. In fact, it is a great movie, but the ending is terrifying due to Marley's suffering and the family's loss. Those who have dogs should never see this movie, I guess. However, the scene I selected to practice the zero conditional is funny and entertaining. The couple have to leave Marley with a dog sitter while they take a brief week off. It is perfect to practice the zero conditional because they leave instructions and write about what to do when Marley performs certain actions.

A. Talk to a partner:

1- Do you have a pet? Tell your partner about it or about a friend’s pet you know.

2- What animals can be raised as pets?

3 – What are some unusual pets you know?

4 – What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a dog as a pet?


B. Marley’s owners are leaving him with a dog sitter. The first column is the condition the owners present and the second one is what they tell the sitter to do in those situations. Match both columns before you watch the segment.

Condition Clauses


1 - Marley jumps on you

2 - Marley looks starved

3 - Marley poops in the garden

4 - Marley tries to drink water from the toilet

5 - Marley wants to exercise

6 - A storm is arriving

7 - Marley is stressed

Result Clauses:

......... Feed him again.

......... Keep the toilet lid closed.

........ Give Marley sedatives.

........ Walk or run with him twice a day.

........ Knee him.

........ He chews the furniture.

........ Use the poop scooper and watch your step.

C. Watch the segment and check your answers.

D. Now rewrite the sentences using the zero conditional. Notice that we are talking about something which is generally true, not a specific event.

1 - ………………………………………………………………………………………………….

2 - ………………………………………………………………………………………………….

3 - …………………………………………………………………………………………………

4 - ………………………………………………………………………………………………….

5 - ………………………………………………………………………………………………….

6 - ………………………………………………………………………………………………….

7 - ………………………………………………………………………………………………….


Teacher’s Key

Correct answers:

B.
2, 4, 6, 5, 1, 7, 3

D. Possible answers:

1. If Marley jumps on you, knee him.

2. If Marley looks starved, feed him again.

3. If (when) Marley poops in the garden, use the poop scooper and watch your step.

4. If Marley tries to drink water from the toilet, keep its lid closed.

5. If Marley wants to exercise, walk or run with him twice a day.

6. If a storm is arriving, give Marley sedatives.

7. If Marley is stressed, he chews the furniture.

WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - MARLEY & ME

Stardust: Adverbs x Adjectives

This is a funny scene with Robert de Niro in great shape. The movie wasn't such a great blockbuster because it had been advertised as a new Harry Potter, which made people reject it. It is a good movie, though. It has nothing to do with Harry Potter. I used this scene to talk about stereotypes, activating the students' schemata, in order for them to practice when to use adjectives or adverbs in a sentence. The task is simple, but effective. The correct answers are on the worksheet. A. Talk to a partner about the following questions:

1 - Do you consider the first impression the most important one? Justify your answer.

2 - Do you think people have a correct idea of your personality just by looking at you, your physical appearance and clothes? Explain it.

3 - What are some personality traits a doctor must have? Name at least 5 adjectives.

4 - What about a teacher?

5 - Did you have a different opinion about your teacher's personality in the beginning of the term? Why (not)? What made you change your mind?


B. Write down six adjectives you would use to describe the captain of a ship. What are some important features he must have?

1 - ......................................
2 - .......................................
3 - ......................................
4 - .....................................
5 - ........................................
6 - ......................................

C. Watch the video segment and check which of the adjectives you chose in the previous exercise actually describe Captain Shakespeare?

D. Now choose the correct form of the words (adjectives or adverbs) in the sentences below.

1) Captain Shakespeare has a fearsome/ fearsomely reputation.
2) While putting on some makeup, the Captain moved his head gentle / gently.

3) The fighters handled their swords elegant / elegantly.
4) While everyone was fighting violent / violently on the deck of the ship, Captain Shakespeare was dancing graceful / gracefully in his cabin.

5) Captain Shakespeare's dancing was awkward / awkwardly.
6) He looked unhappy / unhappily after his friends saw him with those ridiculous clothes.


How to prepare your own video activity:
- Choose an attractive scene with action.

- Write down sentences about the film with adjectives or adverbs for the students to select the correct one.
- Make sure you use action and stative verbs about the segment. Doing so, the students will have the choice for both adjectives and adverbs.



WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - STARDUST

Australia: Simple Past

Despite the fact this movie did not meet my expectations, the opening scene is good for basic learners studying the past simple tense for the first time. The characters speaks BROKEN ENGLISH, an aspect that is worth-mentioning to beginners.

For this blog, I wrote down the answers in purple to help you with the preparation.

A. Talk to a partner:

1- What do you know about Australia? Tell each other everything you know about it.
2- What is the Australian outback?
3- What do you know about the aboriginals?
4- How different do you think Australia is from your own country? Why?
5

B. Pay attention to Nullah narrating a few events that took place on that day. Because Nullah is an aboriginal who doesn't have much contact with white people, he doesn't speak English correctly. Watch the segment, underline the verbs that are incorrect in each of the sentences below and correct them.

This is Nullah

1 - My grandfather, King George, he take me to walkabouts.

2 - My grandfather teach me the most important lesson of all.

3 - That day, I see them, the white fellas, pushing bulls across the river.

4 - King George ________ angry at white fellas.

5 - The coppers come here to take me away.

6 - This story not begin that day.

7 - This story begin a little while ago in a land far, far away.


C. Talk to a different partner now. Decide what information about Australia presented in the movie segment was new to you and you didn't mention when you and your partner did exercise A.




D. Class discussion:

1. Summarize the story of the segment

2. Nullah is an aboriginal who does not have much contact with white people. How is that reflectd in the way he speaks?

WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - AUSTRALIA

Twilight: Modal Verb for Ability - CAN

Although this movie is apparently attractive just to teenagers, this scene is fun and exciting for everybody. This scene is excellent for teens, though. They like the movie and it suits the grammar goal well. Students can practice the modal verb CAN for ability. They can also learn some new vocabulary about baseball, especially if they are in a country where the sport is not so popular, like here in Brazil.

Talk to a partner about these questions:

1- What do you know about vampires?
2- What can they do?
3- What's good and bad about being a vampire?

A. Vocabulary Collocation:


Match both columns


1 - Pitch

2 - Hit

3 - Run

4 - Handle

5 - Jump

6 - smell


( ) the baseball precisely

( ) the baseball hard

( ) fast

( ) the bat with agility

( ) high

( ) different perfumes easily




- . The Cullens





- . The Nomads


Observe the movie segment below. There you will see The Cullens, the group of vampires playing baseball, and the Nomads, the group of vampires who arrive later. Then write down sentences saying what the Cullens and the Nomads can do that we, humans, can't. Use the matching exercise items and others.

1 ..........................................................................................
2 ........................................................................................
3 .........................................................................................
4 .........................................................................................
5 .........................................................................................
6 ........................................................................................

Talk to a partner and decide:


What super powers would you like to have?
I can .........................., ................................., and ......................................
Answer Key - Matching may vary:
1. Pitch the ball precisely
2. Hit the ball hard
3. Run extremely fast
4. Handle the bat with agility
5. Jump high
6. smell different perfumes easily

How to prepare your own video activity:
- Select a scene in which the characters can perform different activities, like skills or sports.
- Ask students to write about what they see and what activities they can (not) perform.

WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - TWILIGHT

Jumper: 2nd Conditional

The dream of most human beings would probably be to have David's super power to teleport. Going from one place to the other without transportation means would be fantastic. I took advantage of the first scene of "Jumper" to have students practice the 2nd conditional in a contextualized manner. Besides, both the scene and the movie are sensational. Here is the lesson plan:

A. Watch the movie segment. Decide how different life would be if everyone had David’s power to teleport. Write at least 5 different things.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.



B. Talk to a partner and make a list of what both of you would (not) do if only you had David’s power to teleport. Remember that you have to be ethical and think about the possible consequences of your acts.


What we would do : 

What we wouldn’t do:

C. Work with a partner and write down a condition for the sentences below.

1. We would donate 1 million dollars to charity if...
2. We would teleport ourselves to the Sahara desert if...
3. We wouldn't call the police if...
4. We would hide our super power from the other people if...

How to prepare your own video activity:
- Select a movie scene in which the characters do things our studens would not normally do.
- Preview the scene with hypothetical questions about the segment.
- Have students come up with sentences using the 2nd conditional.



WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - JUMPER

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

I, Robot: Future - Will

This segment provides you with an excellent opportunity to have students practice "will" to talk about the future. Here you can integrate listening, speaking and grammar in a contextualized manner. Besides, the segment is so gripping, full of food for thought and conversation!

Before watching the segment:

Discuss the following questions with a partner:

1) Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future?

2) How different will your city be in the year 2035?

3) How would you describe your city in 2035?

4) What will be better and what will be worse then?

5) Do you think robots will be common in 2035?

6) What tasks will robots have?

7) Will life be better if humans share their space with robots?

8) Would you like to have a personal robot to help/protect you?

Read the sentences below. Check the ones that you think will be true in Chicago, 2035.

( ) All electronic appliances are modern.

( ) People live in very comfortable homes.

( ) Mail is delivered by robots.

( ) People and robots share the streets.

( ) Robots walk dogs for their owners.

( ) Litter collecting is done by robots.

( ) People wear the same kinds of clothes we do today.

( ) Robots rob people.

( ) Robots protect people.

Now watch the movie segments and write the sentences above using will/won't, according to what you see in the segment.

Ex:1 -Not all electronic appliances will be modern.


2 - People won't live in comfortable homes.

3 - Mail will be delivered by robots.


Talk to a partner:
1 - Do you think the film shows a possible reality of the future? Justify it.
2 - Would you like to live in a world like the one in the movie? Why (not)?
3 - What did you like best about the future presented in the segment?

How to develop your own video activity:

- Select a scene that takes place in the future.

- Have students work in pairs to predict what the future will be like in the future.

- Write some sentences with true and false information about the future, according to the movie segment.

- The students check the ones they believe will be true by then.

- The students write affirmative or negative statements with the target grammar point about the items you have developed for the warm-up exercise.

WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - I,ROBOT

Definitely, Maybe: Restrictive Relative Clauses

This is the opening titles scene of this really nice romantic comedy. Ask your students to pay attention to what people are doing during the main character's (Will's) walk from his office to his daughter's school. Because there are several characters performing different activities, it is great for the students to practice the use of relative (restrictive) clauses.

Definitely Maybe: 3’28


I. Match the two activities the same character(s) is (are) performing.

(1) A man sells fruit for a living on the street.

(2) A man was wearing very big earphones.

(3) An elegant woman was walking her dog.

(4) Many children and parents were arguing.

(5) A girl was shouting madly at her mother.

(1) He was reading a magazine.

( ) He prevented Will from being run over by a truck.

( ) She was wearing a fur coat.

( ) They were talking about the sexual education class.

( ) She thought her mother had lied to her.

The sentences are in the order of the correct matching. Mind mixing up the sentences before you prepare the students' exercise sheets:

How to prepare your own video activity:

- Select a scene in which a lot of peole are performing different actions at the same time.

- Have students match 2 activities (or the character's physical characteristics or clothing, for example) the same character is performing.

- Have them write restrictive relative clauses combining both sentences.


WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD

The Ultimate Gift: Conjunctions - Because / So / Since

This movie has a touching message and is a dramatic comedy. The main character has to go through several tasks in order to become a better person and receive an ultimate gift as inheritance. This scene is perfect to practice the use of conjunctions, in this case contrasting the use of so x because and since.

I. Discuss the following questions with a partner.

1. Should the man always pay the check when he takes his girlfriend to a restaurant? Why (not)?
2. What would you do if you invited someone for dinner in an expensive restaurant and you found out you didn’t have money to pay the check?

3. Would you ask for expensive dishes in a restaurant to impress your girlfriend (boyfriend) even if you couldn’t spend a lot?

4. What would you do if someone invited you to go to a very expensive restaurant and he asked you to pay the check?

5. What would you do if you found out you didn’t have money to pay for the dinner you have just finished eating?

II.Watch the video segment and combine both sentences with so, because or since.

The waiter was amazed.
The young couple had ordered pricey wine and lobster.
1. (Because) …………………………………………………………………………………..

Jason’s credit card was declined by the charge card company.
The waiter told Jason about it.
2.(So) ………………………………………………………………………………………….

Jason’s credit card was declined twice.
Jason gave the waiter another credit card.
3. (Since) ………………………………………………………………………………………

Jason wanted to move in to his girlfriend’s place.
Jason’s place was being remodeled.
4. (So) …………………………………………………………………………………………..

Jason was switching bank accounts at the moment.
Jason asked his girlfriend to pay the check.
5.(Because) …………………………………………………………………………………….

Jason didn’t have money to pay the check.
Jason’s girlfriend left him alone in the restaurant.
6. (Since) …………………………………………………………………………………….

How to prepare your own video activity:

- Select a scene in which the characters have to make decisions because of unexpected events.

- Write sentences with both the causes and their consequences.

- Ask students to combine both sentences with because/so/since.

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - THE ULTIMATE GIFT

WORKSHEET

The Devil Wears Prada: Dangling Modifiers

This is the opening scene of this funny movie with excellent characters. I left the answers to the exercises on the blog post just to help you out, but of course you'll have to delete this information when you prepare the students' exercise sheets. This is the opening scene of the movie, with a great song. I prepared a lesson plan to practice dangling modifiers with visual input to contextualize the topic.





These ladies are the main characters:




















Andrea and Miranda

A. Discuss the following questions with a partner:


1. How should people behave in a job interview?
2. What should they wear?
3. What is the perfect boss like?
4. How would you deal with an extremely impolite boss if the job was very good pay and extremely important for your career? Justify your answer.


Watch the movie segment and decide whether the following sentences have dangling modifiers. Write (C) if the statement is correct and (W) if it is wrong.

1 - After getting dressed, Andrea kissed her boyfriend goodbye. (C)


2 - Going to her job interview, the waitress handed Andrea a bagel for breakfast. (W)


3 - While eating a sandwich, she took the subway to work. (C)


4 - Surprised by the message the taxi driver sent, a lot of things had to be done in a hurry. (W)


5 - After asking if someone had eaten an onion bagel, Andrea checked whether her breath was fine. (W)


6 - Before reaching her office, nobody but her assistant talked to Miranda. (W)


7 - While going to her office, the employees avoided walking or staying where Miranda was. (W)


8 - Sitting in the waiting room, Miranda called Andrea for the interview. (W)



Now revise the dangling modifiers and write a possible correction.



Possible answer key:


Ex:
1 - Correct
2 - Going to her job interview, Andrea bought a bagel for breakfast.
3 - Correct
4 – Surprised by the message the taxi driver sent, Emily had to do a lot of things in a hurry.
5 – After being asked if someone had eaten an onion bagel, Andrea checked…
6 – Before reaching her office, Miranda didn’t talk with anyone but her assistant.
7 – While going to her office, Miranda made her employees avoid walking…
8 – Sitting in the waiting room, Andrea was called for the interview.


How to prepare your own video activity:

- Select a scene with a lot of actions
- Prepare sentences about the sentences with dangling modifiers
- Some of the sentences should be correct
- Students watch the segment and decide how to correct the wrong sentences






WORKSHEET

Hitch: Imperative Forms

This is a great, funny scene for the students to practice imperative forms. The lesson plan below provides them with plenty of opportunities for free communication, controlled oral practice and writing as well. Hitch, the character played by Will Smith, gives lots of advice using the grammar point and the topic is extremely familiar to everyone, especially teens. I hope you like it.

A. Talk to a partner about the following questions:

1. How do you feel when you go on a first date with someone?

2. What are the basic rules you follow on a first date?

3. What are the signs that your date is not interested in you?

4. What do you do when you observe that?


B. Give 3 (three) pieces of advice to someone who is going on a first date to the
following places. Don’t repeat them. Make sure you use imperative forms.


To a photograph exhibition

1. ……………………………………………………………….....

2. ………………………………………………………………….

3. ………………………………………………………………….

To a night club

1. ………………………………………………………………….

2. ………………………………………………………………….

3. …………………………………………………………………


To the movies

1. ………………………………………………………………….

2. ………………………………………………………………….

3. ………………………………………………………………….
C. Read the alternatives below and guess which ones are recommended on a
first date according to Hitch, the counselor.

1. When you go to a photograph exhibition on a first date…

a. Be the real you
b. Give her plenty of space
c. Stay next to your date when she lingers on a picture.
d. Maintain visual contact all the time.
e. Try to be as funny as possible.
2.When you go to a night club…

a. Dance all the time.
b. Walk a little when you leave the club.
c. Ask her/him what she thought about the show.
d. Look at her mouth when you are talking to each other
e. Listen to what she is saying and respond.



Answer Key:

C. Correct items:
1. a,b,d
2. b,c,e

WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - HITCH