TESOL 2011 - New Orleans

The TESOL Convention in New Orleans has just ended and I attended very interesting sessions. My presentation was Saturday and I everything worked out. If you attended the convention, please tell us what you thought about it and if you enjoyed it.

Despicable Me: Modal Verbs - Rules with Will and May

Despicable Me is a lovely animated movie about a kind-hearted villain you end up falling in love with. This scene is marvelous and perfect to talk about rules, using will and may.



I. You will watch a scene in which a father is setting the rules with his recently adopted children. First, read the rules below and decide which ones you think are forbidden and which ones are permitted.

1.___ touch something.
2.___ touch the floor.
3. ___ touch the air.
4. ___ bother him while he is working.
5. ___ cry.
6. ___ whine.
7. ___ laugh.
8. ___ giggle.
9. ___ sneeze
10. ___burp.
11. ___ fart.
12. ___ make annoying noises.
13. ___ eat.

II. Watch the segment and check your guesses. Now write the rules, using YOU WILL (NOT) if the activity is forbidden and YOU MAY if the activity is allowed.



WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - DESPICABLE ME

Answer key:

you may: 1, 2, 3, 13

you will not : the other items

What Dreams May Come: Simple Present

This movie has a great message about the afterlife. The special effects are overwhelming. This beautiful scene is great to have students practice the simple present tense.





I. Make a list of at least 10 activities you do in your spare time.

Ex:
1. I listen to music.
2. I go swimming.

II. Ask your partner if he/she does it in his/her spare time.

Ex:
1. Do you listen to music in your spare time?
Yes, I do / No, I don't


2. Do you go swimming?

Yes, I do / No, I don't

II. Watch the segment now. The scene takes place in heaven. Observe what people do in heaven and write at least 5 sentences saying what they do there to spend time.

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

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

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

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

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



III. Are there any similarities between your list and the activities in the segment?


IV. Talk to a friend.


1. What's your opinion about the heaven in the segment? Is it interesting or boring? Why?

2. What do you like and dislike in the heaven you saw in the segment?

3. Do you think heaven is like that? Do you believe in heaven?



WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - WHAT DREAMS MAY COME

G-Force: Adjectives x Adverbs

This is another fantastic movie. I love the animation. The animals look like humans! I had to use this scene to practice choosing adjective or adverbs forms within a sentence.



I. First watch the movie segment. Then circle the correct form of the words in parentheses.

1. A lot of guests were walking (calm/calmly) in the garden before the party.

2. Speckles, one of the guinea pigs, can speak English (fluent/fluently)

3. The guinea pigs used very (modern/modernly) gadgets.

4. The man who Darwin, the guinea pig, was observing was wearing (expensive/expensively) clothes.

5. They can swim under the ocean (confident/confidently).

6. They communicate by giving each other (special/specially) information to synchronize their mission.

7. Darwin was a little (nervous/nervously) during the mission.

8. Juarez looked (extreme/extremely) sexy to Darwin's eyes.


II. Write down 2 sentences about the segment using the words below.


1. Intelligent ____________________________

2. Intelligently __________________________

3. Efficient _____________________________

4. Efficiently ____________________________

I.

1 calmly

2 fluently

3 modern

4 expensive

5 confidently

6 special

7 nervous

8 extremely

II. Answers will vary

WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - G-FORCE

International Conference for Teachers of English and Administrators, Montevideo, Uruguay

I had a great time in Montevideo, Uruguay last week. The city is beautiful and the seminar was rewarding. I want to thank the messages, support and the audience, who cooperated to the successful accomplishment of the presentation's goals. I hope I will be back to Uruguay again soon. Let me know if you were there and how you liked it. Thanks!

Couples Retreat: Adverbs of Frequency

This movie has very funny scenes, but it could be better. This opening scene is very nice and I used it to practice the use of adverbs of frequency, making this grammar point more attractive to deal with.

A. Talk to a partner:

1. Are you married? Do you have a girlfriend (boyfriend)? Talk about him or her.

2. Which activities do you like to do together?

3. Which activities you don't like to do together?

B. Watch the movie segment and read the activities below. Which ones can you see in the segment? Then write sentences saying how often you and your beloved perform them together. Use the adverbs always, often, usually, sometimes, seldom, rarely and never in your sentences

Ex:

1. Ride a bike
We often ride a bike together

2. Vacuum the house

3. clean the house

4. Laugh

5. Go dancing

6. Go to birthday parties

7. Go jogging

8. Work out

9. Talk on the phone

10. Take pictures

C. Now rewrite the sentences above about yourself. How often do you perform them without your partner? Use the following expressions:

Once - Twice - Three, Four, or More Times

A

Day - Week - Month - Year - In a life time

Ex: 1. I ride a bike three times a week.

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

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

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

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


WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - COUPLES RETREAT

Answers will vary

2012: Future As Seen from the Past - Would (Was/Were Going to)

This movie is about the predictions of the end of the world in 2012, but it ended up being just an adventure movie with action and fight for survival. I'm sure this topic would be recurrent as we got closer to 2012, so this activity comes in good times. I used this scene for the practice of the future as seen from the past


A. Read the predictions below. Check the ones the characters in the segment previewed that will occur, according to the scientist.



( ) 1. The earth will expire on 2012.

( ) 2. The sun will emit an extreme amount of radiation that the core of the earth will melt.

( ) 3. Men will find ways to stop the destruction of the planet.

( ) 4. This incident will leave the crust of the earth free to shift.

( ) 5. There will be earth crust displacement.

( ) 6. The world will come to an end on December 21st, 2012.

( ) 7. Humankind will be terminated.



B. Now rewrite the sentences above using the future as seen from the past.


Ex:



1. Scientist predicted that the Earth would expire in 2012.

2. ...........................................
3 ...........................................
4 ............................................
5 ............................................
6 ............................................
7 ...........................................






Talk to a partner:

1.What do you think about these predictions?.Did you ever  believe them? Why (not)?

2.Do you think the world will end one day? Why (not)?

3.What would you have done if you really knew the world would end in December 2012? Why would you have done it?

4.Why have men always foreseen the end of days throughout history?

WORKSHEET


MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - 2012

 
Answer Key:

A.

Incorrect items: 2 and 7.

B. By 12/21/2012,

2. The sun would emit  ... and the core of the earth would melt

3. Men would find...

4. This incident would leave...

5. There would be ...

6. The world would come ...

7. Humankind would be terminated.

Four Christmases: 3rd Conditional with Mixed Tenses

This is a great and funny romantic comedy. I simply love this hilarious scene. I used it to practice the 3rd conditional with result clauses with present and past consequences - mixed tenses. It was great for the students to realize that the context is the only clue they have to do this exercise. I hope you enjoy it.






I. Read the pair of sentences below. Circle the correct alternative according the information presented in the movie. Then rewrite the sentences using the 3rd conditional with mixed tenses. Make sure you observe whether your result clauses have a present or past consequence.

1.


a. He saw / didn't see some pictures of his fiancee's childhood and adolescence.



b. He is / isn't surprised now.


If he ___________ some pictures of his fiancee's childhood and adolescence, he _____________ surprised now.



2.

a. She ran / didn't run a test for pregnancy.


b. She knows / doesn't know whether she is pregnant now.


If she __________ a test for pregnancy, she ___________ whether she is pregnant now.


3.


a. She was / wasn't careful enough with the test device.


b. Kasi took / didn't take it away from her.



4.

a. Katie had / didn't have a trauma with jump-jumps when she was a kid.

b. She is / isn't terrified by them nowadays.


If Katie ___________ a trauma with jump-jumps when she was a kid, she __________ terrified by them nowadays.


5.


a. The family heard / didn't hear Katie screaming in the jump-jumps.

b. They thought / didn't think Katie was having fun.


If the family ____________ Katie screaming in the jump-jumps, they ______________________ Katie was having fun.



6.


a. Kasi knew / didn't know that Katie had peed on the "marker",

b. Kasi put / didn't put the marker in her mouth.



If Kasi ____________ that Katie had peed on the "marker", she ____________ it in her mouth.


WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - FOUR CHRISTMASES



Answer key:

1. saw/is

hadn't seen - wouldn't be


2. ran/knows

hadn't run - wouldn't know

3. wasn't/took

had been - wouldn't have taken

4. had/is

hadn't had - wouldn't be

5. didn't hear/thought

had heard - wouldn't have thought

6. didn' know/put

had known - wouldn't have put

Did You Hear about the Morgans?: Imperative Forms

This movie is really funny and this scene is one of its best. I used it to practice imperative forms in a challenging way because the students have to practice listening comprehension as well.

A. Talk to a partner. What do you do if you see a bear near your house? Share your ideas with the rest of the class.

B. Match the beginning of the instruction with the complement:

1. Don't
2. Keep
3. Avoid
4. Speak
5. Don't shoot
6. Assume

a. run
b. calm
c. direct eye-contact
d. in a soft monotone
e. the bear
f. a cannonball position, covering your head and your neck with your hands and your arms.

B. Watch the movie segment and check your answers.

C. Prepare a poster warning about how to proceed in case of a bear attack. You have to write down 8 special pieces of advice, using imperative forms. Add 2 sentences of your own.

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

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

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

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

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

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

WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE MORGANS

Answer Key:

1. Don't run.

2. Keep Calm

3. Avoid direct eye contact.

4. Speak in a soft monotone.

5. Don't shoot the bear.

6. Assume a cannonbal position covering your head and your neck with your hands and your arms.

The Rebound: Present Perfect

This romantic comedy is much better than I had expected it to be. It is a story about prejudice and dealing with adversities. I really enjoyed it. It is perfect to practice the present perfect tense.

I. Watch the movie segment and write down HE if the activity was performed by the male character. Write SHE if she did it. The main characters used to be lovers but they have spent the past 5 years apart, doing different things.






( ) 1 Visit Paris

( ) 2 Interview several people

( ) 3 See the kids play baseball

( ) 4 Travel to third world countries

( ) 5 Broadcast the news as a TV anchor

( ) 6 Travel to New York

( ) 7 Drive across the desert

( ) 8 Go on a safari

( ) 9 Go to fancy parties

( ) 10 Teach needy children in Africa

II. Now write down what both of the them have done while they have been away from each other.

Ex: She has interviewed several people



III. Work in pairs and discuss the following questions:



1. How different have their lives been?

2. Who had a happier life? Why?

3. What kind of life would you rather have? His or hers? Why?

4. Do you think that such different couple can be happy together? Explain it.

WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - THE REBOUND


Answer key:


HE - 1 - 4 - 7 - 8 - 10
SHE - 2 - 3 - 5 - 6 - 9

1 he has visited paris

2 she has interviewed several people

3 she has seen the kids play baseball

4 he has traveled to third world countries

5 she has broadcasted the news as a tv anchor

6 she has traveled to new york

7 he has driven across the desert

8 he has gone on a safari

9 she has gone to fancy parties

10 he has taught needy children in Africa

Hachiko - A Dog's Story: Passive Voice with Simple Past

This is a very touching, emotional movie, especially if you are a dog lover. I loved it.

A - Talk to a partner.


1. Do you have a pet? Talk about it.

2. Do you prefer dogs or cats? Why?

3. Is it important to have pets? Why?

4. When are pets helpful in a person's life? Explain it.

5. When are pets harmful to a person?

6. What are the advantages and disadvantages of having pets?



I. Watch the movie segment and check the alternatives with the actions that you managed to see during the scene.

1. ( ) A Japanese monk put the collar around Hachi's neck.

2. ( ) He put Hachi in a cage.

3. ( ) He took Hachi to a train station.

4. ( ) He fed Hachi.

5. ( ) A couple of guys picked Hachi up at the airport.

6. ( ) The baggage carrier accidentally dropped Hachi's cage on the station platform.

7. ( ) Someone found the broken cage.

8. ( ) Parker found and carried Hachi home.



II. Now rewrite the sentences above in the passive voice. Make sure you write affirmative or negative sentences according to the information presented in the segment.

Ex:

1. The collar was put around Hachi's neck (by a Chinese monk).





WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - HACHIKO


Answer key:

I.

All items are to be checked, except 4 and 7.

II.

2. Hachi was put in a cage.

3. Hachi was taken to a subway station.

4. Hachi wasn't fed.

5. Hachi was picked up at the airport.

6. Hachi's cage was accidentally dropped on the station platform.

7. The broken cage wasn't found.

8. Hachi was found and carried home by Parker. 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.

Alice in Wonderland: Comparatives

Tim Burton's version of Alice in Wonderland is awesome. Many people rejected the movie, but I think it is just brilliant. The Red Queen is the best character in the movie and I used one of her scenes to practice comparatives. The White Queen, though, is the weakest character of all, but the scene is perfect for this grammar goal.

I. Watch the movie segment, which shows two queens, White and Red. Place the adjectives below under the column that you think is more appropriate for each of the queens.

BEAUTIFUL - ARROGANT - TALL - OLD - YOUNG - THIN - FUNNY - POWERFUL - FRIENDLY - UGLY - AGGRESSIVE - CALM

THE WHITE QUEEN

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

THE RED QUEEN

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

II. Now write down one comparative sentence for each of the adjectives in exercise I.


Ex:

1. The White Queen (The Red Queen) is more beautiful than The Red Queen (The White Queen).

1. _____________________________________
2. _____________________________________
3. _____________________________________
4. _____________________________________
5. _____________________________________
6. _____________________________________
7. _____________________________________
8. _____________________________________
9. _____________________________________
10. _____________________________________
11. _____________________________________

WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - ALICE IN WONDERLAND

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

My dear friends,

I'm finally going on vacation! I really hope to rest with my family for a while, recharging the batteries for 2011! Brand new activities starting on January 8th, 2011. I promise a lot of new grammar activities with attractive movie scenes. Meanwhile, don't hesitate to contact me, for I'll be replying all your comments and clearing your doubts . I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a wonderful new year.

New Moon: Present Perfect x Present Perfect Continuous

The Twilight saga is attractive to students and provides us with different sources for activities. I like it a lot. It is my teen side speaking out loud! I used this scene to practice the difference between the present perfect and the present perfect continuous forms.




WARM-UP QUESTIONS:

1. Have you ever suffered because of a broken heart?
2. How do you react in those moments? Do you prefer to stay home by yourself or go out with friends to have a lot of fun? Explain it?
3. what is worse? To dump or to be dumped? Why?

I. Watch the movie segment and complete the blanks with either the present perfect or the present perfect continuous form of the given verbs. When both are possible, use the continuous form.







1. Bella _________________ (feel) sad for several months.

2. The weather ______________ (change) significantly in this period of time.

3. Both her boyfriend and her best friend, Alice, _________ (leave) Bella alone.

4. The tree leaves ___________ (fall).

5. It ____________ (snow) several times in December.

6. Bella _____________ (miss) her boyfriend all this time.

7. According to Bella, a huge hole ___________ (punch - passive voice) through her chest.

8. She ___________ (cry) several nights since October.

9. She _____________ (write) emails that Alice ____________ (never - receive)

10. Bella's dad ____________ (be) worried about her.


II. Talk to a partner:


1. What should Bella do in order not to be so sad?

2. Is Bella right to react the way she did or is it better to go out with friends and forget about her boyfriend?

3. What would you do if you were in Bella's shoes?

4. Have you ever felt like Bella? Talk about it, if you wish.


WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - NEW MOON


Answer key:


I. 1. has been feeling / 2. has changed / 3. have left / 4. have fallen / 5. has snowed / 6. has been missing / 7. has been punched / 8. has cried / 9 . has been writing - has never received / 10. has been

Paranormal Activity: Since x For

This movie is terrifying. It does not have any violent bloody scene, but it is extremely tense and gripping. It is about a couple who have been haunted by an entity and decide to buy an amateur camera to shoot the paranormal events that usually take place while they are sleeping. The scene is purposefully dark, because it is supposed to be an amateur footage. Critics hated it, but I enjoyed it a lot. This scene is perfect to practice the use of since and for, because it shows times and dates. The scene does not contain any violence at all, my students loved it, but mind your own audience to see if it is an appropriate segment for your group.





I. Talk to a group of students about the following questions. Then share your opinions with the class.



1. Do you believe in paranormal phenomena? Which ones?

2. Do you know anyone who is a psychic? Do you believe in psychics?

3. Have you ever experienced anything that you considered paranormal?

4. Would you like to see the spirit of someone you used to love very much when he (she) was alive? Why (not)?

5. Are you scared of paranormal phenomena? Explain it.



II. Watch the movie segment now. Match the times and dates shown in the movies with the events that took place during the scene.



1. September 17th, 2006

2. October 6th, 2006, 1:34:00 am

3. 1:34:15 am

4. 3:04:42 am

5. 3:04:51 am

6. 3:05:13 am



( ) The other bedroom lights are turned on.

( ) The other bedroom lights are turned off.

( ) They started filming the events.

( ) The couple were sleeping.

( ) The sheets move by themselves.

( ) They wake up.



Answer key: 4,5,1,2,3,6



III. Now complete the blanks of the exercises below with FOR or SINCE, based on the information in exercise II.



1. They have been filming the events ______ September.


2. They have been experiencing paranormal activities _______ at least 19 nights.


3. They had been sleeping _____ a few hours when the sheets moved.


4. The lights in the other bedroom remained on _________ about 10 seconds.


5. When the lights turned off, the couple kept on sleeping ________ more than 2 hours.


6. They had been sleeping ______ 1:34:00 am without noticing anything strange during the night.


7. With the lights on, she said that she felt that someone had been watching her _________ the moment she woke up.


WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - PARANORMAL ACTIVITY

Answer key: 1. since - 2. for - 3. for - 4. for - 5. for - 6. since - 7. since

Contact: Participial Phrases

This segment is great to help practice Participial Phrases, a very unattractive grammar point that can be fun with a movie segment.

I. Watch the movie segment. Then answer the questions in pairs.

1. Do you think that if humans actually received a message from another star, like Vega, such a commotion would happen? Would it be similar to the one in the segment?

2. What sorts of demonstrations did you manage to see?

3. What were these groups protesting against or claiming for?

4. Which of the groups would you join? Why?

5. Do you think humans will ever or have already made contact with people from other stars? Explain it.

II. Read the sentences below about the segment you have just seen and then underline the participial phrases, circle the participles, and draw an arrow from each participle to the noun or pronoun it modifies/describes. You may have more than one participial phrase in each item.

1. The reporter presenting the news announced that there have been several deaths in San Diego.

2. All TV shows being broadcast were talking about the message received from Vega.

3. The reporter announced that believers and non believers camping near the VLA facility in New Mexico have come to protest or pray, expressing their points of view.

4. There was a group of people holding antennas and wearing metallic clothes in order to make contact with Vega.

5. Intruigued by the manifestations, scientists riding a car saw various kinds of demonstrations.

6. The man waiting in a cannon was waving an American flag.

7. Neo Nazis holding banners supporting Hitler's ideas were being contained by the police.

8. A man playing the guitar pretended to be Elvis.

9. Singing Hail to Vega, the choir caught the scientists' attention.

10. Intimidated by the long haired blond preacher, the scientist shut the car window.



WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - CONTACT

Unfortunately, there isn't an answer key here because of the format of the answers, but they are on the worksheet.

Twins: Comparatives of Nouns, Adjectives and Quantity

This is an unforgettable classic, perfect to practice the use of comparatives.






GRAMMAR NOTE:

More/Fewer (Count nouns) or More/Less (Non Count nouns)

I. Complete the blanks with the words above, comparing quantities:




1. Julius has __________ fathers than ordinary people. He has 6 fathers.


2. He spent ____________ time on one island than anywhere else.


3. Julius's brother had _________ opportunities in life than Julius did.


4. Most people can speak _________ languages than Julius can.


5. Julius's brother showed _______ respect to people than Julius did.


6. Julius faced __________ problems living isolated on an island than his brother living in a big city.


7. Julius had ___________ information about the world than we probably do.




II. Now compare Julius and his brother. Use the adjectives below.

FAT - TALL - STRONG - HANDSOME - INTELLIGENT - NAIVE - RESPECTFUL

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

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

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

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

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

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

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







WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - TWINS


Answer Key:

I. 1. more, 2. more, 3. fewer, 4. fewer, 5. less, 6. fewer, 7. less

II. Answers may vary.

The Beach: Prepositions in a Relative Clause

Although many people didn't like this movie, I appreciated it. The plot is original and the circumstances the characters have to face can be very intriguing. The setting is beautiful Thailand, so we can always enjoy the landscape and photography. I took advantage of the dialogs in the scene to practice writing relative clauses with prepositions. It made the class much more interesting, since this grammar point is unattractive to most of the students. I hope you like it.


A. Rewrite the clauses below, using who, whom, which, where or that. Pay attention to the position of the preposition. Remember that when a relative pronoun is the object of a preposition, the preposition appears in the beginning of the clause in formal English. In informal English, the preposition usually appears in the end. Write both formal and informal versions of your answers.

1. Keaty only cared about cricket and Christianity.


The only thing ...


2. There were the Swedes, Christo, Sten and Karl. They only care about fishing and skiing.


The two things ...


3. The cook worries about rinsing his hands with soap and water because of the smell of fish.


One thing ...


4. Tourists are interested in visiting the beaches in Thailand.


One thing ...


5. Etienne is good at soccer.


One sport ...


6. He didn't like Bugs. He has disagreements with this person.


One person...


Answer Key:


1.
F - the only thing about which Keaty ...

I - The only thing which Keaty cared about was ...


2.
F - The two things about which the Swedes cared were ...

I - The two things which the Swedes cared about were ...

3.
F - The is one thing about which the cook worries is...

I - The one thing which the cook worries about is ...


4.
F - One thing in which tourists are interested is ...

I - One thing which tourists are interested in is ...


5.
F - One sport at which Etienne is good is ...

I _ One sport which Etienne is good at is ...


6.
F - One person with whom he has disagreements is ...

I - One person whom (who) he has disagreements with is ...

WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - THE BEACH