Dec 16, 2010

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.

Dec 12, 2010

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

Dec 5, 2010

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


Nov 28, 2010

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.

Nov 21, 2010

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.

Nov 14, 2010

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 ...


Nov 7, 2010

Up: Modal Verb for Suggestion - Could

This is probably the best animated movie I have ever seen. The story is great for both children and adults. The graphics are perfect and it has some touching moments that will make any sensitive viewer cry. Other moments are so funny that you will never forget them. I used two scenes for this blog. This first one is to have students practice modals for suggestions - could - in a contextualized manner.

A. Work in small groups. make a list of 5 things a young teen can do to help the elderly. Make sure you use the modal verb for suggestion - could - to express your ideas.

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

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

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

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

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


B. Now watch the segment and write down 3 suggestions the boy gives to help the old man in the scene.




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

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

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



C. Work in small groups again. Make a list of 3 things people could do in the following situations.



I. To protect the environment.


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

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

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



II. To help needy people at Christmas time.


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

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

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



III. To become more popular at school.


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

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

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





WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - UP



Oct 30, 2010

What Dreams May Come: Determiners - Both, Either, Neither


This movie has a beautiful message. I used many scenes in my class. This one is to practice determiners - BOTH EITHER NEITHER. Sts who like arts and Monet or Van Gogh usually enjoy it a lot.










I. Look at these two impressionist paintings by Claude Monet. Check the alternatives you believe apply to the impressionist movement.




















1. ( ) Color is not mixed.


2. ( ) They don't make use of black.


3. ( ) They reflect the outdoors.


4. ( ) They use very bright colors.


5. ( ) They transmit the idea of movement


6. ( ) They show nature and landscapes.


7. ( ) We can't see the details of the picture clearly, but we can see the essence.


II. Now watch this beautiful segment. Decide which items in exercise A also apply to the movie segment.


III. Write sentences comparing the paintings and the segment. Use Both ... and, Neither ... nor, Either ... or. Remember that each student may have a different perspective of art, so the answers may vary a bit.


Ex:

1. Neither the paintings nor the movie has mixed colors ( or Both the paintings and the segment have mixed colors).







WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - WHAT DREAMS MAY COME



Oct 29, 2010

From Darkness to a Sparkling ELT Connected Community

I was invited to open the new edition of the Brasilia BRAZ-tesol Chapter, an invitation that made me very honored. I will share my endeavour as a practically computer illiterate just about two years ago to the professional I have become after I started blogging and the benefits from doing so. I tell you, If I have managed to succeed, everyone can. Thanks for your support as readers. Hope to see you at Livraria Cultura, Casa Park, Nov 5th, 2:30 pm!


Oct 24, 2010

Sunshine Barry and the Disco Worms: Possessive Adjectives

This is a great animated movie, especially because it talks about being different and fighting against prejudice. The music is great, especially if you like disco music. The scene is full of visual input, so it is perfect for beginners.






A. Watch the movie segment and complethe the blanks with possessive adjectives
(My, Your, His, Her, Its, Our, or Their).











1. The scene is about a worm. _____________ name is Barry.


2. Barry has an album. __________ name is Greatest Disco Hits 77.


3. Barry's mother is at the door. ___________ mother is not happy.


4. She talks to Barry. __________ voice is very loud.


5. Barry can't stop dancing. _________ tail is dancing too.


6. He's wearing a suit and a tie. __________ colors are black and white.


7. The books and records are __________ dad's stuff.


8. He lives with his father and mom. Barry lives in __________ house.


9. Barry's mother has a funny face. _________ eyes are big and ________ hair is brown.


10. - Do you like disco music? What's _________ favorite kind of music?

- ___________ favorite kind of music is samba.



Answer key; 1. his, 2. its, 3. his, 4. her, 5. his, 6. their, 7. his, 8. their, 9. her - her, 10. your - my.


WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - SUNSHINE BARRY AND THE DISCO WORMS

Oct 16, 2010

Monsters Inc.: Describing People (Monsters)'s Physical Appearance

This movie is great and this scene is excellent for the students to practice describing people, but this time describing monsters. It is even more fun than describing people and you can use all the vocabulary taught.













A. Write down the characteristics we use to describe people under the correct verb column. To Have or To Be.


HAIR

EYES

FAT

THIN

SHORT

TALL

CHUBBY

SLIM

ARMS

LEGS

HEAVY

MEDIUM-BUILT


Answer key:

To Have:

He has ...
(Hair, Eyes, Arms, Legs)


To Be:

He is ...
(Fat, Thin, Short, Tall, Chubby, Slim, Heavy, Medium-Built)


B. Watch the movie segment and then describe the monsters below, using the words in exercise A. Make sure you say, for example, how many eyes, legs, arms the monsters have and their colors too.





C. Draw a monster. Be creative. Don't show it to anyone.
D. Describe your monster to a partner. Your partner draws what he/she listens.
E. When you both finish, show each other the original monster and the monster your friend drew, based on your dictation. Check how similar they are.


WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - MONSTERS INC

Oct 10, 2010

X 2 - X-Men Reunited: Past Continuous x Simple Past

The X-Men series of movies is one of the best cartoon adaptations I know. The mutants have very appealing powers and the story is really clever. I enjoyed it a lot. I used the scenes in which one of the mutants use his power to stop the time to practice both the past continuous tense and the simple past tense in a contextualized, fun way. My students loved it. I hope you do too.




A. Watch the movie segment and write down what the people in the shopping mall were doing when the mutant paused the time. Write down at least five sentences describing them. Make sure you use the past continuous tense.




Ex: A lot of people were walking around the mall.


1. _____________________


2. _____________________


3. _____________________


4. _____________________


5. _____________________





B. Work with a partner and share the sentences you have written. Are there any different activities?





C. Now watch the second segment from the same movie. Now write down at least 5 things that happened while the president was speaking live to the American citizens. Make sure you use the simple past tense.


Ex: The president asked the reporters a question about the incident.


1. _____________________


2. _____________________


3. _____________________


4. _____________________


5. _____________________




D. Now check your sentences with a partner. Did you write the same sentences? Can you think of other activities?


WORKSHEET

 MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - X-MEN REUNITED


Oct 3, 2010

Worksheets

Dear Readers,

I'm glad to say that all the worksheets are already available in each post, and you don't have to use SCRIBD anymore. They had been charging you for my work. If you detect any problems with the links, please, let me know. I'll delete my Scribd account on October 15th. I won't need it, you won't need it anymore. Thanks for your patience and precious feedback.

Imagine That: Quantifiers - Countable x Non Countable

This is a movie for the whole family. It is about a highly imaginative gilr whose imaginary world halps her dad succeed in his business deals. This charming scene is great for quantifiers practicing, especially expressions that go with count and/or non-count nouns.




A. Write the quantifiers below in the correct column:


a little
a bit
no
none
not any
a lot of
plenty of
a few
a number of
several
a large number of
a great number of
lots of
a great deal of
a large amount of


1. QUANTIFIERS WITH UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS



2. QUANTIFIERS WITH BOTH COUNTABLE AND UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS



3. QUANTIFIERS WITH COUNTABLE NOUNS



B. Now watch the segment and fill in the blanks with one of the quantifiers above, according to the information presented in the movie.






To make the pancakes, he poured ___________ flour, and ______________ eggs. They left __________ (flour) all over the kitchen table. They melted ____________ butter and fried ______________ pancakes. She poured ____________ chocolate syrup, ________ hot sauce, _____________ ketchup, and _________ mustard on the pancakes. At the end of the scene, she charged him ____________ money for the pancakes.

WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - IMAGINE THAT


Answer Key on the worksheet:



a little /a bit / a great deal of / a large amount of / no / none / not any / some / any / a lot of / plenty of / lots of / a few / a number of / several / a large number of /


B. Answers will vary.

Sep 27, 2010

WORKSHEETS

Very soon I will provide direct download links to the worksheets straight from each post and you won't have to use scribd anymore. Wait a couple of weeks tops! I have been receiving messages saying scribd has been charging for the worksheets downloads, which is absurd. My main goal is helping teachers and charging for it is against my principles. Thanks for the feedback!

Sep 26, 2010

The Beach: Indefinite Articles

This is a great scene for indefinite articles practice. The scene is easy and interesting, and you can also generate discussion on what to take to a desert island.


A. Imagine that you live on a desert island. You can take with you only 10 items from the list below. In groups, check the parentheses of the ones your group would choose. Then complete the blanks of all the items with A, AN, or X (No article).



1. ( ) ...... toothpaste

2. ( ) ...... toothbrush

3. ( ) ...... new pair of swimtrunks

4. ( ) ...... new hat

5. ( ) ...... bottle of vodka

6. ( ) ...... bars of chocolate

7. ( ) ...... aspirin

8. ( ) ...... boxes of tampons

9. ( ) ...... industrial soap

10. ( ) ...... tin of beef curry

11. ( ) ...... batteries

12. ( ) ...... copy of the Daily Telegraph

13. ( ) ...... jasmine tea

14. ( ) ...... lip balm

15. ( ) ...... bath oil

16. ( ) ...... big box of bleach

17. ( ) ...... hair conditioner

18. ( ) ...... cinnamon

19. ( ) ...... anti-perspirant

20. ( ) ...... makeup remover


B. Now watch the segment and check your answers.


C. What would you add to the list?


Answer key:

1. x
2. a
3. a
4. a
5. a
6. x
7. x
8. x
9. x
10. a
11. x
12. a
13. x
14. x
15. x
16. a
17. x
18. x
19. x
20. x



WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - THE BEACH


Sep 19, 2010

The Omen: Inversion after Negation Adverbials

This movie is a remake of the classic The Omen, one of my favorite thrillers of all times. It isn't as good as the original one, but it is a decent version. I used the maternity scene to have students practice inversion after negative adverbials, which is usually a barren, not motivating grammar point. The scene is controversial, the grammar point can be contextualized and a lot of discussion can be generated from the viewing.


A. Watch the movie segment and rewrite the sentences using the given adverbials.


1. Mr. Robert Thorn knew his son had died at birth after he arrived at the hospital.
(Only after) ........................................................

2. He had never thought his baby would die.
(Never) .............................................................

3. Priests don't usually offer orphans as surrogate children.
(Rarely) ...........................................................

4. Mr. Thorn accepted the offer and didn't tell his wife what had happened.
(Not only ... but also)

5. Mr. Thorn didn't share the secret with his wife.
(On no occasion) ............................................

6. This sort of adoption seldom happens in real life.
(Seldom) ........................................................

7. Mr. Thorn didn't know much about the baby's mother.
(Little) ..........................................................

8. Mr. Thorn hadn't decided to keep the child until he saw the baby.
(Not until ) ..................................................

9. Mrs. Thorn will never be able to bear another child.
(Never) ......................................................


B. Discuss the following questions.



1. Did Mr. Thorn act correctly? To what extent? Explain it.

2. How would you react under the same circumstances?

3. What could go wrong in such a situation?

4. Should adoptions be easier so that situations like the one in the segment do not happen often?

5. Is there anyone wrong in this case? The priest, Mr. Thorn, both, or no one?






WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - THE OMEN

Answer Key:


A.
1. Only after he arrived at the hospital did Mr. Thorn know...
2. Never had he thought ...
3. Rarely do priests offer ...
4. Not only did Mr. Thorn accept the offer but he also didn't tell ...
5. On no occasion did Mr. Thorn share ...
6. Seldom does this sort of adoption happen ...
7. Little did he know about ...
8. Not until he saw the child did he decide to ...
9. Never will Mrs. Thorn be ...

Sep 12, 2010

Happy Feet: To Be Supposed to

I think this is one of the best animated movies of all times. I love Prince, and this movie has some of his greatest songs. This scene can be used for several grammar points, such as modal verbs, but I used it for the students to practice the use of to be supposed to, which is a tricky grammar point, especially for us Brazilians. There is not a corresponding cognate or expression, so pupils usually misuse it. The scene is great.






Remember: 'to be supposed to' can mean to be expected or required, not only by duty, but also by law, morality, custom etc, to do something.




A. Read the penguins' motto below and try to figure out what it means:


TOGETHER, WE PREVAIL.
IN WISDOM, WE TRUST.




B. As the motto implies, penguins have a belief that they must act the same way to survive and perpetuate the species. Two important premises: penguins sing; they don't dance. Watch the movie segment now and complete the blanks with affirmative and negative forms of the verb to be supposed to.




1. The most important penguins in the colony are disgruntled because penguins ___________ (dance).


2. Penguins ______________ (live) in harmony.


3. Penguins _____________ (leave) the colony for the "outside" world.


4. The head penguin believes that Mumble, Happy Feet, ___________ (drive) the fish away.


5. The elderly penguins __________ (be) touched. He thinks that Mumble _____________ (go) away.


6. Mumble's father thinks that Mumble ___________ (change) to act like a penguin.


7. Mumble's dad ______________ (drop) the egg.


8. Mumble said he _____________ (be) back when he finds out what happened to the fish.


C. Write down 2 sentences saying what you're supposed to do in the classroom and 2 other ones saying what you aren't supposed to do.

WORKSHEET


MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - HAPPY FEET



Answer Key:
1. aren't supposed to dance
2. are supposed to live
3. aren't suppose to leave
4. wasn't supposed to drive
5. aren't supposed to be / is supposed to go away
6. is supposed to change
7. wasn't supposed to drop (have dropped).
8. is supposed to be