Merry Xmas!

Dear Friends,



I'm having a vacation break now. I wish you all a merry Christmas and a Happy 2013. Brand new posts will come out in mid-January. Thanks for your constant support.





Claudio Azevedo

Water for Elephants: Possessives ('s), Vocabulary Practice - Circus & Colors

This is one of the best romantic films that I saw last year. I used this scene to talk about circus and possessives ('s)







I. Check the artists/activities you can see in the segment.





 Acrobats






 

 Trapeze swinger






 



 Contortionist






 



 Stilts walker






 



Juggler






 



 Daredevil
















Clowns











Human cannonball






 







Fire eater







 



 Magician













 Animal acts









Tightrope walker




 



Lion tamer




 



Ringmaster











II. Look at the character's clothes and animals. Decide which color they are.

The acrobats:



The clown:



The dog:



The horses:



The Ringmaster:



The trapeze swingers





III. Write sentences saying the colors. Follow the example:



The ringmaster's clothes are red.





WORKSHEET





MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - WATER FOR ELEPHANTS

Burlesque: Simple Past x Present Perfect

I love Cher and this movie. Tho movie has great dancing and musicals. It is worth seeing, for sure. The opening scene is wonderful to contrast the use of the simple past and present perfect tenses.









I. Watch the movie segment and decide if the activities refer to to her past - finished actions - (PA) or if they are still in progress in her present days unfinished actions - (PR).






































1. ( ) Practice on the bar stage



2. ( ) Pack her bags



3. ( ) walk away from her hometown



4. ( ) buy a one-way ticket to Los Angeles



5. ( ) travel by bus to LA



6. ( ) look for auditions in LA



7. ( ) stay in a small hotel room



8. ( ) have a hard time with the auditions



9. ( ) be happier in LA than in her hometown





II. Rewrite the sentences below in either the simple past or present perfect tenses. Mind whether the actions are finished or unfinished to justify your choices.





WORKSHEET



MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - BURLESQUE



Answer key: ITEMS 1 - 5 - PAST

                  ITEMS  6 - 9  - PRESENT





II.



When she lived in her hometown,





1. She practiced in a bar stage

2. She packed her bags

3. She walked away from her hometown

4. She bought a one-way ticket to LA

5. She traveled to LA by bus



 Now that she is in Los Angeles,





6. She has looked (has been looking) for auditions in LA

7. She has stayed in a small hotel in LA

8. She has had (has been having) a hard time with the auditions

9. She has been happier in LA than in her hometown

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: Modal Verbs for Advice - Should

This used to be one of my favorite childhood movies and the remake is absolutely fabulous. I used this scene to have students practice modals for advice in a contextualized manner.





I. Watch the movie segment and make a list of 4 inappropriate behaviors these children have. Observe both  Veruca and Augustus to come up with sentences.





VERUCA:



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



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



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



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





AUGUSTUS:



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



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



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



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





II. Rewrite your sentences above, using modals for advice.





III. Imagine you are supposed to give these children's parents advice. Pair up with a partner. One of you is Veruca's mother and the other one is Augustus' s mother. Role play a situation, giving each other advice for better behavior.

WORKSHEET



MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - CHARLIE & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY

My Big Fat Greek Wedding: Order of Adjectives

This is one of the best romantic comedies of all times. The cultural conflict, good humor, and clever plot make it stand out the others. It is full of scenes you can use in your classroom.

A. Watch the movie segment and choose the best order for the given adjectives.

1. They are wearing (resistant / beige) stockings

2. The bridesmaids are polishing their nails with a (gorgeous /orange / nail) polisher.

3. They are putting on some (elegant / silver / high heels) shoes.

4. All the bridesmaid are wearing similar (blue / silk ) dresses.

5. The bride is wearing a (beautiful /white / wedding) dress.

6. The bridesmaids are (excited / young) gals.

Answer key:

Here the answers are in the correct order. Use the worksheet for mixed alternatives.









WORKSHEET



MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING

Silent Hill: Modals for Possibility - MIGHT COULD MUST

The first scene of the movie is intriguing. You have a lot to speculate about. Ask your students to use their imagination doing the exercises.

I. Watch the movie segment and write 3 sentences for the questions below.

Use MIGHT and COULD (slight possibility), MUST (great possibility) or CANT (impossibility).

1. What happened in Silent Hill?

a .............................................

b ............................................

c ............................................

2. What kind of city is Silent Hill?

a ...........................................



 b ..........................................

 c ..........................................

3. What will happen if they go to Silent Hill by themselves?

a ..........................................

 

b .........................................

c .........................................

4. How will the child's father react when he finds out his wife and child went to Silent Hill

without him?

a .........................................

b ........................................

c .........................................

II. Work with the class as a whole. First, read your sentences with MUST out loud and decide which is the most plausible explanation for each of the questions.

III. Now read your sentences with the other modals and decide which one is the most far fetched for each of the questions.

WORKSHEET



MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - SILENT HILL

Prometheus: Asking Questions

I am a great fan of Ridley Scott's movies. This one is no exception. The story is wonderful, and it makes us think about the importance of knowing about where the human race come from.









I. Before you watch the segment, try to put the questions below in the correct order.





1. man / what / happened / to / that



.............................................................................?





2. aren't / why / you/ them / helping



...............................................................................?



3. die / why /did / he





............................................................................... ?





4. where / they / go / do



................................................................................ ?





5. know/ do/ it's beautiful / you / how



................................................................................ ?





6. you / what / believe / you



.................................................................................. ?







II. Write the number of the questions before the answers. One question does not have the answer listed below.





( ) That's what I choose to believe.



( ) He died.



( ) Heaven, paradise



( ) They don't want my help.



( ) Because sooner or later everyone dies.







III. Watch the movie segment and decide if the questions are written in the correct order. Then check if you matched both the question and the answer correctly.
















WORKSHEET



MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - PROMETHEUS





Answer key:









I.



1. What happened to that man?



2. Why aren't you helping them?



3. Why did he die?



4. Where do they go?



5. How do you know it's beautiful?



6. What do you believe?







II.



5, 1, 4, 2, 3