Feb 25, 2012

Once Upon a Time in America: Used To

This activity was taken from an unforgettable classic. It is a wonderful movie with a brilliant story and saga. It's one of my all times favorite. I took advantage of the scene that shows New York in the beginning of the century to practice USED TO in a contextualized way.






Watch the video segment and observe how different New York used to be in the beginning of the century. Pay close attention to the following people and objects.


Cars - Street vendors - Streets - Cameras - Women

Clocks - Police Officers - Buildings - Clothes - Kids

Read the examples and write down your own sentences, using the given cues. Make sure you choose a suitable verb to complete the sentences.
Ex:


The kids/ on the streets. The kids used to play on the streets.
Cars/ uncomfortable. The cars used to be uncomfortable.
Street vendors/ bread. Street vendors used to sell bread.



1 – Streets/ crowded ______________________________________

2 – Cameras/ practical _____________________________________

3 – Women/ dark clothes ___________________________________

4 – Police officers/ elegant uniforms ____________________________

5 – Buildings / dirty _______________________________________

6 – Streets / smoky _______________________________________


After viewing:

Talk to a partner. Discuss the following questions:

1 - How do you compare the New York depicted in the segment and the city nowadays?

2 - Which one is better and why?

3 - Would you like to live in New York nowadays? Why?

4 - Would you like to have lived in New York in the beginning of the century? Why not?

WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA

How to prepare your own video segment:

• Select a movie segment that takes place in the past.

• Costumes, childhood memories, last century towns, historical moments are perfect to assess this grammar goal .

• Ask students to observe specific features in the passage .

• Prepare an exercise with cues that will help students write sentences with the structures/verbs you want to assess.

• Students write sentences, using “used to” .

Feb 18, 2012

Agora: Used To

This is a very interesting movie about a woman scientist that was ahead of her time, developing scientific studies that were proven right centuries before the first astronomers came up with the theories we believe in nowadays. I used this scene to practice the use of USED TO and its negative form.






A. Watch the movie segment and complete and read the sentences below.



Then complete them with used to or didn't use to, according to the segment.






1. Ordinary people ___________ (think) the world was a gigantic chest.






2. They _________ (believe) that heaven was on top and the earth was on the ground.






3. They _____________ (claim) that the earth was round.






4. They __________ (question) why people on the bottom didn't fall off and the ones on the sides didn't slideoff.






5. They __________ (feel) intrigued why the the sun changed size from summer to winter.






6. The scientists in the movie _________ (believe) that the earth was the center of the universe.






7. They also _________ (imagine) that the sun traveled around the earth.












-->
B. Work in pairs:
1. What are some of the things that we believe in nowadays that you believe might be proven wrong in the future?
2. what are your current viewpoints about these issues?
- Intelligent life in other planets
- living in mars
- comets or asteroids destroying our planet in the future



WORKSHEET
MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - AGORA

1. used to think 2. used to believe 3. didn't use to claim 4. used to question 5. used to feel 6. didn't use to believe 7. didn't use to imagine

Feb 11, 2012

Big Fish: Too x Either

This marvelous movie is fantastic for activities because it is full of complete micro stories completely contextualized. This one I used for a basic grammar point, contrasting the use of TOO and EITHER.




I. Answer the questions about Ling and Ping, the Siamese Sisters. Decide which alternative is better, according to the movie segment. Then answer the questions, using too or either.


1. Ling can / can't sing. What about Ping?

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

2. Ling has / doesn't have two arms. What about Ping?
....................................................

3. Ping is / isn't wearing a blue dress. What about Ling?

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

4. Ling is / isn't wearing a red rose in the hair. What about Ping?

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

5. Ling was / wasn't very happy about the performance. What about Ping?

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

6. Ping was / wasn't surprised to see the soldier. What about Ling?

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

7. Ling is / isn't going to help the soldier. What about Ping?

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

8. Ping is / isn't beautiful. What about Ling?

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


WORKSHEET

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - BIG FISH

Answer key:

1. can - She can sing too.

2. has - She has two arms too.

3. isn't - She isn't wearing blue either.

4. is - She is wearing it too.

5. wasn't - She wasn't happy either.

6. was - She was surprised too.

7. is - She is going to help him too.

8. Answers will vary.


Feb 4, 2012

Mary and Max: Questions

I love this movie. This scene is perfect to practice questions with basic learners.

1. Match the first part of the sentence with its complement.



1. My name is

2. I'm

3. My favorite color is

4. My favorite food is

5. I have

6. My mother likes

7. My father likes

8. I can't




( ) draw ears but I'm good at teeth.

( ) eight years old, three months and nine days.

( ) smoking, cricket and sherry.

( ) playing in his shed with dead animals.

( ) brown.

( ) a rooster called Ethel.

( ) Mary Daisy Dinkle.

( ) sweetened condensed milk and chocolate.


B. Watch the movie segment and check your answers.







C. Now write the questions to the answers above .

Ex:


1. What's your name?

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

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

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

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

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

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

8. .....................................


D. Now interview your friend, asking the questions in exercise C.


WORKSHEET


MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - MARY AND MAX



Answer key:

A.

1. My name is Mary Daisy Dinkle.

2. I am eight years old three months and nine days.

3. My favorite color is brown.

4. My favorite food is sweetened condensed milk and chocolate.

5. I have a rooster called Ethel.

6. My mother likes smoking, cricket and sherry.

7. My father likes playing in his shed with dead birds.

8. I can't draw ears but I am good at teeth.


B.

1. What's your name?

2. How old are you?

3. What's your favorite color?

4. What's your favorite food?

5. What's your pet's name? / What is your rooster's name?

6. What does your mother like?

7. What does your father like?

8. What can you do?