Teacher, let’s watch a film…
How many times have you heard your students moaning these words? Well – I like watching films just like my students do, but I’m not really convinced that spending two hours on watching a film is a great educational idea – fortunately in all language schools I’ve worked, I haven’t been allowed to watch such long films: a nice excuse for the students. Of course, watching shorter videos is most recommended, and I really like adding them to my lessons as often as I have Internet access + screen.
But I also want my students to watch real films, the classics, simply because they learn some cultural references. I would love my students to know what’s on my mind when I listen to their rather pathetic excuses regarding lack of homework and simply say ‘Frankly, my dear…‘
Well, no student’s got the point yet 🙂 But I’ve made a nice bunch of them ‘remember, remember the fifth of November‘.
Anyways, I’ve come up with a couple of nice classroom activities regarding mostly short videos, but also some ideas about watching films.
- Short videos
I have already included my favourite sites: TED (in a homework for my students) and slideshare (in a tense presentation). The first one is an incredibly inspiring site full of real knowledge and education. The TEDed page is perfect for language students because they learn something real, not only English – highly beneficial.
The second site comes in handy with an interactive board/ projector when I want to explain grammar – I also email links to those students who want to understand something and I can’t explain it myself (subject from a public school lesson etc.). Sure, I could make my own presentations – but why bother if there are so many good ones available?
I like youtube just as much: videos, cartoons, songs (+karaoke) – everything to your heart’s content. I especially like watching short videos with the younger groups: reading comprehension is about volcanoes? Let’s watch a short documentary about them! Videos work as great motivators: if you finish this activity nicely, I’ll show you a nice video…
I have also happened to use EarthCam as a background in the classroom. What’s cosier in the grammar review November afternoon classes than cracking the exercises glancing from time to time at people in New York? Somehow the lesson gets less boring 🙂
- Real films
I strongly believe cross-cultural communication should be a vital part of the classes – the students have to be reminded they don’t learn only grammar and vocabulary. Cultural references should be made a part of a language course on every level and age. It’s really easy with the Internet now, isn’t it? But since we – the teachers – have to know what’s going on in our students’ cultural environment (memes, music, events), we should also make effort and bring some of the older references to those inexperienced padawans, eh? We’re on a mission from God!
How can you claim yourself a fluent English speaker if you cannot use the Force? Not to mention the Schwartz? So many film, so little time… plus, I cannot watch the film the classroom. So, what can I do? Well, I do the evilest thing possible and make them an offer they can’t refuse: we choose the film at the beginning of a course and they have a couple of months to watch it . Then I make the writing part of the final exam based solely on the film they are to watch. Plus, I design the questions so that the students have to watch the film and no wikipedia would help them. Last year I made my pre-intermediate groups watch the Star Wars trilogy (just the old one, I’m a purist) and questions were like: what would you do if you were a Jedi. I could easily see who had really watched the film.
I’ve been thinking on some nice films a teacher can recommend and that’s the result:
- Elementary level
Children: Enchanted, Home Alone, The Lion King and other Disney’s films
Young adults: Legally Blonde, Transformers
- Pre-intermediate level
Children: Cars, Ice Age, Toy Story
Young adults: Indiana Jones series, Allo, allo
- Intermediate level
Children: Harry Potter series, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Young adults: Bend It Like Beckham, Friends, the Pirates of the Caribbean
- Upper-intermediate and advanced level
Young adults: V for Vendetta, Dead Poets Society, Mel Brook’s films
Not-at-all homework:
I have come up with a funny activity at the end of a lesson: show the students a trailer of a film they don’t know and make them work out what’s the film about (without using the Net!). Don’t tell them whether they’re right or not, just smile significantly and say you do like their stories.
I’ll bet half of them will either watch the film or read a full synopsis before the next lesson!
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Great article Monica! I appreciate you listing the movies for each level, I’ll be sure to try some of this in my class. Thanks so much 🙂
Thank you 🙂 I’ll add some after-watching activities when I complete them with my classes, one group has decided to try Dead Poets Society 🙂
I just showed my intermediate college students Breaking Away. They could follow the language beautifully.
I haven’t seen this film, will have to check it, thank you 🙂
Really interesting
Great ideas!
thank u so much
Great post. Watching English videos and movies is such a good way for students to improve their English. We;re having an ELT blog carnival about video next month – would you like to submit this post?
I would love to, sure 🙂 Thank you for a nice comment 🙂 I’ll be sure to check the upcoming carnivals as well 🙂
Duh! Forgot to give you the link: http://www.vickihollett.com/elt-blog-carnival-send-me-your-links/
These are very good movies. I like Dead Poets’ Society. I used the movie clip from Up. It’s a short clip about the love story of two old people. It’s very short but heartwarming.
Oh, I know this clip! It’s really lovely, but somehow heartbreaking at the same time… sniff…