Film English has won the runner-up in the inaugural Macmillan  Love English Best Blog Award. Thank you to everybody who voted, I really appreciate it.

Kieran

Overview

This lesson is designed around How To Be Alone, a short film by artist and filmmaker Andrea Dorfman, and a poem by  singer-songwriter and poet Tanya Davies which examine how we can enjoy being alone.

Step 1

Write the following suffixes on the board:

________dom      _________ness    _________ment

Ask your students to come up with as many abstract nouns as they can which end with these suffixes.

Step 2

Write the following sentences on the board:

Sometimes I like to be alone.

Sometimes I like to be lonely.

Ask your students to say what the difference in meaning is between the 2 sentences.

Step 3

Put your students into pairs and ask them to discuss the questions on being alone.

how to be alone discussion questions

Step 4

Write up the following words:

alonedom

Ask your students what they think the difference is between these 2 words.

The difference is that loneliness expresses a negative emotion of being unhappy about being on your own while alonedom (a word invented by a poet) expresses a much more positive emotion about being on your own.

Step 5

Write up:

How to be alone

Put your students into small groups and ask them to come up with advice about how to be alone. Tell them to use should, shouldn’t, ought to and the imperative form. They should include the following areas:

Places to go to, things to do, hobbies and interests, learning, attitude

You shouldn’t worry about being alone, you should enjoy your freedom and travel to new places.

After 5 minutes get feedback from each group. Write up the following example sentences:

Step 6

Explain to your students that they are going to watch a short film called How To Be Alone. Ask them to watch the film and see if any of their advice in Step 6 is in the film.

Get feedback.

Step 7

Give them the poem and ask them to read it. Discuss the meaning.

how to be alone poem

You can also view the poem in the Scribd document below.

Step 8

Play the film again, but this time without the images. Students should listen and read the poem noticing the intonation.

Homework

Tell your students you would like them to write a composition titled How To Be Alone.

They should include some of the advice they liked in the poem and also read this article about how to enjoy being alone.

I hope you enjoy the lesson.

Film English has won the TEFL.net Best Website 2011 award. It’s an honour to join the illustrious company of  sites such as Teacher Training Videos and Teaching Village who have won the award in previous years.

Thank you to everybody who voted, I really appreciate your support.

Kieran

Overview                                       

This lesson is designed around 2 short films and the theme of books.  The Joy of Books by Sean Ohlenkamp  is a stop-motion short film which features books joyfully coming to life at night.  The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore is an Oscar-nominated  animation by William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg.  Students discuss books and reading, and write a narrative based on  a film.

Step 1

Put your students into pairs and ask them to come up with as many genres of books as they can. Give them 2 minutes and then get feedback from the whole class.

Step 2

Ask your students these questions:

Do you have a favourite bookshop?

What do you like about bookshops?

What happens in a bookshop when it is closed at night?

Tell your students they are going to watch a short film which shows what happens in a bookshop at night.

Step 3

Show the film again and ask your students to name as many types of books as they can. Pause when you see a particular type of book.

Step 4

Write the following sentence on the board or pause the film at 1:49:

There’s nothing quite like a real book.

Ask your students if they agree.

Give your students the discussion questions on books and ask them to discussion the questions in small groups.

Step 5

Tell your students that they are going to watch a short film which is called:

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

Alternatively, show them this image.

Put them into pairs and ask them what they think the film will be about. After 2 minutes get feedback from the whole class.

Step 6

Now put your students into small groups, show them these images taken from the film and ask them to put the images in order and then to write the narrative of the film. You can also the images in the downloadable document.

After 10 minutes get feedback and ask one student from each group to read out their narrative.

Step 7

Now show the film and ask students to compare their narratives with that of the film.

Step 8

Ask your students what the message of the film is.

Homework

Show your students this image.

Give your students the link to the film and ask them to watch it again. They should write a story using the first paragraph above to tell a story based on the film.

I hope you enjoy the films and the lesson.

Overview

This activity is designed around a short film inspired by a poem by Charles Bukowski. Students watch the short film and write a verse of poetry inspired by the short film. Students then listen and read the poem. For homework they find out information about the life of the poet.

Step 1

Write poetry on the board. Ask your students to name some poets who they like. Ask them if they can recite any lines of poetry in their language.

Step 2

Tell your students that they are going to watch a short film which was inspired by a poem. Show them the film and ask them to say what story they think the film tells. Also ask them to suggest any words which they think might be in the poem.

After watching the film put students in pairs and ask them to discuss the story and come up with vocabulary they think might be in the poem.

Get feedback from your students.

Step 3

Show students the Wordle below which has been created using the most frequent words in the poem. Go through the vocabulary.

Step 4

Put your students into small groups and tell them that you would like them to try to write a verse of the poem using some of the words in the Wordle. Give them the first line of the poem:

there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out

Ask them to continue the first verse. Give them 5 minutes to write the first verse. After 5 minutes ask a spokesperson from each group to read out their verse.

Step 5

Tell your students they are going to listen to the poet reading his poem. Play the video but do not show the images. They should try to understand the poem. After listening to the poem put students into pairs and ask them to discuss the poem for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes get feedback from the whole class.

Step 6

Give the students the poem and ask them to read it. Get them to read the poem and listen to it at the same time. Then ask them what the poem is about.

Blue Bird

there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too tough for him,
I say, stay in there, I’m not going
to let anybody see
you.
there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I pour whiskey on him and inhale
cigarette smoke
and the whores and the bartenders
and the grocery clerks
never know that
he’s
in there.
there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too tough for him,
I say,
stay down, do you want to mess
me up?
you want to screw up the
works?
you want to blow my book sales in
Europe?
there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too clever, I only let him out
at night sometimes
when everybody’s asleep.
I say, I know that you’re there,
so don’t be
sad.
then I put him back,
but he’s singing a little
in there, I haven’t quite let him
die
and we sleep together like
that
with our
secret pact
and it’s nice enough to
make a man
weep, but I don’t
weep, do
you?

The poem is about our compulsion to hide and stifle our most tender and vulnerable selves underneath tough, controlled exteriors.

Step 7

Now show the video with pictures of Charles Bukowski

From the poem and the pictures they see in the second video ask the students what type of person they think the poet is and what type of life he has led.

Homework

Give your students the name of the poet: Charles Bukowski. Ask them to find out as much information as they can about his life and work. In the following class ask for information about the poet.

Charles Bukowski (1920 –1994) was an American poet, novelist and short story writer. He had a very troubled childhood and became an alcoholic at an early age. He wrote about the life of poor Americans, alcohol, prostitutes and the drudgery of everyday life.

I hope you enjoy the lesson.

Language level: Intermediate(B1)- Advanced (B2.2)
Learner type: All ages
Time: 90 minutes
Activities: Watching short film and video; speculating; describing works of art; listening; answering comprehension questions; making own hero movie
Topics: Heroes; micro-art; inspiration
Language: Vocabulary related to super heroes; cartoon heroes; film stars etc.
Materials: Short film; TED video; pictures of micro-art; PowerPoint;

Downloadable materials: Hero lesson plan instructions     willard wigan micro-art slides     willard wigan comprehension questions

Overview

This lesson is designed around an astonishing short film by Miguel Endara in which he records himself painstakingly creating a portrait of his hero using 3.2 million ink dots. The lesson also looks at the smallest works of art in the world by micro-artist Willard Wigan and the theme of heroes. Students also get the chance to make their own movie with themselves as the hero.

Step 1

Put your students into pairs and them to discuss the following questions:

Do you have any heroes?

What do you admire about your hero?

What qualities does a hero have?

After 5 minutes get feedback.

Step 2

Tell your students they are going to watch a short film in which an artist creates a work of art of his hero using 3,213,000 dots. Ask your students what they think the work of art will look like and who the artist’s hero is.

Here is the final picture Miguel created of his hero, his father.

Step 3

Write up:

Films     Silent films     Boxing     Cartoons     Comics     Children’s films     Children’s books

Put your students in pairs and ask them to think of heroes in each category. Give them 3 minutes and then get feedback from all the class.

Step 4

Tell your students they are going to see heroes from each of the categories in Step 3 created by the artist Willard Wigan. Show them this photo of Willard Wigan, ask them what they think it is he creates and how he does it.

Show them the images below of works of art featuring heroes created by  Willard Wigan and ask your students to identify the heroes and say what is unusual  about Willard’s art.

Willard is a micro-sculptor who creates the smallest works of art in the world.

The heroes are: 1. Betty Boop 2. Marilyn Monroe 3. Barack Obama and his family 4. Elvis Presley 5. Mini Mouse 6. Mohamed Ali 7. Buzz Aldrin 8. Charlie Chaplin(on the end of an eyelash) 9. The Incredible Hulk 10. Peter Pan

You can also view the photos in this PowerPoint presentation:

You can also download the slides: willard wigan micro-art slides

Step 4

Tell your students they are going to watch a video in which Willard Wigan talks about his childhood and his work in a TED conference. Students should watch the video and  answer the comprehension questions in the Scrid document below. Play the video until 9.54 and pause when he shows the Huf Haus in close-up. You may like to show the video with subtitles which you choose on the TED player.

You can also download the compprehension questions: willard wigan comprehension questions

Optional follow up

You can make yourself the hero of a movie  which has become the most successful viral video in the history of the internet. The video is part of a campaign by the Swedish government to encourage people to pay their television license fee. The film is in English with Swedish subtitles. Here is an example of the film.

Here is how to make the movie:

1. Watch the movie which I have made in which I am the hero.

2. At the end of the movie there is a page where you can make your own movies.  Unfortunately the instructions are in Swedish not English, but it’s worth continuing as the results are fantastic. Simply  click on GOR EN EGEN FILM.

3. On the next page you have to choose a photo to use in the film. Click the VÁLJ BILD button to add your own photo from your computer or the ANVÁND WEBBKAMERAN button to add a photo using a webcam.

4. Once you’ve chosen the photo click the VIDARE button,  you see yourself as the hero in the movie.

5. At the end of the movie you can share a link through Facebook, Tweeter or email. You can also cut and paste the link. then you get a link to send to whoever you want.

When you’ve made your own movie you can show it to your students. I do it in the following way.

1. I write on the board:

“I have something to reveal to you.”

2. I ask students to speculate what I am going to reveal.

3. I then show them the movie. They are normally flabbergasted and really amazed.

4. I then explain how I made the movie and show them how they can make their own Hero movie for homework.

My students have really loved it, I’ve had students who’ve made movies of themselves, parents, brother and sisters, and friends.

I hope you enjoy the film, art work and lesson.

Language level: Intermediate (B1) +

Learner type: Mature teens; Adults

Time: 90 minutes

Activity: Listening; speaking; reading

Topic: Smiling; optimism

Language: Optimistic vocabulary and expressions

Materials: 2 short films and TED video,video transcripts; PowerPoint presentation

Downloable materials: Smile instructions     School portrait dialogue     Smile everything is going to be OK slides     Ron Gutman video transcript

Overview

This lesson practises listening, speaking and reading. This optimistic lesson is designed around  a short film School Portrait by director Nick Scott  which tells the story of a jaded, cynical school photographer who tries to give each child a harsh vision of what their future will really look like, but a little girl with an infectious smile teaches him an important life lesson. The lesson also includes images from  a beautiful book Everything Is Going To Be OK which uses positive artwork from a variety of artists, graphic designers and illustrators.  I discovered the book on Maria Popova‘s wonderful Brainpickings. 

Step 1

Write School Portrait on the board and ask your students if they know what it means. If they don’t know explain that it is a photograph taken at school by a professional photographer. Ask your students if they have had an individual school portrait taken at their school. Ask about their experience. If you have your own school portrait show it to your students.

Ask your students if they can remember what the photographer said to them and how he encouraged them to smile.

Step 2

Tell your students that they are going to watch a short film called School Portrait. Ask them the following question:

How is the photographer different from a normal school photographer?

Step 3

Cut up the sentences which the photographer says in the School Portrait Dialogue Word document. Put students into small groups and give each group one set of sentences. Tell them they are going to watch the film again and that they have to put the photographer’s sentences into the correct order.

Check answers and get feedback.

School portrait dialogue

Check answers and get feedback.

Step 3

Put your students  in small groups and ask them to discuss what the message of the film is.

Step 4

The message of the film is that smiling and being optimistic is extremely important in life. Show students the images below taken from a beautiful book Everything Is Going To Be OK  . Ask them to discuss each image and its message.

You can also show the images using this PowerPoint presentation.

You can also download the slides: Smile everything is going to be OK slides

Follow up

Ask students if they know what an infectious smile is. Ask them if they know anyone with an infectious smile. Show them the photo below.

Ask your students the following questions:

Do you like this woman’s smile?

Does she smile a lot?

What kind of person do you think she is?

What kind of philosophy does she have about life?

What does she do?

Tell your students they are going to watch a short film about this woman. Ask them to watch the film and check their answers.

Homework

For homework give students the link to this TED video in which Ron Gutman talks about empirical research which shows how important smiling is in life.

Ask students to watch the video and make notes about research which shows that smiling has a positive effect on our lives.

Give students the transcript of the talk.

Ron Gutman video transcript

Check answers in the following class.

I hope you enjoy the films and the lesson.

Film English has been nominated in the Macmillan Dictionary Love English Awards. If you like the site , you might like to vote . Voting closes on January 31st 2012 at midnight GMT.

Thanks for your support.

Kieran

This is just a short post to announce that Film English was the winner of the Best Individual Blog and runner-up in the Best Use of Media category in the 2011 Edublog Awards. I’d like to thank people who nominated Film English for the awards: Ann Foreman, Steve Muir, David Petrie, Phil Ward, Marga Carreras and Pascal Shaw. Many thanks as well to all the subscribers, fellow bloggers and teachers, and students who voted.

Thanks  for all your support.

Have a great Christmas and a very happy 2012.

Kieran

Learner type: Secondary

Time: 60 minutes

Activity: Vocabulary activities, predicting and storytelling

Topic: Symmetry; parallels and contrasts

Language: Vocabulary (opposites and synonyms)

Materials: 2 short films; vocabulary worksheet

Downloadable materials: Symmetry lesson plan instructions     vocabulary activity 25 words

Overview

This lesson is based on 2 short  films which both reflect the concept of symmetry. The first film Symmetry by Everynone, is a fascinating split-screen short film which explores the poetic parallels and contrasts of our world — birth and death, heart and brain, darkness and light, masculinity and femininity. The second film Split Screen: A Love Story by James W. Griffiths which was shot with a Nokia mobile phone has a simple premise: two lovers wake up in different cities (New York and Paris) and set off on parallel journeys to meet each other. The lesson practises speaking, writing and vocabulary.