Ivan the Incredible: Being Good at Something

Ivan is a marvelous character. His conflicts are so real and current. Every parent should see it. It will surely teach a lesson about respecting differences and accepting their children the way they are.

I. Complete the list with three three things that you are good at and three other things that you are bad at.

I am good at: _____________________________________________________________

I am bad at: ______________________________________________________________

II. Pair up with another student. 

1. Compare your lists. What do you both have in common? What don't you have in common?

2. What can you tell about your partner, based on his/her list?

3. Think about two things that you would like to be good at, but that you are not.

III. Read the list below and write 1 to 5 in the parentheses. If you think you are really good at it, mark 5. If you believe you are lousy at it, write 1.

( ) Computers

( ) Sports

( ) Math

( ) Languages

( ) Saving money

( ) Charity

( ) Writing

( ) Dancing

( ) Drawing

( ) Studying hard

( ) Reporting information you hear or read from other sources (people, news, stories etc)

( ) Understanding other people's problems

( ) Acting

( ) History

( ) Knowing about different countries and cultures

( ) Cooking

( ) Memorizing

( ) Remembering faces

( ) Remembering names

( ) Remembering dates

( ) Forgiving other people

( ) Admiring art

( ) Creating art

( ) Sewing

( ) Fashion

IV. Now circle all the items you wrote 4 or 5 and underline all the activities you marked 1 or 2.

V. Walk around the class and try to find the person with most similar choices as yours. Who circled the same (or most of the) items as you? Who underlined the same (or most of the) items as you?

VI. Was the result a surprise to you? Why?

VII. Watch the movie segment and answer the questions:

1. What did Ivan use to be good at?

2. How did he feel about that?

3. Why did he decide to be good at everything?

4. Was his father right to blame him for not being good at anything?

5. What is he good at now? Name at least 8 things.

6. How will he probably feel when the magic ends? Explain it.

7. If you could choose only one thing to be outstandingly good at, what would it be?

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - IVAN THE INCREDIBLE

Up in the Air: New Beginnings

 

This is a wonderful movie. Great acting and description of new trends at work. This scene is great to talk about new beginnings, because it shows people being fired and needing to start their lives over.

I. Read the following quotes taken from the awesome site http://www.buzzle.com/articles/new-beginning-quotes.html . Then decide what they actually mean and if you agree with them. Work in small groups.

-  One can begin so many things with a new person - even begin to be a better man. - George Eliot

-  The secret to a rich life is to have more beginnings than endings. - David Weinbaum

-  A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. - Lao Tzu

-  There will come a time when you believe everything is finished; that will be the beginning. - Louis L'Amour

-  When one door closes another door opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us. - Alexander Graham Bell

-  When you feel that you have reached the end and that you cannot go one step further, when life seems to be drained of all purpose: What a wonderful opportunity to start all over again, to turn over a new page. - Eileen Caddy

-  Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently. - Henry Ford

-  If your ship doesn't come in, swim out to meet it. - Jonathan Winters

Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/new-beginning-quotes.html

II. Work with a partner:

1. Do you like to start things over in your life or are you resistant to changes? Explain it. 

2. Can you share moments in your life when you had to face a new beginning?

3. Check the items below that you think would make you have a new beginning. Decide how hard it would be for you - NOT HARD AT ALL - HARD - EXTREMELY HARD

- Losing a job

- Getting married

- Getting divorced

-  Moving to another country

- Moving to another city

- Changing careers

- Failing a course

III. Watch the segment and discuss the questions:

1. What's your opinion of the way employees are treated in this company? Would you like to work there?

2. How did those people react to their new reality?

3. Is a new beginning equally difficult for the characters in the segment. Why (not)?

4. What should these employees do?

5. Do you think their lives will change radically? What should they do to face this new reality?

6. What about the employers? Are they acting ethically? Explain it.


MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - UP IN THE AIR

Sicko: Health Care

Divide the class into pairs. 

Students 1 read the 1st segment and discuss the questions with other students who also read the same segment. 

Read the article below. It was written by an American citizen, Jake Markob, concerned with the American health care system. After that, discuss the questions that follow with a partner.  


What is America going to come to if people always have to live on  ? In case you did not know, welfare is economics concerned with better living. The branch of economics that is concerned with improving the quality of life by a fairer distribution of wealth. However, welfare is not a very fair distribution because those who work have to pay for those who don’t. Does that sound fair? Basically this means that you pay welfare taxes and people who don't have a job get it. This means that if someone doesn’t feel like getting a job, tax payers like you pay for his living. That is the most absurd thing I have ever heard of. I think that if you do not work you should not eat. But some people do not think so, like the government. Eventually, this is going to cause economic problems. And should be addressed immediately. There are many taxes such as these and more of them are coming. I believe America is on a downfall and needs to be picked back up. It is terrible how high taxes are getting. There are many job opportunities for people to get jobs. But like I said, they are just too lazy, or are not motivated enough. And I am not talking about handicapped or elder people either. But it is getting harder to get jobs in America because of immigrants. America is hiring immigrants over American citizens. This is because most immigrants work for cheaper than citizens. This is going to destroy American economy.

Read more: http://socyberty.com/society/welfare-and-its-major-problems/#ixzz1IxjwVEGY Read more: http://socyberty.com/society/welfare-and-its-major-problems/#ixzz1IxjnjacX


 

1. Do you agree with this point of view? Why (not)? 

2. Is it true that people who don't have jobs are lazy and will cause problems to the American Society? Why (not)?

 3. Are immigrants contributing to the downfall - if it is really happening - of the American welfare system?


Students 2 read the second segment below. Then discuss the questions with other students who read the same segment. It was written by an American citizen, who also lived in Brazil for a while. 


 Health would be a privilege of those who have money; for those who are dumb enough not to have money, just rot and die. However, it is very very expensive. It is almost impossible for a country to provide quality free health care coming from only taxpayers’ money. The US already provides good free public schools for elementary and secondary education. In Brazil for example, public schools are not reliable, so most parents pay for private schools from kindergarten to high school. I think the best way is to have clinics for those who cannot have private health insurance. These clinics would charge very little, but would not be free. The doctors who would work there would be younger doctors or retired doctors or doctors who do not mind making less than they would in private practice for a guaranteed 40 hour week and a feeling of satisfaction that comes from helping people (I have a pediatrician aunt who donates one or two days of her working week to work in a free city clinic which caters to the very poor population. My grandfather, also a pediatrician, would always see patients who could not pay). Lines would be longer, waiting periods for non essential surgeries longer, but everyone would have access to it. For all others who require a better insurance, they could continue paying more through their employers or privately. This is a bit how it works in Brazil, although there are many complaints about long lines and deficient infra-structure in the Brazilian public health care system. In the years I lived in Brazil, I always had private health insurance. I also do not remember ever receiving bills at home. I would pay my premium, my monthly payments and when I went to the doctor I would be covered. Any exam or test would be covered by my monthly payments. It annoys the hell out of me to receive bill after bill sometimes months later after any doctor’s appointment here in the US. The communication between health providers and health insurance companies is dismal, and many claims are refused for misinformation. So the patient ends up with the bill. I am tired of fighting insurance companies and trying to rectify bills that are wrong. I do not remember ever having to do that in Brazil. So, besides teaching Americans how to deal with electronic voting and alternative fuels, should Brazilians also teach Americans how to have both public and private health care for its citizens? Or is the British/Canadian/French model better? This is a very complex matter with no easy solution.


  1. Do you agree with this viewpoint? 


 2. If you are Brazilian - Are her considerations about Brazil accurate? Explain it. 


 Students 1 and Students 2 pair up and share what they read and their opinions about the statements you read. http://brasilmagic.wordpress.com/2008/10/15/health-insurance-in-the-us-vs-brazil/



 


Watch the movie segment from the controversial movie SICKO and discuss the items that follow. 


 1. Describe the scene and what is being discussed. 


2. What's your opinion about what is shown? 


3. How do you compare the American health care to your country's? 


 4. What needs improvement in your country's welfare policies? 


5. How fair is it? Why?


MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - SICKO

Life of Pi & Rango: Faith x Belief

Talking about religion in the classroom is not so healthy. It is a touchy subject and discussions might get out of control. However, talking about faith is positive. This scene does not show any controversy, but discusses faith/religion in an unbiased manner. Mind your audience before showing it. By the way, I simply loved Life of Pi. You can't miss it!

Faith is confidence or trust in a person or thing. It may also be belief that is not based on proof. In religion, faith often involves accepting claims about the character of a deity, nature, or the universe.The word faith is often used as a substitute for hope, trust or belief.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faith 
Belief – An opinion or judgement in which a person is fully persuaded.

Faith is believing in that which is not seen, being sure of what is hoped for." Belief is choosing to accept information for what it is.

I. Work with a partner:

1. Do you consider yourself a faithful person according to the definition of faith above? Why?

2.How were you led into your religion? 

3. Can you explain with your own words the difference between FAITH and BELIEF?

4. Come up with a few examples of faith and belief.

 Watch the segments from the movies Life of Pi and Rango.

 Then discuss the questions.

Life of Pi

Rango

1. Which one is about Faith and which one is about Belief? Explain it.

2. Is it possible for someone to have 3 different religions at the same time like in Life of Pi? Explain it.

3. Can people's lives be determined by the presence/absence of a natural resource, like in Rango?

4. How do you compare the the characters' feelings in both segments?


MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - LIFE OF PI

MOVIE SEGMENTS DOWNLOAD - RANGO

The Artist & Battleship: Confidence x Arrogance

I have mixed feelings about these movies. The Artist is a bit overrated and Battleship is close to a disaster. However, these scenes are great for this topic.

ARROGANCE:

An attitude of superiority manifested in an overbearing manner or in presumptuous claims or assumptions

CONFIDENCE:

A feeling or consciousness of one's powers or of reliance on one's circumstances . Faith or belief that one will act in a right, proper, or effective way 

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary

I. Work in pairs.

1. What is the thin line that separates arrogance from plain confidence.

2. Most people cheer against athletes who tend to show excessive confidence and certainty of victory. Why does that happen?

3. Are there moments when arrogance is necessary? Explain your answer.

4. How can too much confidence affect one's life or personality?

5. Can you give real examples of people you consider arrogant?

II. Watch the movie segments that follow and answer the questions.

THE ARTIST:

.BATTLESHIP:

1. What's your opinion about the main characters in both segments? Are they confident or arrogant? Explain your answer.

2. What are the consequences of their excessive confidence?

3. Are they wrong to act the way they do? Why (not)?

4. What advice would you give them?

5. Which of the characters have a more acceptable behavior? Explain it.


MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - THE ARTIST 


MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - BATTLESHIP

Spanglish: Low Self-Esteem

This is a great movie. Language teachers also enjoy it. This is a great scene to talk about self-esteem.

Self-Esteem - Pride in oneself; self-respect.

According to this informative and constructive site, these are the characteristics of genuine low self-esteem.

http://www.self-confidence.co.uk/articles/top-ten-facts-about-low-self-esteem/

Social withdrawal

Anxiety and emotional turmoil

Lack of social skills and self confidence. Depression and/or bouts of sadness

Less social conformity

Eating disorders

Inability to accept compliments

An Inability to see yourself 'squarely' - to be fair to yourself

Accentuating the negative

Exaggerated concern over what you imagine other people think

Self neglect

Treating yourself badly but NOT other people

Worrying whether you have treated others badly

Reluctance to take on challenges

Reluctance to put yourself first or anywhere.

Reluctance to trust your own opinion

Expecting little out of life for yourself.

I. Talk to a partner:

1. According to the symptoms above, what are the consequences of having low self-esteem?

2. What do you think one can do to reverse that situation?

3. What can relatives do in order not to lower someone's self-esteem?

4. For one to have low self-esteem, he must have various of the symptoms above. Do you feel any of the symptoms above? How do you rate your self-esteem?

II. Watch the segment and discuss the questions.

1. What do you think about the teenager's self-esteem?

2. What exactly makes her esteem low?

3. What's your opinion about her mother's presents? How well did she mean? 

4. How effective is the mother's strategy?

III. Read the tips given by this awesome site to improve one's self-esteem. Then say how each one would help the teenager and what she could do about each of the tips.

http://www.spiritwire.com/selfesteemtips.html

Be true to yourself. Live your life doing what feels right to you, not what someone else thinks you should do. It’s ok to listen to advice, but in the end, make the decision that feels best for you. 

Change your mental diet. Read uplifting books. Listen to uplifting tapes and CDs and attend uplifting workshops.  Don’t focus on negativity. Stop watching the news. Avoid whiners and complainers. Walk away.

Upgrade your physical diet. Processed foods contain very little nutritional value when compared to raw, organic fruits and vegetables. Eat fresh produce rather than processed foods whenever possible. Drink plenty of water, fresh juices and smoothies instead of caffeinated beverages or energy drinks. 

Stop comparing yourself to others. You are not supposed to be like anyone else. You are you. You are the only one who can be you. 

Create an uplifting environment for yourself. This can be joyful colors, uplifting music, nature photos, plants, uplifting posters, open windows… you decide. Wear clothes that you feel good in.

Celebrate your successes. Even the small ones. Don't wait to get perfect. 

Create a list of accomplishments and review it often. We tend to get overwhelmed looking at what’s left to be done and forget to give ourselves credit for how far we’ve already come.

Don’t take yourself, or life, too seriously. Lighten up. Dare to have fun. 

Do something nice for yourself. You deserve it! Maybe a massage, a bath or nap. Take yourself out on a date. 

Do something nice for someone else. Volunteer. Being of service, without expectation of reward, feels really good.

Spend time regularly doing things you find joyful. What make your heart sing? Do more of it! 

Do something physical. Clean out a closet. Get out of the house. Go for a walk.

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - SPANGLISH

Melancholia: Apocalypse

Although many people criticized this movie, I really liked it. Thought-provoking, its two different stories hypnotized me until the last scene.

I. Work in pairs. Let's suppose that the Earth will be hit by another planet. Nothing can be done to stop the collision. It will be the end of days and there will be no survivors. The impact will be so hard that death will be painless and instantaneous. 

a. Apocalypse Abbr. Apoc. Bible The Book of Revelation.

b. Any of a number of anonymous Jewish or Christian texts from around the second century b.c. to the second century a.d. containing prophetic or symbolic visions, especially of the imminent destruction of the world and the salvation of the righteous.

          c. Great or total devastation; doom: the Apocalypse of nuclear war.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/apocalypse

1. What would you do three weeks before the collision?

2. What would you do on the day of the collision.

3. Who would you like to be with when that happened?

4. Where would you like to be?

5. What would probably happen around the world on the day of the apocalypse?

6. Would people still go to work knowing the world would end within three weeks? What consequences would it bring to every one's lives?

II. Watch the movie segment and then discuss the questions that follow.

1. How did they decide to spend the last minutes of their lives?

2. What's your opinion about their decision?

3. Would you do the same as they did? Why (not)?

4. Do you think the world will ever end? If so, what would probably happen?

5. What's your view of the apocalypse?

6. Why is there so much speculation about doomsday? How afraid are you?

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - MELANCHOLIA

The King's Speech: Speaking in Public

This movie is a classic. Outstanding acting makes it an unforgettable experience.

I. Talk to a partner:

1. How do you feel when you have to speak in public?

2. How do your feelings change according to the audience you have?

3. How/When/In which situations do you feel most comfortable when speaking in public?

4. How/When/In which situations do you feel most embarrassed when speaking in public?

5. When was the last time you had to speak in public? How was it?

6. What do you do/ How do you prepare yourself when you have to speak in public?

7. What tips would you give someone who wants to be a successful speaker/presenter?

II. Read the tips given by the awesome site http://www.wikihow.com/Overcome-Your-Fear-of-Public-Speaking.

Don't fail visiting it. Their tips are priceless.

Decide which steps you usually take before speaking in public, which ones are helpful, and which ones you would not follow. Justify your answers.

Steps to overcome the fear of speaking in public

Realize the source. 

The source of your fear is this: not knowing what will happen when you are in front of people, giving your speech or presentation. Your fear is not that you don't know your topic. It is that you don't know what will happen when you step to the podium or table.

Face Down Your Fears. 

If you feel your knees turning to jelly out of fear, remind yourself that fear stands for False Evidence Appearing Real. Almost certainly, whatever it is that you're frightened of won't happen.

Breathe Deeply. 

Practicing a breathing exercise before you go on will relax your body and mind.

Relax. 

Relaxing is the art of letting go.

Recognize that people can't see your nervousness. 

When you're walking out onto the stage toward the podium, no one knows you're nervous.

Practice.  

Speaking on a topic that you are not familiar with will increase your stress, and impede on your performance.

Buy some recording software, and record everything on your laptop. 

Review it to see where you can improve.

Prepare. 

Make sure you know the material that you're going to cover. 

Keep it simple.

Avoid putting pressure on yourself by trying to communicate too many ideas or too much information. 

Think of it as a conversation.

Think of your ‘talk’ as just that, a conversation with more than person.

III. Watch the movie segment and discuss the questions that follow:

1. How did he feel before the speech?

2. How confident was he?

3. Which of the steps in exercise II did he take?

4. What can he do to improve the quality of his speeches?

5. How would you feel if you were in his shoes?

6. Have you ever felt the way he did when speaking in public?

7. What's your opinion about the technique that he tried after the speech?

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - THE KING'S SPEECH

Flight: Anti-Heroes

I just loved this movie and its controversial story. Washington is amazing in the role of a drunk pilot who manages to be the hero of a flying accident. A must see.

Read the definitions and characteristics of a hero and anti-hero.



 http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-an-anti-hero.htm

When the main character is deeply flawed, however, lacking in the attributes that people most often associate with heroism, he or she becomes an anti-hero.

Heroes face danger for the sake of protecting or saving others with little thought to themselves. Action movies often feature a classic hero or heroine who must risk all to beat the odds and achieve an objective that serves others as much or more than it serves the hero. In many cases, the hero volunteers through sense of duty, while at other times, he or she rises to the occasion when put in a situation that calls for action.


The anti-hero is often a reluctant hero who does not consider himself capable of accomplishing the goal. He might be selfish, addicted, corrupt, sullen, or disaffected. By the end of the journey, he typically transforms into a fuller, happier, or more complete person due to the struggles he endures. In many cases, the anti-hero dies at the end of the story, even while overcoming his faults.

II. Watch the movie segment and decide if the main character is a hero or anti-hero. Discuss the questions too.

1. The pilot managed to save most of the people's lives. Does it make it him a hero?

2. He drank alcoholic beverages during the flight. Does it still make him a hero?

3. Is he guilty or Innocent?

4. What should happen to him?

5. What are his personality traits that don't make him a hero, according to the definitions above?

6. Can you think of other famous anti-heroes?


MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - FLIGHT

Sunshine Award

I'm very happy to have received The Sunshine Award. Thank you Pilar for the nomination.

The
Sunshine Award is an award given to bloggers by other bloggers. It is
given to "bloggers who are positive and creatively inspire others in the
blogosphere". I do feel honoured that such great bloggers have given me
this thoughtful award.

As with other similar awards, there are certain rules that must be followed:

Rule 1.  Post the Sunshine Award logo on your blog.

Rule 2.  Nominate 5 to 10 other wonderful  bloggers.

Rule 3.  Announce their nomination in their blog’s comment section.

Rule 4 .Mention links back to their blog, including a link to the person who nominated you.

Rule 5. Answer seven questions about yourself.  This is designed to help people get to know you better.

1. Kieran Donaghy - Film-English

 Very creative ideas and an inspiration to us all.

2. Sue Swift - An ELT Notebook

 Sue's articles are a must for language teachers

3. Ozge Karaoglu - Orze Karaoglu's blog is a resourceful blog that I refer to all the time.

4. Ana Maria Menezes - Life Feast

 I'm a great fan of Ana's blog and professionalism. Her blog is awesome.

5. Vinicius Lemos and Vania Rodrigues. If the Ship Sinks, We Have the Survival Kit is my favorite source of games and activities. I love their blog.

1. Favorite colour.

Blue. Always blue.



2. Favourite animal.

Dogs. Can't live without them. I have three!

3. Favourite number.

13.



4. Favourite non-alcoholic drink.

Water.



5. Favourite alcoholic drink.

I don't drink much, sometimes when I go out with friends, beer.



6. Facebook or Twitter.

Facebook. Finding old friends and relatives.



7. My passions.

Movies and music.

Big Miracle: Whaling Controversy, Environment

This is a nice movie, based on a true story, which revolves around the whaling issue. I recommend it. This scene is great to talk about that specific topic and environmental discussions.


 I. Read this information about whaling.

Whaling is the hunting of whales primarily for meat and oil. As technology increased and demand for the resources remained, catches far exceeded the sustainable limit for whale stocks.While the moratorium has been successful in averting the extinction of whale species due to over hunting, contemporary whaling is subject to intense debate. Pro-whaling countries, notably Japan, wish to lift the ban on stocks that they claim have recovered sufficiently to sustain limited hunting. Anti-whaling countries and environmental groups say whale species remain vulnerable and that whaling is immoral, unsustainable, and should remain banned permanently. The whaling controversy is the international environmental and ethical debate over whale hunting. The debate has focused on issues of sustainability and conservation as well as ownership and national sovereignty. Also raised in debates is the question of cetacean intelligence and the level of suffering which the animals undergo when caught and killed. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaling_controversy

II. Talk to a partner:

1. What's your opinion about whale hunting? Should it be allowed or prohibited? Why?

2. Would you change your mind if you knew that entire communities would starve to death if whale hunting were prohibited?

3. Would you change your mind if you knew that the amount of suffering is enormous?

4. Would you change your mind if the species of the whale was endangered? What if it was not?

5. What is your solution for this controversy?


III. Watch the movie segment and answer these questions:

1. What is being discussed during the meeting?

2. What is the environmentalist's point of view?

3. What is the local community's point of view?

4. What was the final decision?

5. Do you agree with the decision? What might the consequences of the decision be?

6. Who is right and who is wrong? Explain it.


MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - BIG MIRACLE