Trolls: Superstitions

This is a lovely movie and both kids and adults enjoy it. I used this scene to talk about superstitions in a contextualized manner. I hope you like it. 

A superstition is a belief in something that is irrational, non-physical and does not follow the rules of science. It is often one action that leads to another without something directly linking the two. Superstition is often associated with luck. Superstitions differ among religions and cultures

Work in pairs:

Why do people believe in superstitions? What are some possible reasons for this behavior?

Are you superstitious? What are some of the superstitions you or your family members have?

Do you associate superstitions with religious beliefs? Explain it.

What are some popular superstitions in your country? 

Read the text about superstitions below. What do you agree and disagree with it? Share your ideas with a partner after you finish reading it.

People feel very desperate to find reasons for all the misfortunes they come across. Being superstitious helps them to hide their mistakes by blaming luck, which according to them no one can control except God. 

New studies have revealed that stress makes people not only believe in rituals but also in conspiracy theories and as a result, they are more likely to “see” things that actually do not exist.

Some more reasons which make people superstitious are as follows:

.... worrying about life

.... having a strong need of control

.... don't like ambiguity in their life 

Watch the movie segment and discuss with a partner the items below:

- Who is superstitious in the segment?

- What is the superstition? What are the consequences of the superstition?

- What do they do not to have misfortunes in life?

- How important is this superstition for that community?

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - TROLLS

Snow White and the Huntsman & Mirror Mirror: Snow White

Everybody knows the story of Snow White, but very few people know how the story started. Bring mobile devices to the classroom and have half the group watch the segment from Snow White and the Huntsman. The other half watches the scene from Mirror Mirror. Then pair up students who saw different segments and have them tell each other their story and spot the differences. Focus on:

- Snow White's mother's death.

- The Kings death

- What happened to Snow White

Students may exchange devices to see the other segment and check out other differences.

Snow White and the Huntsman

Mirror Mirror


MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - MIRROR MIRROR

Jack The Giant Slayer: Jack and the Beanstalk

Read the summary of the world famous tale Jack and the Beanstalk. Then watch the segment and see what happened before the story told. In small groups, present a summary of the segment and come up with a new and completely different ending for the tale.

Jack is a young, poor boy living with his widowed mother and a cow as their only source of income. When the cow stops giving milk, Jack's mother tells him to take it to the market to be sold. On the way, Jack meets an old man who offers magic beans in exchange for the cow, and Jack makes the trade. When he arrives home without any money, his mother becomes angry, throws the beans on the ground, and sends Jack to bed without dinner.

During the night, the magic beans cause a gigantic beanstalk to grow. The next morning, Jack climbs the beanstalk to a land high in the sky. He finds an enormous castle and sneaks in. Soon after, the castle's owner, a giant, returns home. He senses that Jack is nearby.

Rapa Nui - Easter Island's Moais: Easter Island - Mystery

This movie is not so good, but  it shows a lot of interesting facts and behavior of the people who once inhabited the Easter Island.

The 887 giant statues on Easter Island have turned one of the most isolated islands in the world into one of the most well known—and most mysterious.




Answer the quiz: Don't miss visiting the awesome site

Fun Trivia: http://www.funtrivia.com/playquiz/quiz2758681f95628.html


 Where is Easter Island located?

a - Indian Ocean

b – Atlantic Ocean

c – Pacific Ocean

d – Caribbean Sea

What is the meaning of "Moai", the famous rock statues on Easter Island?

A -  Stone Tatues

B – Living Faces

C – Rock Heads

D – No smile

What is the original name of Easter Island, their people and their language?

A – Rapa Nui

B – Repa Hoa

C – Rapa Iti

D – Raparenga

How do you say "Hello" in Native Easter Island language?

A – Mahalo

B – Aloha

C – Iorana

D – Maururu

In terms of weight, what is the name of the largest completed statue on Rapa Nui?

A – Pukao

B – El Gigante

C – Paro

D – Rano Raraku

After the statue was fully erected and in place, a pukao was placed on top of the statue. What was a pukao?

A – A Garment

B – A Religious Symbol

C – A  Topknot

D – A Ring

Answers - Pacific Ocean, Living Faces, Rapa Nui, Iorana, Paro, Topknot

II. Watch the movie segment and discuss the questions:

1. Describe Easter Island.

2. How are they moving the statues?

3. Do you think that is the real way they moved them? Why (not)?

4. What are the workers expectations? And their leader's?

5. What is the leader's decision?

6. Do you think that is the real reason why there are so many rock faces on Easter Island?

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - RAPA NUI

Urban Legend & When a Stranger Calls: Urban Legends

When a Stranger Calls is a classic. In the 80's, it was probably one of the first (good) movies about an urban legend. Urban Legend, though, is just average, but this scene is great, especially because it explains what an urban legend is. Moreover, the scene is great. However, I recommend you use them with adults only.

 

I. Watch the movie segment and answer these questions, based on the teacher's explanation and happenings in the segment.

 

1. What is an urban legend?

2. What is a cultural admonition?

3. Do urban legends really happen in real life?

4. What is the cultural admonition in the story about the babysitter?

5. What is the urban legend about pop rocks?

6. Who's Mike?

7. Think about 5 urban legends you have heard of where you live. Then think about the cultural admonition behind the story.

Ex: There is a fake nurse who steals newly born babies in hospitals.

Cultural Admonition: Have an eye on your baby at all times or you may lose it forever.

II. Watch the segment from When a Stranger Calls and answer the questions.

1. What are the similarities between this scene and the one described by the professor in Urban Legend?

2. Do you think it is an urban legend? Is it still a common legend or it outdated?

3. What do you think will happen next?

4. Would the technology we have today change the situation of the character? How so?


MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - URBAN LEGEND

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - WHEN A STRANGER CALLS

Pirates of the Caribbean on Stranger Tides, Red Riding Hood & Dolphin Tale: Legends

I like all the three movies, especially Red Riding Hood. Perfect scenes to discuss legends.


I. Read the characteristics of a legend below.

-Tells how something came to be

- Narrative fiction (a story, not an article)

- Nature related

- Usually teaches a lesson

- Has a specific SETTING: a time, and a place.

- They often include beliefs and ideas of a culture.

- Untrue or magical parts (e.g., animals have personalities and talk)

I. Watch the movie segments from the movies Pirates of the Caribbean on Stranger Tides and Red Riding Hood. Then go over the characteristics in I and identify them in both segments.

Pirates of the Caribbean in Stranger Tides:


Red Riding Hood




III. Half of the class will work with the segment about the Werewolf (Pirates of the Caribbean). The other half will work with Mermaids (Red Riding Hood). Read the descriptions of their traditional legends and decide how accurate the movie is, according to the original legend. What extra information about the legend is presented in the segment?


1.Werewolf 


- Werewolves are people with the ability to shapeshift into a wolflike creature, most commonly under the influence of a full moon.

- Ever since the early centuries, tales of werewolves have been recorded but none was truly ever captured for scientific dissection.

- Legends has it that people drink water out of a wolf's footprint to morph into one, or rub magical lotion onto their bodies.

- Werewolves are scared of silver objects, mainly silver swords or bullets.

- Once bitten by a werewolf, forever a werewolf.

2. Mermaids 


- The mermaid is a legendary sea creature with the upper body of a woman and the tail of a fish.

- Mermaids in some legends have been said to enchant sailors by singing beautiful songs, thus distracting them from their work and causing them to walk off the deck, taking them down the sea into their underwater kingdoms.

- In modern times, mermaids are said to be tales conjured up by bored sailors at sea, and theories have also been put forward which suggest that the "mermaids" are actually manatees.

- Mermaids are beautiful and seductive.

Work in small groups and come up with a legend about dolphins. Some people believe that Dolphins are humans. How can a legend explain it? Use the characteristics of a legend in I to help you imagine the legend.


Now watch the segment from Dolphin Tale.




1. What is the legend about dolphins shown in the segment?

2. Does it have anything in common with the legend you created? Explain the similarities and differences.

3. What's your opinion about the legend in the segment? What is its message?

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - THE PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN ON STRANGE TIDES

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - RED RIDING HOOD

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - DOLPHIN TALE