LIGHTS, CAMERA AND ACTION:

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Module 1: Teaching English through Films.
 Presentation:
• It seems that in our day no form of cultural
expression captures our attention and provokes our
senses more vivaciously than the cinema.
Regardless of whether it pictures the world of
romance and myth that we yearn for or the ordinary
nature of everyday life, we relate and react to its
either fantastic or bleak presentation with outmost
immediacy. As imagination of supernatural worlds,
as storytelling, as historical chronicle, as aesthetic
object, we find it easy to get enchanted by its spell.
• Today’s youth are perhaps most of all charmed by its
magic. They feel that the cinema is capable of
putting into images and speech the fantastic stories
they love most (take Harry Potter or The Hunger
Games, for example), as well as the dreams they
cherish and the ordeals they must face (as in Bend it
Like Beckham, or Good Will Hunting).
Notwithstanding the sometimes questionable quality
of such films, the fact remains that they allow us to
“connect” with our students in ways we do not in
more conventional classes. The main purpose of this
unit will be to make the most of such connection in
the ESL classroom.
 Module I. Teaching English through Films.

1. The benefits of using films in the language learning classroom.

An introduction.
2. Learning English through films: a pedagogical approach.
3. Teaching strategies for the use of films in the ESL classroom.

• Some important questions for us to consider will be: Why films

in the ESL classroom? What should we consider before
choosing a film? What kind of activities make for a successful
lesson plan?
• a. Key Films: The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Inside
Out (2015), Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001) and
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005).
• b. Key Assessment: Write a film review
 I. Teaching English through Films.
1. The benefits of using films in the language learning classroom.
• Why films in the ESL classroom?
1. The benefits of using films in the language learning classroom.
• Why films in the ESL classroom?
Given the increasing dominance of new technologies, our
students are particularly keen to engage in activities involving the
visual experience. Along this line of reasoning, we will start by
reflecting upon the benefits the ESL teacher will get from a
pedagogical approach to the world of film.
 1. The benefits of using films in the language learning classroom.
• Why films in the ESL classroom?
a. Films as motivating tools.
• Since motivation is crucial to the achievement of successful second-language acquisition, resorting
to resources which are part of the students’ everyday lives may be an excellent way to encourage
their participation in the ESL classroom. Films are entertaining sources of the language we are
teaching, as well as enjoyable vehicles of cultural understanding.
b. Cinema as a source of real-life situations dealt with real-life English.
• Films provide instances of English as it is spoken in real contexts of communication. Given that
cinema tends to present characters who speak as we do—thus moving the general public to identify
themselves with their fictional ordeals—, we are acquainted with an interaction that resembles
almost with perfection real life English.
c. Films give visual context.
• Facial expressions, gestures, costumes and settings facilitate language comprehension. Being able
not just to listen but also to “see” what is happening, the students will understand the situation in a
more meaningful way. Visual clues provide extra-linguistic support and a focus of attention.
d. Flexibility.
• You may fit films as you wish into any lesson plan.
e. Enhancing all four language skills
• Listening is strengthened by a discourse that has not been specifically planned to serve the purpose of
teaching the foreign language.
• Reading comprehension skills are enhanced through the activities the teacher has prepared
(questions, synopsis, gap-fill activities...), and also through the reading of subtitles.
• Writing skills will be improved by means of activities such as writing an alternative film ending through
collaborative writing or creating a blog post.
• Speaking can be boosted by starting a debate based on the social issues the film may have dealt with,
or simply by asking questions about the story and thus retrieving the students’ views on what they have
just experienced.
f. Films and cross curricular learning.
• Films deal with all kinds of themes: history, maths, science, social issues, the environment, psychology,
literature… As a way of showing the way cross curricular teaching can be developed through films, we
will start by asking the following questions (on next slide), and then propose some lesson plan ideas:
 Have you watched these films?
Do they deal with themes relevant to other subject areas?
You will find some ideas on the next slide:
Cross curricular connections, for instance…

Science. Food technology.

In The Nightmare Willy Wonka designs
Before Christmas scrumptious chocolates
Jack tries using the and sweets. Click here
scientific method to
discover what
Christmas is.

Ethics.
See how Harry Potter Psychology.
and the Sorcerer’s Inside Out deals with
Stone explores emotional intelligence.
ethical concepts here.
 I. Teaching English through Films.
2. Learning English through films: a pedagogical approach.
• How to teach English through films.
 2. Learning English through films: a pedagogical approach.
• How to teach English through films.

Agree as we may on the fact that ESL teachers will benefit from the use of films in
their class, the question of how they are to do it most successfully remains to be
answered. We all want to reach the students and get everyone engaged, but how?
How do we start to talk about films? What criteria should we follow when choosing a
film? Will we be successful regardless of the students’ level? If so and their level is
low, what kind of activities are most suitable? The following tips are meant to answer
these and more questions:
a. Vocabulary for “movie talking”.

Before starting a debate or asking your students about the last film they have watched, before playing a
movie in class and carrying out the corresponding lesson plan, please make sure the students have the
vocabulary they need to do so. The following activities can be a good way to start:
• Film Festival lesson plan: Movies1 Movies2 Synopses Cloze
• The following video: “Talking about movies in English” goes over some common film vocabulary. For
intermediate and advanced learners:

Information retrieved from bogglesworldesl.com and engvid.com.

b. Pay attention to age, language level.
• Pay attention to the students’ language level. It does not work if you choose a “too easy” film for
your advanced learners, nor does it work when you choose a “too difficult” one for those who have
an elementary level. They will either get bored, or challenged and then discouraged.
• Pay attention to their age. It is generally good to pick a movie which is G-rated (a G movie rating
stands for General Admission, as it is appropriate for all ages, with no offensive content) or PG-rated
(a PG movie rating stands for Parental Guidance, as some material may not be suitable for children
but there will not be substance use or abuse).
c. Have a thematic route.
• If you are dealing with emotional intelligence in your classes, then it may be a good idea to watch
Inside Out. If you are celebrating Halloween, The Nightmare Before Christmas can be good choice.
In any case, there must be a reason why that particular film makes sense in the context of your
teaching practice. Your purpose will guide your performance and the kind of activities you prepare.
d. Prepare language and comprehension activities beforehand.
• The students must know what to do before, during and after they watch. The more challenging
activities you prepare, the more value you will add to your classroom teaching experience.
e. The use of subtitles.
• In our experience, even advanced learners need subtitles when they watch a full movie.
f. Accent.
• It may be a good idea that the students have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with various
dialects. Nevertheless, Spanish learners are used to listening to what we commonly refer to as
Standard British English and, probably to a lesser extent, (standard) American English, as a result of
which a film in which nothing close to a standard accent is spoken can be too hard to understand for
them. The following video can be helpful as an introduction to English dialects:
 I. Teaching English through Films.
3. Teaching strategies for the use of films in the ESL classroom.
• Designing interesting classroom activities.
 3. Teaching strategies for the use of films in the ESL classroom.
• Designing interesting classroom activities.

So far we have established the methodological basis upon which we

are to guide our teaching practice to make the most of films. Next we will
focus on the development of classroom activities based on a selection of
contemporary films that we find ideal from a pedagogical point of view.
We will start by introducing the films we have chosen, and then show how
we have worked with them in class, including tips, videos, handouts and
worksheets that you can adapt and use at your convenience.
 a. Selection of contemporary movies:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

• Based on J.K. Rowling's popular children's novel. The
film tells the story of a wannabe wizard, Harry Potter,
who lives quite miserably with his aunt and uncle. On
his 11th birthday magic breaks into his ordinary and
dull life as he learns that his parents were two
powerful wizards.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

• Despite having been praised for a very successful
Halloween celebration, Jack Skellington (the Pumpkin
King) is not satisfied with his job. He discovers then
Christmas Town and, obsessed with understanding
the meaning of Christmas, decides to kidnap Santa
Claus and usurp his role. Sally, a rag doll girl
designed by the town's evil scientist, is in love with
Jack, but he does not even notice.
 a. Selection of contemporary movies:
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
• Based on Roald Dahl's classic children's story. Charlie
Bucket is boy fascinated by the myth revolving around
Willy Wonka, whom only the finders of five golden
tickets placed inside five randomly chosen Wonka
.
candy bars will meet. Charlie is one of these lucky
finders, and so he visits the chocolate factory with his
grandfather and four horrible children and their parents.
By presenting different types of education, we learn
about the factors that contribute to a successful
emotional development.
Inside Out
• Riley has to move to San Francisco when her father
starts a new job there. Such a change is a source of
emotional instability, as she must adapt to a new place
and make new friends. Her behaviour is guided by her
basic emotions: Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness.
They live in Headquarters inside the girl’s mind, where
they decide for her through everyday life. A movie
about the difficult process of growing up.
 b. Working with movies in the ESL classroom
Trivia time
• Trivia questions can be very interesting listening and reading
Click on the image below and comprehension activities for the students once they have
download PowerPoint: watched either part or the whole movie. It can be a good idea to
divide the film into different sections, prepare trivia questions,
and then stop the movie so that the students answer them
before continuing.
• You can ask the whole class, but it is probably more entertaining
if you divide the class into two teams (Team A and Team B) and
ask them to compete, as you do when you play trivia games.
• Sample activity: In the example we are providing we have
divided The Nightmare Before Christmas into different sections
throughout the whole movie, so that teachers can stop it after a
few minutes and start asking the students about what is
happening. The celebration of Halloween can be an excellent
opportunity to do this activity.
 Click on image and download:

Movie – Graded Reader lesson plan

• If there is a film adaptation of the book
(or graded reader) you are reading in
class, it is most advisable that you take
advantage of the visual characterization
of the story that the film provides. The
following is a lesson plan based upon
Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory and Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory (a Penguin Reader) that shows
how to integrate movie and book.
 Summary and prediction
• Choose a scene. It should be compelling and meaningful in the context of the
overall movie.

Click on image • First, the students watch the beginning of the scene and write a summary
and download: including everything that has happened. As they watch they can take notes and
discuss with their peers. They can ask the teacher about the vocabulary they
have not understood and grammar structures. Then they are to share their
summaries, so that other classmates may read and comment on them. Are they
complete and accurate? Do the students have different views upon what they
have witnessed?
• Second, ask the students about what they think will happen next using “will” for
prediction. Write their predictions on the blackboard and let them discuss and
argue if they disagree. Then play the last part of the scene. Ask them the
following questions: Are you surprised? Did you expect something like that?
Why?
• Prediction activities help the students engage in creative thinking. They learn
how to express their thoughts and emotions more efficiently.
• Sample Activity: Click on image.

Click on image and download:
The silent movie
• The students watch a scene of the movie without volume. They
must try to make sense of the story without listening to the
dialogue.
• After watching the scene, have them take a few notes and ask
them questions about what might be happening. In groups, tell
them to imagine and then write the dialogue: what are the actors
saying? Note that the dialogue should be short and the facial
expressions and gestures the characters show very dramatic from
an emotional point of view.
• Then ask each group to read aloud the dialogue they have come up
with while they watch the silent clip, as if they were dubbing the
movie. Once everybody has suggested a possible dialogue, show
them the clip with volume. Did anyone guess what was going on? If
not, what misled them? What did they fail to read in the actors’
gestures and faces?
• This activity will help the students enhance their writing and oral
skills, as well as their ability to speak in public.
• Sample Activity: Try with the following clip: click on image.
 Question review
• Questioning the students is a great way to check on their understanding of the film; it will allow
you to assess key comprehension points. By giving them a worksheet with questions beforehand
they will get involved in the film and know where to focus their attention. Discuss questions
together and make sure all the students are all clear on what is being asked before they start
watching. Ask the students to write the answers to the questions. Once they have watched the
full movie you can ask them to read their responses aloud, which adds a communicative aspect
into the lesson.
• Sample activity: Download questionnaire here

• The Harry Potter Worksheet Page at bogglesworldesl.com contains comprehension activities in

the form of crosswords, which can be a good idea for younger students: click here
 Click on image to watch the clip:

Fill the subtitles in

• Give the students handouts
with the subtitles where
particular words or phrases are
missing so that they fill them in
while following the film. They
can do it in pairs or individually.
You may have to replay the
scene whenever the students
get lost and do not understand
(that pretty much depends on Click here:
your students’ age and level).
 Writing film reviews
• It can be a good idea to practice reading and writing skills. Get the students to read a film review
and then write one of their own about the movie they have watched.
• Also you can tell them to learn about the movie at rottentomatoes.com, where they can retrieve
information about its cast, date of release, rating, etc. Tell them to compare the ratings provided
by critics and viewers respectively. Are they different? If so, why? Then tell them to read the
audience reviews and blog posts written about the movie and choose the one with which they
agree most. It can be a very good oral activity for them to talk about whether they agree or not
with this or that blog post.
• Sample activities:
• You will find this extremely useful if you want your students to write a film review: click here
• For further activities: click here
Blogging about films
• If you want your students to blog about films, you will find interesting ideas here
 Boosting emotional intelligence
• Films give food for thought. They deal with
emotions in a way we can relate to, and so
they can be an excellent way to engage our
students in the process of introspection and
psychological reflection.
• Please, read the following article. It contains
ideas for five lesson plans on emotional
intelligence to be performed with the movie
Inside Out. They are both interesting and
practical.

Click on image
Bibliography

• https://www.britishcouncil.org
• http://www.fluentu.com
• http://www.bogglesworldesl.com
• http://www.engvid.com
 THE END

Thank you for reading.