Hotel Transylvania is an awesome movie. Funny, somewhat scary, and with lots of interesting lessons to teach. Mr. Popper's penguins is an effective family movie, but the penguins are fantastic!

I. Watch the movie segment from the movie Hotel Transylvania about Dracula and his daughter, Mavis, and complete the blanks with can/can't and the verbs in parentheses. 

1. Mavis __________ (crawl) up the walls.

2. Mavis ______________ (go) outside .

3. Dracula ______________ (play)  the guitar.

4. Mavis and Dracula __________ (fly).

5. Dracula and Mavis ________________ (be) humans and bats.

5. Mavis _____________ (read).

7. Dracula ___________ (sing)

II. Which item in I CAN is not used for permission, not ability?

III. Guess what the penguins can do. Check the items you think they can.

1. __ Speak English

2. __ Walk

3. __ Run

4. __ Fly

5 __ Walk in line

6 __ Dance

7 __ Cross streets

8 __ Jump

IV. Watch the segment from the movie Mr. Popper's Penguins and check your answers.

V. Write 3 sentences saying what penguins can do and can't do.

1______________________________

2______________________________

3______________________________

Answer key


I.

Mavis can crawl up the walls.

Mavis can't go outside .

Dracula can play the guitar.

Mavis and Dracula  can fly.

Dracula and Mavis can be humans and bats.

Mavis can't read.

Dracula can sing

II. # 2

III.
Penguins can't speak English, fly and jump.

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MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - MR POPPER'S PENGUINS

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I love all the X-Men sequels and prequels. This one is one of my favorites. You can't miss it.

I. Watch the movie segment and match the mutant's number with what they can do. Mutants are people who have special gifts with which they can perform actions regular people usually can't. What can these mutants do?

1. Hank

2. Mystique

3. Darwin

4. Banshee

5. Angel

6. Alex



( ) Break objects with his/her voice

( ) Create and throw shiny circles at objects and destroy them

( ) Hold objects with his feet

( ) Fly

( ) Adapt his physical characteristics in order to survive in different environments

( ) Spit fire balls

( ) Change his/her physical characteristics to look like someone else




II. Which of the mutants above would you like to be? Which one has the most interesting power?


III. Work in small groups. Imagine that your group will create a mutant with special gifts. Write 5 things your mutant CAN do. Your teacher (or the class) will decide which mutant is the most interesting one.


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MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - X-MEN FIRST CLASS

Answer key:

I.

4, 6, 1, 5, 3, 5, 2

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Take a look at the rules for the race that will take place in the movie segment. Try to match the rule and its meaning.

1. No pushing

2. No shoving

3. No bumping

4. No cheating

5. No spitting

6. No biting

7. No maiming

8. No road rage

9. No lolly gagging

10. No road hogging

11. No back stabbing

12. No oil slicking

( ) no idly wasting time

( ) no useless slow driving

( ) no saying bad things behind their backs

( ) no letting oil on the road

( ) no using of physical force to remove the opponent

( ) no pushing rudely

( ) no hitting

( ) no behaving dishonestly

( ) no insulting

( ) no using of teeth to hurt the opponent

( ) no mutilating

( ) no aggressive behavior on the road

Watch the movie segment now and then rewrite the rules, using CAN'T and NOT ALLOWED TO.

Ex: 1. You can't push / You're not allowed to push

2.............................................

3............................................

4............................................

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - CARS


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Answer key:

Ex I

9, 10, 11, 12, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

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This scene seems to be especially made for teachers of English who are teaching the difference between CAN and MAY. This grammar point can be quite confusing for Brazilians, because both modals have the same translation - poder - in Portuguese, so the meaning can be unclear for us. This segment helps students understand the difference.

I. Match the verbs with the definition:

1. CAN

2. MAY

( ) It is if you are capable of doing something.

( ) It is asking for permission.

II. Watch the movie segment and check your answers.

III. Now read the dialog between a Brazilian teacher of English and a Brazilian student. Then complete the blanks with Can or May.

*Cultural note:

The native language spoken in Brazil is Portuguese.

T - Hello, students.

S - Hello, teacher. __________ I go to the restroom?

T - Not now. After class, OK?

S - Okay. _______ I speak Portuguese*?

T - Only if it is really important. Is it?

S - No, it isn't. __________ I do the homework now?

T - Not now. It is HOME work, dear.

S - Okay, teacher. But _______ I do the homework or is it very difficult?

T - The homework is easy, relax.

S - ____ I speak English like an American?

T - Well, not now, but in a near future...

S - Great! _______ I drink some water now?

T - Okay, but be fast.

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MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - AVALON

Answer key:

I. 1, 2

III. may, may, may, can, can, may

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Saramago's book had a decent adaptation, which was filmed in São Paulo. This intriguing scene is great for beginners to pracice the modal verb for ability CAN.

I Watch the movie segment and check the activities that the main character in the segment can do.


1. ( ) Drive home

2. ( ) Hear the car horns

3. ( ) Open the car window

4. ( ) Say what happened to him

5. ( ) Walk without any help

6. ( ) See the traffic light

7. ( ) Go home without any help

8. ( ) Call his wife for help








II. Now rewrite the sentences using CAN or CAN'T.


Ex:

1. He can't drive.



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Answers:

2. He can hear the car horns

3. He can open the car window

4. He can say what happened to him

5. He can't walk without any help

6. He can't see the traffic light

7. He can't go home without help

8. He can't call his wife for help

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Not many people had the chance to see this under rated movie. I like it a lot and this scene is just perfect to talk about the use of modal verb CAN, for ability.





A. Ask a partner if he/she can do the following activities.


Model:


S1: Can you...?

S2: Yes, I can / No, I can't


1.Play a musical instrument?



2. Practice karate?


3.Turn somersaults?


4. Skate?


5. Play badminton?


6. Play table tennis?


7. Juggle with balls?


8. Juggle with chainsaws?


9. Jet ski?


10. Mix music at parties?


11. Make origami?


12. Speak Chinese?


B. Now watch the movie segment and write sentences about the main characters. Use the activities in the previous exercise and use can or can't. She sees people doing what she likes, so she buys books and learns how to do it. What can and can't she do now?



1. Ex. She can play the piano, the violin, the harmonica, the guitar and the banjo.
2.......................................................................
3.......................................................................
4.......................................................................








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This is funny scene with a lot of action. Bolt is a movie star who has a lot of different super powers, which is great fo the students to practice the use of the modal for ability CAN.

I. Talk to a partner about the following questions:


1- Do you have a pet? (Why/Why not?) Tell your friend about it. If you don't have one, tell your partner about one of your friend's pet.

2- What can he/she do?

3 - Are pets important for people's lives? Why (not)?

II. Watch the movie segment and write in the boxes the initials of the characters who can perform the folowing activities:


B – Bolt

P - Penny

1. Grab a car with the teeth

2. Run faster than cars

3. Ride a scooter

4. Move faster than the cars in the Los Angeles traffic

5. Break through walls

6. Jump very far

7. Destroy machines with the eyes

8. Destroy anything with a super bark

9. Speak English

Now write sentences with CAN (CAN'T), according to the information in the movie segment:

Answer Key:

A.

1. B 2. B 3. P 4. P 5. B 6.B 7.B 8.B 9. P and B

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How to prepare your own video activity:

• Select a segment in which the characters perform activities that show ability

• Prepare a few questions about the content of the segment for the sake of Communication/listening comprehension

• Students do the assessment exercise after they watch the segment

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Although this movie is apparently attractive just to teenagers, this scene is fun and exciting for everybody. This scene is excellent for teens, though. They like the movie and it suits the grammar goal well. Students can practice the modal verb CAN for ability. They can also learn some new vocabulary about baseball, especially if they are in a country where the sport is not so popular, like here in Brazil.

Talk to a partner about these questions:

1- What do you know about vampires?
2- What can they do?
3- What's good and bad about being a vampire?

A. Vocabulary Collocation:


Match both columns .

1 - Pitch

2 - Hit
3 - Run
4 - Handle
5 - Jump
6 - smell


( ) the baseball precisely
( ) the baseball hard
( ) fast
( ) the bat with agility
( ) high
( ) different perfumes easily

- . The Cullens





- . The Nomads


Observe the movie segment below. There you will see The Cullens, the group of vampires playing baseball, and the Nomads, the group of vampires who arrive later. Then write down sentences saying what the Cullens and the Nomads can do that we, humans, can't. Use the matching exercise items and others.

1 ..........................................................................................
2 ........................................................................................
3 .........................................................................................
4 .........................................................................................
5 .........................................................................................
6 ........................................................................................

Talk to a partner and decide:


What super powers would you like to have?
I can .........................., ................................., and ......................................
Answer Key - Matching may vary:
1. Pitch the ball precisely
2. Hit the ball hard
3. Run extremely fast
4. Handle the bat with agility
5. Jump high
6. smell different perfumes easily

How to prepare your own video activity:
- Select a scene in which the characters can perform different activities, like skills or sports.
- Ask students to write about what they see and what activities they can (not) perform.

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MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - TWILIGHT

 

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This movie is a classic. It has a touching message and the story is amazing. The language of the segment is easy and you can have students practice the modal of ability can in a contextualized way.



Discuss the following questions with a partner:

1) Do you think robots will be household maids in the future?

2) Would you like to have a robot as a maid?

3) Do robots have feelings?

4) What are the advantages and disadvantages of having robots as household models?

Complete the blanks with the correct form of the verbs in parentheses, according to the video segment.

1) Andrew _____________ (play) chess.

2) He _____________ (decide) what is best for himself.

3) He ____________ (jump) very high.

4) He ____________ (read) books.

5) He ____________ (feel) what humans feel.

6) Andrew and the girl _____________ (play) the piano.

7) Galatea _____________ (dance) very well.

8) Andrew ____________ (dance) as well as Galatea.

9) Galatea _____________ (fly).

10) Galatea and Andrew _______________ (walk) like humans.

Follow up:

Students talk to each other about whether this is a suitable scenario for the future.

Prepare you own video activity:

Grammar Goal: Can
• Select a segment in which the characters perform activities that show ability
• Prepare a written exercise with blanks for the students to fill in with can/can’t
• Prepare a few questions about the content of the segment for the sake of Communication/listening comprehension
• Students do the assessment exercise after they watch the segment

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