Most reviewers criticized this movie, but I am a fan of Shayamalan, the director. All of his films have provided me with very interesting activities because the stories are very creative. I used this scene to practice modals for speculation - possibility.


A. Read the latest news in today's newspaper:












The Honeybees Disappearance:
Apparently, honeybees are disappearing all over the country. Tens of millions of them. Just disappearing. There are no bodies, no sign of them. They're just mysteriously gone.




B. Talk to a partner and come up with at least two different theories about why this might be happening. Be as creative as possible. Use modals for speculation (might, could, must ) to construct your theory.


C. Share your ideas with the whole class. Make sure you use modals for speculation while reporting your theory.


D. Each student votes for the following theories.



1. The most plausible one


2. The most farfetched one


3. The most creative one



E. Count all the votes and check what the class's opinion is.


F. Now watch the movie segment and check whether your ideas and the characters' theories matched.


G. What are the characters' theories? Write them using modals for speculation.


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






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Answer Key
Ex: G
1. It might be a disease.
2. It could be a virus or infection.
3. It might be pollution.
4. It could be global warming
5. It might be an act of nature we will never fully understand.

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This is an excellent horror / thriller for those who enjoy this kind of movie, like I do. I would recommend the scene for adults or high teens because it is a tense, but not violent segment. Because none of the characters have an idea of what that mist is or what is in it, it is great for the students to practice modal verbs of speculation and possibility - might, could, can't. Although the movie has very frightening scenes, this one isn't and won't shock anyone. In fact, it is one of the best moments of this amazing movie, based on a Stephen King's story.

A. Watch the movie segment.

B. In column 1, write YES if you believe it is a possible explanation for the mystery, and NO if you believe it is an impossible explanation.

In column 2, check the items that the characters in the movie believe are possible explanations for what is in the mist.

WHAT IS (IN) THE MIST?

MY OPINION / THE CHARACTERS’ OPINIONS


( ) ( ) A military operation

( ) ( ) A pollution cloud

( ) ( ) A terrorist attack

( ) ( ) Some kind of chemical explosion

( ) ( ) Death

( ) ( ) Just their imagination

( ) ( ) An earthquake

( ) ( ) Aliens

( ) ( ) The end of days

( ) ( ) A poisonous gas cloud

( ) ( ) A nuclear explosion

( ) ( ) A war simulation
C. Now write sentences with might, could or can’t to express possibility or impossibility, speculating about what is in the mist.
Might
1 ………………………………………………………………………………..
2 ……………………………………………………………………………….

Could
1 ………………………………………………………………………………..
2 ………………………………………………………………………………..

Can’t
1.…………………………………………………………………………………..
2 ………………………………………………………………………………....

D. What would you do if you were the woman who needed to go into the mist in order to rescue her eight year-old daughter?

E. Talk to a partner and decide what is the most probable explanation to the situation. Justify your choice.

Answer Key:
The characters’ guesses:

A pollution cloud
Some kind of chemical explosion
Death
An earthquake
The end of days
A poisonous gas cloud

How to prepare your own video activity:
-Select a scene in which a mystery can't be explained
- Prepare alternatives for the mystery
- Ask the stsudents to write sentences with their guesses for the explanation of the mystery using the grammar point

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