Școala: GIMNAZIALĂ ,, REGELE MIHAI I [613491]

UNIVERSITATEA DE VEST DIN TIMIȘOARA

DEPARTAMENTUL PENTRU PREGĂTIREA PERSONALULUI DIDACTIC

LUCRARE METODICO – ȘTIINȚIFICĂ
PENTRU OBȚINEREA GRADULUI DIDACTIC I
ÎN ÎNVĂȚĂMÂNT

CONDUCĂTOR ȘTIINȚIFIC:
LECT.UNIV.DR. SORIN CIUTACU

CANDIDAT: [anonimizat] : LIMBA ENGLEZĂ
Școala: GIMNAZIALĂ ,, REGELE MIHAI I ”

Timișoara
2018

UNIVERSITATEA DE VEST DIN TIMIȘOARA

DEPARTAMENTUL PENTRU PREGĂTIREA PERSONALULUI DIDACTIC

USING MOVIES IN TEACHING ENGLISH

CONDUCATOR ȘTIINȚIFIC:
LECT.UNIV.DR. SORIN CIUTACU

CANDIDAT: [anonimizat] : LIMBA ENGLEZĂ
Școala: GIMNAZIALĂ ,, REGELE MIHAI I ”

Timișoara
2018

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents
Introduction …………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………. 1

Chapter 1
THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
1. Reasons for learning a foreign language…………………………. ………………………………………….. 5
2. Approaches to teaching foreign languages……………………… ………………………………………….. 7
2.1 The Grammar -Translation method……… ……………………….. ……………………………….. 7
2.2 The Audio -Lingual approach………………………………………………………………….. …….7
2.3 The Communicative approach…………………………………. …………… ……………………… 9
2.4 The Post -Communicative turn………………………………………………………………… …..11
3. Teaching with authentic materials…………………………………. ………………… ……………………… 12
3.1 Authentic or genuine…………………………………………………………………………….. ……13
3.2 Classroom's authenticity……………………………………………… …………………. ………….. 14
3.3 Classification of authentic materials……………………………… …………………………….. 15
4. Advantages and disadvantages of using authentic materials. ……………………………………….. 16

Chapter 2
1. Using movies in teaching English……………………………………………………………. …………….. 19
1.1 English as a foreign language (EFL)……………………………………………………….. ……19
1.2 Films in EFL teaching…………………………………………………………………………… ……21
1.2.1 The positive effect of films on language learning……….. ……………………. 21
1.2.2 Authenticity…………………………….. …………………….. ………………………….. .23
1.2.3 The nature of the input hypothesis. …………………… …………………………….26
1.2.4 Different learning styles and the use of brain in language learning……. 27

Chapter 3
1. Use of movies in teaching English ……………. ……………………………………………………………… 29
1.1 Movies in different areas of foreign lan guage teaching…………………………………… 29
1.1.1 Teaching oral ski lls………………………………………………. ………………………. 29
1.1.2 Teaching writing……………………………………………….. …………………………. 32
1.1.3 Teaching vocabulary…………………………….. ……………………………………… 33
1.1.4 Teaching grammar ………………………………. ………………………………………. 34

1.1.5 Teaching cultural aspects……….. ………… ……………………………………….. …36
1.2 Aspects to consider when using movies in EFL teaching………………………………..38
1.2.1Choosing the movies…………………………………………………………………….. .38
1.2.2 Classroom activities……………………………………………………………………….41
1.2.3 Making full use of the films……………………………………………………………43
1.2.4 The challenges of using movi es……………………………………………………..44

Chapter 4
ACTIVITIES DESIGNED TO USE MOVIES AND OTHER AUTHENTIC
MATERIALS IN ENGLISH CLASSES …………………………………………………………………….46

Conclusion… …………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………….87
Appendices……………………………………………………………………………………………….. ………………89
Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………………………….. ……………. . 96
Declaration……………………………………………………………………… …………………………………….. 101

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to give all my thanks to Professor SORIN CIUTACU for the kind guidance
that he offered me as my supervisor.
I appreciate his helpful advice, insightful comments and most of all his enormous patience.

1
INTRODUCTION

I think it all started from the question ’’ How can I, as a teacher, motivate my
students to learn English?’’
Nowadays the foreign language learners in school are rather heterogeneous not only
as far as their proficiency level is concerned but also when it comes down to their interests
and learning strategies. Thus, this should be taken into account when planning teaching and
lessons. One way of bringing variety and flexibility into the classroom is the use of movies in
EFL teachin g.
Even before graduating from university I found myself borrowing and buying many
English newspapers and magazines, always collecting articles that I thought my future pupils
would find interesting too.
English is, of course, a language, and as such is concerned primarily with
communication. But there is a lot more to it than that. Much of our daily life is
spent communicating with others, either in writing or through the spoken word.
Every time you pick up a newspaper, magazine or book you are receiving a
communication – a message from the writer. The same is true of the spoken messages
on the radio or television, on the telephone and, of course, in face -to-face conversations.
I would also like to point out that the transition from home to school,
whether it occurs at a preschool or in kindergarten or grade one, marks an important turning
point in terms of language development.
At home, children develop both their physical and conversational skills in
unstructured circumstances. Learning, although it is spontaneous and unstructured, is
nevertheless steady and involving for the children.
Choosing materials has always been a difficult task, as there are many aspects to be
aware of before choosing specific material for the students.
For example, if the level is appropriate, the activities meaningful, the material
helpful for the students to reach the stated objectives. However, there are other elements that
are also important, but not commonly represented in textbooks. For example, the point that
readings should resemble the real use of the language since pupils will eventually be
exposed to authentic texts outside of the classroom, among others.
There are some previous studies about using movies in EFL teachi ng. For instance
Champoux has studied the use of films as a te aching resource and Allan ,Stoller , Katchen
and Sufen have analys ed the use of films and videotapes concerning particularly EFL or ESL
teaching.

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However, in order to be able to build a broad enough perspective on the topic it is
good to notice for instance themes such as authenticity, which ha s been studied by Gilmor e
and Mishan , and different learning styles, st udied for example by Reid .
By combining these previous studies it is easier to notice why using movies in EFL
teaching is a useful method and has several advantages compared to the more traditional
teaching styles.
Firstly, movies can be considered as authentic material and they p rovide the learners
with genuine input . The genuine input helps the pupils to understand that there is a connection
between the more traditional classroom teaching and the real world and that the foreign
language is used in real everyday situations outside the classroom . Moreover, as Krashen
points out, a natural input helps the learners to acquire language without necessarily even
noticing that they are hearing or reading a foreign language.
Secondly, it has been studied that films enhance English langu age skill development
since they bring variety, reality, authenticity and flexibility into the EFL classroom and before
anything, divers ify the curriculum .
Thirdly, using movies can motivate the students to study English and the visuality of
the film may also help the weaker students to understand since it offers another channel of
understanding in addition to just listening to the language . These reasons for using movies in
EFL teaching are dealt in more detail in chapter 2.
The present study focuses on studying how movies are used in five different areas of
language teaching: teaching oral communication, teaching writing, teaching vocabulary,
teaching grammar and teaching cultural aspects.
When teaching oral skills , it is important to notice that t extbooks usually focus on
more formal language and do not focus on, for instance, small talk or conversational
interaction. Movies, on the other hand, can be a good way to teach these skills needed in
everydayspeech since the language used for instance in contemporary movies can be rather
up-to-date and can thus motivate the pupils. Moreover, movies can also rouse feelings and
opinions and create di scussion. Thus, for example different types of group discussions or
debates can be useful assignments when pra ctising oral communication.
Furthermore, when teaching writing, movies can provide new ideas and bring variety
into the classroom. Since writing is a rather complex productive skill and several different
aspects need to be taken in to account when teachi ng it, it can sometimes be challenging to
make the pupils interest ed in it . However, for instance a film review is an assignment type
which interests probably most of the students. Thus, movies can be a great help when
teaching writing.

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Movies can be als o a useful tool when teaching vocabulary. If the goal of the
teaching is to provide the students with communicative competence, it is good that they hear
contemporary language and more informal discussion as well. This makes it possible for them
to pick up for instance phrases or expressions that they could actually use in an English –
speaking environment. Of course this depends on the chosen film and its style, but usually
films with themes that are closer to the young people’s own lives also interest them and can
motivate them to study. In that case also the language is usually rather close to the speech of
young people. Additionally, words are learned for both active use (i.e. recall and production)
and passive use (i.e. recognition and comprehension) and usually the rich language used in
movies provides examples o f both of these types .
Moreover, movies can be a good way of teaching vocabulary related to a certain
theme. It can be easier to practice for instance restaurant or shopping situations with the help
of an example provided by a movie.
Also grammar teaching can take advantage of movies. Since students may have
different opinions about learning grammar, it can sometimes be very challenging for the
teacher to find a way of teaching grammar that would motivate as many pupils as possible.
There are several different methods of teachi ng grammar but still it can be rather difficult for
some pupils. However, using audiovisual methods can be motivating and make the teaching
more efficient .A scene of a movie can be used for instance as an introduction to a new
grammar theme or as an examp le of a certain grammar structure.
Using movies is generally highly appropriate for teaching cultural aspects. The
textbooks can give a rather narrow picture of the Englishspeaking world and thus it is
important to present the pupils also other English -speaking cultures than just the British and
American cultures. Movies provide an authentic an interesting way of doing this and usually
movies make it easier for the pupils to relate to different cultures. Moreover, a second
language learner’s view and unde rstanding of another culture is affected by his orher world
view, beliefs, assumptions and presuppositions. These can, on the other hand, be affected by
authentic movies . Films can work for instance as a springboard for discussion or as an
introduction to a new culture.
In the first part of my work, I am going to set a theoretical background and the
reasons for learning a foreign language,to explore the usage of movies and other authentic
materials ,to develpo the reasons for using movies in EFL teaching and to introduces how
movies can be used in EFL teaching .

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In the second part of this work, I am going to describe my teaching actitities and
trying to implement the use of movi es and other authentic materials into teaching at secondary
level.
Reading, writing, listening and speaking are all skills interrelated in a
language learning environment and they are essential for educational success.
It is my opinion that i f pupils are given the opportunity to make choices and
decisions about what they do, they will be more motivated to engage with learning activities.

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CHAPTER 1

THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

1. REASONS FOR LEARNING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

I suppose all around the world, pupils of all ages are learning to speak
English, but their reasons can differ greatly.
As Jeremy Harmer points out, for many years a distinction has been made
between people (or pupi ls) who study English as a a foreign language and those who study
it as a second or other language.
It has been suggested that students of EFL (English as a Foreign Language)
tend to be learning so that they can use English when travelling or to communicate
with other people, from whatever country, who also speak English. ESL (English as a
Second Language) students, on the other hand, usually live in the target language community.
These speakers may need to learn the particular language variety of that community. They
may need to combine their learning of English with knowledge of how to do things in the
target language community, such as going to the bank, renting a flat, doing shopping in a
market, etc. Th e English they learn, therefore, may differ from that studied by EFL
students, whose needs are not so specific to a particular time and place.
However, since people use English in a global context, for international
commu nication, especially with the internet, it means that many EFL students now live in a
global target language community, which means that they might be thought of as ESL
students. Partly as a result of this, nowadays the term ESOL (English for Speakers of Other
Languages) is used to describe both situations. In fact, although they may not be able to
express themselves in English very well, the ESL students one meets for the first time
(especially very young learners) are, in fact, experienced language users. Linguistically
and conginitively, they are as well -developed as their English speaking counterparts, but this
development has taken place in another language and culture.
Professors Mary Ashworth and Patricia Wakefield enumer ated some facts about
language that are important to keep in mind:
-Language is a human universal. All cultural groups have a language system that
their members master in order to communicate with each other;
-Language is systematic. Every language has its own characteristic way of
combining sounds, words and sentences;

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-No language is wholly regular. Exceptions to the rule are found in all languages;
-All languages enable speakers to create new utterances. However, these
utterances m ust conform to the rules established over the centuries by speakers of a particular
language;
-Language is both creative and functional; a speaker of any language can both create
and comprehend an infinite number of utterances based on a finite number of rules.
These utterances can cover a multitude of functions, such as requesting, refusing,
promising, warning, denying, agreeing, disagreeing and expressing emotions.
-Languages change. For example, new words can be created to meet the
scientific and technological demands of the modern world.
-Human beings have an innate capacity to learn language. All children, unless they
are severely neurologically impaired, are capable of learning a language.
-Language can be non -verbal as well as verbal. Facial expressions, gestures and other
body movements may convey messages, the meanings of which are culturally specific.
-Language and culture are closely related. Customs, traditions, values, stori es,
religion, history and other manifestations of culture are transmitted to a large extent
through language.
-Language and thought are closely related. Children and adults use language to share
their thoughts and to expand and clarify concept s.
I think that, although there are many similarities between the way first and second
languages are acquired, there are also important differences that we cannot ignore.
All children are highly motivated to learn language. Surrounded by love and
attention, encouraged and complimented for all their vocal efforts, they continually
make every attempt to communicate.
Children learning a second language, however, my not feel the same urgency to
communicate in Englis h as their English -speaking counterparts. They can already make
themselves understood in their home language. Their initial efforts to speak English at school
may be met not with praise and encouragement, but with misunderstanding and ridicule. In
addition, they may hear English only at school, never at home, so that their exposure
to comprehensible input is limited.

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2. APPROACHES TO TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGES

It is important to start by reminding the approaches to teaching foreign languages,
which have gone hand in hand with the face of society, the basic pedagogical concepts of the
age and the characteristic needs of the students.
Several successive generations of approaches can be distinguished:
-The grammar – translation method approach;
-The audio -lingual approach;
-The communicative approach;
-The post -communicative turn.

2.1 THE GRAMMAR -TRANSLATION METHOD
The grammar -translation method seems to be one of the oldest methods used
by teachers all over the world and, as the name suggests, it relies on the acquisition of
language by learning vocabulary and grammar rules with translation as the main
operational technique.
When I started learning English, in my first years as a secondary school pupil,
it was the method favoured by my teacher, so there would be a model reading of a text by
the teacher, followed by the pupi ls reading with correction from the teacher, the deductive
presentation of grammar (the rule was explained, then illustrated on the blackboard),
translation of the text into the the mother tongue and reading comprehension questions to
check or facilitate u nderstanding by the pupils.
I think this approach has obvious strong points, but we cannot focus on a method
which, almost completely, considers listening and speaking of secondary importance.
The grammar -translation method was the generally accepted method for
teaching foreign languages up until the 1950s. But much before that time, people
began to realise that their knowledge of the foreign language was not operational and
failed them when they needed it most .

2.2 THE AUDIO -LINGUAL APPROACH
As it became obvious that pupils needed to be equipped with a different kind of knowledge of
the foreign language, one that should serve them as a useful tool in the real world, the
language teachers of the second quart er of the 20th century set out to develop a new type of

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approach to teaching foreign languages. The basic character of the new teaching models was
audio -lingual.
Many of our pupils want to be able to understand what people are saying to
them in English, either face to face, on TV or on the radio, on CDs or on other recorded
media. It is worth remembering that successful spoken communication depends not just
on our ability to speak, but also on the effectiveness of the wa y we listen.
Consequently, the audio -lingual teacher has a new image: he/she is no longer rigid and
critical, but friendly and supportive; he/she no longer sits/stands in front of the class, but
moves among the pupils and participates in their activities.
In addition, in order to encourage the pupils in their attempts to speak the
language, the teacher is less critical in the way that he/she tries to smile and praise the pupil
for the least of their success in any activity.
There are some bas ic ideas on which this method relies:
-The teacher and the learners will use only the target language;
-There needs to be a contextual presentation of vocabulary and grammar;
-Habit formation is very important.
The main supporter of the audio -lingual method was J. Skinner, who
considered that foreign language learning is a process of habit formation through acquisition
of specific language skills.
If language is introduced in the form of patterns and structures, mistakes are avoided
and g ood habits are formed. It was proved that a well -drilled pattern turns automatically into a
linguistic habit. Skinner suggested that the patterns should be taught in a series of small steps:
stimulusresponse -reinforcement.
I have personally experience d this kind of approach by using chunks of
language. By definition, a chunk is a string of words that we can find in our memory as a
ready -made unit.Knowing lots of chunks contributes to fluent speaking and writing because
we can just pluck the o ut of our memories whole, without having to mentally construct them
word by word.Consistent with the opinion that students should not be coerced and made to do
a lot of work, an audio -lingual class aims at teaching little, but well. The typical text is the
situational dialogue, generally preceded by a short descriptive passage. The initial passage
introduces the situation, basic vocabulary and grammatical structures, while the situational
dialogue presents a typical conversation for the given situation. Th e texts are short enough to
be drilled until the pattern is memorised and becomes habitual. By providing pupils with a
large number of such situational dialogues, the audio -linguists believed that they could equip
them with proper tool to cope with all kin d of real life situations.

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In the case of learning vocabulary, it was insisted that it should be taught in context,
as should be taught grammar. Therefore, grammar must be taught contextually with the
help of visuals (possibly funny) and patt erns.
It is largely believed that the audio -lingual approach brought about
considerable improvements to the teaching of foreign languages, in the way it was directed
towards real life usage, in the way the teacher -pupil relationship was approac hed. However,
pupils did not seem to actually interact and make up their own dialogues and gradually
this kind of language learning became inappropriate for the needs of the modern man.

2.3 THE COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH
From the 1970s the new approach to language teaching was the
communicative approach, which had some teaching models, such as the functional -notional
approach, the total -physical response, the competency -based approach, etc. The major
characteristic of the functionalnotional approach to language teaching is a sensitivity to the
individual needs of students.
Based on the idea that the ability to use real, appropriate language to communicate
with others is the primary goal of most fore ign language learning, the design of a functional –
notional curriculum contributes to the goal of communication and interaction from the
first day of study. Major emphasis is placed on the communicative purposes of a speech
act.
Originally d eveloped by James Asher, an American professor of psychology,
in the 1960s, Total Physical Response (TPR) is based on the theory that the memory
is enhanced through association with physical movement. It is also closely ass ociated
with theories of mother tongue language acquisition in very young children, where they
respond physically to parental commands, such as "Pick it up" and "Put it down".
TPR as an approach to teaching a second language is based, first and fore most, on
listening and this is linked to physical actions which are designed to reinforce comprehension
of particular basic items.
In the primary classes, it is one of the methods I tend to use most of the time,
combined with songs and rhymes.
Since it has become one of the most favoured approach by teachers
worldwide, it is
important to highlight that the communicative approach to foreign language teaching relies on
premises, such as:

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-the ultimate aim of foreign language teaching is to develop the
communicative competence;
-developing language skills is more important than teaching content;
– communication has a social purpose, so students need a purpose for producing
language;
– students' freedom and creativity are encouraged in producing language;
– meaning becomes more important than form and fluency of language is as
important as linguistic accuracy, while errors are perceived as a natural part of learning and ,
as long as the speaker manages to get his/her messa ge through, the teacher should not
interfere to correct mistakes;
-communicative teaching grants primacy to oral skills;
-improvised, spontaneous practice is more efficient than mechanical repetition;
-communication is basically interactive, therefo re communicative techniques,
such as simulation, role -play, debate, are efficient classroom procedures for language
learning;
-language must be learned with the help of authentic material, therefore the teacher
will use linguistic material similar to the one learners may actually come across later on;
Hence, the major difference between traditional and communicative teaching
resides in the different attitude towards the ultimate aim of the educational process.
Traditional langu age teaching is based on content, focusing on information and
quantitative acquisition, on learning with emphasis on the accuracy of the language produced.
Communicative teaching is based on skills, focusing on formation by developing
abilities. It is also reflected in the textbooks, whereone can find lessons or units of similar
difficulty, built around a unifying idea or language function. The typical text in the
communicative approach is the authentic material, coming form a wide range of discourses of
native speakers.It is believed that the communicative teacher’s aim is to develop
students’ productive skills, so the texts only provide a framework for the activities that
follow. Since great emphasis is placed on interacti on, the students will be given the
opportunity to practice the lin guistic material in tasks that simulate real -world
communicative interactions.
Professor Vizental has summarised the strengths and weaknesses of the three
generations of approa ches to teaching as follows:
Weaknesses vs. Strengths
GrammarTranslation Method
– language learning is rather boring;

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– extensive use of mother tongue;
-focus on grammar, on reading and writing; oral skills neglected;
-little or no communication, therefore inability to create communicative
competence.
– gives learners access to English
Literature and culture and develops their mind through foreign language learning;
Builds the grammar, reading, vocabulary and translation skills necessary to pass
tests and exams.
Audio -lingual Approach
– does not lead to long -term communicative competence;
– emphasis on surface forms, not ondeep structures;
– disregard for affective and interpersonal factors.
– quick success, imm ediate rsults;
– Focus on ability to think in the foreign language;
– Habit formation through pattern practice repetition and drilling;
Communicative Language Teaching
– acquisition of bad linguistic habits due to too little concern with grammar
– too little learning is achieved;
– focus on the learning process, disregard for the content of learning;
– focus on oral communication;
– focus on communicative competence, on meaning and fluency, rather than on
form an d accuracy;
– exploring pedagogical means for reallife communication in the classroom;

2.4 THE POST – COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH
The needs of the language learners and language teaching technology changed along
with the digital revolution that emerged in the late 20th century. It is clear that the
strengths and weaknesses of the previous approaches have been analysed by teachers and the
new approaches view language as:
-Task -oriented: language learning must focus on meaning and authe ntic
activities; the learners must be taught to use the language to construct and negotiate meaning;
– Content -oriented: language learning is successful if the content of learning is
compatible with the learner's world knowledge and personal experience;
-Collaborative: learning is achieved through social interaction;

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-Cognitive: language learning or awareness must go hand in hand with
cultural awareness, that is the student must be taught to differentiate between his/her
mother t ongue patterns and those of the target culture;
-They encourage learner autonomy: the learner must be aware of the processes
and strategies of language learning and he/she must control his/her own learning and
construct his/her own knowledge.
Obviously, while relying basically on the principles and techniques of
communicative teaching, post -communicative teachers have tried to use and adapt the
strategies and procedures of the more traditional approaches to their o wn requirements.
For example, beginners, who need acquisition of language, may benefit from
the techniques of the audio -lingual methods, situational dialogues, grammar drills,
repetition and memorisation, all lead to good ling uistic habits.
Communicative activities can be set at all levels, the students will be forced to
develop the text and interact with one another, express thoughts and feelings, negotiate
meanings.
By using authentic material, setting up real -world like situations, activating the
students' personal experience and involving them emotionally, the teacher creates a
positive atmosphere that facilitates learning. The value of writing is also rediscovered,
because writing tasks can now be task -based: students must fill in a form or fill out an
application form, order a product from a catalogue, find information on the internet, etc.

3. TEACHING WITH MOVIES AND OTHER AUTHENTIC MATERIALS

In language teaching, there are many approaches and methods leading to
students’ foreign language acquisition. These approaches are meant to prepare students
to be able to use a foreign or second language accurately and properly. For this purpose a
variety of sources of the target langua ge is used. Among the other sources, it is recommended
to use the authentic materials in order to provide students with the benefits they can get from
being exposed to the language in such materials.
There are many references to authentic materials and their definitions in the
ELT literature. Sometimes, these definitions differ from each other in the very basis, but
mostly they coincide. For better understanding of the term “authentic material“ several
definitions and their autho rs are to be mentioned. First is one of the most common
definitions of authentic materials coming from Harmer, who defines authentic texts as
“materials which are designed for native speakers; they are real texts; designed not for

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language students, but for the speakers of the language”.Peacock adds his opinion when
he describes authentic materials as "materials that have been produced to fulfill some social
purpose in the languagecommunity".They can then be used in the classroo m without being
changed in any way for EFL students. What we understand that is common in these
definitions is “exposure to reallanguage and its use in its own community” .
We can sum it up by saying that using authentic materials simply means
using examples of language produced by native speakers for some real purpose of their own
rather than using language produced and designed solely for the classroom. Anybody who
takes into the classroom a newspaper article, an advertisement, a pop song, a strip cartoon, or
even a bus ticket, is using authentic materials. Teachers have always introduced such
realia into their classrooms, and always will. The question really is whether it is
helpful to their students.
Nunan thinks that a rule of thumb for authenticity here is any material, which has
not been specifically produced for the purposes of language teaching.Based on these
definitions, we can find the real meaning of authentic materials: they are re al
language; produced for the native speakers; designed without the teaching purposes. In this
sense, there is a large amount of authentic materials in our life such as newspaper and
magazine articles, TV and radio broadcast, daily conversations, meeti ngs, documents, speech,
and films. One of the most useful is the Internet. Whereas newspapers and other materials
date very quickly, the Internet is continuously updated, more visually stimulating as well as
interactive.

3.1 AUTHENTIC OR GENUINE
Alejandro G. Martinez, a publishing consultant and the coordinator of academic
services for Cambridge University Press in the Spanish Speaking America and an author of
many articles concerning language teaching, mentions the point of view of Hen ry G.
Widdowson, an authority in the field of applied linguistics and language teaching.
Widdowson points out the difference between the terms «authentic» and «genuine material».
He explains that authentic materials are those designed for native speak ers of English that
have not been changed in any way, whereas the genuine materials are intended for foreign
language learners and therefore adapted to meet the current specific needs when used in
English language classes.
Being aware of t he difference, Widdowson considers the choice of materials used in
class: “It has been traditionally supposed that the language presented to learners should
be simplified insome way for easy access and acquisition. Nowadays there are

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recomme ndations that the language presented should be authentic”.According to
researches there have been established four types of authenticity.
First,we have authenticity of the texts, which we may use as input data for
our learners.
Second is the authenticity of the learners’ own interpretation of such texts,
third is the authenticity of the tasks conducive to language learning and fourth is the
authenticity of the actual social situation of the language classroom.
On these four examples David Taylor from the University of Leeds bases a
debate about authenticity.He reminds that complaints about in -authenticity or artificiality
often seem to ignore all these different types of authenticity, assuming that there is some sort
of global and absolute notion of authenticity which can only exist if all the above
types of authenticity are simultaneously present. But authenticity is clearly a relative
matter and different aspects of it can be present in different degrees. Taylor further questions
the realness used in textbooks.For example, the question Who is this? is very rarely used in
a realistic situation. Moreover, wanting to know who a person is immediately after being
told his name is also unnatural.
Generally, the dialogues in textbooks are very artificial, because if the teacher and
the pupils were in a real situation then the teacher would know the answers to his questions
and would therefore not ask them. The que stions that he asks are therefore not genuine
questions.

3.2 CLASSROOM’S AUTHENTICITY
Taylor also evokes to take into consideration the great variety that characterizes
language use, different contexts, purposes, topics, participants, and so for th, it is not at
all clear how we might go about distinguishing real life from non -real life language
use in any meaningful way, so these attempts to characterize authenticity in terms of
real life performance are problema tic.But more than that, the classroom creates its own
authenticity. Classroom language is a real use of language, and we cannot just dismiss the
classroom setting and all that takes place in it as being by definition artificial. Furthermore,
Taylor also i ndicates that learners, in their capacity as knowers and users of language, are
quite capable of extrapolating from the classroom situation, and that consequently we
need not be worried about the so -called artificiality of the classroom s ituation. He
suggests that we need to remember that the language classroom is there to promote
language learning.

15
If we take activities where it is said that there is genuine communication, for
example information gap type exercis es, they are authentic in one sense, in that genuine
communication takes place, but the whole thing is still contrived, in the sense that it is aimed
at language learning. This does not matter because the learners have the sense to know
what is g oing on and they are used to the classroom situation and to the kind of
activities that go on there. They can distinguish between skillgetting and skill -using, as we
have already noted (and even recognize that these can go on simultaneously), the y can create
their own authenticity in the classroom.
Widdowson adds to this by making the point about the essential artificiality
of pedagogy itself: "For the whole point of pedagogy is that it is a way of short -circuiting the
slow proces s of natural discovery and can make arrangements for learning to happen more
easily and more efficiently than it does in natural surroundings. That is what schools are for,
whatever subject we are dealing with. Pedagogy is bound to be a contrivance: that is precisely
its purpose. If what went on in classrooms exactly replicated the conditions of the
world outside, there would be no point in pedagogy at all"

3.3 CLASSIFICATION OF AUTHENTIC MATERIALS
If authentic materials are to be introduced in language teaching, they need to
be classified first in order to meet objectives of the lesson. The teachers should be aware of
the different types of such materials, since some of them are suitable for the teaching
of reading or listening, which are receptive skills, whereas some of them are more suitable
and effective for the teaching of speaking or writing, which are the producti ve skills.
Some of them are suitable for teaching and developing grammatical structures or
vocabulary.
The authentic materials can be classified as follows, according to one classification
1. Authentic Listening/ Viewing Materials – such as TV commercials, quiz
shows,cartoons, movies, professionally audio -taped short stories and songs, documentaries, or
sales pitches.
2. Authentic Visual Materials – such as slides, photographs, paintings, wordless
street signs, pictures from magazines, postcard pictures, or wordless picture books.
3. Authentic Printed Materials – such as newspaper articles, movie
advertisements,astrology columns, sports reports, advice columns, lyrics to songs,
restaurant menus, street s igns, cereal boxes, tourist information brochures, university
catalogues, telephone books, TVguides, comic books, pins with messages, or bus schedules.
4. Realia (“Real world“ objects) used in EFL/ ESL classrooms – such as coins and

16
currency, folded paper, wall clocks, phones, Halloween masks, dolls, and puppets, to name a
few. (Realia are often used to illustrate points very visually or for role -play).

4. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF USING AUTHENTIC
MATERIALS

As I have m entioned before, using authentic materials, if exploited
appropriately, may provide students with several important benefits in different fields
of study: linguistics (practice of grammatical structures, phonology helping with
pronunciation) semantics(extension of the range of vocabulary, practicing of how meaning is
inferred from words and concepts), pragmatics (practicing of how meaning is inferred
from context) and cultural studies (life and culture in English speak ing countries).
Students are exposed to real life situations with real life discourse. Those real
life situations are unsolicited, spontaneous, natural and covering a wide spectrum of
levels of formality and genres. Such materials can be used several times under different
circumstances, each time practicing various aspects of language. Using such materials
may positively motivate students in further studying. And last but not least, exposing
students to real life language can shorten the distance between the learners and the target
language used in reality.
Flowerdew and Peacock present another three arguments in favour of authentic
materials. They claim that non -authentic texts cannot represent real-world language use, that
simplified materials often lose some meaning and the real -world situations the learners will
face are best prepared for with authentic texts.
David Heitler, author of exhaustive article Teaching with Authentic Ma terials
names as an advantage the fact, that authentic materials bring learners into direct contact with
the reality and with real English, that is, English as it is used by people to communicate with
other people and it can be a great motivator. Second ly, he adds that authentic materials drawn
from periodicals are always up -to-date and constantly being updated. They not only practice
English, they also update our learners so that, at the end of their English lessons,
they are better informed. Also, the English language itself is constantly developing and
changing, so working with up -to-date materials not only means that the content of the
material is up -todate, it also means the language itself is up -to date.
It would be really beneficial if the school could have a subscription to a
British periodical, or create a library with newspapers, magazines, leaflets, brochures
and other materials donated by different people.

17
Authentic materials can produce a sense of achievement, for example, a brochure
on England given to students to plan a visit. Author A. G. Martinez states that “reading texts
are ideal to teach/practice mini -skills such as scanning,for example students are given a
news article and asked to look for specific information (amounts, percentages, etc.), basic
students listen to news reports and they are asked to identify the names of countries, famous
people, etc. (ability to detect key words)”
Another point of view on the advanta ges of using authentic materials is to divide
them into three main groups: exposing students to real language, stimulating and
increasing students motivation and accumulating students` knowledge.The most important
aspect of choosing those materi als is to provide students with a natural language. Authentic
materials include a wide variety of text types and language styles, from a very formal style,
such as legal documents, to less formal, such as newspaper articles, to colloquial language,
such as comic books. Such styles are sometimes very difficult to find in traditional teaching
materials. Concerning the grammatical structures, the sentences in written authentic materials
are very well -formed with few if any mistakes, which gives the students a possibility of
acquiring language structures in a natural way. Furthermore, appropriate materials can
always be found for all levels. Authentic materials can be used for practicing a large variety of
skills.
To present the authentic materials also fr om the opposite point of view, we should
name thedisadvantages as well.
Obviously, using authentic materials can be risky if the methodology is not carefully
chosen because it is not always easy to use journals, magazines, documents from companies
and other real sources, on a daily basis, especially with beginners. This may be due, among
other things, to the difficulties presented by the language. In fact, such material will
often have to be edited (and sometimes even discarded), in or der for there to be a suitable
match between learner and material learned. Any one authentic text may not be authentic for a
specific class, just because a text is authentic does not mean it is relevant, and authentic texts
are often too difficult linguis tically. Preparing authentic materials for use in the classroom can
be very time consuming.Some authentic materials may be too culturally biased and
therefore unnecessarily difficult to be understood outside the language community. Also
there ar e many headlines, adverts, signs, and so on that can require good knowledge of the
cultural background. Same might be applied to the vocabulary in general, which might not be
relevant to the student’s immediate needs.While working with the written materi als, too many
structures are mixed and so lower levels might have a hard time decoding the texts. Some

18
confusion could be also caused by too many different accents while working with authentic
audio materials.
Another reason for avoiding such materia ls may be the teachers’ uncertainty
about finding appropriate authentic materials that will fit the needs of the lesson.It has been
suggested that, unless one has a clear purpose in mind as well as a personal
approach that permits the adaptation of most authentic materials, using them in the classroom
might prove not to be effective. Likewise, a teacher needs to incorporate authentic texts that
are locally meaningful.

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CHAPTER 2

1.USING MOVIES IN TEACHING ENGLISH

This chapter introduces briefly the concept of EFL teaching and gives reasons why to
use films in the EFL classroom. The topics that are discussed are authenticity, the input
hypothesis, the positive effect of films on language learning and finally differe nt learning
styles and the use of brain in language learning.

1.1 ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE (EFL)
General English as a foreign language is a concept rather similar to the term ESL,
English as a second language. However, the main difference between these two terms is that
for EFL learners English is not their first language and they learn English in set tings where
English is spoken as a foreign language.
ESL learners, for one, learn English for instance in the United States or Great Britain
but English is not their firs t language either . Furthermore, also Gebhard presents very similar
definitions of E SL and ESL.According to his definitions EFL refers to ”English as studied by
people who live in places where English is not the first language of people who live in the
country” and ESL refers to ”English as studied by people who speak other languages as t heir
first language – such as Romanian ,Spanish, Arabic, Chinese etc. – but live in places where
English is the first language”.
Moreover , according to Littlewood, in a foreign language learning situation ”the
language has no established functions inside the learner’s community but will be used mainly
for communicating with outsiders”. The term second language learning, in turn, indicates that
the language has communicative functions inside the community where the learner lives.
On the other hand, Prator points out that the term EFL may be confusing for those
people, who study English in a foreign surroundings but still operate with the language so
much that it is not ”foreign” for them. Thus, also other terms have been suggested, such as
TESOL (”teaching of English to speakers of other languages”) and TENES (”teaching of
English to non -English speakers”) and the first one is nowadays rather widely used as a cover –
term for (T)EFL and (T)ESL.
Moreover, Freeman points out that teaching English in a non Eng lish-speaking
country differs from teaching it in a natural environment where it is spoken every day. In
countries where English is not spoken as the primary language of most people, the students

20
are not exposed to English outside the classroom as easily as ESL learners. They may not hear
English or speak it often on their free time.
Also Gebhard emphasizes the differences between teaching ESL and EFL.
Firstly, the student populations differ. In several EFL contexts the population is
homogeneous in man y ways, and the students may share a similar cultural identity despite the
possible cultural differences related to religion, for example.
However, many ESL settings, on the other hand, are rather heterogeneous, since
students may come from a great variet y of countries and cultures. As a consequence, this must
be noticed when planning the teaching. Secondly, also the goals of learning EFL and ESL are
often quite different.
In some countries where English is spoken as a foreign language, the primary goal
for children learning English is to pass English entrance exams to enter good high schools and
universities. However, in an ESL context the goal is often to be able to use English in a
native -like manner in order to assimilate into the main stre am English -speaking population.
However, Gebhard points out that the goals can be also vice versa, since there are
several EFL students who are genuinely interested in learning to communicate with the
foreign language, and are interested in for instance travelling, living abroad, doing
international business or working as a translator. Likewise, there are ESL students who are
interested in passing different types of entrance exams. Yet, at least in Romania, where
English is studied as a foreign language, the current trend is communicative language
teaching, and the teaching focuses on broadening the students’ language proficiency in order
for them to be able to communicate in English. Thus, the main goal of teaching is
communicative ability. In other words, the teac her teaches the language, not so much about
the language and the main point is not to be able to analyze the language but to use it in
various everyday situations.
Gebhard states that also the teacher’s concerns are different in EFL teaching than in
ESL teaching. In EFL settings the teacher must constantly come up with ways to get students
to speak English in class and ways to use authentic language teaching materials. The teacher
must also test the students and their level of learning and be able to get the students to take
more responsibility for their learning. The pressure may be great at times, but the teacher
should not show it to the students but be able to keep them motivated to learn the foreign
language.In ESL teaching, for one, the concerns are somewhat less greater, since the students
are able to use the language also outside the classroom, whereas for EFL students there are
fewer possibilities to apply what they study to communicative situations outside the
classroom.

21
However, in both ESL and EFL teaching the teacher needs material which motivates
the learners and provides them with the input needed. Thus, movies are a useful and
versatile way of ensuring that also students in EFL settings get to hear the foreign language
and get a chance to develop their listening and communication skills with authentic language
as their model.

1.2 FILMS IN EFL TEACHING
Planning the teaching of foreign languages can be rather challenging at times.
Teaching should be varying, versatile and motivating. The learners’ level of proficiency may
be very heterogeneous and it is important to notice that when planning the lessons. Using
movies can be an entertaining and motivating tool also for learners with different skill level.
Movies provide the learners wit h real -life language input, which may be difficult to receive
otherwise in a non -English -speaking environment. In addition, according to many previous
studies there are several reasons to use movies in foreign language teaching. Some of
these reasons are authenticity, the quality and amount of input provided by movies and the
several positive effects that movies have on language learning, for instance the exposure to
foreign language and the entertaining aspect of films which also affects students’ motivat ion.
Also the different learning styles and the use of brain are discussed, since movies as a
teaching resource affect also these factors.

1.2.1 The positive effect of films on language learning
Using films in EFL teaching may seem to be irrelevant, and some teachers may think
that using films is too time -consuming. Moreover, films are quite often used as a light
stimulation in the beginning of a lesson or in the end of it. In addition,teachers do not
necessarily consider the film as a proper teaching resource, since it may be seen only as
entertaining and not as educational. However, Stoller mentions that some teachers have at first
commented on technical difficulties associated with using films and film equipment, but on
the other hand have agreed that films enhance the study of culture as well as English language
skill development. Using films has brought authenticity, variety, reality and flexibility into
EFL classrooms.
According to Champoux videotapes are nowadays easily accessible and easy to get
also for classroom use. In addition, the production quality of the films is high, they are an
economical option and they offer both cognitive and affective experiences. Thus, the use of
videotapes as teaching material has increased rapidly since the 1970s.

22
Stoller points out that films extend the range of classroom teaching techniques and
resources and not only enhance, but also diversify the curriculum.
Champoux emphasizes that film scenes can make it easier to teach abstract themes
and concepts because of their visuality. Also inexperienced students can benefit from films
because of their greater feeling ofreality.
Allan also highlights the realistic examples that the films enable. Combining both
audio and visuality makes film a comprehensive tool for language teaching. The visuality also
supports the students: it helps learners by supporting the verbal message and provides a focus
of attention while they listen.
Moreover, the techniques used in film making let the director to create an experience
that often goes beyond what we can experience inreal life. In addition, viewers are not just
passive observers but their responses also add to the power of the film.
According to Stoller films are a flexible tool for second language learning and
instruction since they add an extra dimension to course design and assure a rich variety of
language and cultural experiences. Additionally, films expose the stude nts to authentic target
language, speech forms that are not normally encountered in the more restricted classroom
environment. The more realistic language often also motivates the students to participate
actively in film -related activities.
Katchen also emphasizes the authenticity of the language in films.Since the films
are often made to sound natural to native speakers of the language, they thus represent
authentic language. Films can even to some extent substitute for the input that EFL students
canno t receive from outside the classroom.
In addition, real spoken language includes several characteristics that a textbook
cannot present. These characteristics are for instance false starts, incomplete sentences and
hesitations. There are also several reg ional, gender and ethnic variations and also differences
in the level of formality. With the help of films teachers can present these characteristics to
students better than with only a textbook. By watching films the students can also explore the
issues o f appropriateness and pragmatics while observing also linguistic, paralinguistic and
nonverbal behaviour.
According to Allan films actually get students to tal k and they can be a stimulus to
genuine communication in the classroom by bringing out differen t opinions within the group.
Sufen emphasizes that films are considered an insightful means of teaching, since
they reflect people’s way of life in terms of variety, contemporaneity and authenticity. The
realistic verbal communication also helps the s tudents to pick up the language more
spontaneously.

23
Stoller points out that the use of films in a content -based curriculum gives the
students an opportunity to explore several aspects of a given thematic unit. While watching a
film, they can develop the ir possibly weak background knowledge. At the same time they also
exposure to the language. Togethersuch content exploration and language exposure promote
more sophisticated language use. Both content and language are mutually reinforcing and the
content p rovided is not just something with which to practise language, but language becomes
the tool with which to explore the content.

1.2.2 Authenticity
Authenticity and authentic materials have been a topic for discussion during the past
decades, since using textbooks and ready -made exercises may give a distorted picture of what
language is and how it should be learned. Students may get the idea that fore ign language
only exists inside the classroom and that they do not have to use it anywhere else. Authentic
materials usually help them to notice, that knowing foreign language is very useful and that
the language can be used every day in different contexts .
Gebhard points out that for some teachers it may be difficult to let goof the textbook,
since a teacher may be under a great pressure, in which case it is easier to use ready -made
exercises and texts. For some teachers it is also mandatory to use at l east some parts of the
textbook, and it can be difficult to try to combine authentic materials with the textbook.
However, using authentic materials has many advantages and it can bring variety and
flexibility to the EFL classroom. It can motivate both the students and the teacher and make
learning a foreign language enjoyable and fun. However, the terms authenticity and authentic
materials can be rather confusing since they have several different definitions. Thus, these
definitions need to be discussed.
There are several different definitions of authenticity. For example, authenticity can
mean that the material is made for native speakers and not for teaching purposes. Also Allan
points out that authentic material is made for an audience of native speak ers. Sufen , for one,
gives two definitions for an authentic teaching material.
The first is that the material has never been produced for language learning and
language teaching purposes. The second is that the material has been produced in a real
commu nication situation. Gilmore points out that authenticity can refer to several different
points.
Authenticity relates for instance to: ”the language produced by native speakers for native
speakers in a particular language community” or ”the language produ ced by a real
speaker/writer for a real audience, conveying a real message”. Mishan emphasizes that

24
”authenticity may be something that is realized in the act of interpretation, and may be judged
in terms of the degree of participation of the learner”. Ac cording to Mishan the terms
”authentic” and ”authenticity”, their definitions and their application to language learning
have been rather controversial. The springboard for this debate has been the concept
of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) which b ecame popular in the 1970s. CLT no
longer used strictly structural approaches to language learning but among other things,
preferred the use of authentic texts, which had been created for a genuine communicative
purpose.
Littlewood points out that the c ommunicative approach makes us consider language
not only in terms of its structures, such as grammar and vocabulary, but also asin terms of its
communicative functions.
In other words, the focus is not only on the language forms, but also on what people
do with these forms when they communicate with each other. Moreover, the communicative
approach combines the newer functional view of language withthe more traditional structural
view. The communicative approach enables a fuller account of what students h ave to learn in
order to use language as means of communication. It also offers a different basis for selecting
and organizing the language items that should be taught. Also Das emphasizes that the main
view of CLT is that the purpose of using language is to convey meanings. According to the
theory of CLT language should be learned through communication. This means that language
teaching methods should be learned in natural conditions – outside the classroom. Moreover,
another important point by Littlewood is that the communicative approach opens up a wider
perspective on language learning by raising awareness of the importance o f developing
strategies for relating the structures of language to the communicative functions in real
situations and real time. T herefore, the learners must be provided with variety of opportunities
to use the language for communicative purposes. The focus in language learning should be on
taking part in the process of communicating rather than mastering the individual structures.
In addition, according to Das language teaching methods are considered more
successful if they are more natural, meaning that the language learning process inside the
classroom does not differ too much from the processes by which people learn languages
outside the classroom. Additionally, people learning languages in naturalistic environment are
more likely to be less concerned with grammar than was commonly believed. According to
the view that language should be learned through communication, the emphasis is on
classroom activities which help learners to acquire the rules unconsciously rather than to learn
them consciously. Such activities must require the learner to focus on meaning, rather than on

25
form. Therefore, movies can be a useful way to help the s tudents to acquire language rather
than learn it consciously.
Movies are a good example of authentic material that can be used in language
teaching in order to make the learning process more entertaining, more enjoyable and possibly
even somewhat easier.
Mishan emphasizes that films are designed to appeal directly and fully to people’s
emotions. Also the aspect of entertainment is strongly present as far as films are concerned.
Since the use of films in language learning has to do with affective factors, it is very
important for the teacher to be able to balance between getting the students to become
involved in the films while also exploiting the language learning potential of the films. Thus,
using films as authentic material requires an emphasis on t he teaching approach, which should
be content – and taskbased. In addition, also the teachers own attitude towards the films is an
important factor in order to be able to treat the films as cultural items instead of mere sources
of languageinput. Moreover, Mishan emphasizes the benefits of a content -based approach,
which utilizes the film as the input not to teach languagebut to release it.
In other words, the content -based approach maintains the authentic purpose of the
film, its calculated appeal toaffe ct.
Furthermore, Gebhard mentions that ”authentic materials can reinforce for students
the direct relation between the language classroom and the outside world”. Thus, for instance
films provide the students with examples of real language as it used outs ide the classroom. In
addition, authentic materials offer a way to contextualize language learning. If for instance a
repair manual, a menu, a TV weather report or a documentary is used during the lesson,
students tend to focus more on content and meaning than on the language, since that is what
they would do also outside the classroom.
Authentic materials offer the students a valuable source of input, as students can be
exposed to more than just the language presented by different textbooks or teacher. E ven
though there are several positive aspects in using films as authentic teaching materials,
Mishan points out that it can be rather challenging at times. In order to keep the language
classes enjoyable and relaxed instead of making the students passive w hile watching films, it
is important to plan the tasks carefully beforehand and also to check the learners’ knowledge
of the vocabulary and topic. When the students are familiar with the topic and the vocabulary
of the film, it is easier for them to focus on the film as a learning experience as well as an
entertaining experience.
Furthermore, Gebhard points out some disadvantages of using authentic materials.

26
The first point is that it takes time and effort to locate authentic materials. However,
nowadays especially movies are easily accessible for instance at the library and even the
prices of DVD films are rather affordable.
The second point is that sometim es it may be difficult to make authentic materials
comprehensible to the students. The third point is that some learners may not accept authentic
materials as valuable learning source but think that they are just entertaining time -fillers
during the lesson s. Thus, using authentic materials can be challenging at times.

1.2.3 The nature of the input hypothesis
The input hypothesis was developed by Stephen D. Krashen and it is a part of a
broader theory of second -language acquisition. The theory consists of five hypotheses, which
are the acquisition -learning hypothesis, the natural order hypothesis, the monitor hypothesis,
the input hypothesis and the affective filter hypothesis. Although the input hypothesis was
originally developed to adapt to second la nguage acquisition and learning, it is a useful model
also in foreign language learning.
According to Krashen the input hypothesis claims that humans acquire language by
understanding messages or receiving comprehensible input. This hypothesis attempts to
answer a both theoretically and practically important question: how do we acquire language ?
Even though the learner had not acquired the needed grammar yet, he or she can understand
the language with the help of context, which consists of extra -lingui stic information, the
learner’s knowledge of the world and previously acquired linguistic competence.
Moreover, Carroll emphasizes the difference between learning and acquiring the
language and points out that according to Krashen’s theories input applie s mostly to acquiring
a foreign language, not learning it. The main difference between acquiring and learning is that
learning is a more conscious process than acquiring. However, both unconscious acquiring
and the more conscious learning are processes nee ded in studying a foreign language. Thus,
input can be considered very useful and necessary part of language learning. Krashen
emphasizes the importance of comprehensible input and states that ”input is the essential
environmental ingredient”. By comprehe nsible input he means that we obtain it when we
understand what we hear or read in another language .
Another important point about comprehensible input is that if the learner is lacking
access to it, there may be severe delays on his or her language lea rning. Since input is an
essential part of language learning, movies are a good option to provide the students with this
comprehensible input.

27
Moreover, Krashen also points out that according to the affective filter hypothesis the
learner is more open to acquire language when he or she is so involved in the message that he
or she temporarily forgets that he or she is hearing or reading foreign language. Thus, movies
are an efficient way of providing the needed input but in an entertaining and captivating
way.However, Krashen emphasizes that even though television and films are good sources of
input, the input in question should be at right level, not too demanding for the students but not
too easy either.
If the students are at intermediate level, the in terval of the input should be somewhat
short, since it is useless to show beginners for instance a 30 -minute video clip and tell them to
retell the whole story, since the task is too demanding for them.
Of course the task should be adapted keeping in min d the proficiency level of the
learners. Most importantly, the main focus should be on understanding the main points of the
input, not identifying every single word.

1.2.4 Different learning styles and the use of brain in language learning
There are numerous researches about students’ different learning styles. Learning
styles are cognitive, affective and physiological traits which indicate how learners perceive,
interact with and respond tothe learning environment
In addition, accor ding to Reid perceptual learning styles is ”a term that describes the
variations among learners in using one or more senses to understand, organize, and retain
experience”.
Moreover, there are four basic perpetual learning channels.
The first is visual , such as reading.
The second is auditory, such as listening to tapes or lectures.
The third is kinaesthetic, which means total physical involvement with a learning
situation.
The fourth one is tactile learning, which means ”hands -on” learning, such as building
models .
It is a fact that not everybody learns by using only one of these learning channels,
but usuallya person’s learning style is a combination of two or more learning styles. Thus, the
use of multiple media to present the same concepts h as several positive cumulative effects.
Moreover, the use of both hemispheres of the brain is essential.
The left hemisphere specializes in digital, deductive tasks that characterize oral and
written media.The right hemisphere, on the other hand, speci alizes in iconic, intuitive tasks
that characterize visual media, especially the visual and sound characteristics of a film.

28
In addition, according to Champoux people likely use different cognitive strategies to
process verbal and visual media. Some evid ence suggests that people learn abstract and new
concepts more easily when presented in both verbaland visual form. Other empirical research
shows that visual media make concepts more accessible to a person than text media and help
especially with later re call.
All in all, as Mishan , Krashen and Champoux stated earlier, movies can be a good
help in EFL teaching because of their authentic nature, the input they provide and the options
they offer for persons with different types of learning strategies.
Firstly, the authenticity of films can make them more interesting as a teaching
material. If the topic of the film is chosen carefully the student may be able to identify to the
films and thus their motivation can be better.
Secondly, the input that movi es provide is essential for foreign language learners,
since it is not always obvious that the learners hear the language outside the classroom.
However, it is important thatthe input is comprehensible and not for instance too difficult.
Thirdly, since l earners may have different learning strategies, itis wise to use
versatile teaching methods. For instance films provide the learner with both visual and
auditory stimulation and thus enable also the use of the both hemispheres, which is essential
for effic ient learning.

29
CHAPTER 3

1.USE OF MOVIES IN TEACHING ENGLISH

This chapter discusses the use of movies in different areas of foreign language
teaching. The areas discussed are teaching oral communication, teaching writing, teaching
vocabulary, teaching grammar and teaching cultural aspects. This chapter also draws our
attention to facts that need to be considered when using films in teaching, namely choosing
the correct type of movies and other challenges that the teacher may face wh en using movies
in teaching.

1.1 MOVIES IN DIFFERENT AREAS OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING
Movies are a versatile tool for foreign language teaching and they can be used in
several different ways when teaching the different aspects of foreign language. Thi s part
discusses using films in five different areas of language teaching. These areas are teaching
oral communication, teaching writing, teaching vocabulary, teaching grammar and teaching
culture. Since the areas differ rather radically from each other, a lso different teaching methods
must be used. Thus, this section discusses each area separately and summarizeshow films can
be taken advantage of when teaching for instance vocabulary or grammar.

1.1.1 Teaching oral skills
According to Littlewood the attitudes towards second language learners’ speech have
evolved during the decades. Until the late 1960s most people considered second language
learner’s speech as a faulty version of the native language. Errors were seen as signs of
learning failures and they were not tolerated. Moreover, the concept of interference reinforced
this view: existing habits prevented correct speech from becoming established. However,
luckily a new approach became more accepted.
According to it also second language learners co uld be viewed as actively
constructing rules from the data they encounter and finally adapting these rules in the
direction of the target language system. Thus, the learners’ errors need not be seen as signs of
failure. In addition, there are some ways in which the teacher can support the learners in order
for them to beable to develop their communicative competence.
Firstly, the teacher should encourage the learners from the earliest stages to have
confidence intheir own system and exploit it for communi cative activities.

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Secondly, the teacher should encourage the learners to compensate for the gaps in
their second language knowledge by using communication strategies.
Thirdly, communicative effectiveness should be given priority over formal accuracy
when evaluating the learners and their development. However, this does not mean that formal
accuracy should be abandoned completely.
Furthermore, Katchen points out that usually the students who can talk well in their
L1are also good speakers in their L2, since conversation skills are not automatic but can be
trained.
Nation and Newton in turn emphasize the importance of conversational strategies.
They canhelp keep the conversation going, even though the learner might be unfamiliar with
the topic. A usef ul technique in SA+EI meaning that a question is conversation is called Q
always followed by a short answer and some extra information about the answer. Another
important factor in a fluent conversation is a supportive partner. Learners can also be trained
to support each other. This support can consist of supplying unknown words, completing
sentences and asking helpful questions. Also repeated tasks can help providing support to
speaking. Initially speaking can be difficult, but with repetition it usually becomes easier.
Techniques such as retelling or pass and talk are useful ways to encourage also the weaker
students to talk. Talking can also be prepared for. This decreasesthe nervousness of the
learners and even the weaker learners get a chance to prepar e their speech and focus on the
aspects that are more challenging to them. Finally, as spoken language uses more multi -word
unitsthan written language, it is worthwhile to memorize some of the more useful sentence
stems, such as ”I see”, ”that’s right” and ”are you sure”.
Furthermore, training one’s oral skillssometimes consists also of more formal
speaking. A characteristic of formal speaking is transactionality, which means that usually the
purposeof communication is to provide information rather than j ust to maintain social
contact.
Another characteristic is taking long turns. This refers to the fact that formal
speaking is usually not a dialogue, but a presentation which demands speaking for several
minutes in a comprehensible and organized way.
Moreover, formal speech is often also affected by written language. Usually it
involves speaking from notes and academic vocabulary. In addition, formal speaking is done
in a careful style in clear and deliberate way with an opportunity for the speaker to m onitor
the production of speech .
Finally, an important point about formal speaking is that it usually requires to be
taught, since itis not a skill that comes naturally, but needs also a great amount of practising .

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Furthermore, Nation and Newton emphas ize that an important point in formal
speaking is that the learner should experience the task from the listener’s point of view. This
enables him or her to notice some factors that he or she should avoid in his or her own speech
or oral presentation. It al so helps to develop a sense of having an audience. The learner should
also be able towork through several different spoken tasks that gradually increase in
complexity. There are various aspects that have an effect on the complexity of the task. These
include for instance the amount of preparation needed and the number of items, characters or
points to deal with in the information that needs to be presented.
In conclusion, all these factors make it easier for the learner to get involved in the
discussion in class and makes it less intimidating to use a foreign language. These aspects are
a useful way to encourage the learners to talk and build up their confidence. However, even
though the attitudes have changed, teaching oral skil ls can be challenging at t imes.
Nevertheless, teaching oral skills is very important in order to give the learnersthe
input they need and the tools to develop their communicative competence. However,
motivating the learners to use the foreign languagecan also be a challenge, since learners may
hesitate and lack confidence to speak the foreign language.
It is important that the teacher provides the learners with opportunities to
communicate and motivating communication exercises. Thus, different communicative
activities are useful, since they help the learners to integrate their separate sub -skills into a n
effective system for communicating meanings. They also activate the learner’s capacity for
acquiring language through natural processes. The learner’s attention is focused on meanings
to be communicated rather than on language items to be learnt.
Katch en emphasizes that textbooks usually do not teach for instance small talk and
conversational interaction. Thus, films can be an effective way to motivate the learnersto
develop their oral skills, since movies usually present the most current and real langu age with
for instance different types of fashionable words or expressions. In addition, it is very
common that films invoke feelings, opinions and create discussion. This usually helps the
teacher to provide the students with reasonable discussion topics. Some tasks focused on oral
skills and based on a film could be for instance group discussions about the topic with the
learners’ own opinions, a debate, re -acting a scene of a film or acting an alternative ending to
the film.
Mishan also mentions the ’im age-sound skim’ which means that the learners are
encouraged to mention some images or sounds from the movie that particularly struck them
and what feelings they evoked. This is a useful way to find out the learners’ immediate

32
reactions, since usually the film is still ’working’ on their minds and the responses are rather
immediate.
Another version of this activity is to ask somewhat moredetailed questions, such as
”what surprised you?” or ”what pleased you?”. The assignments mentioned here are only
some examples, and the teacher should be creative when thinking about the assignments in
order to come up with versatile and educating tasks.
However, according to Katchen it is possible to build up a whole university level
listening and speaking course by using DVD films as the maincourse material. Even though
this type of course was found out to be rather time -consuming, the feedback from the students
was rather positive and the lessons were versatile and interesting. Thus, using films in
teaching oral skill in the EFL classroom is absolutely worth trying and can be motivating for
both the teacher and the learners.

1.1.2 Teaching writing
According to Katchen writing is considered as an active skill, since it is a productive
skill, unlike for instance reading and listening. Even though also reading and listening require
the active involvement of the brain, it is emphasized in writing. Thu s, alongside speaking,
also writing needs to be practised versatilely in order for the learners to be able to develop
their productive language skills .
Gebhard lists some important points which writing include. These are word choice,
use of appropriate grammar, syntax, mechanics and organization of ideas into a coherent and
cohesive form. However, writing also includes a focus on audience and purpose, and a
process of discovering meaning. Since one has to take in to account several different aspects
when writing, teaching writing may sometimes be rather repetitious and uneventful. Choosing
different text types can make writing more versatile and fun also for the learners.
Moreover, films can bring variety to writing tasks. Some examples of writing tasks
based on a film could be for example a film review, a review comparing a film and a book,
writing an alternative ending to the film or writing a letter toone of the characters of the film.
Also prewriting can be used before watching the movie: the student s can for instance write
down what they expect the movie to be about based on the title. In prewriting the students get
to practise also different ways to get started with their writing: brainstorming, clustering,
strategic questioning, sketching, free wri ting, interviewing and information gathering. These
are alsouseful in writing in general, not only in prewriting. In addition, also drafting is a
useful skillto practise, since it helps the actual writing process, as well as revision, which is a
useful ski ll in process writing.

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Revisioning usually helps the student to find out his or her own language errors and
for younger learners it is also a good way to practise patience .

1.1.3 Teaching vocabulary
As in every other area of language teaching, also in vocabulary learning there have
been several different attitudes and methods which have been varying over the decades.
According to Celce -Murcia and Rosensweig the Grammar -Translation Approach
emphasized the recognition of written words (e.g. vocabular y) and awareness of each word’s
part of speech and attendant inflections. Moreover, all the languages were studied similarly to
Latin. However, later the Reading Approach emphasized understanding the vocabulary even
more, since its primary objective was th e comprehension of written material in the foreign
language. Both of these approaches demanded looking up words from a dictionary and
translating texts from the foreign language, and neither of the approaches aimed atgetting the
students to actually unders tand and speak the foreign language.
Thus, two other approaches, the Direct Method and the Audio -lingual Approach rose
in reaction to the previous ones. The Direct Method assumes one learns a foreign language by
active and meaningful use of it, and in th e classroom one uses and hears only the target
language. The role of vocabulary is very important, and it is learned in context as an integral
part of every lesson.
On the other hand, the Audio -lingual Approach deliberately deemhpasized teaching
the voca bulary in the initial stages, keeping it to a minimum until the basic structures and the
sound system of the language have been mastered.
All in all,during the past decades teaching vocabulary has been of secondary
importance. However, nowadays the role of vocabulary is more importantand the teachers try
to balance between all the different areas of language teaching. Of course also the teacher’s
own views affect his or her teaching, and if he or she does not think that knowing vocabulary
is of great impo rtance, it is likely that he or she does not concentrate on teaching it often
enough. However, the current trend is to be able to communicate with the foreign language,
and thus vocabulary, alongside with grammar and oral skills, is rather recognized, or a t least it
ispaid attention to more than for instance thirty years ago.
According to Celce -Murcia and Rosensweig there is also a difference between the
active use of vocabulary (i.e. recall and production) and the passive use of vocabulary (i.e.
recogni tion and comprehension). The teacher must know to which category the vocabulary
items at hand fall into. Active use of vocabulary is of course somewhat more important,
whereas the passive use of vocabulary for listening or reading may exclude productive

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facility altogether. Moreover, the vocabulary items necessary for the development of formal
reading and writing skills may not be appropriate when one is learning the less formal
vocabulary typical for listening or speaking. Another important point is that the teacher must
decide whether the passive vocabulary is to be learned permanently or temporarily, for
instance to understand a piece of text or a movie with no consideration for later use. However,
all in all both passive and active vocabulary are needed in foreign language learning. Learning
new words in a foreign language is not always easy, and it requires a great amount of
repetition and practising.
Yuksel and Tanriverdi emphasize the usefulness of English captions when watching
a movie. Captions facilitate acquiring vocabulary, since they help the learner to incorporate a
word into a context. This was the case at least when shorter clips of movies were used in EFL
teaching. Moreover, films can help to learn for instance vocabulary around a certain theme. In
fact, according to Wray it is possible to teach vocabulary and even ready scripts of a certain
social situation with the help of television. With sufficient repetition and practising even a
beginner learner may be able to acquire a great amount of vocabulary despite his or her
previous linguistic experience. However, this vocabulary may not be acquired entirely
correctly but well enough in order to be able to communicate in social situations.
Finally, the acquired vocabulary can then be used for instance in an oral exercise
(discussion, interview etc.) or in a written assignment (an essay, film review etc.) Other
vocabulary assignments related tofilms are for instance word lists or a gap -fill from a certain
scene of the movie.

1.1.4 Teaching g rammar
According to Larsen -Freeman there have been several different methods also in
grammar teaching during the past decades. Methods such as Silent Way, Total Physical
Response and CounselingLearning Approach have been popular.
In addition to these methodologies, there are two approachesto language teaching,
theaudiolingual and the cognitive -code. The audio -lingual approach is based on an idea by
structuralists that in first language learning the child can learn by enough exposure to the
language an d imitation of the adult model, their mind being ’tabula rasa’, anempty board.
However, second language learners do not benefit fromknowing their first language but it
rather hinders them. The techniques for learning grammar are dialogue memorization, patt ern
practise and structural drilling.
Krashen points out different methodologies used in grammar teaching.

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The first one, Grammar -Translation Method consists of explanation of a grammar
rule, presenting vocabulary as a bilingual list, a reading section emphasizing the rule
presented and the vocabulary presented and exercises designed toprovide practise both on
grammar and vocabulary.
The second methodology is Audio -lingualism, which consists of a dialogue which contains
the structures and vocabulary of the lesson. The student is expected to mimic the dialogue and
eventually memorize it. The practising often happens in groups, and after that the student has
to fill up some drill assignments in order for the pattern to become automatic.
The third methodology is Cognitive -code, which tries to help the student in all four
skills, speaking, listening, reading and writing. Otherwise the methodology is rather similar
toGrammarTranslation method. However, Cognitive -code emphasizes the communica tive
competence and aims for fluency.
The fourth methodology is the Direct method. Direct method uses the target language
in every situation in the classroom and it is closely connected to inductive teaching, which
gives the learners an opportunity to gu ess or work out the rules of the language. The teacher
tries to ask interesting and meaningful questions in order to keep the learners motivated and
get them to provide examples of the targetstructure.
The fifth approach is the Natural approach, which is originallymeant for language
instruction at the university and high school levels. Its principles are that class time is devoted
primarily to providing input for acquisition, the teacher speaks only the target language in the
classroom and the students can use either their first language or the foreign language and
errors are corrected only if communication is seriously impaired. Other principles are that
homework may include formal grammar work and that the goals of the course are semantic.
The sixth meth od is total physical response, which has the following principles:
1) speech is delayed from students until understanding of spoken language ”has been
extensively internalized”
2) ”Achieve understanding of spoken language through utterances by the inst ructor
in the imperative”
3) ”Expect that, at some point in the understanding of spoken language, students will
indicate a ’readiness’ to talk”.
The seventh method is Suggestopedia, which consists of three parts: review done by
traditional conversation , games etc., presentation of new material in the form of dialogues and
finally reading the dialogue by the teacher while students follow the text and do Yoga
breathing in order to reach a relaxed and meditative state.

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All in all, these different methods have their positive and negative sides, and some of
them are still used, while others are considered old -fashioned and vague.
Grammar teaching also has two different approaches, the deductive and inductive
ways of teaching and learning.
According to L arsen -Freeman in deductive learning the teacher tells the rule and
then leads the learner in subsequently deducing examples. In other words, the deductive style
is more traditional and teacher -led. The inductive way, in turn, allows the learner himself or
herself to come up with the rule after the teacher has presented some examples. This is a more
modern way to teach and it activates the learner more, since he or she can form the rule and
has to think about the examples inorder to find out the correct rul e. According to Thornbury a
synonym for deductive way could be ’rule -driven’, and for inductive ’rule -discovery’.
Moreover, using audiovisual methods, such as movies, can motivate the students to
study grammar in a differentway. This was noticed already in the 1960s. For instance Van
Abbé points out that using audiovisual methods makes the teaching more efficient and
motivates the students to attend the classes. He refers to a course in which audiovisual
material was used and as a result of the course the students were able to take in grammatical
structures which they could never have learned during the traditional and more formal
grammar lessons. Since grammar can be taught in numerous different ways, also using
versatile materials is useful. Thus, using films to teach grammar is also worth trying.
Moreover, grammar assignments based on a film could be for example gap -fill exercise, an
introduction to new grammar topic, a revision of already learned grammar topic or coming up
with a grammar rule based on a scene of the film.

1.1.5 Teaching cultural aspects
With a foreign language always comes also a foreign culture. It is important to try to
spread knowledge ofthe culture of the target country in order for the learners to be able to
understand it. Teaching culture in EFL class is extremely important, since t extbooks usually
give a rather narrow picture of the English -speaking culture. Most of the chapters are about
either USA or United Kingdom,and other English -speaking areas are not necessarily
represented as well as these two.
However, it important to get the learners interested about all the English -speaking
countries and areas in order for them to understand how versatile the English -speaking culture
is. Moreover, it is important to be familiar with the culture if one gets a chance to travel to the
target country, but it also helps to understand why the people of the countryact like they do
and what kind of habits and traditions they have.

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According to Gebhard there are several different benefits in adapting into a new
culture, if one has moved to a n ew country. These are for instance a fuller sense of security,
the possibility of more success in the workplace, the possibility to establish meaningful
relationships with people from the culture, the possibility to gain fluency in the language of
the host country, a deeper understanding of one’s own country and a deeper understanding of
oneself.
Also in foreign language learning it is useful to understand some points about other
cultures. EFL teachers can teach cross -cultural communication, which include s adapting
behaviour, problem solving, getting to know individuals in order to understanda culture and
understanding one’s own culture in order to understand other cultures.
Nevertheless, according to Hinkel a second language learner’s understanding of
conceptualizations and constructs in second culture is fundamentally affected by his or her
culturally defined world views, beliefs, assumptions and presuppositions. According to
Hinkel”culture and language are inseparable”.
In conclusion, studying differ ent cultures can make an individual more tolerant and
liberal and decrease one’s prejudices.
Hinkel also points out that in teaching at least four different notions of culture must
be recognized: ethnic culture, local culture, academic culture and disci plinary culture. All
these affect the teaching and for instance the discussions about culture. When it comes to film,
it must be thought, how cultural the television and movie codes actually are. Additionally,
they must be cross -culturally interpretable an d both the contrastive and comparative analysis
of codes are needed instead of just isolated behaviours.
All in all, teaching culture is far more complex than one could imagine. In addition,
movies are a great way to present English -speaking culture. The re are movies for instance
aboutAustralia, New Zealand or the English -speaking India. Films provide an entertainingway
to get to know these somewhat less known English -speaking areas. A film can work as
springboard for culture discussions, as an introducti on to new culture, or as an informative
material. Both written and oral assignments about cultural topics are possible, and theycan be
done both individually and in groups. However, movies are a good way to raise questions and
discussion in the class, and different students’ different views and experiences can be
extremely interesting and motivate the students to talk.

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1.2 ASPECTS TO CONSIDER WHEN USING MOVIES IN EFL TEACHING
Even though movies are a nice and useful way to make the lessons more entertaining
and motivate the students, the use of movies is not necessarily always easy and there are
several factors that need to be considered when using movies in foreign language te aching. A
crucially important factor when planning the movie lessons is choosing the movies. There are
also other important points that need to be made sure before using movies in foreign language
teaching. These are for instance copyright matters, the tea ching environment in which to use
films and the proficiency level of the learners.
Moreover, Stoller points out thatthe use of films and videotapes requires attention
and the teacher mustplay an important part in an effective film lesson in order for th e film to
be more than just a time filler. It is also important to remember, that the films are neither a
substitute for the teacher nor for instruction, but real classroom aids when used properly. In
addition, it is the teacher’s responsibility to promote active viewing and the film should
alsopromote active participation from the beginning of the lesson in order for the students to
be more than just passive listeners and watchers.

1.2.1 Choosing the movies
Stoller emphasizes that planning the lesson s well beforehand and approaching the
use of films systematically is significantly important. The films should be previewed and
selected carefully. It is also important that the students understand the instructional objectives
ofa film lesson, since it is probable that they do not necessarily consider the film as a teaching
tool, at least not in a similar way as they would consider a textbook. Thus, it is important to
give understandable and simple instructions to the students, in order to make them unders tand
that the film is not just an entertaining way to pass time but that it has certain pedagogical
goals.
However, Allan emphasizes that it is important to choose topics that are relevant to
the students. The stories should interest and appeal in order for the students to stay motivated.
All in all, the topics should be both interesting and pedagogically rich, which can be a
challenging combination.
Additionally, one importantfactor that should betaken into account when selecting
appropriate movies is the proficiency level of the students and the comprehensibility of the
film. The film should be sufficiently comprehensible so that students can complete the
language related tasks and that the teacher does not have to work too hard in order to help the
students to understand the language. The comprehensibility of the film is not determined only
by the degree of difficulty but also by the specific demands made on the students by the

39
assignments. Moreover, it is important that the students gain confidence and feel in command
of the medium .
In addition, Allan points out some concrete factors which should be taken into
account when choosing a film for certain proficiency level.
Firstly, the density of language is important.There should be enough pauses in the
dialogue in order for the students to be able to follow along.
Secondly, the film should provide the st udents with enough visual support. This
means that the visual messages support the verbal message and it is alsopossible, at least to
some extent, guess what is happening in the film.On the other hand, for the more advanced
learners there should be perhaps less picture support, in order for them to receive a greater
comprehension challenge.
Thirdly, delivery of the speech is also a factor that affects understanding. If the
characters speak too quickly or there are various different accents, it can be diff icult for the
students to understand the language. However, for instance different accents are again a
stimulative challenge for the more advanced learners. Fourthly, it is important that the teacher
selects good pause points, bits of film that can stand on their own and still be
comprehensible.
Stoller points out detailed criteria for choosing appropriate films for EFL classes.
Depending on student proficiency levels, the needs and interests of the students can be taken
into account, as well as instruc tional and curricular objectives and a variety of different film
types. However, not all film types are suitable for all students, levels of ability or educational
objectives. Each film also dictates different types of activities. Thus, careful selection a nd
previewing of the films is important. Allan also lists some important phases in selecting a
film for English class.
The first phase is previewing, since it is important for the teacher to be familiar with
the material he or she is teaching.
The sec ond phase is viewing the material without sound in order to notice the visual
messages. After watching the film without sound it should be watched with sound in order to
decide whether the language is comprehensible enough. The teacher should think about t he
reasons why he or she wants to use the film, what for and with which students. The teacher
should also ponder if there are any other materials that can be used with the film, and what
makes the film entertaining for the students, why will they like it. It is also important to think
beforehand, what he or she expects the students to understand from the film. It makes the
preparations easier, if the teacher also thinks about what techniques might work with the film,

40
how much time the film will need and wha t kind of preparatory work is necessary before the
film lessons.
It is also important to link the film into the syllabus in order for it to be more than a
time-filling element. It can be rather challenging at times, and it may even be one reason why
some teachers consider using movies too difficult and time -consuming.
However, Stoller states that films can be linked into syllabus invarious ways: by
language items, by functions or by thematic units. It isalso possible to use content -based
curriculum, in which case the subject matter of the selected film must be related. In this case
students can benefit from their previously learned information in the film -related activities or
vice versa, reflecting true -tolife demands.
Allan , in turn, points out, tha t it is important to think about linking the film into
syllabus already during the previewing phase. It is essential to know the goals inorder to be
able to plan the assignments accordingly and tobe able to reason why using the film is useful
for the cour se or class. By doing this one can avoid the situation, where the film is just a time –
filling element without any particular pedagogical goals.
Moreover, if the film is left for something ”extra” it is also much easier to forget. In
addition, Allan poin ts out that there are several different ways to link the film to the syllabus.
It can be linked through language items, for instance language structures or functions. The
film can be linked intosyllabus through a certain topic, or by activities, for instan ce listening
skills or writing assignments. It is also possible to have a ’video slot’, where no specific link
is needed, for example a Sherlock Holmes story once a month.
Stoller emphasizes that the type of film chosen should also complement one’s
overall instructional and curricular objectives.
Academically for instance following categories could be considered appropriate:
documentaries, historicalnarratives, historical drama, educational films, social issue films,
drama, mystery and suspense and ani mated films.
Allan points outmore detailed notions of certain types of material. Dramas include
all kinds of examples of people communicating and also segments thatcan stand on their own,
in other words short scenes that can be used without watching the whole film. The content of
dramas can be certainkind of behaviour or simply just entertaining, good story. However,
especiallythe short clips do not necessarily always work, since often some necessary
information is stated earlier on the film or the plot has been established earlier. Also the flow
of the conversation can be too quick, and the students cannot follow and pick up for instance
some useful expressions.

41
Documentaries, for one, include commentary, location inserts and people talking.
When choos ing a documentary it is important toconsider whether the topic is of interest to the
students. The visual support is also a point to consider, since sometimes the students may
concentrate too much on the information given verbally. On the other hand, visua lity can be
also distracting for some students.
Also cartoons can be used in the EFL class. They are usually short, and they have a
clear storyline. The humour can also be a motivating factor for some students. It makes it
easier to follow the story if t he characters are familiar to the students, and it also provides the
teacher with more material. The visual support is often rather good in cartoons, and it may be
possible for the students to retell the story even though they could not follow the speech.
Sound effects can also help to follow the story. However, cartoon can sometimes be too
colloquial and the voices may be distorted. This can make the film more difficult to follow, at
least for some students.
Moreover, according to Stoller also the length of the film is a useful thing to
consider. The ideal length is difficult to specify, since it varies depending for instance on the
film itself, classroom scheduling, equipment availability, course objectives a nd student
proficiency level.
However, if the films are used as springboards for other language activities and not
just for language comprehension, it is important to choose films that are long enough to
convey meaningful content, yet shot enough to allow classroom time for pre -viewing and
post-viewing activities.
Some researchers have suggested that a maximum of two hours should be spent to a
combined screening and accompanying activities session. However, this is often limited by
lesson schedules a nd course plans, which do not necessarily allow longer lessons. For
instance in Romania, the lessons usually last 45 or sometimes 50 minutes, which is a short
period of time for watching movies. Moreover, in Romanian schools it can be also otherwise
challe nging to link movies as a part of the curriculum since traditionally text bookshave a
strong role as the main teaching material. However, using movies could bring the much
needed variety also to Romanian EFL teaching.

1.2.2 Classroom activities
Accord ing to Stoller the filmlesson and its activities should consist of pre -viewing,
viewing and post -viewing activities. This ensures that the students stay focused and motivated
throughout the lesson, and the goals of the lesson are clear to them.

42
The natur e and the length of the activities depend naturally on the selected film, the
needs of the students, their age and proficiency level and instructional objectives. Allan in
turn points out that there are different techniques for using films. The whole film can be
viewed, it can be broken into sections or only one section can be used. This brings variety to
the film lessons and ensures that films are used versatilely.
Stoller emphasizes that the pre -viewing activities prepare students for the actual
viewin g. Some examplesof pre -viewing activities could be student polls, interviews, problem
solving discussion of the title of the film, brainstorming activities, information gap exercises,
and dictionary or vocabulary exercises and so on.
Pre-viewing is impor tant in order for the students to be able to follow the film and
understand the storyline and characters. Pre -viewing can make it easier for also the weaker
students to benefit from the film and its many beneficial aspects.
Stoller points out, that viewing activities during the film, on the other hand, facilitate
viewing of the film. The activities help students to deal with specific issues and focus on
characters or storyline also at crucial junctures in the film.
Some exa mples of viewing activities are directed listening, information gathering,
film interruptions and second screening. For instance a film interruption helps the teacher to
control whether the students have understood what happens in the film. Thus, viewing
activities are a simple way to keep students focused on the viewing despite the length of the
film.
Finally, Stoller highlights alsothe importance of post -viewing activities. They are
meant to stimulate both written and oral use of the target language uti lizing insights and
information from the film. Postviewing activities should extract the main ideas, concepts or
issues of the film, since the small details may havebeen missed, and it is essential to
understand the main points of the film.Post -viewing act ivities can be for instance film
summaries, alternative endings, discussions, comparisons, speed writing, using notes for
writing practise, role plays or debates.
Allan in turn emphasizes that films can be used in various different ways during a
language class. A whole lesson can be built around it, or it can be used as a springboard for a
set of activities which follow it. Films can be used for instance when the teacher wants the
students to focus on the language, or practise it, for presenting certain t opics or producing a
commentary.
According to Allan films can be used for elicitation, since they encourage the
students to talk. An example of a task could be silent viewing and then delivering the

43
dialogue. This could be done at the beginning of a les son. Films can also be used at the
presentation stage to presentsome examples of language.
Films can also work as a revision and thus reinforce the things that have already been
learnt. Moreover, films usually present more vivid, varied and current langu age than
textbooks. Films actually provide the most realistic examples of the language in use. Thus,
they support the textbook and its language but also add an extra dimension to language
learning.
Films can be used also for language practise and use of visual prompts can be useful.
This can be executed for instance with video workbooks which have still pictures of the film
and some expressions which have to be combined. This activity is suitablefor previewing but
can also be used for recalling. Also diff erent role plays are a fun way to exploit the film.
Other activities are for instance video drills and comprehension exercises
(multiple choice, true/false questions, gap -filling tasks).
Films can be used also for presenting topics. Suitable activities are for instance
collecting information or debating a topic. Collecting information can be done with view and
check exercises or listen and draw/check/compare exercises. These assignments are very
versatile and easy to vary depending on whether the studen ts are expected to develop for
example their listening skills or oral skills. Moreover, especially the debates are a useful way
to get the students to talk and express their opinions about a certain topic.
Furthermore, films are an excellent way to encou rage the students to produce a
commentary. The students can for instance produce their own scripts and find out how the
films are produced. Using materials which tell stories enable for instance gist listening or
retelling the main elements of the plot.

1.2.3 Making full use of the film
According to Allan it is important to try to exploit all the positive sides that a film
can offer on language teaching. For instance visuality is obviously a great part of films, and it
can help also the weaker students to follow the film and understand w hat is happening. There
are non -verbal signals in a film, for instance gestures, facial expressions, eye contact, posture,
proximity, appearance and setting. All these factors play an important part in the film and may
help or, on the other hand, also poss ibly hinder watching the film.
Moreover, there are two possible dangers which may appear if the film is used purely
as a vehicle for a language.
The first one is overlooking the visual clues that the students may pick. Thus,
visuality is important, an d it is individual how people react to it.

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The second one is keeping the focus on language and missing a good opportunity to
focus on the message. Sometimes films have a strong theme which is handled very versatilely
and deeply, in which case it is usefu l to take advantage of it. The theme or the message can be
for instance discussed together, in order for the students to get oral practise.
In addition, it is important to choose a right type of setting. The teacher should
choose a sequence which opens u p with a general view of the setting. Also choosing the
correct characters to follow is important. There may be several different characters in a film,
but the teacher should choose a central one and also pay attention to the relationship between
different characters. If the selected scene presents a central character, it is easier for the
students to follow the film and get a general view of the plot.
Using films at different learning levels also adds to the challenges of the teacher.
Allan points out th at at basic level the main role of movies is to provide the learners with
stepping stones to real world use of language. The movie confirms that the language they are
studying is actually used in the real world. Additionally, it gives learners confidence i n their
ability to copewith the real situations they may face.
At intermediate level movies provide variety, interest and stimulation. They are
examples of the real use of language as well as encourage comment, speculation and
prediction. Finally, at advanced level movie is a provider of real world experience. The focus
is on the message and language is rather a tool than a focus of attention. The film is also a
stimulus for different classroom activities.
All in all, films can be used effectively at different skill levels, when the needs and
character of the different level students are taken into consideration.

1.2.4 The challenges of using movies
Even though using movies can diversify the curriculum and motivate the learners to
study a foreign language, using movies is not always straightforward and trouble -free.
According to Stoller using movies requires for instance extensive preparation and
thus some teachers may feel that using moviesis too demanding. Since teachers usually are
rather busy, preparating film lessons is considered too timeconsuming and it is perhaps easier
to follow a text book instead of preparing the film and the related assig nments.
Moreover, Champoux points out that using films is not only time -consuming for the
teacher,but it can also take time away from other classroom activities. Champoux points out
that an important factor which may hinder the use of films is the copy right law.Copyright
restrictions have to be taken into account when planning the film lessons. Furthermore, at
least in Romanian schools it can sometimes be unclear even for the teachers whether or not

45
they can show films in the classrooms. In these cases it useful to havea common custom at the
school so that everyone knows what is legally acceptable. The teachers should find out the
rules and regulations or for instance the principal of the school could inform them.
In addition, Stoller mentions also poo r equipment as a factor which may complicate
the use of films in teaching. However, nowadays the language classrooms are rather well
equipped, and almost every classroom has either a television or a computer, which allows
using for instance DVD films.
Yet, in smaller schools it may be possible that also poor equipment hinders the use of
films, but it is not very likely nowadays. In addition, it is important that there are films
available at school. The teacher can of course use also his or her own films, and a broad range
of films is available on libraries and even renting or buying DVD films is rather affordable
nowadays. Nevertheless, the teacher must keep in mind the costs and make sure that the film
lesson does not overrun the budget.
Stoller and Ch ampoux emphasize that using films in language teaching must be
done avoiding students and teacher turning passive.
In other words, the curriculum should be content -based and the film should be used
as aspringboard for other activities. The assignments mu st be planned keeping in mind the
skill level of the learners and they should be challenging enough but not too difficult in order
to keep the students motivated. The assignments should also be activating enough for
different type of students regardless of their knowledge or personality. Itis also important to
notice that the students’ reactions may vary and for some students for instance a certain scene
can be distracting.

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CHAPTER 4

ACTIVITIES DESIGNED TO USE MOVIES AND OTHER AUTHENTIC
MATERIALS IN ENGLISH CLASSES

I decided to create some projects for students at secondary level. The classes
involved were: the 5thgrade, the 6thgrade and the 8thgrade.
The projects are not strictly intended for certain grades; they can be used with
younger children as well as with older ones according to their skills, level of English and
interests and they can be adapted according to specific needs.These projects have various
features, which I would like to highlight.
Firstly, they should mediate knowledge through an interesting topic and
alternative
way of teaching.
Secondly, they should present useful facts and teach skills such as
cooperation, communication, searching for information, selecting sources, giving p resentation
etc.
Thirdly, I would like to show how important and useful is using authentic materials
in foreign language teaching. Those materials are very interesting for the students –
they are catchy, original and do not resemble other activities they have encountered.
Lastly, they meet cross -curricular topics, namely multicultural education,
media education and education to thinking in European and global context.
I believe that a complex project can give children more t han simple learning from a
textbook since there are a lot of activities and many things to do condensed in relatively short
time that is devoted to the project. The time given depends on the schedule possibilities and
pupils’ skills.
Optimally, ther e should be time for introduction, motivation and pre -teaching
vocabulary before the project itself starts. There is also a demand for suitable facilities and
materials such as maps, the Internet connection, video / DVD player, CD play er, data
projector etc.

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TRAVELLING ABROAD

Level:8 th grade (13 – 14 year -old students)

Nowadays, thousands of people are travelling abroad every day. Young people and
students get a lot of opportunities to visit foreign countries, meet new people and new
cultures, which is crucial for their social development and general awareness. This is
one of many other reasons why they want to learn foreign languages, particularly
English.
I think that it is important to draw students’ attention to this fact, show them, how
important English classes are, because the lang uage can open doors for them. It is true that,
sadly, sometimes not even this argument can motivate some students.
Motivation is very important in any kind of learning. The more complicated subject
to learn, the stronger the motivation should be . I believe that motivating through
personal experience and catchy materials is highly efficient.
I prepared a project about travelling for four groups of students. They were asked to
suggest a route in Great Britain and Ireland, visiting interes ting places on their way, giving
reasons why to visit a certain place and what is interesting there.
The first group was to suggest a route in Ireland, the second one a route in
Great Britain, travelling only on routes and highways, the third one a route in Great
Britain, travelling only on railways and the fourth one route in Great Britain using only
waterways.
The week for virtual realization of this journey was set the first week in June 2018.
They were supposed to find a flight ticket on the Internet, note departure times too,
public transport in foreign co untry and accommodation. I pointed out not to forget
about food, entrance tickets and another extra costs.
Finally, they were supposed to present their proposal to their classmates.
I provided the pupils with a lot of materials that I b rought over from Ireland and
Great Britain and some books and travel guides about those countries written in
Romanian and English. These included: various leaflets, postcards and magazines brought
from Ireland and Great Britain, county Wiltsh ire, and books, namely Beautiful Ireland,
Salisbury, Trowbridge, Stonehenge, Irish Tales and Sagas, Celtic Inspirations, The Celtic
Image, National Geographic Traveller -Marea Britanie and Orasele lumii, pas cu pas,
Londra. Beautiful I reland is a picture book, 90% there are photographs of nature, people
and cities. Salisbury is a city guide, with lots of pictures, too. Trowbridge is a city

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guide as well, including interesting historical facts. Stonehenge is a book abou t ancient
monument, rather for people interested in history and such heritage sites. Irish Tales and
Sagas by Ulick O’Connor is a book of Irish legends. It is completed by beautiful drawings
and contains legends such as St Patrick, Cuchulain, Children o f Lir and others. Celtic
Inspirations and The Celtic Image are books about the Celts and their culture. They are
very interesting and nicely graphically worked out. The two books in Romanian are
detailed travel guides with hundreds of pict ures, photos and descriptions.
As they are travel guides, they are designed to help tourist to plan their journey and
give them important information. Therefore I chose those books, although they are written in
Romanian.
Another source of informa tion I asked the pupils to work with was the Internet, atlas
of the world and any other books in libraries they visit.I wanted the pupils to learn not only
how to cooperate with other people (group work), but primarily to learn to plan a journey, to
look u p information on the Internet, plan finances and choose best options out of many
presented in advertisements and on the Internet. These are skills they will probably use in
their future lives.

Expected problems

I expected the students to tell me that they did not have the Internet at home and
could not look the information up. I also thought that they would have difficulties to work in
groups –arguing, division of work etc.
I expected the pupils not t o like the presentation. I think that students are capable of
working out a task, write a piece of work, but they are not used to presenting in front of the
class, not mentioning public.

Expected outcome

I expected the groups to present t heir routes on wall charts, showing lots of pictures
and describing not only the routes, but also mainly the sites and places that are worth stopping
on.
I expected almost mistake -free speech because they had enough time for prepara tion
and consultation with their classmates and the teacher.
I expected the presentations to be vivid, colourful and interesting.

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I hoped the pupils would like the topic because travelling is one of the most
frequent hobbies among young people. The authentic materials should have support them and
show them that it is not impossible to visit a foreign country for some time, although it may
look like that to them.
In my lesson plans, there are also “organizational parts”, which take about two
minutes and they are dedicated to administrative work and organisational instructions for
pupils.

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Lesson plan no.1

1. Organisational part (3 minutes)
2. Introductory questions
– Do you like travelling?
– How often do you travel abroad?
– Who with?
– Have you ever been to any English speaking country? Which one? When?
– Do you know in which countries is English the official language?(5 minutes)
3. Motivation part
– Displaying the supporting materials on a desk. Students come to see them.(5 -10 minutes)
4. Introduction of the project
– We are going to talk about travelling and we will virtually travel to Ireland and Great
Britain.
– Setting the rules and requirements
– Division into groups
5. Working in groups, discussing the way of working out the task, division of
work among pupils, asking the teacher questions or for help. Using materials displayed and
atlases of the world.(the rest of the lesson)
Homework: to look some information up on the Internet

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The first lesson

I went according to my lesson plan. I asked children the introductory
questions. They cooperated well. I found out that they travel mostly to Greece and Romania
for holiday. No student has ever been to Great Britain, but they would all lov e to go some
day.
Then I displayed my materials on a table and invited the children to come there and
see them. They were surprisingly interested and spent on them about 10 minutes.
After that, I told them about my project and explained what were they going to do. I
let them divide into groups as they wished.
In the rest of the time, they were supposed to start working on the project. I helped
them with choosing materials useful for their tasks.
In the end, I asked them to look some infor mation up on the Internet at home. As I
sup posed, there were huge protests. They argued against my task that they did not
have the Internet connection at home. I told them to visit a library and use some books then.

Presentation

Before the second lesson, I asked the Geography teacher for atlases of the world in
which there are detailed maps of Ireland and Great Britain. We also had a map of Great
Britain on the wall and some handouts with maps of Great Britain.
I asked th e students to listen to carefully, follow the presentations and note down
the routes that the other groups proposed in three different colours into the maps they had
got. Although the task was set as individual work, they still had an opportunity to chat and
copy from their partners.

Assessment

I assessed attitude (A), speaking (S), content (C) and overall presentation (P).
Attitude: goodwill, activity during work, effort, contribution to teamwork,
cooperation with classmates within the g roup and with other groups, working with
materials (literally manipulation with materials – children sometimes tend to damage
things which are not theirs), attitude to the teacher.
Speaking: distribution of speech among pupils, accu racy and fluency, fillers, speech
power, pace.

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Content: choice of information, sequence of information
Presentation: overall presentation, mainly number of pictures and another
materials used, posture of the pupils regarding their listen ers, movements, body tal, gestures
+ speaking and content . I did not have any scale set before the lesson. I had some
expectations according to the School Educational framework. I compared the groups among
them.

The first presentation – Ireland

There were four girls in this group. They started working on their presentation the
first lesson and seemed to be really interested. They did not need any help from me. I only
showed them which postcards and pictures they should use. They also wo rked very
well in the second lesson.
The presentation was not finally as good as I supposed it to be judging from their
hard work.
One of the girls started to describe the route, but spoke slowly with a lot of
mistakes. She used a map that s he found in a magazine from Ireland, but it was too small for
whole class to see it, although it was A4 format.
Time to time, another girl helped her with a few words and some pictures.
Then, the third girl described the financial part, but she had ser ious difficulties with
numerals. I checked their notes in their notebooks. They were well worked out.
The fourth girl did not say a word during their presentation and the answer for on
my questi on why was that she was too shy and that she had helped with the preparation.
I liked the way the girls worked on their presentation, but I did not like the way they
spoke. It was obvious that they had not tried it in advance and did not think about
the numerals at all. Also the division of speech was not optimal. I wanted them all to speak.
They made mistake such as: *It cost / * in first May / *we come in the plane / * it’s
costing.

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The second presentation –Great Britain – roads

There were three people in the group. The boy who started speaking seemed livelier
and his speech was faster and louder than the first group’s one. He did not make almost any
mistakes.
They showed pictures from a book during thei r presentation. There was not much
hesitation, which I definitely cannot say about the first group. The second boy took the speech
over later and spoke about the budget. The numerals were correct. The girl did not say
anything and gave me the explanation t hat she had helped with the preparation more than the
boys. But again, I wanted them all to speak, so it was their minus.
Apart from that, this presentation was nice.

The third presentation – Great Britain – waterways

This group was the worst one. It was my fault that those not really excellent pupils
met in one group. There were two girls and three boys. They were disturbing since the
first minute I entered the classroom and their distracted behaviour was affecting the whole
class, especially during the presentations.
I watched them during the lessons more that the other groups, because I soon
realized that they were not working very well. All the time I came to their desks, they
pretended to be highly concentrated on the work and even asked me some questions
concerning the project.
The third lesson, before their presentation, they were chatting so loudly that I had to
ask one boy to change his place. Their presentation was re ally poor. Each of them said about
two sentences and none of them was correct. They seemed to be there for the first time and
never see the project before.
The girls were giggling and hiding their faces behind sheets of paper. They spoke
with lots of mistakes. They only used one leaflet, which I told them to use, because there was
a map of water canal in the south of England. They showed it to the class, but did not explain
what was in the picture and why it was important for their journey.
The c ause of this failure was that there were not very good pupils in the group.
Next time, I would mix high ability pupils with low ability ones.
If I happened not to have this information, which was actually this case, I would
check them more duri ng the work and did not give them so much responsibility as I did. I
only checked that they were working, but next time I would like to see some results after

54
every lesson and would check taking notes during the lessons, too. I would also try to
motivate them more in case I have more time.
The motivation was sufficient for high ability and average ability students, but
obviously not for those low ability ones. Maybe it would be essential to motivate them
individually. It is, however, complicated in such a big group of pupils.

The fourth group – Great Britain – railways

There were three girls in the group. Their presentation was very nice. They used
their own materials – English magazines and a map, which seemed to be printed from the
Internet. They showed a lot of pi ctures. Their speech was nice and grammatically and
lexically correct.
I saw them working hard and silently since the first lesson.
Final assessment
1st group A: 1 C: 1 S: 3/4 P: 2/3
2nd group A: 2 C: 1 S: 2 P: 2
3rd group A: 4/5 C: 3 /4 S: 4/5 P: 4
4th group A: 1 C: 1+ S: 1 P: 1
I chose the best group and compared the others with it.
The best group worked adequately according to their School Educational
Framework.
The pupils asked me to tell them the grades they got, they were not interested in
the mistakes they made.
First I told them grades they got for their attitude. I praised the first group for hard
work since the beginning and reminded the second group that they did not work in the first
lesson. The third group started arguing with me, which made me angry, because not only it
was rude, but also it was unfair to the other groups.
Then I assessed content and commended the fourth group for bringi ng and using
their own materials.
In the end of this experiment my conclusion was that we certainly need to work more
using projects because our students are not very much used to doing their own research, they
seem to wait for ready -made infor mation. I would like to improve my students' sense
of entrepreneurship.

55
CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY

6th grade (11 – 12 year – old students)

Roald Dahl, one of the most famous British novelists, is definitely worth being
introduced to children. His most popular books for children are Charlie and the
Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The Witches and James and the Giant Peach, but he wr ote
many more. These are lovely, funny and readable stories, catching not only children’s
attention. I chose the story Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, because it was turned
into a film in 1995, and also because it is part of the books to be studied in the 6thgrade.
I did not work with the book, but the film instead.
I chose the film instead of the book, because if I wanted to work with almost the
whole story, we would not manage to read the book in such a short time. We probably would
not manage to read even extracts, because the pupils in the sixth class are eleven or twelve
years old and some of th em are really slow readers. What is more, I do not expect
children to read a lot nowadays. They do not like reading. It does not mean that I agree
with this attitude, I think they should read. But they do not and in my opinion a good film can
motivate them to read. I killed two birds with one stone – I managed to fit in the time
given and I tri ed to motivate the pupils to read through amusing activities.

Expected problems

I expected the pupils not to be willing to dance as Oompa – Loompas, because they
might feel ashamed. (Oompa – Loompas are small people, Willi Wonka’s workers, who are
about 30 – 40 cm tall and come from Oompaland. They can be seen everywhere in
the factory. They like singing and dancing, usually when a child makes something bad).
I also expected them not to understand the movie very well as I played it in
English with English subtitles. I thought that they would be noisy during watching and
that they would welcomed my lessons with playing a film as a nice pause from learning.

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The first lesson plan

1. Organisational part (2 minutes)
2. Introducing Roald Dahl
Do you know Roald Dahl? Have you ever heard about him?
Have you read any book by him?
Have you seen any movie? (Charlie and the Chocolate factory, Matilda)
Brief biography.(5 minutes)
3. Watching a part of video(25 minutes)
First 25 minutes from the film. There is introduced Willy Wonka and his factory,
Charlie and his family. The competition with golden tickets starts. Four spoiled
childr en find golden tickets; Charlie finds the golden ticket, too. They are preparing for the
visit of the factory.
4. Questionnaire(10 minutes)
– Is Charlie’s family rich or poor?
– How many grandparents does Charlie have?
– Do they have a nice house? W hat is their house made of?
– What do they eat every day?
– How many children are going to visit the factory?
– Where are they from?
– Can you remember their names?
– Are the children nice?
– Choose one child and describe him / her. (character)
5. Checking the answers(5 minutes)
6. Organisational part(2 minutes)

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The first lesson

I started the first lesson with questions about the author. I mentioned above
that I think children do not real a lot nowadays, which is widely known. But it does not
apply on 100% of children. Some are on the contrary interested in reading a lot. I tried to ask
about Roald Dahl and his books.
All the children said that they had heard about him and two of them even
named some more stories by him. Children knew Matilda when I asked them. They
had probably already read some stories in Romanian.
The crucial point on the lesson was the movie, because without watching it the
pupils would not have been able to fill in the questionnaire. I managed to play the whole
part of it that I had planned, but it fi nished the moment the bell was ringing. So I asked the
pupils to complete the papers (the questionnaire) for homework. Children loved the lesson,
not only because they did not have to learn and work with textbook, but also because they
liked the story a lo t.

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The second lesson plan

1. Organisational part (2 minutes)
2. Watching next part of the movie(20 minutes)
The visit of the factory. Naughty children are punished for their bad
behaviour.
Introduction of Oompa – Loompas.
– using DVD extras – dancing
– reading and translation of a song
“Augustus Gloop! Augustus Gloop!
The great big greedy nincompoop!
How long could we allow this beast
To gorge and guzzle, feed and feast
On everything he wanted to?
Great Scott! It simply wouldn’t do!
However long this pig might live,
We’re positive he’d never give
Even the smallest bit of fun
Or happiness to anyone.
So what we do in cases such
As this, we use the gentle touch,
And carefully we take the brat
And turn him in to something that
Will give great pleasure to us allA doll, for instance, or a ball,
Or marbles or a rocking horse.
– learning dancing and singing (20 minutes)
3. Organizational part, homework (Write a prediction of about 6 sentences.
What will
happen next in the movie? How will the story end?)(3 minutes)

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The second lesson

We had to move from one classroom to another again. As a result, I had to
omit some activities because of lack of time.
First, I checked the homework. Only a few pupils did it in their notebooks, but other
pupils were able to answer the questions, too.
Then we watched next part of the movie and finally we did the activity with pictures
and learned to dance. I was surprised how they liked dancing. Unfortunately, we only
had about 7 minutes for this activity, then the bell rang and there was no space for any
feedback. It was caused by time loss, which happened because of moving. If we had not
had to move, I would have had enough time to fulfill my plan.
I felt a little disappointed after those two lessons, because the class was nice
and I could have done much more with them if I had had time. The introduction was poor and
there was not time for any feedback, which was a big mistake. The pupils did not
learn much, because everything had to be d one in hurry. I would have liked them to make
some notes in their notebooks and spend some time on revision exercises. We did not have
time to do any exercises or activities based on the film practicing vocabulary or
grammar. If there was enough time, we could do some of them spontaneously and the
pupils would not even recognise that they were not watching the film and playing, but
learning.
At least the pupils had two lively lessons and tried different way of work. They liked
the lessons and it is one of the most important things in teaching.

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The third lesson plan

1. Organisational part(2 minutes)
2. Checking homework, discussion(5 – 10 minutes)
3. Watching next part of the movie + the end(20 minutes)
4. Playing with pictures – every pupil gets a picture (copied from the book Charlie
and the Chocolate factory) and their task is to stand in a row in chronological order and
say which scene is in the picture.(5 minutes)
5. Discussion
– Did you lik e the movie? Why / why not?
– Who was your favourite character?
– What was nice / was not nice about the children?
– Would you like to such a factory? Why / why not?
– Would you like to read the book now? (+ motivating pupils to read – the book
is much better, because the content is more dense, there are pictures, you can
read in your pace, you can read some parts again and again etc.)(13 – 18 minutes)
6. Organizational part(1 minute)
In conclusion, watching videos is really entertaining, but it takes a longer time to prepare
and the teacher needs to divide the activity over several classes.

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COOKING

Level: 8thgrade (14 – 15 year -old students)

Food is one of the crucial needs for human beings next to the air and water. Every
person eats some food since the day one. Food is a phenomenon. Thousand of books about
food have been written; a lot of people dedicated their life to cooking. People love
food and its preparation might be lots of fun! Therefore I decided to prepare a project
about cooking.
Boys are generally less interested in this topic. That is why I chose to introduce a
famous British cook Jamie Oliver. He is young and he may be more of an inspiration
for boys. Girls may adore him as a handsome guy.
I used a DVD . I chose a recipe for pork chops and traditional Irish champ. The
criteria for choosing the recipe were the kind of food prepared – I wanted something
traditional or typical British or Irish meal; length and language. I played it in English
with Romaniansubtitles, because the two Englishmen were speaking quickly and with such
an accent, which I supposed not to be understood easily by the pupils. The video was 20
minutes long. I did not play the whole episode, because it would be too long.
At the beginning of the episode, Jamie is coming to a restaurant to visit his friend
who works as a chef. Then they go together to Jamie’s home on a motorbike.
There is an introductory song playing on background. It is a kind of pop music. I
hope d that this modern image of the film would motivate the pupils and show them that
cooking is a job not only for their mothers and grandmothers.
I decided to make a simple simulation with the pupils.
I chose five different recipes from book Jamie’ D inners, which was published in
2004.
Pupils got the recipes and therefore were divided into five groups. They were
supposed to prepare a presentation together: to pretend cooking, describing the process
and trying to introduce or teach new vocabulary to their classmates. They were supposed to
become cooks and possibly teachers. They did not have to learn the recipes by heart – they
could read them.
I suggested using pictures or noteswith words during the show. I chose recipes for
tomato soup, thai watermelon salad, farfalle with carbonara and spring peas, summer tray –
baked salmon and bakewell tart. I brought the original book with me so that the pupils can

62
have a look at it, see it in colours and see the photos of Jamie, his family, pictures of his
restaurant, the fifteen boys and food and meals, too.

Expected problems

I supposed pupils not to understand the listening very well. That is the reason why I
decided to play Romanian subtitles.
Jamie and his Irish friend speak together quite quickly, because the material is not
made to be a study material, but a show for British people. Their accent is strong. One has
to be quite focused and know English quite well in order to un derstand everything.
However, some parts are clear even for pre -intermediate students.
I expected boys not to be interested in cooking. My prediction was correct with a
little detail missing – the girls were not interested, either.
I expected t he pupils to know basic vocabulary connected with cooking:
ingredients, food, some basic verbs such as grate, stir, pour etc., tools such as pan, pot, oven
etc. Some pupils did not know much and had to look everything up in dictionaries. Some
pupils were g ood and did not need my help or dictionaries so much, but there were only a few
of them.
My lesson suddenly happened to be using grammar -translation method,
although it was not my intention, and tended to be boring in some groups, where there we re
not any good students and they had to translate the text word by word with
dictionaries. I tried to help them, but I did not want to translate the text for them, so my
advice was rather sporadic.

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The first lesson plan

1. Organisational part(2 minutes)
2. Introductory questions
What do you thing we are going to talk about? → miming
Do you like cooking?
Can you cook?
Is it a good / interesting job to be a cook?
Do you know any famous cook? (3 minutes)
3. Introducing J amie Oliver
Jamie Oliver is a young Englishman who established a restaurant called Fifteen in
London. Every year, he hires fifteen young people living in streets and provides one -year-
education course. They become cooks. He has published a few cookery books; the latest is
called Jamie at home. (They can have a look at the book – I have the English
original.) He also has a popular TV show. He is married and has two small children.(2
minutes)
4. Brainstorming – cooking(3 minu tes)
5. What do you like to eat? What would you like to be able to cook?
6. Watching DVD, filling in the questionnaire(20 minutes)
7. Checking the answers (with partner, then with teacher)(3 minutes)
8. Explaining the project task, showing the scene with pictures, division into
groups, distributing recipes.(10 minutes)
9. Organisational part (2 minutes)
Homework: translate the recipes so that you know new vocabulary and you can
understand the procedure of preparation.

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The first lesson

I tried to motivate the pupils and describe Jamie Oliver in the best way, but most of
them said they did not like cooking and did not know any cook. Generally, the
response was negative all over. Nevertheless, I played the DVD hopin g that they
might get interested. I asked them to fill in the questionnaires, but soon I realised that they
would not be able to.
They seemed not to listen to the video at all and I think they only read the subtitles.
At the moment they read th e answer they needed, they started to listen to the English,
but it was already gone. The result was sad. What is more, they were not happy with the
recipes I gave them. I was disappointed after the first lesson with this class.

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The second lesson plan

1. Organizational part (2 minutes)
2. Working out the presentation in groups (drawing pictures, division of roles
among pupils, asking questions the teacher etc.)(40 minutes)
3. Organizational part(3 minutes)

The second lesson

The second lesson was much better than the first one. The pupils seemed more
interested in the topic or were at least somehow reconciled with it. However, only one
group had translated the recipe at h ome, the rest pull them out of their bags, some of
them badly creased. Some pupils did not even bring it, but those were exceptions.
I brought dictionaries to the class and distributed them among children. They
started translatin g.
Some pupils divided the work among themselves within the group, which
means that some of them translated and some were drawing pictures for presentation and
helping with the translation if they understood something from the recipe.
I was monitoring all the time and helping student with difficulties. I was surprised
when I found that they had to look up in the dictionaries words like a pot, a slice or
even a peanut.
At the end of the lesson, I asked the pupils to divide the rest of work among them and
finish it before the next lesson, when the presentation would take place. I meant to
finish the translation and prepare the presentation, draw pictures or another way how
to present the r ecipe.

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The third lesson plan

1. Organisational part(2 minutes)
2. Presentations of the groups(42 minutes)
3. Organisational part(1 minute)

The third lesson

The first group presented the recipe for farfalle with carbonara and spring peas.
Two pupils from the group were chosen to present it. They had nice pictures of the
ingredients and one of them showed the picture during the other one read the recipe.
After this introduction, one of the pupils continued reading, but the show stopped. It
was obvious the he read it for the first time loud. I could not understand him very well
because he did not pronounce correctly. I stopped him in a while be cause it was no use
listening to him. I am sure that neither his classmates could understand him, because if
they did not know basic words, they definitely could not understand the more difficult ones.
The second group was supposed t o present thai watermelon salad.
When I asked them to come in front of the class and start, they did not move. It
took me a second to understand that they were not prepared. I did not know why, because they
had translated the whole recipe the previous lesson.
I asked them to come and read the recipe at least, but they had left it at
home. I was disappointed and angry. I told them to rewrite the translation of the
recipe at home and bring it to school the next lesson.
The next group presented the recipe for tomato soup.
There were only two girls in the group, but they did very well. They had
prepared some pictures and showed not only the ingredients, but also pretended cooking.
The fourth group showed us how to prepare salmon. I knew that those boys
had translated the recipe the previous lesson and did not manage to prepare any
pictures. So I brought some plastic food from home and lent them a pan and a
spatula too. Their presentation was nice and humorous and everybody liked it. However,
they were n ot good at reading and I stopped them after short time. But their attitude was good.
The last group spoke about bakewell tart. I really liked their pictures – they were
A4 format papers folded in half so that they made “roof” and could stand. Pupils could see all
the pictures displayed. They read the recipe well.
At the end of the lesson, we still had some time left because of the one group, which

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did not do the presentation. I asked the pupils to take a piece of paper and write all the words
connected with food and cooking they could remember from the last three lessons. I
was positively surprised with the result. I left them of about five minutes and some of them
asked me for extra time, they still knew some words they wanted t o write down.
Some pupils did very well, they managed to write down a lot of words and add
translation, too. The maximum number was twenty -four and all the words were translated.
Two children wrote twenty -two words, one of them with translation.
I monitored the class during writing because I wanted
them to sign their papers and not to copy from their recipes. They surprised me with words
such as sea salt, fresh mint, gas stove, extra virgin oil, smoky bacon, tablespoon or large pan.
In the last five minutes we played a game called “The alphabet game.”
Children were asked to say words connected with cooking and food in
alphabetical order, i. e. a word beginning with a, then b etc. Whoever knew one could
stand up and writ e it on the board.
They were quite creative and used some words they could remember from their
recipes, e. g.
farfalle or gas.

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POSTCROSSING – a bridge over times and cultures

This is an experiment I started a few years ago in a 5th grade class and it is
about exchanging postcards. This is an ongoing process because students from different
classes are still joining.
I decided to encourage the natural sense of curiosity and in September we
started the Postcrossing project.
What is postcrossing?
A school / class account could be registered and used to allow children to send
postcards (under adult supervision) to people around the world.
In the beginning only a ten students joined because not all of them have access to
the internet at home or master computer skills.
As postcards are sent or received, their destination / location of origin could
be identified in atlases / Google Maps / Google Earth. It might also be a good opportunity to
find out more about that place, and the history / culture of the people living there.
Some wonderful classroom displays c ould be created, using the postcards and
information about the places they are from. The only possible disadvantage is that it is
a rather costly activity, given that students have to buy the postcards and the stamps.
I first cre ated an account for myself and I brought every postcard I received into the
classroom.
How this project helps students improve their language?
Students are motivated to write English correctly;
They prepare presentations about themselves;
They learn about different countries and places in the world;
They can make their own cards, and thus use different skills.
At the end of the school year 2014 -2015 we created the classroom display which can be
seen in Appendix 6
.
Assessment of the activities

To get some feedback, I asked all the pupils participating in the projects to
fill in questionnaires for the school year 2014 -2015.

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TRAVELLING ABROAD

GENERAL QUESTIONS

What do you prefer?:

a) learning from a textbook
b) learning from another materials such as books, movies, leaflets, magazines

Have you ever done a project in your English class?
If yes, how many times?
Was it easy or difficult for you?
What was the most difficult part of the project?

a) preparation – searching for information
b) working out the presentation – cooperation with your classmates, summarizing the

The activities I have described in the following part can be used for students
at different levels.information, choosing information etc.
c) presentation – speaking, standing in front of the class

TRAVELLING PROJECT QUESTIONS

Did you like the project about travelling to England and Ireland? yes or why not?
Circle the statements you agree with:
– I learned new things
– I didn’t learn any new things
– I liked working with materials such as leaflets, books, maps
– I didn’t like working with materials which were different to my textbook
– I liked working with the Internet
– I didn’t like working wi th the Internet
– I liked presenting the results orally in front of the class
– I didn’t like presenting the results orally in front of the class
– The whole task was rather easy for me
– The whole task was not easy nor difficult for me

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– The whole task was difficult for me
– I was interested in the topic
– I wasn’t interested in the topic
– It was better that working with textbook
– It wasn’t better than working with textbook
– I wish we had more time for this project
– There was enough time for this project

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CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY

GENERAL QUESTIONS

What do you prefer?:
c) learning from a textbook
d) learning from another materials such as books, movies, leaflets, magazines

Do you use additional materials in English language lessons? (books, magazines,
songs etc.)

If yes, what materials?
Did you know the story before we watched it at school?
Did you?:

e) understand spoken English in the movie
f) understand the subtitles in the movie
g) didn’t understand at all, watched the pictures only.
Did you learn anything new or not?
Did you like dancing like Oompa – Loompas?
a) Yes, I did.
b) Yes, I did. I like when I can move in lessons.
c) No, I did not.
d) I don’t care.

Would you like to read the book now? Why?
Do you wish we had more time for working with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
or was it enough?

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COOKING

GENERAL QUESTIONS

What do you prefer?:
a) learning from a textbook
b) learning from another materials such as books, movies, leaflets, magazines

Do you ever listen to spoken English?
a. no, not at all
b. yes, at school, listening activities in my textbook
c. yes, on TV, in movies (video DVD) etc.

Have you ever done a project in English class?
If yes, how many times?
Was it easy or difficult for you?
What was the most difficult part of the project?

d) preparation – searching for information
e) working out the presentation – cooperation with you r classmates, summarizing the
information, choosing information etc.
f) presentation – speaking, standing in front of the class

Had you heard about Jamie Oliver before we spoke about him at school?
Do you like him?
Did you like the video we watched?

d. yes, I did, it was interesting
e. yes, I did, but I didn’t understand it
f. no, I didn’t, it was silly
g. no, I didn’t, I don’t like cooking
h. other:

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Circle the statement you agree with:

– I learned some new things
– I didn’t learn anything new
– I liked presenting the results orally in front of the class
– I didn’t like presenting the results orally in front of the class
– I was interested in the topic
– I wasn’t interested in the topic
– It was better that working with textbook
– It wasn’t better than working with textbook
– The whole task was rather easy for me
– The whole task was not easy nor difficult for me
– The whole task was difficult for me
– I wish we had more time for this project
– There was enough time for this project
I did not ask the pupils to fill in the questionnaires immediately after our lessons,
but I left some time for them to settle down.
I was afraid that some pupils, especially the lowachievers, might have judged
the lesson too emotion ally immediately after and might have tried to be completely
negative.
I also assumed some students needed to think about the lessons at home and
maybe discuss them with friends, classmates of teachers.
I helped them with transl ation, too.
I told them that I would accept answers in Romanian,
because I appreciated the information more than knowledge in this case.

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Results

Travelling

I got 18 completed questionnaires.
I found out that two thirds of the pupils prefer working with supplementary
materials to working with textbooks.
All of them had done a project at school before and two thirds found it easy.
The next question dealt with how demanding a pr oject is. Eleven students
out of eighteen found the presentation itself the most difficult part of the project. Five of
them did not like working out the presentation and two of them preparation.
The next part was about my project.
Seven stu dents did not like it. Two of those said that they did not like doing
projects, another two wrote * It is boring. Eleven students liked it.
Eleven students think that they learned some new things; seven did not learn
anything new.
Fourteen student s liked working with additional materials, four did not. All the
students liked working with the Internet, although part of them told me in the lesson that they
did not have the Internet at home and therefore could n ot have done the homework.
Only two students liked presenting the project in front of the class, the rest did not.
That is what I had expected. They were able to work with materials I gave them very well;
they chose the needed or the most important information and made notes in t heir notebooks.
But they did not like speaking and being watched by their classmates and the teacher.
Two pupils found the whole task rather difficult, one student easy, and the rest think that
it was adequate.
Two thirds of the students were not interested in the topic, but the same number of
them think that it was better than working with a textbook. Half of the class thinks that
there was enough time for the project and the other half thinks there should have been
more time for it.

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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

I got sixteen completed questionnaires, which means that all the pupils who did the
project filled it in.
Seven students prefer learning from a textbook to learning from supplementary
materials. It is a huge difference between them and higher grades, where almost all the pupils
answered that additional materials are better.
Most of the students wrote th at they seldom like to use additional material.
Fifteen pupils had known the story; it was new only for one student. Most of
the students said that they had understood both spoken English and subtitles.
I wanted them to choose one answer only, but they circled both of them. I think
they wanted to say that they had been listening and reading the subtitles and therefore
had understood.
Seven students think they learned something new, nine of them did not learn
anything. Five students do not think anything special about dancing, they did not care, but
the rest liked it and some of them mentioned that they like moving in lessons. Ten students do
not even think about reading the book, because they do not like reading. Four of them would
like to read it and two would like to read it in Romanian. Fifteen students wish to have more
time for this project, but I am afraid that they only liked watching the film. If we did more
grammar and exercises, they probably would not have liked it so much.

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Cooking

I got 17 filled questionnaires.
Fifteen students prefer learning from different materials than
textbooks according to them.
Eleven students meet spoken English on TV, in movies etc, six of them only at
school in listening exercises from their textbooks. There was no student who
would not come in contact with spoken English at all.
All the students had experience with making a project, but they could not
remember the exact number. One student wrote *I don’t no. One half (nine) found it easy, the
rest difficult.
The next question about the most difficult part of the project was not so one -sided as
in other classes. Whereas students in other classes unambiguously did not like presentation
itself, it was different here.
Five students did not like preparation, four of them working out the presentation
and eight of them the presentationitself.
Twel ve students had heard about Jamie Oliver. Fourteen do not like him. Most of the
students liked the video I played for them, but they did not understand it. Four students
though it was silly. Only one student said it was interesting.
One half of the class thinks that they learned something new and the same number
of students was interested in the topic. Thirteen students did not like presenting in
front of the class. Fourteen students think it was better than working with a textbook and
twelve did not find the task to be neither easy nor difficult. Nine students wish to have more
time for this project.
I also inquired the 30 students from all the classes of different levels of
English to
answer some more general ques tions about authentic materials and how they felt about using
them with the teacher in the classroom.
Question no.1: Do you enjoy working with authentic materials at your English
lessons?
To the first question “Do you enjoy working with auth entic materials at your English
lessons?” 12 respondents answered that they quite enjoy it, 10 respondents admitted
theydon’t enjoy it, only 6 students said that they do enjoy working with authentic materials
and the last 2 chose the opt ion of not really enjoying it.

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Question no.2: For what purpose do you think teachers use them? (Choose
one purpose, which is the most important).
In the second question, “For what purpose do you think teachers use them?
(Choose one purpose which is the most important)” respondents were supposed to
choose one option which is the most appropriate for them. The same number of 12
respondents said that they think teachers use movies and authentic materials to expose
students to new vocabulary and grammatical structures and to avoid working with
textbook.
Three students answered that they think they use them when they want to
increase variety and spontaneity in class, only two stude nts think they are used when they
want to expose their students to “real language” and one student said there is another purpose,
without specification.
Question no.3: Do you find authentic material effective?
To the third question “ Do you find them effective?” 13 of the asked students replied
that they definitely find them effective, same amount find them quite effective and only four
do not find them really effective. None of the respondents would choose the option of not
finding them effe ctive at all.
Question no.4: What is the greatest benefit of using authentic materials in your
opinion?
To the question “What is the greatest benefit of using authentic materials in your
opinion?” majority of respondents, 11 students, replied t hat the greatest benefit to them
is the wide choice of authentic materials. Six students find beneficial their exposure to
the “real language”, three think that the contact with Anglophone culture brings the
greatest benefit and finally ten respondents think there is another great benefit of using
the authentic materials.
Question no.5: Which authentic material from the following list do you find the
most suitable for secondary classrooms?
In the question “Which authentic material from the following list do you find
the mostsuitable for secondary classrooms?” the respondents were supposed to choose one
material from the offered variety, which they personally find the most app ropriate. The
majority of the asked students picked the newspaper articles, specifically 13 of them.
The second highest number of respondents said that the Internet websites are the most
suitable to them. Four students think book s are suitable, two think magazines are more
suitable, another two chose films as most suitable and finally, songs were chosen by two
students as the most suitable authentic material.

78
Question no.6: Do you find working with authentic materials diffic ult for you?
In the question “Do you find working with authentic materials difficult for
you?” a highnumber of 18 respondents believe that authentic materials are very difficult for
them to work with. One third of the respondents think that it is quite difficult for them. Only
two studentsfind authentic materials not so difficult for them. The result of this question
surprised me a little because I could see that students generally enjoy the classes in which we
use a variety of mate rials. On the other hand, it is more difficult to organise activities and they
do tend to be more demanding on the students.
Question no.7: From the list, pick the most challenging one for you:
magazines, Internet websites, songs, films, t ravel brochures, radio recordings, newspaper
articles, books, other.
In the question 7. the students were asked to pick the most challenging
authentic materialfrom a variety of resources. The highest number of students,
specifical ly 15 people, think that radio recordings are the most challenging ones. Films
are being seen as the most challenging authentic material by ten respondents. The last
option, which was chosen by five students, is songs.
Question no.8 : Do you find preparing for the lessons with the use of
authentic materials difficult for you, as students?
Question 8 asked the respondents whether they find preparing for the lessons with
the use of authentic materials difficult. From t hose who do find it difficult, 14 students said
that theyfind it only quite difficult and eight students find it very difficult. The rest of the
respondents don’t find it difficult, from those six students don’t find it so difficult and two
students even don’t find it difficult at all.
Question no.9: Do you and your classmates enjoy working with authentic materials?
This question tried to reveal if the students like to work with such materials. From
the number of 30 respondents, 17 said t hat they and their classmates enjoy working
with authentic materials and ten said that they quite enjoy it. Three students don’t especially
enjoy it.
Question no.10: What authentic materials from the following would you enjoy
working with the most: magazines, Internet websites, songs, films, travel brochures,
radio recordings, newspapers, books, other.
In the final question, students were asked to pick the authentic material
which they enjoy working with the most . Most of the respondents, 16 students, chose
the option “Internet websites”. Eight students enjoy working with films the most. Songs
are preferred by students according to five of them and books according to one.

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IF YOU WERE A SAILBOAT

-activity based on song lyrics, used for practicing listening skills.
Song lyrics can be a wonderful source of help in teaching a motivating lesson to students.
I have taught second conditional using Katie Melua's song If you were a sailb oat.

Lesson Aims:
1. to introduce second type conditional
2. to make the students recognize and use the 2nd type conditional
3. to improve the students’ listening skill
Skills: speaking, reading, writing, listening
Activity 1: (speaking, reading)
Aims: make the students remember the type 2 conditional
Procedure: the students are asked to look at the computer screen, to see the theory
and the examples, while listening to the teacher’s explanations
Interaction: T -Ss
Timing: 10 minutes
Activity 2: (listening and writing)
Aims:
To make the students identify and isolate conditional sentences
Procedure: the teacher asks the students to match the if -clause in the lyrics of the
song “If you were a sailboat”, sung by Katie Melua, with the name of the picture and then the
main clause ( see Appendix 1).
Interaction: T -Ss, Ss -Ss
Timing:10 minutes
Activity 3: (speaking)
Aims: to make the students use the type 2 conditional
Procedure: the students are asked to imagine hypothetical situations on the model of
the ones described in the song
Interaction: Ss -Ss, Ss -T
Timing: 10 minutes
Activity 4: (writing)
Aims: to work with the new vocabulary found in the lyrics of the song

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Procedure: Students are asked to explain some expressions and words( taken from
the song) in their own words
Interaction: Ss -Ss, Ss -T
Timing: 15 minutes
Homework: Research on the internet to find other songs in which you can hear
conditional structures and bring them to school.

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PRIMING WITH CHINESE WHISPERS

– short activity used for practicing listening skills and followed by improving
speaking and writing skills.
As I have mentioned earlier in my paper, chunks are strings of words that we can
find in our memory as a ready -made unit, so knowing lots of chunks contributes to fluent
speaking and writing. It is suggested that chunks that are appropriate for beginner and
elementary classes tend to occur in authentic speech and writing so often that learners may
well be ab le to pick them up on their own.
Level: elementary/intermediate
Time: 10 -15 minutes
Materials: Slips of paper on which are written chunks from the lyrics of a song, a
recording of the song is also needed.

Preaparation
1. Choose four multi -word bits of from the song that you are going to play. Each bit
should be, or should contain, a common chunk. For example, from the Roy Orbison
song Pretty Boers, Frank and Lindstromberg, Seth. Teaching Chunks of Language . Heibling
Languages:2008
Woman, the teacher could choose: Pretty woman, walking down the street; You look
as lovely as can be; Don't make me cry; I'll treat you right. The teacher can choose
one additional chunk in case there are groups of five.
2. Write each of the four bits of song on a different slip of paper. Then, we have a set
for a group of four students. You should make more sets of slips for as many groups as you
will have.

Pretty woman, walking down the street
Don't make me cry
You look as lovely as can be
I'll treat you right
The class will be told that:
a) in a minute they should divide up into standing groups of four or, if necessary,
five.
b) Everyone is given a slip of paper bearing a phrase or a sentence which they should
try to

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memorise. Circulate and answer questions about meaning and pronunciation.
c) No student may show their slip to anyone else until the activity is finished.
2. Then, explain how Chinese Whisper works, also that in other languages, like in
Romanian, it may be called the Broken Telephone. That is, in their groups, one
student whispers the phrase to the person standing next to them on one side, who then
whispers the phrase to the person standing next to them, who whispers it to the last
person, who then must say what phrase s/he thinks s/he heard. The person who started off
the chain of whispering tells and shows the others the phrase on the slip of paper. Every group
member takes a turn whispering their phrase.
3. Begin the activity. While it is in progress, write the words of the song title on the
board, all jumbled up.
4. Ask the early finishers to try to solve the anagrammed title.
5. When everyone has finished, ask students from a group near the board to
write up the phrases. Make sure everyone knows what they mean, and draw their
attention to the commonest word combinations, by underlining them like this: Pretty
woman, walking down the street.
6. The final step is listening t o the recorded song.

Observation.
I have used this activity with 6thgraders and it worked rather chaotically
because there were too many groups, so I think that it should be done with half of the class,
so there can be fewer groups of four.

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THINGS THAT SMELL

– activity related to the topic of smells focusing on speaking and listening
Level: Pre -intermediate and advanced
Time: 50 minutes
Materials: copies of handouts (Appendices 2 and 3)
Preparation:
Find and bring in class a few things with strong but pleasant smells, such
assamples of herbs (e.g. rosemary, mint, lavender, bay leaf, etc.), spices, pieces of
fragrant soap, bits of perfumed paper, throat lozenges and other thi ngs you wish to include.
1. It is a necessary step to elicit names of herbs and spices. You should also a sk what
parts of a plant each one tends to come from. Explain and discuss that herbs tend to consist of
the softer or finer parts of plants such as leaves and flowers, whereas spices tend to consist of
harder, coarser parts, such as seeds and bark, which may be ground into a powder.
2. Form pairs of As and Bs. Tell the Bs to close their eyes.
3. Give each student A a sample of one of your smelly materials.
4. Ask the As to pass their sample under the nose of their partner who, only
in whispers, should try to guess what it is.
5. After a while, see who knows what the sample is and write the word for it on the
board.
6. Repeat wit h the other samples, alternating between As and Bs.
7. Form pairs and give each partner a different section of the List of Things that
Smell.
At pre -intermediate level, 15 items per student is about right. At advanced level you
can divide the whole list between partners. Also, give each partner a copy of the Responses
Sheet.
8. Ask students, in their pairs, to take turns reading the expression s on the lists out
loud. Add that when one partner reads out an expression, the other partner/partners
must respond in some way, according to their feeling about the smell in question. They may
use the possible responses sheet in the examples as a guide.
9. Ask early finishers to come to the board and, from memory, write up smelly
things that
they remember from the list.

84
Observation.
This is an extremely fun to do activity, but make sure that students write down the
words that th ey do not know, so they can use them throughout the activity. You can also
introduce a few figurative uses of smell vocabulary. For example: There is something fishy
about her behaviour. Fishy = smelly = suspicious

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MILESTONES

Reading activity based on an article taken from Time Magazine, issue of July
14th 2014, pag.14
Level: advanced
Time: 50 minutes
Materials: copies of the article (Appendix 4)
Preparation:
Find and bring in class different objects like: a small pan, a tennis racket, a string
musical instrument and other objects from different materials.
1. Elicit names of materials, based on the objects you have brought, but also
based on t he surrounding objects.
2. Form groups of three or four students who have the article in front of themselves.
3. Ask the to read silently and at the end of the silent reading ask which word is
new and rather unusual ( you should agree on the word k evlar).
4. Prepare some follow up questions, such as:
Where is the article taken from?
Who is the woman in the article?
What did she discover?
What is kevlar famous for?
Can you name other lifesaving inventions?
The students then take turns to read the article aloud
5. The homework assignment could be: Look up five inventors and their inventions that have
changed the world/ Look up information about Stephanie Kwolek and prepare a presentation
for the class.

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QUESTIONNAIRES WITH MULTIPLE CHOICE ANSWERS

-activity for practicing guided speaking
One aim of this activity is to get students talking about themselves.
Another is to rehearse chunks that are included within a set of scripted
questions and/or a set of recommended answers.
Teachers could use expressions of frequency, time of day, actions, chunks
which can begin a question.
Level : upper -elementary – pre-intermediate
Time: 20 to 40 minutes
Materials: a class set of each of the two handouts (Appendix 5)
Procedure:
1. Hand out sheet 1 and check for understanding. It would be advisable to write down
the new words.
2. Write some questions on the board, such as: When do you sleep?/When do you brush your
teeth?/ When do you go shopping?
3. Ask three students each to ask you one of the questions. Answer them using expressions in
sheet 1.
4. Form A -B pairs and give stu dent A in each pair a copy of the top half of sheet 2, and ask
the As to interview the Bs by asking those questions. Add that:
The Bs, after they answer, should ask: And you?
The Bs should try to use the answers on sheet 1.
The As should, in general, not show the questions to their partners.
5. When the as have asked all their questions, give the Bs the bottom half of sheet 2 so that
they can now interview the As. The reason that the Bs get new questions is so that the As can
also have the experience of answering unexpected questions.
6. When the interviews are finished, ask everyone to hide their copies of sheet 1. In pairs,
they should write down all the expressions they remember from sheet 1 (all the time
and frequency expressions)
Observation.
It is a very useful activity, but again it can get quite noisy in a large classrooms.

87

CONCLUSION

The focus of my thesis has been to look at the use of movies and other
authentic materials in the learning teaching experience and to show how different
resources ca n be used to develop both productive and receptive skills, as wel l as how
it can contribut e to the mastering of the language syste ms.
Movies and other a uthentic materials give an opportunity to use the foreign language
in a natural and motivating way by helping students to develop their language skills in order
to become competent users of the language.
The theoretical background chapter indicates that there are many types of
authenticmaterials from which teachers can choose the most suitable ones. Nowadays, the
media as the Internet offer an infinite range of resources for foreign language teaching. The
point s of view towards using authentic materials in English teaching differ thoug h, as
can be seen in the possible disadvantages section.
If students are to develop a functional proficiency in the language and to use
the langu age in a communicative manner in the real world, they m ust begin to
encounter the language of that world in the classroom. That is, they need ample
opportunities to see and hear the language used as the primary medium of
communicati on among native speakers.
Also, they need opportunities to practice using the language to cope with everyday
situations they might encounter outside the classroom. It is not always comfortable for the
teacher to prepare and adapt the mate rial for the classroom, nor is it always easy for
the students to understand and react to all kinds of material provided.
The use of movies in the classroom has been discussed, with the student benefiting
from the exposure to real language being used in a real context.
Other aspects which proved positive when using authentic materials were th at they
are highly motivating, giving a sense of achievement when understood and encourage
further reading. They al so reflect the changes in the use of language, there is a wide variet y
of text types, they are also very versatile (they can be used in different ways to promote
different skills) and can be used more than once as well as be updated.
Anything can be used as authentic material but for developing all four skills
reading, writing, listening and speakin g, one of the most useful remains the Internet,
with large amounts of varied material being easily accessible.

88
One of the main reas on for using movies in the classroom is once outside the
“safe”, controlled language learning environment, the learner will not encounter the
artificial language of the classroom but the real world and language how it is reall y used.
The role of the teacher is not to delude the language learner, but to prepare
him, giving the awareness and necessary skills so as to understand how the lan guage is
actually used.
Having made a distinction between a uthentic and non -authentic material and
evaluated the use of them in the classroom, it is worth taking into consideration Davies who
wrote:“It is not that a text is understood because it is authentic but tha t it is authentic because
it is understood . …Everything the learner understands is authentic for him.”
I would recommend using authentic materials and modern alternative teaching
approaches and methods to all the language teachers. It is im portant to have good
class management skills and be able to inspire the students. The posit ive results will
definitely delight both teachers and their students.

89
APPENDICES
Appendix 1

90

91
Appendix 2
Handout for the activity Things that smell
1. Freshly baked bread
2. Hand lotion
3. The air on a frosty morning
4. An outdoor barbecue
5. An ocean beach
6. A Chinese restaurant
7. A camp fire
8. A Christmas tree
9. The water of a fresh mountain stream
10. Burning feathers or hair
11. Boxes of apples
12. Breath that smells of garlic
13. A dairy farm or cow shed
14. A deep, dark forest
15. Freshly mown grass
16. Newly fallen snow
17. Chicken frying in a pan
18. Garden soil when you have just turned it over with a spade
19. A new book
20. Crushed orange peel
21. A hay barn
22. Laundry on the clothes line on a hot summer day
23. Burning incense
24. When it rains in summer after a long hot dry period
25. A fast -food restaurant specialising in hamburgers
26. Burning ubbish
27. A rainforest
28. An Indi an restaurant
29. Thick sea fog
30. A car that smells of cigarette smoke
31. The inside of a sea shell
32. Burning leaves
33. Horse stables

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93

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Appendix 5 Handout for the questionnaire.
Sheet 1: Replies
All the time. (Early) in the morning. In the afternoon.
During the day. In the evening. (Late) at night.
In the (winter). Now and then. (Almost) never.
Whenever (I) can. Never, if I can help it. (Once)……..a day.
Every day. Every (two) days. Could you say that again?
Whenever (I) need to. It
varies.
Whenever (I) feel like it. That is a difficult question.
Replace the word in brackets whenever suitable.
Sheet 2: Questions
1. When do you have breakfast?
2. When do you go to bed?
3. When do you have a shower or bath?
4. When do you comb or brush your hair?
5. When does your heart beat?
6. When do you dream?
7. When do you dream about being here in class?
8. When did you have breakfast yesterday?
9. When do you eat bananas?
10. When does the sun come up?
11. When are children in school?
12. Whn do you have teeth in your mouth?
13. When is the moon full?
14. When are you going to go home today?
15. When do you eat chicken?
16. When do you see the stars?
17. When do you have fingers?
18. When is the weather the coldest?
19. When do you cook?
20. When do you read a newspaper?
21. When do you speak Chinese?
22. When do you work?
23. When do you think of the future?

95

96
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101

DECLARATIE

Subsemnata C ĂPĂSTRARU (FLOREA) DOMNICA , profesor de limba
engleză la Școala Gimnazială ,,Regele Mihai I’’, judetul Mehedinti , localitatea Drobeta
Turnu Severin, candidat pentru susținerea probelor de obținere a gradului didactic I în
învățământ , declar pe propria răspundere că:

– lucrarea a fost elaborată personal și îmi aparține în întregime;
– nu au fost folosit e alte surse decât cele mentionate în bibliografie;
– nu au fost preluate texte, date sau elemente de grafică din alte lucrări sa u din alte surse
fără a fi citate și fără a fi precizată sursa preluării;
– lucrarea nu a mai fost folosită în alte contexte de examen sau de concurs.

28.VIII.2018 CĂPĂSTRARU (FLOREA) DOMNICA