Welcome back to our series “From Dull To Dynamic: Song Facts For ELT Success -Transforming Songs into Engaging Classroom Experiences!“

In this lesson, we’ll focus on the Song Fact Activity of Matching Movie Reviews to Pictures. This activity is a fun and interactive way to engage your students’ visual and critical thinking skills.

Here are some steps to implement it:

1. Prepare a set of movie reviews and pictures in advance:

To create this activity, you’ll need to choose a set of movie reviews and pictures that feature a song in their soundtrack that you want to focus on. You can find movie reviews on websites like Rotten Tomatoes or IMDb, and pictures can be movie stills or promotional posters. Make sure to choose reviews and pictures that are age-appropriate for your students and that align with the level of English proficiency you are targeting.

2. Divide your students into pairs and have them match the movie reviews with the corresponding pictures:

Once you have your materials prepared, divide your students into pairs and provide each pair with a set of reviews and pictures. Encourage your students to work together to match the reviews with the pictures that they think go together. You can set a time limit for this task to keep your students engaged and focused.

3. Set a clear objective for the matching task:

Before your students begin the matching task, provide them with a clear objective to make the process more engaging and effective. Here are some practical tips and steps to guide them:

a. Introduce the task: Briefly explain the purpose of the matching task to your students. Let them know that they will be matching movie reviews to corresponding pictures while focusing on specific aspects of the reviews.

b. Choose the focus points: Select two or three aspects of the movie reviews that you want your students to pay attention to, such as the plot, characters, themes, or setting. Make sure these aspects are relevant to the movies and songs you’ve chosen for the activity.

c. Model the process: To help your students understand what’s expected of them, model the process using an example review and picture. Show them how to look for keywords or phrases in the review that relate to the focus points you’ve chosen. Demonstrate how these clues can help them find the correct match.

d. Create a checklist: Provide your students with a simple checklist to guide their analysis of the movie reviews. The checklist could include questions like, “Does the review mention the main characters?” or “What themes are discussed in the review?” This will give your students a clear framework for approaching the task.

e. Encourage collaboration: Remind your students that they should work together in their pairs or small groups to discuss their findings and come to a consensus on the best match for each movie review and picture.

f. Monitor and support: While your students are working on the matching task, circulate around the room to monitor their progress. Offer support and guidance when needed, but encourage them to rely on their critical thinking skills to find the correct matches.

4. Challenge your students to guess which movie the song is from based on the review and picture:

After your students have completed the matching task, challenge them to guess which movie the song is from based on the review and picture. This will encourage them to use their critical thinking skills and engage in a deeper analysis of the materials. You can also provide hints or additional information to help your students make an educated guess.

“The sound and music are 50% of the entertainment in a movie.”

George Lucas

5. Use this activity as a starting point for a larger conversation about movies and music:

Finally, use this activity as a starting point for a larger conversation about movies and music. Follow these steps to engage your students in meaningful discussions:

a. Brainstorm movie elements: Start by asking your students to brainstorm different elements of movies, such as plot, characters, cinematography, and music. Write their ideas on the board to create a visual reference for the discussion.

b. Discuss the role of music in movies: Next, focus specifically on the role of music in movies. Ask your students how music can contribute to the overall atmosphere, emotion, and storytelling of a film. Encourage them to provide examples from their favorite movies.

c. Share personal experiences: Ask your students to share their favorite movies and explain why they like them, focusing on the role that music plays in their enjoyment. Encourage them to think about how the soundtrack enhances the viewing experience and connects with the emotions of the audience.

d. Debate the importance of music in movies: Organize a debate or discussion about the importance of music in movies. Divide your students into groups and assign them different perspectives, such as arguing that music is essential to the movie experience, or that it is not always necessary. This will help them practice their speaking and argumentation skills, while also encouraging critical thinking about the topic.

e. Reflect on the activity: To wrap up the discussion, have your students reflect on what they learned from the matching activity and how it relates to the broader conversation about movies and music. This will help them consolidate their understanding and make connections between the activity and the concepts discussed.

By following these steps, you can create a more informative and engaging discussion around the topic of movies and music, encouraging your students to share their opinions and engage in meaningful conversations.

Incorporating this activity into your lessons can help make your lessons more engaging and memorable for your students. By transforming bad tunes into teaching treasures, you can create a fun and effective way for your students to learn English.

The next installment of the course “From Dull to Dynamic: Song Facts for ELT Success” will explore another exciting Song Fact Activity: using movie titles, trailers, and reviews. Stay tuned for more tips and tricks on how to transform bad tunes into teaching treasures. Until then, keep on teaching and happy transforming!

From Dull to Dynamic: Song Facts for ELT Success – Part 2A: Using Movie Reviews

Hi everyone!

Welcome back to the series “From Dull to Dynamic: Transforming Songs into Engaging Classroom Experiences.”

In our previous installment, we discussed how focusing on the facts of a song can make for effective materials in English language lessons.

Today, we’ll explore Song Fact Activities. Suppose the song you want to use is part of a movie soundtrack. In this case, a great idea would be exploring Movie Reviews. 

Song Fact Activity Movie Reviews

This is a fun and interactive way to enhance reading comprehension and speaking skills in the English language classroom.

Here are some Tips to help you get started:

A. Selection of movie reviews for the movie featuring the song

Step 1: Selecting Movie Reviews for the Classroom

In this step, you are tasked with finding movie reviews for the movie that features the song you want to use in your English language lessons.

You must choose movie reviews that are appropriate for the students’ age and level of English proficiency.

Step 2: Distributing Movie Reviews and Song Clips

In this step, you provide each student or pair of students with a copy of the movie review you selected. You can also project or screen-share it, if this is more convenient for you.

To make the activity more engaging, you can also provide a clip of the song for students to listen to before reading the review.

Step 3: Reading and Discussing Movie Reviews

In this step, students read the movie review either in pairs or individually.

After reading the review, students discuss whether or not they would like to see the movie and why. This is a great way to improve their reading comprehension and speaking skills in the English language classroom.

B. Encouraging Comparison and Sharing of Student Opinions

1 Group Discussion on the Movie and Song:

After the students have read the movie review, bring them together as a group for a discussion on the movie and the song. This allows students to share their thoughts and opinions, which can be beneficial for their speaking and critical thinking skills.

2 Variety of Movie Reviews:

To add a challenge and encourage critical thinking, consider providing each student or group of students with a different movie review of the same movie. This will allow them to compare and contrast the different opinions expressed in the reviews, improving their analytical skills.

3 Agree or Disagree:

Ask students if they have seen the movie and then encourage them to agree or disagree with the reviews they have read. This will also help students develop their critical thinking skills and reasoning abilities, as they must articulate their opinion and explain why they hold that opinion.

4 Explanation of Reasoning:

Encourage students to explain their reasoning for why they agree or disagree with the reviews they have read. This will allow them to practice speaking and communicating their thoughts, while also developing critical thinking skills as they consider and articulate the reasons behind their opinions.

C. Fostering Speaking Skills and Critical Thinking Through Discussion

As the teacher, you have the power to steer your discussion to greatness with the right follow-up questions. Think of it like being a game show host, except instead of giving away prizes, you’re giving away knowledge and insight! So get your host on and fire away those thought-provoking questions.

Follow-up questions are like the Swiss Army knife of classroom tools. They can help you carve out a deeper understanding of the topic, explore different viewpoints, and challenge your students to think beyond their wildest imaginations! So get ready to dive deep into the conversation and leave no stone unturned!

For example, if you’re chatting about a movie review, you might ask, “What do you think makes a movie worthy of an Oscar, besides a great after-party?” Or “What would happen if every movie had to end with a dance number, would that make them better or worse?” These questions are sure to stir up some debate and make your class laugh in the process!

Another hilarious way to use follow-up questions is to get your students to reflect on their own opinions and experiences. For instance, if someone shares their thoughts on a movie, you could ask, “If you were stranded on a deserted island with only that movie and a coconut for company, would you still feel the same way?” Or “What other movies would you suggest to the island coconut to broaden their horizons?” These types of questions will have your class in stitches while they think more deeply about the subject at hand.

So get ready to turn up the humor and critical thinking in your classroom, and who knows, you might just discover the next Scorsese in the making!

Connecting Classroom Discussion to the English Language

Let’s Spice Things Up!

Ready to add some spice to your classroom discussion? It’s crucial to encourage students to share different perspectives and connect their ideas to the English language. By doing so, they’ll better understand the language and concepts used in the movie review, and hey, who doesn’t want to improve their language skills?

By encouraging critical thinking and free-flowing conversation, students will gain the confidence to express themselves more effectively. And let’s be real, being able to express oneself is an essential life skill that will come in handy even beyond the classroom walls.

So, let’s make connections! Connecting classroom discussions to the English language is like giving your students the keys to unlock the door to language proficiency. With every debate and discussion, they’ll become more confident in their language abilities and be able to speak English like a pro in no time.

And remember, the more students feel comfortable sharing their thoughts, the more engaging the discussion becomes. It’s like adding hot sauce to a bland meal – it just takes it to the next level. So let’s get our students talking, and who knows, they may just surprise us with their fluency!

Using movie reviews as a springboard for broader discussions can be a highly effective way to:

• Help students improve their language skills.
• Expand their knowledge about movies.
• Build relationships with their classmates.

Conclusion

And there you have it! Using movie reviews in this way can make for an enjoyable and interactive activity in your English language lessons, helping students improve their reading comprehension, speaking skills, and critical thinking. Stay tuned for the next installment where we’ll be matching movie reviews to pictures. Until then, keep on teaching and transforming even the dullest songs into dynamic classroom experiences!

Click the Image Below To Go To Part 2c: