BBC One Christmas 2017 - one film, two techniques

DAY ONE

Christmas cartoon marathon!

Are you ready for Christmas? Did you buy all the presents? Did you decorate the house? Our heads are full of the things to do before the big day comes......

Also, in the class Christmas it is a hot period and we sometimes need fresh ideas. That is why, today I'm starting a big countdown to Christmas and I would like to remind you of a few video watching techniques, as well. For the next few days I would like to present you a few fresh cartoon and the ways in which you can use them. Are you ready?

Let me start with a cartoon created by BBC. This two-minute video can be a great warm-up activity.

LESSON PLAN

LEVEL: ELEMENTARY +

AGE: 7-12 

FILM ADDRESS: https://youtu.be/8PstSiTCk74

TIME: 5 MIN

TECHNIQUE ONE

AIM: to watch for details
           to practise memory

I love to call this activity MEMORY MASTER. Just watch the cartoon and prepare about 10 general questions referring to the film. For example:

1. What colour is the girl's jacket? (yellow)
2. What is the name of the competition? (Christmas Talent Show)
3. What colour are the girl's headphones? (green)
4. What is the father ironing? (a checked shirt)
5. Is it snowing when they are outside? (No, it isn't.)
6. What is mum doing? (nothing, there is no mum in the video) etc.

Of course, the questions can be in Past tenses, depending on the group level.
To make it a bit more fun, I always use a great phone application BUZZER. It's a button to press. Just devide a class into two groups and select one representative from each of them. Give them buzzers and the one who knows the answer first, presses. Fun is guaranteed!

TECHNIQUE TWO

AIM: to practise PAST SIMPLE & PAST CONTINUOUS 
          to practise PRESENT SIMPLE & PRESENT CONTINUOUS
          to watch for details

The second option is connected with GRAMMAR PRACTICE. When I saw the film for the first time, I had a great idea. I was just finishing grammar with my students: Past Simple and Past Continuous and thought that it can be a great practice. Write on the board a sentence:

What was the father doing while the girl was dancing?

The students open thier notebooks and write down as many activties as they see while watching. Then students produce correct sentences:

e.g. While the girls was dancing, her father was talking on the phone. etc

With less advanced students you can practise Present Continuous Tense:

Just write down a list of activities that apppear in the film. For example:

• Do the wahing up
• Buy a Christmas tree
• Do the ironing
• Repair the car
• Do the shopping
• Decorate the Christmas tree
• Take a photo
• Talk on the phone

Studnents watch and write numbers next to the activity they see and then produce sentences:

e.g. The father is doing the washing up. etc

Hope your students will enjoy the activities. Tomorrow the next film!