English What role do movies

Pedagogical Module 1 play in culture?

Curricular Threads: Communication and Cultural Awareness,
Oral Communication, Reading, Writing, Language Through the Arts

Third Course BGU

Biographies and
movie reviews 4 Movies around
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So
the world

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lSa
tu
Idioms 3

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ie
s
Writing a biography
6 and movie review
ish

La
Simple past /
2

ng
gl

past continuous

ua
Movie
En

ge
Time 7
Important people

So
Movie genres 1 and dates in movies

ci
al
St
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Values

8 Interculturality

Movies can tell us a lot about a culture. The Chinese American actor Jackie Chan
They can tell us about the past, the present, and once said: “Cinema reflects culture and there
maybe even predict the future. They can reflect is no harm in adapting technology, but not at the
values and beliefs. Movies are, in a sense, a way cost of losing your originality.” Movies help give
of showing ourselves to the world. us a name and place in the world.
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How do you interpret Jackie Chan’s quote? Do you agree? Why or why not?

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 Writing
Language

A biography
A biography is a story about a person’s life. It includes information
about where and when the person was born, details about his/her
childhood, family, hobbies, important life events, career, and other
significant aspects of his/her life. Many times a biography is written
after a person dies, as a tribute to the life he or she lived and to teach

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others about the person.

1. Think of an actor or actress you really like. He or she can be from

any part of the world. Write down his or her name and anything
you know about this celebrity.
Grammar Note
Remember that when
we are talking or writing
about stories that took place
in the past, we can use the
2. Now do some research and add more interesting facts about simple past (verb + ed for
the person you have chosen. Continue your list.
regular verbs) or the past
progressive (was/were +
verb ing). The first is used
with actions that have a
definite beginning and end
3. Take your ideas and write them in a short (100-120 words) mini- in the past, and the second is
biography. Be sure to write all the events in chronological order. used for ongoing or habitual
You must use at least FIVE time expressions, for example: before, events in the past.
after, during, as soon as, while, then, later, at the same time…
E.g.: While Bill was studying
economics at university,
his father had a terrible
accident. (Bill was studying
over a period of time,
his father had an accident
at a specific moment.)
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 Lesson B

Communication and Cultural Awareness

Idioms
Idioms are short expressions that are metaphorical in nature and are 2. Write your own mini-dialogue
used in everyday life to express ideas or situations. Many times they cannot incorporating one of the
idioms you just learned.
be translated literally from one language to another because they lose their
meaning. They also have a strong cultural component.
Mineduc

1. Read the text as a class and discuss the possible meaning

of the phrases in blue with your teacher.

Guess Who (2005)

Theresa: Are you getting cold feet, Simon?
Simon Green: No. No, I’m not getting cold feet. I can’t wait to marry you
and make babies with you. Give me a daughter who looks just like you.

The Maze Runner (2014)

Thomas: How long have they been looking?
Newt: Three years.
Thomas: And they haven’t found anything?
Newt: It’s a lot easier said than done. Listen. Hear that? It’s the
maze changing. It changes every night.

Scent of a Woman (1992)

Lt. Col. Frank Slade: Oh uh, Charlie. About your little problem…
there are two kinds of people in this world… those who stand up
and face the music, and those who run for cover. Cover is better.

Frozen (2013)
Young Anna: Do you want to build a snowman? Or ride our bike around
the halls? I think some company is overdue. I’ve started talking to the
pictures on the walls. Hang in there, Joan! It gets a little lonely. All these
empty rooms. Just watching the hours tick by.
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The Bad Batch (2016) Vocabulary

The Dream: All the things you’ve done, have put you right here with
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translate. convert text from

me. To life… life is The Dream… It costs a lot to be here. It costs you one language to another
an arm and a leg.
tick. the movement of the
hands on a clock

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Reading

Have you ever watched any movies that you consider controversial?
Which one(s)? What topic(s) did they deal with?

The Help
The Help is a movie that was released in 2011. It is set in the context
of 1960’s Mississippi, a state in the southern part of the United
States. This is a time when segregation between white and black
people still existed. A main theme in this movie is racism. It tells
the story of Skeeter, who is a white, high-class recent college
graduate who is determined to become a famous writer.
She causes chaos in this racially divided society when she
decides to interview the black women who have worked
as maids and caregivers for white families. These women have

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suffered physical and emotional abuse at the hands of their
white bosses. At first it is difficult for her to find volunteers
to tell their stories, but little by little she gains the trust
of the ladies. As Skeeter collects their anecdotes, she loses
friends and boyfriends from the high society. In the end,
she publishes her book and it is a total success.

Discuss your thoughts

with a partner.

• Consider the main

character, Skeeter.
Would you do the same
in her situation?

• What genre would

you consider this movie
to be? Why?

• Have you seen any other

movies that deal with
racism? What was the movie
and what was its message?

Vocabulary

maids. women who clean,

cook, and do household chores

caregivers. people who take

care of others, usually children
or the elderly
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Scene from The Help movie

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 Writing
Creative Writing - Idioms

1. Idioms are used in everyday life, sometimes to even teach a lesson. Tip
Take three of the idioms you have learned in this chapter or look for
others you like on the internet. Write them here and explain what they Remember to use
mean in other words. connecting words like
1 “first”, “then”, “next”,
“finally” to make your
story flow better.

2. Now choose one of these three and think of a story that can have this
idiom as a moral (a lesson). Make it a story that your classmates can
relate to. Write a short story of 100-120 words. Be prepared to share
it with your classmates. Use the past tense and time expressions.
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 Writing
Creative Writing - A Sequel

1. Think of a movie that you like that does not have a sequel. What is the Grammar Note
main story of the movie? Describe it in three or four sentences below
using past tenses (simple past and past continuous). When we talk about
a movie that we have seen,
we can tell the story using
the past tenses, because they
are actions that have already
occurred. However, speakers
have the tendency
to switch to what is called
the “historical present”.
Someone can start staying,
“Yesterday I went to the
store and suddenly I see
this girl…” The reason
speakers do this is to bring
the interlocutor closer to
the story. When you write
a sequel, you can use the
present (simple present and
present continuous – am/
is/are +ing) and future (will
or going to) tenses since the
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story hasn’t taken place yet.

2. Now continue the story. What happens to the main characters?

What are the major events that take place? How is the story resolved?
Write two or three paragraphs, between 100-120 words in total.
Use the present and future tenses, since these events have not taken
place yet. Use time expressions to guide your reader, including: first, next,
then, after that, later on, at the same time, weeks/months/years later.

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Vocabulary

sequel. the continuation

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of a movie or book

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 Writing
Job Cover Letter

• Imagine that you are applying for a job in the

movie business. Which one would you most be
interested in, of all that you have seen in this
module? Write it here.

• What kinds of qualities do you think that

a person hiring for this position would be looking
for? List them here.

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Vocabulary
Now write a letter of 100-120 words to a possible employer
to tell him or her why you would be qualified for this particular job. make up. create, invent
Be sure to mention why you want the job and why you are
qualified for the position. Feel free to make up some information
about yourself to fit the job description!

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Language Through the Arts
Costume and Makeup Artists
Culture
Many people underestimate the role of makeup and costume
artists. Without them, the movie would be missing a great part of its Makeup and clothing styles
enchantment. Filmmaking is a process that involves many aspects and for men and women vary
participants, and these artists are certainly essential. from culture to culture
and across the years.
Costumes and makeup were first used in live theater productions, The styles that were popular
and later they were incorporated into movies. Every article in the United States, Ireland,
of clothing for each actor in a movie is considered a costume. They are or Japan in the 1970s are
designed to contribute to the character’s image and perfectly measured no longer popular in those
to fit the actor or actress who is portraying him or her. In order places today. However,
to design a costume, first the costume designer must study the script some experts claim that
in depth. He or she must understand the entirety of the movie and fashion is cyclical; in other
how that particular character fits into the grand scheme of things. words, the same trends tend
Then the costume designer does research to create the best clothes for to come back again 30 years
the characters. If the movie is about high school students, later. So what people wear
the designer may visit local high schools and take notes today may be popular again
on what they are wearing. Then the designer discusses in the 2050s…!
his or her ideas with other people working on the
film and comes up with the best costumes.
Makeup is both an art and a science. It makes Vocabulary
characters beautiful while covering up flaws.
In 1914, the company Max Factor was the first underestimate. not give
to produce makeup specifically for movies. In 1931, enough importance
to something
Jack Pierce created the face of the monster Frankenstein
using this makeup. In 1939, the first makeup with portray. represent
latex rubber was used on the characters in The in depth. deeply, profoundly
Wizard of Oz. In modern times, digital techniques can
be used to modify makeup and costumes, but have yet
to replace the actual human artists.
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Source: https://bit.ly/2VSuqc0

Brief description
Design your own
costume for a movie.
Decide what genre
of movie it is for
and write a brief
description next
to your picture.
Be prepared
to share your work
with your classmates.
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28
 Oral Communication

What is your favorite idiom in your language?

Idioms in Conversation

1. Listen to a conversation between two friends about idioms. What does Tip
each of the idioms mentioned in the dialogue mean? Write it in your
own words. Remember that idioms
• Get the show on the road cannot always be
translated literally from
one language to another.
Think of how you would
• To kick something off express the same idea of
these idioms in your own
language. Would you use
the same words?
• Live up to the hype

• Break a leg Vocabulary

hype. excitement, commotion

• The show must go on

2. Choose one of the idioms you heard in the dialogue. Write your own
min-dialogue of 10 lines in which one of the characters uses the idiom
with another.

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Hit the road

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