Video activities for a clip

Previewing Questions- have Ss discuss questions about a general topic to begin their thinking process. Also, offer both specific and general listening opportunities. Provide questions for Ss to look for the answers to within the clip.

Vocabulary: Introduce vocabulary that Ss need to know in order to understand
the clip. It is not recommended to explain every word ahead of time, as some might be understandable by the context. However, T might want to have Ss listen for a word or two and determine their meaning from the context.

Turn off the sound, and ask the students to first watch and guess the dialogue based on what they see. Next, ask the students to write down the conversations.

Ask them to underline any similar statements in their papers from what they
hear when you play the video again with sound.

Create an activity using a cloze exercise. Ss can fill in the blanks of a dialogue.

Type out the dialogue. Ask half the class to read it and the other half of the class to watch it. Put a reader with a listener and ask them without notes to reconstruct the dialogue,

Have Ss write down "quiz" questions based upon the clip they've seen. Have a partner or group take each other's quizzes (may be oral or written).

Grammar: Ss can say what is happening while it is occurring using present continuous or can explain what happened (simple past) or what people said using reported speech. There can be a specific focus placed on many different forms depending on the clip.

Listen to the video without looking at the picture. Record as much information as possible. Next, ask students to imagine what the scene looks like that goes with the dialogue they have recorded. Show students the video to see the similarities and differences. Discuss when finished.

Ten-question true-false exercise before watching a video, to see who manages to get the most questions right. This gets them all involved in watching the video and paying close attention.

Provide Ss with a grid to fill out with specific information about each character.

Give Ss dialogue in strips and have them place the strips in order based upon what they hear. This might also be done with different vocabulary words.

Prediction - T may show a clip up until a certain point and then ask Ss to guess what they think will happen. Ss can either discuss with a partner, or write down their predictions. Then, T will play the rest of the clip and Ss can check their guesses.

Debate - T will show a clip that has a controversial issue and allow Ss to debate what they think a character should do or what in general is their preference.

Compare 2 versions of a film (an old version and a new version) or the book with the film. Also, if there are 2 similar themes in 2 different movies, Ss can compare the 2 clips.

Shrinking Story: First three volunteers (or victims!) are needed. Then the three of them leave the classroom. While they are outside you play a short clip of video. You and your students discuss the story, paying attention to the details. Then you call one of the ones outside (A). Your students voluntarily tell Student A the story. Student A can't ask anything!! Call another student outside (B). A tells B the story. Then you call the other student outside (C). Then B tells C the story. Then C tells the class the whole story. At the end all of you see the video again and discuss the wrong information and then the idiomatic expressions.

Film Critic: Ss will have 10 minutes to write a response to the clip (or film if you have watched the whole film -not in one session, of course). Questions can include - give a brief summary of the film, did you like or dislike and why? Which character can you identify with? Then have Ss give impromptu oral presentations (if time is short, T may draw the names of a couple of Ss), or they may share their ideas in groups.