Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)

A young woman is forced to fulfill her destiny of fighting vampires and demons with the help of her friends all the while struggling to live a normal teenage life of heart break and drama.

Creator: Joss Whedon

Level: Beginner

Age: adults / teens

The segment was extracted from an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. A couple of teenagers invade a school at night and something terrible happens.

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Suggested procedures:

Before you watch: invite students to read the short text and explore intonational patterns used in Portuguese. In the examples in, we use a falling intonation for option A (affirmative sentence) and a rising one for option B (yes/no question).

While watching: guide students through tasks 1, 2 and 3.

After watching: In pairs, students ask each other the questions, paying special attention to the intonation. You could ask a few students to report/comment on their classmate’s answers.

Time : 25 minutes

 

Friends

Friends (1994-2004)

Ross, Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Joey and Phoebe form a group of six friends struggling to excel and progress in competitive Manhattan life. Their intelligent humor and unconditional mutual support make their friendship stronger and stronger, thus overcoming all the obstacles that life presents to them.

Creators: David Crane and Marta Kauffman

  

Level: Intermediate

Age: Teens / Adults

The segment was extracted from an episode of Friends when Monica asks her friends what they would do if they were omnipotent for a day.

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Suggested procedures:

Before you watch: have students do task 1 in pairs and then check their answers.

While watching: Get students to answer the two questions. After that,  play the video again to check answers.

After watching: Ask students to answer questions 4, 5 and 6, guiding them where needed. Question 7 should be done in pairs followed by a whole-class discussion.

Time : 25 minutes

 

Dear White People

Dear White People ( 2017- Present)

The series follows a group of a black students from a major university in the United States, belonging to the Ivy League, whose majority of students is white. Dear White People portrays how these characters deal with racism on the university campus.

Creator: Justien Simien

 Level: Intermediate

Age: Adults

The segment was extracted from an episode of Dear White People. Two college students fight at a party and after the arrival of the police, one cop questions one of the boys, who is black, whether he is a student or not.

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Activity Sheet Download 

Suggested procedures:

Before you watch: Have students discuss questions 1 and 2 in pairs, and then listen to their conclusions.

While watching: Get students to answer the question while watching the video segment, then play again for them to check.

After watching: Ask students to answer question 4 individually and questions 5, 6 and 7 in pairs. Then ask the students to narrate the answer to question 7.

Time: 25 minutes.

 

The Good Place

The Good Place (2016- Present)

The series follows a woman who realizes she has not been a good person. She decides to turn the page and learn what it really means to be “good” or “bad,” while trying to mend the mistakes of the past.

Creator: Michael Schur

Level: Beginner
Age: Teens/ Adults

The segment was extracted from an episode of The Good Place. The woman died and she goes to “The Good Place”. She asks about where’s that place that she lives and the difference between “good” and “bad”. The snippet is a good way of learning and/or practicing wh- questions.

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ACTIVITY SHEET DOWNLOAD

Suggested procedures:

Before watching: Ask students if they know the TV Series. Have them match the questions to the answers. Optionally, you could ask them to imagine what questions someone would first ask if they woke up in a sort of heaven.

While watching: Play the video segment once for students to do the acitivity, and once again for them to chek.

After watching: if necessary, give students an explanation about wh- words. Then get them to do task 3. You can suggest a role-play activity after they finish creating the questions.

Time: 20 minutes.

 

How To Get Away With Murder: Idioms

How To Get Away With Murder (2014 – present)

A group of ambitious law students and their brilliant criminal defense professor become involved in a twisted murder plot that promises to change the course of their lives.

Creator: Peter Nowalk

Source

Level: Intermediate

Age: Adults

The segment was extracted from an episode of How To Get Away With Murder. Since it shows many young adults speaking before a class in college, it is a contextualized example of the use of idioms.

VIDEO SEGMENT DOWNLOAD

SUBTITLES DOWNLOAD (OPTIONAL)

ACTIVITY SHEET DOWNLOAD

Suggested procedures:

Before you watch: do task 1 together with students. Have them share their opinions and experiences.

While you watch: invite students to watch the video segment and do tasks 2 and 3.

After you watch: challenge students to do task 4 in pairs. Have them report their findings.

Time: 15 minutes.

• If you have any questions or suggestions for improvement, please contact us:

tvseries4learning@gmail.com.

Finding Carter: Questions in the Simple Past

Finding Carter (2014 – 2015)

A teenager finds out she was abducted as a toddler and returns to her biological family.

Creators: Terry Minski, Emily Silver

Source

Season/Episode: 02/24

Level: Intermediate

Age: Teens/Adults

The segment was extracted from an episode of Finding Carter. It is a short dialogue with several sentences in the simple past. It is an opportunity for students to practice their listening, since the characters are emotional and do not speak so clearly.

 

VIDEO SEGMENT DOWNLOAD

ACTIVITY SHEET DOWNLOAD

Suggested procedures:

Before watching: have students do task 1 in pairs.

While watching: get students to answer the two questions while watching the video segment. You may need to play it twice.

After watching: have students do this last task in pairs. After they finish, they can role play a situation using the questions they created.

Time: 20 minutes.

• If you have any doubts or suggestions for improvement, please contact us:

tvseries4learning@gmail.com.

The Big Bang Theory: Slang and Idioms

The Big Bang Theory (2007 – present)

A woman who moves into an apartment across the hall from two brilliant but socially awkward physicists shows them how little they know about life outside of the laboratory.

Creators: Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady

Source

Season/Episode: 02/09

Level: Intermediate

Age: Teens/Adults

The segment was extracted from an episode of The Big Bang Theory. It is a scene in which two people are talking, and one of them uses some slang and idioms. It is an opportunity for the students to get to know new ways of saying things. Besides, it may encourage them to discuss cultural aspects.

VIDEO SEGMENT DOWNLOAD

ACTIVITY SHEET DOWNLOAD

Suggested procedures:

Before watching: have students read what is in the chart and discuss the concepts of slang and idioms, then do tasks 1, 2 and 3 also as a following part of the oral discussion.

While watching: invite students to watch the video segment and do tasks 4, 5 and 6.

After watching: have students do task 7. Task 8 is another opportunity for oral discussion. Allow your students to express their points of view.

Time: 20 minutes.

• If you have any doubts or suggestions for improvement, please contact us:

tvseries4learning@gmail.com.

Revenge: wh- questions

Revenge (2011 – 2015)

An emotionally troubled young woman makes it her mission to exact revenge against the people who wronged her father.

Creator: Mike Kelley

Source

Season/Episode: 03/11

Level: Beginner

Age: Teens/Adults

The segment was extracted from an episode of Revenge. The woman lost her memory, so she asks a lot of questions, such as “Where am I?” and “Who am I?”.The snippet is a good way of learning and/or practicing wh- questions.

VIDEO SEGMENT DOWNLOAD

SUBTITLE DOWNLOAD (OPTIONAL)

ACTIVITY SHEET DOWNLOAD

Suggested procedures:

Before watching: have students do tasks 1, 2 and 3 in pairs or in groups.

While watching: have students watch the segment and do tasks 4, 5 and 6.

After watching: if necessary, give students an explanation about wh- words. Then get them to do tasks 7, 8 and 9. You can suggest a role-play activity after they finish creating their own dialogues.

Time: 20 minutes.

• If you have any doubts or suggestions for improvement, please contact us:

tvseries4learning@gmail.com.

Breaking Bad: some idioms and phrasal verbs

Breaking Bad (2008 – 2013)

A high school chemistry teacher diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer turns to manufacturing and selling methamphetamine in order to secure his family’s financial future.

Source

Season/Episode: 04/06

Level: Beginner/Pre-intermediate

Age: Adults (+18)

The segment was extracted from an episode of Breaking Bad. A man and his wife are arguing in their house. It is a good task for improvement of listening skills and also for discussion on serious topics, such as drug dealing.

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ACTIVITY SHEET DOWNLOAD

Suggested procedures:

Before watching: invite students to read the short text and answer the question.

While watching: get students to do tasks 1 and 2.

After watching: Have students answer the question and express their opinions. If students demonstrate interest, they can do it as if it was a formal speech.

Time: 20 minutes.

• If you have any doubts or suggestions for improvement, please contact us:

tvseries4learning@gmail.com.

House of Cards: oral discussion

House of Cards (2013 – present)

A Congressman works with his equally conniving wife to exact revenge on the people who betrayed him.

Source

Season/Episode: 01/01

Level: Upper-intermediate/Advanced

Age: Adults

The segment was extracted from an episode of House of Cards. It is a conversation between two characters in a living room. It is a great task for discussing topics such as breaking promises and political issues.

VIDEO SEGMENT DOWNLOAD

ACTIVITY SHEET DOWNLOAD

Suggested procedures:

Before watching: have students read the short text and answer tasks 1 and 2 in pairs or in groups.

While watching: invite students to read the questions before watching. Then have them watch the video segment and answer tasks 1, 2, and 3. Get studentes to watch the segment again and answer task 4.

After watching: open a discussion getting questions from questions 1 and 2 as guidelines.

Time: 20 minutes.

• If you have any doubts or suggestions for improvement, please contact us:

tvseries4learning@gmail.com.