Thursday, August 30, 2012

Abduction & The Tall Man: Missing People

This is an action movie that talks about a touchy and important issue: Missing people. I liked it and I also got to learn about how to act in such a situation.


A missing person is defined as anyone who is reported missing to the police, whose whereabouts is unknown and there are fears for the safety or welfare of that person.


I. Work together. Do you think the information below is true or false?

• Going missing is not a crime.


• 99.5 per cent of people are located–85 per cent within a week of being reported missing.


• Approximately one-third of missing persons go missing more than once.


• Approximately two-thirds of missing persons are under the age of 18 (i.e. around 20,000).


• Many young missing persons are located at a friend’s house.


• Stranger abductions are rare–most people are located safe and well.


• People go missing for a number of reasons–whethervoluntarily or involuntarily.A child goes missing in the United States every 40 seconds.The first 3 hours are the most crucial for the safe return of a child.It can take more than 2 hours to gather information from a panicked parent.


Sources:http://www.amberalert.com/about/amber-alert/facts/


Answer Key: All are true.


II. What are the steps one should take if someone you know goes missing? Work together and come up with a sequence of steps you think one should take.


III. Check your list with the authoroties' instructions and learn how to act in these cases.
Act fast. Go to the police immediately.


Reporting the missing person quickly improves your chance of finding the individual.





Fill out a missing person report.Write down a physical description of the missing person. Be as accurate and specific as possible. Include eye color; hair color and style; approximate weight and height; braces or glasses, if applicable; and any identifying markings, like tattoos, earrings, birthmarks or scars.


Describe what the missing person was wearing at the time of the disappearance, if possible.


Give the details for the events leading up to the disappearance. Provide any information that may help in the individual's safe return.


Who was the last person to see the missing individual? Where? Was the missing person with anyone? What was the missing person doing?


Jot down any known medical problems of the missing person, along with any medications taken daily.
Use Other Search Methods


1. Call the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) to report a missing person. For underage children, you can contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.


2. Check with local hospitals, coroners and medical examiners. Ask whether there are any recent John or Jane Does. If so, get additional information, if possible.


3. Make official missing person posters. Hang your posters in prominent locations, like gas stations, grocery stores, post offices, banks, drug stores, a local library, churches, hospitals, homeless shelters, parks and hiking trails


4. Search the many missing person databases on line. These may help regardless of whether you're searching for your child, an elderly parent, a grandparent, or a disabled family member.


5. Get the media involved. Provide the media with the facts and photos of the missing person and get on the air.


6. Use every social networking site and media tool available, including bloggers, Facebook, and Twitter.
Source:http://www.wikihow.com/Find-a-Missing-Person


III. Watch the segment from the movie Abduction and discuss the questions:





1. Describe the scene.


2. How did the main character find out about his past?


3. What should he do now that he knows about it?


4. What do you think might have happened?


5. What would you do if you were in his shoes?



IV. Watch the segment from the movie The Tall Man and discuss the question.



 1. What has been going on in that small town?

2. Who is the Tall Man?

3. Is this a legend or an imaginary story to make parents monitor their children more closely?

4. What is your personal explanation for the happening?

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - ABDUCTION

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - THE TALL MAN

Monday, August 20, 2012

Dolphin Tale & Monkey Shines: Animal Assisted Therapy for Special Needs People




Dolphin Tale  has a very interesting story, based on real events. I recommend it. Monkey Shines is just for adults.


I. Read the information taken from the informative site http://www.equine-therapy-programs.com/special-needs-children.html. Then explain it to a partner, using your own words.

Kids and animals are a natural combination. Pets are great companions, and they teach the value of responsibility to children. For children with disabilities, this companionship is particularly invaluable, as they may have trouble making friends with kids their own ages because of low self-esteem. Animals give children an opportunity to connect with another living being, which is extremely important to any child's development. Animal Assisted Therapy provides an experience with an animal that is non-judgmental, gives affection unconditionally, and provides opportunities for physical and emotional therapy. This includes therapy for strengthening muscles through horseback riding, low-impact swimming with dolphins, and a boost of confidence with service dogs and companion dogs. These animals promote confidence and self-esteem while motivating kids to interact and get stronger. 


II. Discuss these questions.

1. Do you agree with this article? Why (not)?

2. Do you know anyone who has gone through this kind of therapy? Would you use it as a resource for your own child (or yourself)?

3. In which cases would it be helpful?

4. What kinds of animals would you think might help humans in overcoming their troubles?

5. Are dogs helpful for lonely (elderly, children) people? Why?


III. Student 1 reads the information on this great site: http://www.waterplanetusa.com/programneeds.php


Read about Dolphin Therapy Student 2 reads the information on this site: http://www.equine-therapy-programs.com/special-needs-children.html


Read about Equine Therapy Student 1 and Student 2 share what they read and find out what both therapies have in common and their differences.


IV. Watch the movie segment from the movie Dolphin Tale and answer the questions:









1. The scenes shown are real. Describe what you saw.

2. What kind of people joined this therapy?

3. What is so special about this dolphin? Why did they choose this specific dolphin to help those people?

4. What do the dolphin and patients have in common?

5. How effective do you think this therapy is?

6. Would you recommend it? Why (not)?

7. Do you agree with this affirmation? Explain it.



Controversy surrounds the practice of animal assisted therapy, particularly in circles concerned with animal maltreatment and abuse. Some of these groups see no scientific evidence that animal assisted therapy works positive results in humans and go further to describe ill effects this practice has/may have on animals, specifically to make them irritable and dangerous and an outrageous expense attached to these programs.


Source: http://pattyinglishms.hubpages.com/hub/Dolphin-Assisted-Therapy


 Watch the segment from the movie Monkey Shines and discuss the questions.



 


1. How does the monkey assist the patient?

2. What about emotionally?

3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of such help?

4.  How effective is having a monkey pet assist handicapped patients?

5. Spoiler: This therapy does not end well. Speculate about the possibilities of what could go wrong.

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - DOLPHIN TALE

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - MONKEY SHINES

Friday, August 10, 2012

The Change up: Stress




This is a very nice movie and this scene is wonderful to introduce the topic STRESS. http://stresscourse.tripod.com/id14.html

Work in pairs:

How stressed are you? Check the items that have happened to you in the past year and add up the points: Source: http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/stress-management/stress-assessment.htm Discovery Fit & Health - A Great Site!


Life Event:

( ) Death of spouse 100

( )Divorce 73

( ) Marital Separation 65

( ) Death of a close family member 63

( ) Personal injury or illness 53

( ) Marriage 50

( ) Being fired from work 47

( ) Reconciliation with spouse 45

( ) Retirement 45

( ) Change in health of family member 44

( ) Pregnancy 40

( ) Sexual difficulties 39

( ) Death of a close friend 37

( ) Major change in responsibilities at work 29

( ) Children leaving home 29

( ) Spouse begins or stops work 26

( ) Starting or ending school 26

( ) Trouble with boss 23

( ) Change in residence 20

( ) Change in sleeping habits 16

( ) Change in eating habits 15

( ) Vacation 13

( ) Christmas 12

( ) Minor violation of the law 11

If your total is


0-150:Congratulations! At the moment, your stress level is low. Your chance of illness or accident related to your stress within two years is low. Any change can lead to stress, even enjoyable activities, such as vacations or new forms of recreation.



If your total is 150-300:Take care of yourself now. You have borderline high stress. Your chance of accident or illness related to your stress within two years is moderate.



If your total is over 300:Warning: You have a high stress level. Your chance of accident or illness related to your stress during the next two years is great.


II. Do you agree with the result. Do you think the score matches the way you have dealt with stress in the past year?



III. According to this site http://stresscourse.tripod.com/id14.html, these are some causes of stress people face in their daily life. Rank these items from 1 to 5, being 1 something that causes very little stress and 5 something that causes a lot of stress.


Misplacing keys

· Arguments

· Traffic jams

· Time pressures

· Lack of sleep

· Fear of Crime

· Shopping

· Bureaucracy

· Waiting

· Loneliness

· Pollution

· Gossip

· Relatives

· Excess noise

· Inconsiderate people

· Difficult neighbours

· Car breakdown

· Meal Preparation

· Job dissatisfaction

· Problems with children

. Sleep debt

· Poor diet

· Excess heat

· Excess caffeine

· Excess cold

· Smoking

· Financial problems

· Perfectionism

· Loneliness

· Low self esteem

· Exams and tests

· Giving talks/presentations

· Pollution

· Traffic jams

. Low pay ·

· Living in an urban area

· Rude, aggressive, unhelpful people

· Problem neighbours



IV. In small groups, select 10 items you ALL consider extremely stressful.


V. Watch the segment from the movie The Change Up and discuss the questions:


1. Describe the scene

2. What is the situation that is causing him stress?

3. How has he been dealing with this situation?

4. Is this situation really stressing or is he just over reacting?

5. Have you ever experienced a situation like this?

6. What would you do if you were in his shoes?


MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - THE CHANGE UP