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Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Surf's up: Inspiration, Admiration

 

I love animated movies. This one has a beautiful story about friendship, admiration and fighting for your beliefs. Besides, it is a lovely scene.


I. Work with a partner. Make a list of at least 10 people both of you admire. Make sure they are all from different areas/fields.

 II. Who have you most admired this year?Think about one person for each item below. Say who you admire and why.

A friend
A family member
A male celebrity
A female celebrity
A politician
A child
A sports person

III. Share your list in small groups.


IV. Discuss the questions.

1. Who did you look up to / admire most  when you were a child? Why did you have such admiration for that person?
2. Who do you look up to / admire most now?
3. Do you think you are a good role model?
4. Who do you think was a good / bad influence on you when you were a child?
5. Were you a good / bad influence on your friends?
V. Watch the movie segment and answer the questions.
 
1. Who is the role model in the segment?

2. Why is he so admirable?

3. Do you think he deserves the admiration? Why (not)?

4. How did he change the life of his admirers? 

4. Do you know anyone who has a similar story of admiration?  Share it with your friend. It does not have to be a surfer or a sports person.

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Morning Glory: Commitment, Professionalism

This a great but overlooked movie. It has wonderful scenes and many of them are clever and funny. Make some time to watch it.


I. Discuss with a partner:

Here are four ways to show commitment at work, according to Christian Fisher. http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/show-commitment-job-12915.html

Bringing energy and initiative to your job every day shows commitment. Caring more about your work and your organization will show in the results you produce. Showing commitment can demonstrate your leadership potential to managers and lead to career opportunities.

1. Do you agree with this statement? What are some ways of showing commitment in your workplace?

     2. He also mentions four different features of commitment. Write the item on the top of each of the following paragraphs

1. Putting customers first
2. Professionalism
3. Keep motivation strong
4. Teamwork


a) _______________________________

Attending to the details of your job demonstrates your understanding and respect for the workplace culture. For example, being punctual and prepared when at work, respecting workplace property and policies or attending meetings when expected shows that you can handle job obligations. Respecting office rules regarding such things as dress code, personal phone use or office romances shows maturity. Too many breeches of workplace basics can undermine your credibility when your commitment needs to shine. Going beyond basics by putting in extra hours, taking up others’ slack and delivering extra service to others shows leadership-level dedication.

b) _____________________________

Striving for satisfaction shows your commitment to your employer’s objectives. Even if your job doesn’t involve interacting with threm directly, your job plays a role in keeping your organization’s clients base loyal and growing. Handling every task with the idea fresh in your mind that your work impacts consumers, company profits and your paycheck may also boost your pride in your work and lead to improved job performance.

c) _____________________________

Making significant contributions to any group task shows commitment to your work team. Displaying confidence in your ideas, skills and solutions is a trait that employers value. Being a reliable follower shows commitment to your team’s objectives and an understanding of the part you play in a bigger picture. Taking leadership roles and organizing team members to cooperate with each other, or collaborate with other groups, shows a commitment to big picture achievement.

d) ______________________________

Keeping yourself and your co-workers or subordinates excited about the job can show your commitment to the overall challenges and demands of your business. It can be challenging keeping up high performance standards. Encouraging employees to develop new skills, improve operations and process or take new risks to advance the business can awaken them, suggests Michael A. Olguin in his “Inc.” article, “Worn Out Employees? Five Ways to Crank Up the Energy.” Also, practicing and encouraging a healthy balance between work and personal life shows commitment to worker well-being that’s good for business.





II.  Watch the segment and answer the questions:

1) What are the interviewer's feelings about the job? How committed is he?

2) What about the interviewee's feeling about the job?

3) What is the real situation of the the TV program, Daybreak? What is it about?

4) What does the candidate do to promote herself and be hired?

5) Which of the four different features of commitment in exercise 2 did you manage to see in the young professional looking for the job? Give concrete examples for each one of them, if it is the case.


answer key:
Ex: 2

a) professionalism
b) putting customers first
c) teamwork
d) keep motivation strong

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - MORNING GLORY

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Bridesmaids & French Kiss: Fear of Flying - Expressing Likes and Dislikes




I love both movies. Bridesmaids is a wonderful, funny story with great acting. The scene from the movie French Kiss is priceless. One of my all  times favorites.


Complete the sentences below with things you like when you travel by plane (or bus, car, boat).


Expressing likes:



I love                                                            .

I like _______________________________.

I fancy ...                                                               .

I enjoy  ...                                             . 

I'm crazy about ...                            . 

I'm keen on  ...                                       . 

I'm fond of   ...                                                  . 


Complete the sentences below with things you dislike when you travel by plane (or bus, car, boat).

Expressing dislikes:


I hate                                                                  . 

I don't like                                            . 

I don't fancy                                  . 

I can't stand                                     . 

I can't bear                            .

 I can't put up with                 .  

I'm fed up with                    . 

I'm sick of                        . 

I'm tired of                          .


Watch the movie segments. Then write sentences, expressing the characters likes and dislikes. Do not use the words love/like/hate/don't like to express their likes and dislikes.


Ex: They don't fancy traveling by plane.


Bridesmaids

















French Kiss


















Work in Pairs:

1. How do you feel when you have to travel by plane?

2. How scared are you to fly?

3. What makes you scared while flying?

4. Would travel by plane if you had a dream of a plane accident the night before your trip? Why (not)?

5. Have you ever experienced a scary moment while traveling by plane? Share it with a friend?

6. Number from 1 to 5 the means of transportation you prefer using when traveling:


( ) plane
( ) car
( ) ship
( ) train
( ) bike

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - FRENCH KISS


MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - BRIDESMAIDS