Movie Segments for Warm-ups and Follow-ups

This blog contains a series of movie segments to be used to brainstorm, warm up, follow up, and activate schemata, preparing the students for the topic that will be discussed in class. Here you will find the segments, the lesson plans, and varied topics to foster conversation. You may use the activities for a full two-hour class or they can be used separately to brainstorm or wrap up the topic, focusing on conversation, vocabulary and listening comprehension.

Friday, January 30, 2015

Hunting the Legend & Something in the Woods: Bigfoot, Cryptids

In cryptozoology , a cryptid (from the Greek "κρύπτω" (krypto) meaning "hide") is a creature or plant whose existence has been suggested but is unrecognized by scientific consensus and often regarded as highly unlikely.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptid

I. Work in groups:

1. Do you know any other cryptids or mythological creatures from your cultures that people claim to have seen it?

2. Why do people believe in cryptids?

3. What do you know about Bigfoot?

4. Why do people visit American and Canadian forests in order to look for Bigfoot so often? Do these people believe it actually exists?

II. Divide the class into pairs. One student reads a passage, claiming that Bigfoot is a feasible and living creature. Another student reads a passage, claiming that Bigfoot is a hoax. Then pair up both students, they share what they read, and decide whether the arguments presented are valid.

STUDENT 1:

The first set of the big footprints usually more than 15 inches long were first discovered and reported by a British explorer by the name of David Thompson in 1811. Discoveries, sightings and claims of a humongous biped animal have therefore been in circulation for more than 3 centuries. As time has gone by there have been more footprints discovered and the frequency of the discoveries has significantly increased. The significant increase in these claims has been largely attributed to the spread of knowledge that there may be such a thing as a Sasquatch and thus the awareness has put a name to it and more people on the lookout. The continued improvement of methods of capturing images and video has also undoubtedly boosted claims as it is now easier for people to simply be prepared with a camera or voice recorder in the event of a sighting. The first alleged sighting of the Bigfoot was by Roger Patterson. This was in 1967 in the northern regions of Bluff Creek California. Bigfoot was reported to have been in Asia in the mid-19th Century proving that the presence of the Bigfoot legend is not one that was limited only to America. The description given in Asia was that of a 7-10 foot tall biped covered in white fur with feet as long as 17 inches. The first alleged picture of the Bigfoot dates back to the early 1950s and was taken by a wild life explorer named Eric Shipton. This was in the North Americas and gave way to the name of the Abominable snowman spotted roaming in the snow white landscape. The latest reported sighting of the Bigfoot is in Georgia in the year 2012 by a group of campers

STUDENT 2:

1. No 'Bigfoot' has ever been killed or captured and properly examined at an officially recognised museum or university. Until that happens, it's reasonable to assume that all sightings are either intentionally faked or are misidentifications of other creatures. No skeletal remains which might be a 'Bigfoot' have been recovered and submitted to an officially recognised museum or university for analysis. Vague claims about bones in the woods are hardly reliable evidence. There is no reliable photograph of a 'Bigfoot' and - in an age where everyone and his brother have digital cameras and Photoshop - it's much too easy to fake one. Even some of the old photos, and the famous cine-camera footage, are a bit dubious. People who try to convince us that a blurry lump filmed from 500m away at twilight is actually 'Bigfoot' aren't really helping their case. None of the alleged 'Bigfoot' hair and droppings have produced reliable DNA suggesting what they are. This may be due to contamination by the people bringing them in, but saying 'It's because Bigfoot is so closely related to humans' is a bit of a cop-out. No one has ever run down a 'Bigfoot' in their car, van or truck. Given the quantity of squashed wildlife which litters the roads, and the ever increasing amount of traffic, it does seem a bit odd that no-one has flattened one of these creatures. No-one has - to my knowledge - explained where 'Bigfoot' fits into the eco-system of the area where it lives or, for that matter, found out what it eats. It's such an easy thing to fake - a furry suit and a video-camera are all you need - that there must be a great temptation among people of a certain mentality to try it.