Title: bigfatgreek

Language Focus / Aims: Vocabulary

for describing people; discussing
stereotypes; generalizing

Level : Advanced/Proficiency

Notes (and their location): Teacher’s

Guide on last slide.

By Natália Guerreiro
You’re going to watch a
WASP married couple
meet their son’s Greek
future in-laws.

Is their behavior
stereotypical?
Talk about the Greek and
the WASPs. Contrast
what you have heard or
know about them with
what you saw in the
video.
friendly  They are supposed to
uptight be/have...
 They come across as being...
loud
 They have a reputation for ...
pushy  They give the impression of
snobs being ...
 I’d always thought of them
(im)polite
as being...
quarrelsome  It’s just a myth because ...
talkative  Judging from/by the
reserved characters...
 If the characters are
shy
anything to go by ...
stubborn
 How true is the WASP
stereotype? And the
Greek one?

What is usually said

about people of your
nationality/ ethnicity?
Does this stereotype hold
any truth to it?
Can a stereotype ever be
absolutely true? Why
(not)?
 Teacher’s Guide
• Use the 1st 3 screens to pre-teach “WASP”. (N.B.: The couple in the
video is not truly a WASP couple, but, if your sts are not in America,
this will probably do the trick anyway.)
• Use screen 5 to set the pre-viewing task.
• Show the snippet of My Big Fat Greek Wedding from the time the
couple is in the car with their son and his Greek fiancee up to the time
when the woman in red offers them sth to eat (Title 3: Channel 7:
1h05min29s-1h9min45s). If pressed for time, cut the scene before that.
• Show slide 5 again so sts can compare their impressions in pairs. Class
check.
• Pre-teach/Elicit vocabulary and chunks in slide 7. Arrange sts in trios
and use slide 6 to set the task. Keep slide 7 open for reference.
• Use slide 8 to discuss stereotypification. Arrange sts in bigger groups
or have a whole class debate.