WHAT DO YOU DO WITH A TV SERIES : 10 CREATIVE IDEAS YOU CAN USE

1. Take a film still

Level: beginner to advanced

Ask your learners to watch a television episode or film of their choosing at home, and to bring a
drawing or other image of their favourite scene to the next class. Ask learners to discuss their
images using conversation starters:

 In this scene there is...

 We can see...

 The main character / (name of character) is +ing

 He/she is about to....

 Before, he/she was +ing

You can adapt this activity for all levels, and it can last anywhere from 30 seconds to five minutes.

You could ask a beginner to describe what they can see. You could ask an intermediate learner to
say why the scene is important, or what came before and after the scene.

Advanced learners could ask questions to do with production and direction:

 What camera angle would you have chosen for this scene?

Advanced learners could also describe the film still to their partner without showing it to them.
This will take away the temptation for learners to provide basic descriptions, while adding the fun
of imaginative thinking.

For more practice on recalling the events in the image, ask learners to have their conversation in
groups rather than pairs.

2. Language detectives

Level: elementary to advanced

Tell your learners that they will watch their next English show as a language detective. Throughout
the episode, they have to observe and note down examples of the language you've been studying
in class.

Learners can show their observations on posters in the classroom, which could include the usage
of certain tenses or phrases. It's a great activity for raising grammar awareness and improving
noticing skills. It also shows learners how the lessons in their textbook are used in real-life
situations.

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3. Thought bubbles

Level: beginner to advanced

Ask your learners to choose one episode of a television series that they will all watch during the
week.

Next, have them develop a phrase or series of phrases to insert into the episode at crucial
moments, like:

 I can't believe he/she just did that!

 This is boring.

While each learner watches the series at home, they must choose where they think the thought
bubble fits best, and note the timing in the episode.

When they return to class, place learners in small groups to explain their decision. Monitor, and
choose the best example to show to everyone.

Depending on their level, the learners can discuss their choices in their first language or in English.
Teachers could assist learners with a lower level of English by providing scaffolding sentences:

 I think X’s idea is best, because...

I recommend setting a three-minute time limit for this step. The time limit often gives learners an
incentive to reach a decision.

The task gives learners a reason to listen and concentrate on reading between the lines, thus
developing information literacy and critical thinking skills. 

4. Thought bubbles, part two

Level: intermediate and up

Re-use the episode from the previous activity. Instead of inserting their thoughts into the scene,
learners will dub over the dialogue using their own script.

For the best outcome, I recommend choosing a funny or dramatic scene with only two or three
characters and some movement.

Re-play the scene to your class and ask them if they can remember the exact dialogue. They might
remember the gist but not the actual words.

This is ideal because the activity requires learners to dub the scene by writing the script or
improvising, depending on the skill you want them to practice.

Learners can either stay true to the story, or stretch themselves by doing a parody version. They
can then perform their scene in front of the class.
5. Three, two, one 

Level: upper intermediate and up

As in the previous two activities, the whole class will need to decide on one episode to watch.
Instruct your learners to watch it in the original language with English subtitles, and to take notes
of the following items:

 three words or phrases they learnt from the episode (this works best if learners have a
dictionary nearby while watching)

 two of the best lines of dialogue

 one best scene.

In class, you can give feedback by dividing your board into three corresponding sections. Ask
learners to fill in their observations. Work with them to:

 create sentences with the words/phrases they've chosen

 form corresponding dialogue with the best lines

 discuss why they liked their chosen scenes.

You could also ask your learners to make posters to display on the walls.

6. Documentaries as research

Level: upper intermediate and Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) classes

This activity works well if your class prefers documentaries to fictional series, or if you are a CLIL
teacher (a subject teacher teaching in English).

There are many biopics and documentaries online that learners could use to research a famous
person, location, animal or concept of interest.

Ask learners to watch a documentary at home and take notes on six-to-eight important events or
ideas. In class, your learners can turn their notes into a piece of writing or a presentation.

If you are a science, history or geography teacher, you could set up a poster project in which
learners use a documentary film as their research.

With this 'listening into writing' activity, learners will practice valuable note-taking skills.
Graphically representing a process or explaining a concept in a poster uses creative and evaluation
skills, which can make it a motivating activity.

7. Reward and Punishment

So the little dears have worked incredibly hard lately, reward them by adding some variety into the
class by showing them a popular series. On the other hand, if they have been evil, punish them by
showing them a video... But giving them some difficult worksheets and questions to go along with
it.
8. Show the Class Authentic Human Interaction

TV series are one of the best ways that students can experience two or more native speakers
having a conversation. As opposed to monotonous dialogue that’s voiced by a couple of English
teachers on the hunt for extra cash, showing a TV series can help really put the usage into
perspective. Get the students to take notes of some of the expressions that they felt were
interesting, and then try to get them to incorporate those expressions into a conversation.

9. The ‘All-Important’ Context

English is just one of those languages where sometimes you really need to keep track of the
context, or else you’ll find it pretty difficult. Many of the students are left bewildered at the
unspoken context of speech. By providing the students some clear examples of the subtle nuances
and idiosyncrasies that we often use in conversation, they will be able to recognise this more in
everyday speech, which will, in turn, help their listening skills. In a very easy-going lesson without
too much going on, stop the video after an inference is made and ask the students if there was any
hidden meaning or if anything else was implied other than the words spoken. Higher levels may
pick up on some of the subtleties, but lower levels may require some explanations.

10. Role Plays

A favourite for virtually any class, role plays provide a great chance for students to put the
language, grammar, and structures into practice, as well as help contribute to a fun and lively
classroom atmosphere. Many teachers like to show the students a clip from a highly dramatized
episode, and then get them to act it out as naturally as possible.
WHAT DO YOU CAN DO WITH THE INTERNET : 8 CREATIVE IDEAS YOU CAN USE

1 Take advantage of video lessons

Videos offer a great way to make education fun, no matter which subjects you are dealing with.
Plus, the days when you had to book a separate room for any video class are long gone — you
can now use software to project films from your phone/tablet directly to the classroom screen.

Another huge perk is that you can easily find plenty of free, educational channels on YouTube.
Simply subscribing to a couple of video blogs in your subject area might save you a lot of
trouble when preparing for the next lesson — after all, most of these videos are short, funny
and visual. This is simply a win-win situation both for the students and the teachers! (If you are
a student and accidentally came across this article, this is the part when you start thinking of
sharing it with your teacher. No, seriously — just make sure to pick the most liberal professor).

2 Invite remote speakers

Another great idea that will give any lesson a refreshing vibe is to invite remote speakers.
Once again, this solution is suitable for all age groups and subjects, but, of course, you will
have to choose your guests accordingly. For the youngest ones, for example, it can be a
remote type of ‘who I want to be when I grow up’ lesson, where representatives of different
professions attend virtually instead of coming in person to the classroom personally. For older
students, you can invite subject matter experts — here, the engagement will mostly depend on
your own connections.

Plus, the number of apps to choose from is enormous. From Skype and FaceTime to Viber and
WhatsApp, these apps come with no fees or complications — a stable Internet connection and
a screen are all you need.

3 Create collaboration groups

Some projects are all about collaboration. All of the messaging apps mentioned above allow
users to create groups where members can discuss project-related topics. Another example of
a similar app is Slack, which is widely used in a variety of companies that work in teams.

Creating dedicated chat/discussion groups can be very useful for many subjects, allowing the
whole team to works towards a common goal. Whether it is a lab report or a training marketing
project, the use of Internet and technology in this example teaches students to collaborate,
brainstorm, and contribute their share of effort towards the end result. Another great perk is
that these forums prepare students for the real-time work environment, stressing the value of
teamwork, and potentially reducing the learning curve in the workplace.

4 Share public files and documents

Speaking of working together, Google suite has made it simpler than ever. Google allows
creating shared access to text documents, spreadsheets, and even entire folders. Apple docs
also features the same functionality, but the Apple product has its limits since it is very unlikely
that all of your students will be Apple/Mac users. Google, on the other hand, hosts its programs
on a cloud, using a web browser to access all of the files; so, user operational system makes
no difference here.
There are dozens of ways to use Google Docs to increase productivity. The simplest one is to
share all of the new assignments in class. Shared files will also become a perfect addition to
shared study boards — instead of simply discussing one project or another online, students
can actually work together on documents, presentations, graphs, reports, etc. They can even
improve their college essay writing by having access to other papers from their class.

Plus, Google docs features the ability to add comments to a document, so it is possible to
choose a couple of sample works and share your insight using this feature. Giving specific
paper examples and commenting on what is right and what is wrong with each of the papers is
the surest way to teach students writing or any other subject in that matter.

5 Make your lessons more visual

Finally, the Internet gives teachers a chance to make each and every one of their lessons more
visual. Pictures and photos are the surest way to achieve this effect. However, the sky’s the
limit when choosing visual materials. For example, when teaching geography, you can make
use of online maps, taking your audience to the remote locations. Maps can also prove useful
when teaching culture and history (for example, an old photo of the location vs. a present-day
street view). This approach creates a sense of connection, which is the surest way for the
information to make its way into the student’s’ long-term memory.

Another idea, obvious as it may seem, is to use slides in your lessons. This is not a new
concept — slides have been used in lectures for years. But, using the internet can give your
old visuals a new vibe. By ‘visuals’ we do not necessarily mean pictures and graphs. Those
could also be text fragments with the essential information, quotations, and practically any
other written information you want to stress.

6 Class Websites

Class websites are a teaching method for teachers to students and parents. Teachers can use
these websites to expand upon what they are teaching in the classroom. These sites are a
means of reaching out to students and they can clarify and give direction about lessons to
parents.

 How to Make a Class Website – easy-to-follow direction on how to set up a class

website.

 Creating Webpages As A Classroom Tool – connect with your students and their
parents using a class website to relay important information and class materials.

 Scholastic Class Homepage Builder – Use this template to build your class website.

7 Discussions

A great way to ensure that a student is retaining information is to get them personally engaged.
They become engaged when they have an avenue to talk about their thoughts and ask
questions about what they are learning. Online student discussion sites are a wonderful way to
facilitate this. Students can communicate with each other and with teachers on these sites.

 WebBoard – Create a discussion board for your class.

 Blackboard – Blackboard is a popular class management and student discussion board

used in colleges and universities throughout the country.
8 Student Email

Students need a way to receive fast communication with other students, teachers, or other
entities. Student email services are great ways for students to have an avenue to receive these
types of communication. The great thing about student email addresses are that the servers
are usually fire-walled to protect youngsters from various Internet threats. These email
addresses can also protect kids from predators from obtaining any of the child’s personal
information.

 U-Mail – U-Mail is an easy to use program available to students.

 Student Email Accounts – Email services for younger students, parents, and teachers
to make communication and the use of technology easier.