ESL teachers often used short video clips from online news sites or YouTube to teach listening skills and to generate class discussion, but recently, we started using films in our grammar and writing classes at Intensive English Programs. When students’ attention is waning, using video can bring new life to the classroom and make review of grammar points, such as regular and irregular verbs, more exciting. By using silent film clips, we redirected students’ focus from listening to writing and speaking.

ADVANTAGES OF USING SILENT FILMS

Though they don’t often come to mind when we consider teaching English language skills with film, silent films have many advantages. Students from around the world have watched and enjoyed Mr. Bean (Davies, 1990), and though fewer students may be familiar with the work of Buster Keaton or Charlie Chaplin, their films are just as enjoyable. Surprisingly, the films’ humor, which is physical and situational—rather than verbal—transcends culture and nationality. Because the films are silent, students quickly realize that they must pay attention or they will miss a small but potentially crucial gesture or facial expression. In addition, the situations, such as Mr. Bean going out to a nice restaurant alone to celebrate his birthday in the Mr. Bean episode “The Return of Mr. Bean” (Curtis, Driscoll, & Atkinson, 1990), or Keaton preparing for a vacation in The Boat (Cline & Keaton, 1921), are culturally embedded and provide opportunities to discuss cultural differences, similarities, or nuances. The students’ enthusiasm for the films transfers into enthusiasm for the activity, and they become engaged in the learning process.

SELECTING THE FILM

Many silent films are available online through sites such as YouTube and Google Videos. Teachers can choose from classic silent films, such as those by Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin, or more contemporary ones, such as Rowan Atkinson’s Mr. Bean television series and films. Rather than show the entire film, teachers can select short clips, between 2 and 10 minutes, that can be viewed without losing meaning. The Boat by Buster Keaton is naturally divided into segments ranging from 90 seconds to 3 minutes, allowing teachers to show one to two segments per week to reinforce academic objectives and provide a break from textbooks.

THE ACTIVITIES

Though many activities can be created to accompany a silent film, we have included a description of two activities: one in which students write a narrative to summarize the film clip and one in which students create a dialogue to orally recount the plot. Because we often work with beginners, we asked the students to work in small groups or pairs. This gives the students the opportunity to share and build on each other’s knowledge of grammar and vocabulary. Students can write in either the historical present or the past.

For the writing activity, the teacher can preview the film as a class. This is a great time to discuss briefly the history of silent film and give an overview of the film’s plot and setting. It may be helpful to teach key vocabulary, particularly for beginning and low-intermediate students. This activity can function as a review of past tense verbs, so the teacher may wish to go over verbs the students may want to use in their summaries and elicit the past tense forms. Then, the teacher can explain to students that they will be writing a summary of the film clip.

First, the class watches the entire clip. The teacher can provide students with a topic sentence to get students started, such as, “Mr. Bean went to a restaurant to celebrate his birthday,” which was used with a clip from “The Return of Mr. Bean” (Curtis, Driscoll, & Atkinson, 1990). Then, the teacher can elicit several sentences from students about what happened next in the film and write them on the board. Next, the teacher can replay the film, stopping it at intervals to give students time to continue their summary of the action in writing with their groups. The teacher can ask each group to contribute a sentence to the summary on the board. Once the summaries are completed, a student can read the summary on the board aloud.

For the conversation activity, the students are directed to watch a short film clip and take notes following a grammar exercise on present continuous and simple past so that the verbs are fresh in their minds. First, the teacher can introduce the topic of the film and instruct the students to take notes on the plot as they watch it. For approximately the first 15 seconds of the clip, the teacher can model note-taking on the board; then he or she can discuss his or her notes and restart the film. After the students have watched the clip, the teacher can start a brief discussion on major points and timeline of the plot. Once students are partnered or grouped, they can compare their notes and then get to work creating a dialogue. After a few minutes, the students will most likely want to watch the film again to ensure they did not miss any details. Finally, in an outgoing class, students will sometimes offer to reenact the film and use the dialogue that they created.

CONCLUSION

The beauty of using silent film in an ESL class is that it gives students the opportunity to develop their speaking and writing skills and to use grammar in a fun and creative context. They can be used to meet the needs of students of any level―or even in a multilevel class. In addition, the humorous films engage students, get them excited about the activities, and provide a break from routine. We hope you and your students will try and enjoy using silent films in class!

REFERENCES

Cline, E., & Keaton, B. (Producers). (1921). The Boat. Newport Beach, CA: First National Pictures.

Curtis, R., Driscoll, R., & Atkinson, R. (Writers) & Davies, J. H. (Director). (1990). The Return of Mr. Bean [Television series episode]. In J. H. Davies (Producer), Mr. Bean. London: ITV.

Davies, J. H. (Producer). (1990). Mr. Bean [Television series]. London: ITV.

Anna Lauzonteaches at the University of Houston, Language and Culture Center, an intensive English program. She received her MA in foreign language education from the University of Texas at Austin, where she specialized in teaching English as a second/foreign language.

Katie Manchester Ha teaches at University of California at Berkeley’s Summer English Language Institute as a visiting lecturer. She started using silent film at Houston Community College’s intensive English program. She received her MA in education with a specialization in English language learning from Western Governors University.