journal of linguistic studies

TEACHING CAN BE FUN WITH FILMS
JASNA VUJČIĆ
High school Matije Antuna Reljkovića, Slavonski Brod, Croatia
jasna.vujcic@gmail.com
ANICA PERKOVIĆ
University of Josip Juraj Strossmayer, Osijek, Croatia
aperkovic@pfos.hr
DUBRAVKA PAPA
University of Josip Juraj Strossmayer, Osijek, Croatia
dpapa@pravos.hr
ABSTRACT
It came to our attention that film in an excellent medium for the explicit teaching
of different aspects of the English language such as syntax, morphology and
semantic. Furthermore, it is connected with motivational purposes, since learning
objectives are achieved through the performance off different tasks and students are
motivated when they are familiar with the topic and visually see the characters
involved. The possibilities for using film in the English language class are endless. In
a way, films show us slices of life, and as such, give us a realistic and entertaining
way of learning foreign language. In the end, we can say that they add fun to the
language classroom.
Keywords: Learning with Films; Student Motivation; Fun in the Language
Classroom
1. INTRODUCTION
During the school year 2008-2009 we followed the curriculum from our course book
“New Opportunities – Intermediate” in which we encountered the Module 3, lesson –
Films – “Love Actually” by Richard Curtis, and we have implemented it into our
curriculum with some alternations. We modified some of the tasks from the course book
and prepared same new ones and while doing it, we actually had fun with our students!
It came to our attention that film in an excellent medium for the explicit teaching of
different aspects of the English language such as syntax, morphology and semantic.
Furthermore, it is connected with motivational purposes, since learning objectives are
achieved through the performance off different tasks and students are motivated when
they are familiar with the topic and visually see the characters involved. The possibilities
for using film in the English language class are endless. In a way, films show us slices of
life, and as such, give us a realistic and entertaining way of learning foreign language.
2. STUDENTS AND THEIR VISION OF FILMS
We have found out that films can be exploited in a number of ways. One possible use
of film in the language program is to promote new ideas and expand the students’
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