Finding materials dealing with timely issues without overwhelming my students was difficult. Many excellent films and programs came to mind but proved to be too long or lacking in digestible scenes. During my search for appropriate material, I considered factors such as scene length, amount of inappropriate language (technical jargon, street slang, offensive language), pacing of dialog, amount of background noise, possible listening tasks, and my students' background knowledge.
The following list contains some of the scenes I have selected to introduce certain debate topics. The listening activities are usually followed by preparation for a formal debate related to the topic. Some scenes involve clear debates between speakers, while others involve conversations or situations that reveal a dilemma or social issue. Most of the materials are available at video stores in Japan and the subtitles on the screen can be covered with a strip of paper. Also, if available, a close-captioned decoder might be helpful. Some scenes need to be cut and spliced to make them more suitable. The timer readings listed refer to time measured from the start of the film or episode.
Marriage/choosing a mate - Father of the Bride (0:09:30 to 0:15:00) -- A 22-year-old woman announces to her family that she is engaged to a man she met while travelling abroad. She describes why she loves him. The mother and father both react differently and argue about whether the two are old enough, and whether the man is suitable for her. They also argue about marriage in general. This scene could be used in a lesson to introduce adjectives describing people and in a general discussion about marriage issues.
Premarital sex - Boyz 'n the Hood (0:46:14 to 0:49:20) -- A debate between a teenage couple; requires a bit of splicing as the scene is interrupted briefly by a different scene. Very clear arguments for and against. Some street slang.
Adoption vs. having your own children - Mighty Aphrodite -- Second scene of the film in a restaurant. Much of the film would be inappropriate for a high school class, but the second scene has a frantic debate around a dinner table about adoption versus having your own children. The dialog is a bit too fast paced for some students, but very realistic as everyone seems to talk at once.
Animal rights/vegetarianism -- Babe (1:08:00 to 1:11:38) -- The evil cat reveals to Babe what pigs are really for, after which Babe questions the mother dog about the truth of this information. A real tearjerker. (See sample lesson below.)
Smoking - Dead Again (1:23:12 to 1:26:17) -- A young man visits an elderly man dying of lung cancer who speaks and breathes through a hole in his throat. In this black humor scene the patient begs for a cigarette, then smokes it through the hole. A graphic introduction to the health hazards of smoking. Needs a bit of cutting because of offensive language and irrelevant dialog. Good for dictation and listening for simple questions and answers. Listening may be difficult because of the sick man's electronic talking device.
I also found the TV drama ER especially good for providing scenes about timely issues.
Gun control - ER, Season 3, videocassette 11, "One More for the Road" (0:38:00 to 0:40:15) -- Some thugs on the subway try to rob Dr. Green. He pulls out a gun and scares them off. This can be spliced with a scene a few minutes later when Dr. Green throws the gun into a river. This powerful scene provides an excellent introduction to a gun control debate. Listening for specific information, simple informal slang, and imitating inflection can be taught. A reenactment is also a possible activity.
Working with HIV - ER, Season 3, videocassette 1, "Let the Games Begin" (0:37:35 to 0:39:20) -- Physician's Assistant Boule has HIV and continues to work in the emergency room. Doctor Benton knows her secret and pushes her out of the emergency room. Splice this with a scene a few minutes later when Benton and Boule argue about her working in the emergency room. Good for listening to two different opinions. For a third "doctor's opinion," there is a quiet scene in a later episode between Boule and her boss, Dr. Weaver, about her dilemma. (See also Season 3, videocassette 2, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," 0:37:35 to 0:39:20.)
Listening: Introduce the following vocabulary to the
students for discussion:
| vegetarians | superior | cruel |
| to be raised | rights | to hunt |
| farmers | natural | crazy |
Introduce the following vocabulary for the video:
| to be upset | I'll be blunt | the boss |
| forgive me | to realize | noble |
| to have a purpose |
Put the following questions on the board and have students read each question separately. Then watch the video looking for the answer to it.
1. Is the cat good or bad?
2. What does the cat tell the pig?
3. What does the pig ask the dog?
4. What is the dog's answer?
Watch the video as many times as you think the majority of students need. Discuss the answers as a class. Ask them to explain their answers with evidence from the video. If time is limited, discuss all the answers first before watching the video again.
Figure 1
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1. Have students interview their classmates again, asking the same three people Question 3. Again, make them use terms from the vocabulary list.
2. Students write paragraphs about their opinions, using some of the learned vocabulary.
3. Students write their own version of the dialog using vocabulary from the second list. They then practice it and perform it without notes.
4. Students have a formal debate about a related topic such as vegetarianism, animal rights, or zoos, using some of the learned vocabulary.