I use short, funny video clips a lot when I’m teaching ELLs, and you can read in detail about how I use them in The Best Popular Movies/TV Shows For ESL/EFL (& How To Use Them). In short, there are many ways to use them that promote speaking, listening, writing and reading (including having students describe – in writing and verbally – a chronological description of what they saw).
I’ve posted a few of them during the second half of this year, and I thought it would be useful to readers — and to me — if I brought them together in one post.
I’ve also published quite a few during the previous ten years of this blog. You can find those in these lists:
The Best Fun Videos For English Language Learners In 2016 – So Far
The Best Fun Videos For English Language Learners In 2015 – Part Two
The Best Fun Videos For English Language Learners In 2015 – So Far
The Best Fun Videos For English Language Learners In 2014 – Part Two
The Best Fun Videos For English Language Learners In 2014 – Part One
The Best Videos For Educators In 2014 – So Far
The Best Fun Videos For English Language Learners In 2013 – Part Two
The Best Fun Videos For English Language Learners In 2013 — So Far
The “All-Time” Best Videos For Educators
The Best “Fun” Sites You Can Use For Learning, Too — 2012 (Part Two)
The Best “Fun” Sites You Can Use For Learning, Too — 2012 (Part One)
The Best “Fun” Sites You Can Use For Learning, Too — 2011
The Best “Fun” Sites You Can Use For Learning, Too — 2010
Part Two Of The Best “Fun” Sites You Can Use For Learning, Too — 2009
The Best “Fun” Sites You Can Use For Learning, Too — 2009
The Best “Fun” Sites You Can Use For Learning, Too — 2008
The Best Movie Scenes To Use For English-Language Development
The Best Funny Videos Showing The Importance Of Being Bilingual Or Multilingual — Part One
The Best Pink Panther Fight Scenes For English Language Learners
The Best Videos Illustrating Qualities Of A Successful Language Learner
The Best Sports Videos To Use With English Language Learners
The Best Video Clips Of Sneaky Critters
The Best Videos Showing “Thinking Outside The Box” — Help Me Find More
The Best Fun Videos To Teach Language Conventions — Help Me Find More
The Best Funny Videos To Help Teach Grammar – Help Me Find More
The Best Movie Scenes For Halloween
The Best Christmas Videos For English Language Learners – Help Me Find More
Okay, now here are my choices for The Best Fun Videos For English Language Learners In 2016 — Part Two:
This Planet II video clip from the BBC would be extremely engaging to show to English Language Learners and then have them explain what they saw – in writing and verbally.
I wouldn’t call it “fun,” but it is one of the most thrilling scenes you’re going to see:
Possibly the greatest scene in documentary history. Incredible. #PlanetEarth2 pic.twitter.com/01dDjDJcdX
— ✏️ (@MrLukeJohnston) November 7, 2016
Unsatisfying is video that lasts a little over a minute that shares…unsatisfying experiences some of us may have experienced. It would be great to show to English Language Learners and have them describe what happens in the film. You can read more about the video’s background at Vox:
UNSATISFYING from PARALLEL STUDIO on Vimeo.
Videos of animals doing funny things are always a winner with English Language Learners (and their teachers!). Show them and then have students write and talk about what they’ve seen. Here’s one, and it creators also have two playlists of similar animal compilations:
The creators of Wallace and Gromit have posted on YouTube one of the most well-known sequences from their 1993 movie, and it’s a great one to show English Language Learners and have them describe what they see:
I’ve previously posted about how great Simon’s Cat videos are for English Language Learners – have them watch them and write and talk about what happened. Here’s another one:
Slapstick movie scenes – both silent like ones from Charlie Chaplin and others like Pink Panther clips – are great to show English Language Learners to have them write and talk about them.
Now, the internet has brought us this GIF that is sure to become a slapstick classic:
Oh boy. I have watched this unintentional slapstick scene over and over again. It’s golden. pic.twitter.com/E1L83E6d4F
— SimonNRicketts (@SimonNRicketts) August 5, 2016
So much happens so fast in it that The Verge has published a second-by-second description at Breaking down the best slapstick GIF we’ve ever seen. You’d have to show it a number of times, but its speed, I suspect, would even make it more engaging to students.
Here’s another Simon’s Cat video:
“For The Birds” is a good video for English Language Learners – they can watch it and, then, describe what they saw. It works well on that kind of “surface” level. In addition, if you want, it can work on a “deeper” level, too, if you want to explore the issue of how we treat others who might look or act differently.
Here’s a change – a scary video:
I’ve got a collection of videos at The Best Video Clips Of Sneaky Critters — Help Me Find More which I use for English Language Learners to view and describe, and for IB Theory of Knowledge students to use for discussions about if animals have ethics.
Here’s a new addition to that list:
I’ve posted many illusions, along with explanations of how I use them with English Language Learners and in my IB Theory of Knowledge classes.
Today, the “Illusion of The Year” was announced and, as I do every year, it’s posted below – prepare to have your mind blown.
But there’s additional treat – someone made a simple video explaining how it was done. That one is also embedded below…
This video about a “a lonely chameleon who struggles to stay visible while seeking the attention of his crush” would be good for English Language Learners to watch and then, afterwards, write and talk about what happened in it:
Invisible from Invisible Film on Vimeo.
Hi Larry,
Just to let you know that we’ve shortlisted this blog post for this month’s TeachingEnglish blog award and I’ll be putting up a post about it on today’s TeachingEnglish Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/TeachingEnglish.BritishCouncil, if you’d like to check there for comments.
Best,
Ann
Thanks, Ann! I’m honored!