The Little Mermaid

THE LITTLE MERMAID: THE WALT DISNEY MOVIE

AS MOTIVATION TO ENGLISH LEARNING

Luzileida Sousa CORRÊA
Marcus Alexandre Carvalho de SOUZA
Raquel Lima DAMASCENO
Rosália de Oliveira SOARES
(Universidade Federal do Pará)

ABSTRACT: The aim of this paper is to analyze the Walt Disney childish movie, “The Little Mermaid” regarding the use of this movie as motivation to English language teaching through proposals of classroom practical activities.

KEYWORDS: movie; motivation; English language teaching.

1 Introduction:
There are many possibilities to teach the English language of a pleasant way. One of them is the use of movies to motivate the learners. The chosen movie was “The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s beginning” because this kind of movie can be interesting as to children as to adults.
During the session, the learners can see and listen a communication real process happening with all its contextual elements. After that the watched history can help them to develop several activities of comprehension and interpretation because of the scenes in sequence.
Then, the proposal of this work is to do of the English language learning a pleasant moment beyond an instruction period only.

2 Theoretical basis:
In general, video activities are used to stimulate students in EFL classrooms. As Lonergan says, "By generating interest and motivation, ... video ... can create a climate for successful learning." (1984: 5 apud WALKER, 1997). So, video activities can be considered input, when the purpose is motivating students to participate better in classes, because videos have an immediate impact and the language learning is helped by visual clues.
In videos activities, it’s important that learners can be exposed to authentic materials. Authentic in this case means that the video is produced by a real speaker, not by a EFL learner. This doesn’t mean that videos produced by students can’t be used in classroom activities, but they can be used in another purpose.
According to Arcario (u/d, apud WALKER, 1997), there are some criteria to choose the better video for an EFL classroom:
• Pay attention to the appropriate content to be taught;
• The video must be chosen according to the student’s level and interests;
• Look for videos that have good quality of sound and picture and good extent of visual support.

3 Synopsis:
In this film the main characters are Ariel (one of the princesses), Triton (the King), Sebastian (the crab) and Flounder (the fish, Ariel’s friend). The main antagonist is Marina Del Ray, the governess that cares of the princesses. She doesn’t like her job and wants to get Sebastian’s occupation.
The movie starts many years ago, when Athena, the Queen, was still alive. Atlantica kingdom was very happy and all the people used to sing and to dance. After the Queen’s death, there is a leap to ten years ahead. Atlantica kingdom became a sad place where the music was forbidden because the King didn’t get forgetting his sadness for his wife’s death.
Ariel and her six sisters are unhappy with their boring daily routine, unfeeling governess Marina Del Ray, and superficial relationship with their father; but only Ariel have courage to confront their father with a desire for a more fulfilling life. A change meeting with Flounder leads Ariel to the underground Catfish music club where the Caribbean jazz is hot and the starred soloist is none other the King's Chief of Staff Sebastian. Suddenly, a whole new world full of promise and excitement opens up for Ariel and her sisters, but things get ugly when Marina tells King Triton about the club and his fury erupts. The power of music, combined with Ariel's heartfelt pleas, convinced King Triton to pardon all the underground music lovers and reconsider his ban on music.
This story was created by Jule Selbo and Jenny Wingfield, directed by Peggy Holmes and produced by Kendra Haaland. The screenplay is by Robert Reece.

4 Analyses:
This movie is very interesting to work some values as the courage to try a changeover, the friendship, the work in group and the familiar relationship. Besides, the history is very involving and exciting, full of adventures that captivate the expectant’s attention. The music are very full of joy and this contribute to become the moment of learning in entertainment. This is an important motivation.
This fact contributes a lot to the success of posterior works about the language, once the history was attended with pleasure.

5 Activity proposals:

Activity 1: How to teach Subject Pronouns using a movie
Objective: Recognizing the subjects pronouns through of a situation of real communication using a part of the movie: “The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s beginning”.

Public:
Students of the 5th grade.

Methodology:
1st step: The class – Grammar and motivations
 Present the subject to the class explaining the use of the subject pronouns and their meanings.
 Discuss about familiar and social obligations to prepare the students to watch the movie.
2nd step: The movie’s beginning
 Give the paper with the transcription of a part of the movie to the students;
 Present the movie in English to the class of the beginning until the selected part without legends.
 Explain that they have to do (the students must see and listen the movie and fill in the blanks with subject pronouns learned.)
 Play the movie once more to the students do the task;
3rd step: The correction
 Return to beginning of the movie (now with legends in English) to the students check their answers;
 Change the legends to the Portuguese language and let the students watch the whole movie;
 Ask questions about the behavior of the characters Ariel, Triton, Sebastian and Marina.
 After that to make a discussion about several aspects of the movie like: submission, laws, jobs, competence, friendship, happiness, and on.

TASK 1: Follow the conversation of the movie (between the King Triton and Ariel) and fill in the blanks with the subject pronouns studied: (I, YOU, HE, SHE, IT, WE, THEY)

TRITON — Ariel.
ARIEL — Yes Daddy?
PRINCESS — _____ sounds grumpier than yesterday.
PRINCESS — Time to go.
TRITON — A princess does not tickle another princess with seaweed.
ARIEL — _____ say that? _____ was just trying to have some fun.
TRITON — ______ disrupted your sisters.
ARIEL — Well, _____ laughed.
TRITON — Well, _____ didn’t.
ARIEL — Daddy, why can’t…
TRITON — Is _____ too much to ask that _____ simply walk with your family?
ARIEL —That’s all _____ ever do.
TRITON — Ariel…
ARIEL — Can’t _____ do something different?
TRITON — Enough! _____ have to learn to respect the way _____ run this kingdom. Barnacles.
ARIEL — What? That’ll take all day.
TRITON — Well, then _____’d better get started, young lady.
ARIEL — _____ hate this place.

Correction
TRITON — Ariel.
ARIEL — Yes Daddy?
PRINCESS — He sounds grumpier than yesterday.
PRINCESS — Time to go.
TRITON — A princess does not tickle another princess with seaweed.
ARIEL — You say that? I was just trying to have some fun.
TRITON — You disrupted your sisters.
ARIEL — Well, they laughed.
TRITON — Well, I didn’t.
ARIEL — Daddy, why can’t…
TRITON — Is it too much to ask that you simply walk with your family?
ARIEL —That’s all we ever do.
TRITON — Ariel…
ARIEL — Can’t we do something different?
TRITON — Enough! You have to learn to respect the way I run this kingdom. Barnacles.
ARIEL — What? That’ll take all day.
TRITON — Well, then you’d better get started, young lady.
ARIEL — I hate this place.

TASK 2: Answers the questions bellow:
a) Why Triton became a sad man?
b) Why the music was forbidden in Atlantica? It was correct?
c) Why Ariel was a stubborn girl? She was always correct? Why?
d) Why Sebastian transgressed the law from Atlantica? You think it was right?
e) Why Marina wanted the Sebastian’s job? What you think about that?

Activity 2: The Little Mermaid Word Search
Objective: Recognize the names of characters of the movie “The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s beginning” and motivate for reading a little text.

Public:
Beginning class

Methodology:
1st step: Watching the movie.
2nd step: Motivation to reading the text about the movie.
 Reading of the text with the students (in class with the teacher, in pairs, groups or individual reading)
3rd step: Searching words.
 The students must search the names of the characters pointed out in the text.

TASK: Search in the chart the names of the characters pointed out in the text bellow:

In the beautiful kingdom of Atlantica, that is governed by King TRITON and Queen ATHENA, the mer-people lived very happy. But, after the death of the Queen, it all changed. A governess, MARINA Del Ray, and her assistant BENJAMIN, took care of the King and Queen’s daughters: ATTINA, ADELLA, ANDRINA, ALANA, AQUARA, ARISTA and ARIEL, the little mermaid. The King also banned the music in the kingdom. Ariel, helped by FLOUNDER, a fish, and SEBASTIAN, a crab King’s assistant, will change the King’s decision and the King finally will permit the music in Atlantica again.


(Aqui nós colocamos um caça-palavras com as palavras em caixa alta do texto)

Activity 3: Completing the song Endless Sky
Objective: Improving the listening comprehension through a video-music activity.

Public:
Students of 5th or 6th grade.

Methodology:
1st step: Previous knowledge of pronounce.
 Pronunciation of the words in the box by the teachers with the students, to give to the students a previous knowledge of the pronunciation of the words used in the activity.
2nd step: Filling the blanks.
 Students are supposed to fill in the blanks as they hear the words were said.
3rd step: Correcting the activity.
 Teacher and students will listen to the song again and correct the activity. When the whole activity was corrected, they can sing the song.

TASK: Fill in the blanks with the words in the box as you hear them in the song.
“Endless Sky”, from the movie The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning.

Words in the box: 1. floor 2. song 3. silent 4. tempo 5. love 6. treasure
7. music 8. sky 9. bright 10. moonlight 11. evening 12. feeling


La la la la la
La la la la la
La la la la
Under the __________ blue endless sky
Wait
I remember that
How I know that ___________
I remember sitting in the ______________ and that feeling
What’s that _______________ ?
I remember?
Yes, how I know that song
Though it’s been so long
I remember happiness without a _________ or ceiling
What’s that feeling?
I remember!

La la la...
La la la...
La!
La la la...
Oh! I remember her,
And how we were,
I remember wondering what the ____________ would be bringing
I remember singing
Under the bright blue endless ________!
Waves!
Try to measure the says that we ______________
And I
I remember
I remember _______________
And I’m never going back to the _____________ ball they wrote
I will sing in every _____________
Every last chromatic note
For I
I remember her
I remember music!
And I remember ______________!


Correction

La la la la la
La la la la la
La la la la
Under the bright blue endless sky
Wait
I remember that
How I know that song
I remember sitting in the moonlight and that feeling
What’s that feeling
I remember?
Yes, how I know that song
Though it’s been so long
I remember happiness without a floor or ceiling
What’s that feeling?
I remember!

La la la...
La la la...
La!
La la la...
Oh! I remember her,
And how we were,
I remember wondering what the evening would be bringing
I remember singing
Under the bright blue endless sky!
Waves!
Try to measure the says that we treasure
And I
I remember
I remember music
And I’m never going back to the silent ball they wrote
I will sing in every tempo
Every last chromatic note
For I
I remember her
I remember music!
And I remember love!


6 Final Considerations
The use of movies in EFL classrooms is one way for motivating students in the English learning process, because of the use of video images associated to the linguistic content of the class. Using movies in EFL classroom, it’s possible to develop all the skills and abilities students need to an effective communication in English language.
It’s necessary for teachers to use them own creativity to work with movies in English classes and make activities according to the students’ reality to became the classes more pleasant to all the people involved in the teaching learning process.


REFERENCES

DICIONÁRIO MICHAELIS UOL, Mídia eletrônica.
HORNBY, A. S. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. 7th edition - Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.
WALKER, S. A. Video in teaching English for specific purpose. Extracted from Searched on January 29th, 2009.