Making the most of a good cliffhanger
A cornerstone of the Chasing Time English teaching philosophy is summarised in our company introduction. It reads:
English language classes should excite. They should grip the imagination and inspire students to speak and to write. They should be eager to hear more.
The language used in that statement factors into every conversation we have around learner engagement. Thankfully, the challenge of upholding these ideals is made more achievable through our holistic approach to the production cycle.
By offering drama series in episodic form, we are able to utilise one of the best engagement devices available for an audience, the cliffhanger. Not only does a good cliffhanger moment work spectacularly well in retaining an audience when done correctly, it also offers a wealth of teaching and learning moments for English language education.
The review stage of each episode in terms of materials construction is potentially the most valuable area for the cliffhanger format and is filled with context-rich opportunities to exploit the target language.
One activity, an episode recount, performed in pairs or small groups, is an excellent way to use describing language to explain the actions and events from the narrative. The recount can be expanded to include opinion language for students to connect with a favourite character or moment from the episode. Additionally, the complexity of the task can be modified based on the level of your learners and may include a note-taking or transcribing activity led by students recounting events.
Another valuable speaking activity to use in the review stage, and one that is certain to increase learner engagement, is predicting future events. With a cliffhanger moment ending each episode, students are left wondering what is coming next, and this is a great time to get them talking. Whenever possible, a spoken prediction activity works best when the information is fresh in the mind of the viewer (student) and they are excited by the potential of what is coming next.
These are just two examples of how cliffhanger moments can be used effectively for speaking tasks in the English language classroom. In future posts, we will look more closely at a specific scene and episode from one of our drama series and break down a lesson in detail.