Home | List of Articles | Submit an Article | Contact Us

A Horse Named Focus

Every year during the month of October and at times into early November, I show my EFL students the Disney animated version of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”. The video serves several purposes both didactic and non-didactic. It continues to be popular with the students regardless of their age, major or occupation.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Most of you are probably familiar with Washington Irving’s classic American short story, originally penned in 1819-1820, based on a German folktale. A transient schoolmaster, Icabod Crane, arrives in the tiny colonial burg of Sleepy Hollow situated near Tarrytown, in Westchester County of New York state. As he integrates into the local society, he falls for a wealthy farmer’s daughter, Katrina Van Tassel. The superstitious pedagogue battles a local rival for the fair maid’s favors. On the night of October 31st during festivities at the Van Tassel estate ghost stories told by the guests bring out the worst of Icabod’s fears. One story in particular, that of a Headless Horseman who rides one night each year in search of a new head, terrifies the schoolmaster beyond all else. The hapless schoolteacher later encounters the legendary Headless Horseman and … Well, if you don’t know the rest of the story it’s worth a read.

Setting the stage

The full-color, animated feature runs about 30 minutes, so it is short enough to fit well into a 90-minute class session. I prepare a two-page worksheet to help the students follow the story and extract key information as they watch. To set the stage overall we talk about legends in Colombia which may include:

• The Three Crosses (Las Tres Cruces)

• Chupacabra (like a female “Boogeyman”)

• El Duende (similar to a Leprechaun)

• Pata Sola (like a one-legged “Bigfoot”)

Are you superstitious?

After watching the story and working through the task sheet, we check answers and responses. We talk about their likes and dislikes which may be similar to those seen in the story. I also ask about their superstitions and reactions to situations like:

• Breaking a mirror

• A black cat or black butterfly approaching them

• Using a broom to ward off bad luck

• Walking under a ladder

The activity, in general, is useful for English levels from beginner to upper intermediate and beyond. It serves to illustrate some aspects of history, culture and customs in the USA associated with the fall of the year.

The Worksheet is available

If you have access to this particular video and would like to have a copy of the worksheet I use, e-mail your request to me at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com and Ill be glad to send you one right away.

Although I’m not a great proponent of using whole movies for their own sake in the EFL classroom, I do favor using short, 5 minute or so video clips on occasion. Audio visuals like videos do aid in lowering the affective filter of the students and can greatly promote learning when used judiciously.

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is a bi-lingual copywriter, expert author and photographer specializing in business, travel, food and education-related writing in South America. His work has appeared in Transitions Abroad, South American Explorer, Escape From America, Mexico News and Brazil magazines. He lives in Colombia and teaches at a university in Cali. Want lots more free tips and techniques to improve your EFL teaching and become a better, more effective TESOL professional, go now to: http://bettereflteacher.blogspot.com.

Related Articles:

How to Find the Best Horse for Your Child - Owning a horse is a huge responsibility for an adult, much less for a child. Owning a horse requires a lot of time and money, both from the parent and the child, therefore, before you decide to go horse-shopping, it’s best that you sit down and discuss the responsibilities and tasks involved in owning and caring f ...

WHAT THE NOVICE HORSE BREEDER SHOULD CONSIDER BEFORE BREEDING - For any proud horse owner there comes a time when you want to mate your stallion or mare. This is an important decision. Be patient. Be prepared. You've taken a good look at your mare and believe that she is good mating material. Plus, you are rather fond of the idea of having a baby around. It is time to begin the long, but rewarding task ...

How To Get Your Horse To Obey You and Look To You For Instruction - In the animal kingdom there is a pecking order. Richard Shrake points out that it’s a lot like the military. He ranks in the pecking order go from General down to Private. The General will get first pick of the food, decide where to go and when, and so on. The 'second in command' will act just like the General but he won’t pick ...

A Million Little Truths: One Good Horse , a memoir by Tom Groneburg - 1. Following A Trainer's Course Statistics The placing of horses is one of the most important factors in the jigsaw of training. Some trainers insist in doing this themselves whereas others find that to do this effectively with a lot of horses is too time consuming and distracts them from the core ele ...

Two Things To Consider If You Want To Make A Regular Income From Betting On Horse Racing - 1. Following A Trainer's Course Statistics The placing of horses is one of the most important factors in the jigsaw of training. Some trainers insist in doing this themselves whereas others find that to do this effectively with a lot of horses is too time consuming and distracts them from the core ele ...

How To Use Leading Your Horse To Get Control And Response - I’ve been around many people who try to lead a horse by controlling their head with a lead rope. They end up pulling or jerking the lead rope and the horse will typically pull back or push around the person with the lead rope. Ultimately, you want slack in the lead rope while leading your horse because you don’t want to pull or jerk him. If your ...

For a Complete list of Articles with summaries Click Here