Forrest Gump "Stupid is as stupid does," says Forrest Gump (played by Tom Hanks in an Oscarwinning performance) as he discusses his relative level of intelligence with a stranger while waiting for a bus. Despite his sub-normal IQ, Gump leads a truly charmed life, with a ringside seat for many of the most memorable events of the second half of the 20th century. Entirely without trying, Forrest teaches Elvis Presley to dance, becomes a football star, meets John F. Kennedy, serves with honor in Vietnam, meets Lyndon Johnson, speaks at an anti-war rally at the Washington Monument, hangs out with the Yippies, defeats the Chinese national team in table tennis, meets Richard Nixon, discovers the break-in at the Watergate, opens a profitable shrimping business, becomes an original investor in Apple Computers, and decides to run back and forth across the country for several years. Meanwhile, as the remarkable parade of his life goes by, Forrest never forgets Jenny, the girl he loved as a boy, who makes her own journey through the turbulence of the 1960s and 1970s that is far more troubled than the path Forrest happens upon. Featured alongside Tom Hanks are Sally Field as Forrest's mother; Gary Sinise as his commanding officer in Vietnam; Mykelti Williamson as his illfated Army buddy who is familiar with every recipe that involves shrimp; and the special effects artists whose digital magic place Forrest amidst a remarkable array of historical events and people. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
We use the past continuous tense to talk about something which happened in the past over a period of time. Past Continuous
There was always folks coming and going One day, we was out walking like always We had so many people staying with us A young man was staying with us I was showing him a thing or two on the guitar I started moving around to the music We were out shopping We were always looking for a guy named Charlie He was always getting funny feelings about a rock or a road Then one day, it started raining I told her what I was doing And asked her what she was doing There was a boy laying on the ground Someone was saying Help me, Forrest! If I had known this was the last time we were going to talk I thought we were going back to Vietnam He was on his way home signing autographs What I was doing seemed to make sense to people Another time, I was running along Anyway, like I was saying, we had a lot of company I think that s what my running was all about It was nice talking to you I was looking forward to getting a letter from her
John Lennon Use the verbs in the box below to fill in the gaps. Remember to use the past continuous! 1980: Former Beatle John Lennon has been shot dead by an unknown gunman who opened fire outside the musician's New York apartment. The 40-year-old was shot several times as he into the Dakota, his luxury apartment building on Manhattan's Upper West Side, opposite Central Park, at 11pm local time. He was rushed in a police car to St Luke's Roosevelt Hospital Center, where he died. His wife, Yoko Ono, who is understood to have witnessed the attack, was with him. A police spokesman said a suspect in custody, but he had no other details of the shooting. "This was no robbery," the spokesman said, adding that Mr. Lennon was probably shot by a "deranged" person. Witness reports say at least three shots were fired and others claim six. There are also reports that Lennon after he was shot before collapsing. Jack Douglas, Lennon's producer, said he and the Lennon s at a studio called the Record Plant in mid-town earlier in the evening. Friends saw Lennon at 10:30pm. Lennon said he to have some dinner and before returning home, Mr. Douglas said. The Lennon s are said to have left their limousine on the street before walking up the driveway when the gunman began fire. It is unclear whether the man in wait in the entrance to the building for Lennon, or whether he came up behind him. Witnesses describe the gunman as a "fat kind of man", 35 to 40 years old with brown hair. Other former band members, Paul McCartney, guitarist George Harrison and drummer Ringo Starr are thought to have been informed of Lennon's murder. Fans have started arriving at the scene, many still unaware Lennon has died. hear open talk walk be lie stagger
Elvis Presley Use the verbs in the box below to fill in the gaps. Remember to use the past continuous! Elvis Presley was the first real Rock n Roll star. Presley his music with a natural hip swivelling sexuality that made him a teen idol and a role model for generations of cool rebels. Presley was repeatedly dismissed as vulgar, incompetent and a bad influence. However the force of his music and image to the mainstream culture it was time for a change. By 1955, Presley on the Steve Allen, and Ed Sullivan television shows. That April, Presley his debut in Las Vegas. In August, Presley his first film Love Me Tender. Released three months later, it its filming cost of $1 million after only three days. In early 1957, Presley the target of criticism by teachers, clergymen, and even other entertainers, who thought his style was too suggestive. Even being nicknamed "Elvis the Pelvis" by one writer! On January 6, he the last of his three appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show and was shown only from the waist up. June 26, 1977 Presley live for the last time. Then on August 16, 1977, the day before his next scheduled concert, Presley was discovered by his girlfriend Ginger Alden dead in his bathroom at Graceland. His death was attributed to congestive heart failure. A later autopsy revealed advanced hardening of the arteries and an enlarged liver. Later it was determined that drug abuse was a factor. signal make play make contribute film perform become recoup appear
What to do in class Before Class Print enough sentence strip sheets as there are pairs of students in your class. Cut up each sheet into the sentence strips, shuffle and paper clip them. Every pair of students in your class should now have mixed up sentences for the class activity. In Class This is a grammar activity; before starting the film, briefly explain the past continuous grammar point to students. The best way to do this is with a time-line. Copy the timeline from page 3 onto the board and give easy examples to your students. Ask your students if they can suggest examples to you. Hand-out the grammar guide from this plan for your students to keep. The Film Tell your students that they are going to watch some scenes from Forrest Gump. It is a well-known film, so some of your students may be familiar with it. As your students watch the suggested clips, they should try to put the past continuous sentence strips in the order that they come up in the film. As an added activity, ask your students to look for famous people or historical moments which are shown in the film. (These are Elvis Presley, the Vietnam War, the moon landing, John Lennon and the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan.) Post-Viewing Activity For homework, give each student an Elvis Presley or John Lennon worksheet (Elvis is a little easier). Students have to fill in the gaps using past continuous. Good luck!
Parts of the film to show Clip One (10:20mins to 12:17mins) Elvis Presley comes to stay at the Gump residence! Clip Two (44:12mins to 56:21mins) Forrest fights in the Vietnam War! Clip Three (1:12:13mins to 1:15:20mins) Forrest meets John Lennon! Clip Four (1:51:51mins to 1:59:51mins) Forrest runs across America!