Language Focus / Aims: Vocabulary for describing people; discussing stereotypes; generalizing

Notes (and their location): Teacher’s Guide on last slide.

Level : Advanced/Proficiency

Title: bigfatgreek

By Natália Guerreiro

You’re going to watch a You’re going to watch a WASP married couple WASP married couple meet their son’s Greek meet their son’s Greek

future in-lawsfuture in-laws..

Is their behavior Is their behavior stereotypical?stereotypical?

Talk about the Greek and Talk about the Greek and the WASPs. Contrast the WASPs. Contrast

what you have heard or what you have heard or know about them with know about them with what you saw in the what you saw in the

video. video.

They are supposed to They are supposed to be/have...be/have... They They come acrosscome across as being... as being... They They have a reputation forhave a reputation for ... ... They They give the impression of give the impression of beingbeing ... ... I’d always thought of them I’d always thought of them as being...as being... It’s just It’s just a mytha myth because ... because ... Judging from/by the Judging from/by the characterscharacters...... If the characters areIf the characters are anything to go byanything to go by ... ...

friendlyfriendly

uptightuptight

loudloud

pushypushy

snobssnobs

(im)polite(im)polite

quarrelsomequarrelsome

talkativetalkative

reservedreserved

shyshy

stubbornstubborn

How true is the WASP How true is the WASP stereotype? And the stereotype? And the

Greek one?Greek one?

Can a stereotype ever be Can a stereotype ever be absolutely true? Why absolutely true? Why

(not)?(not)?

What is usually said What is usually said about people of your about people of your nationality/ ethnicity? nationality/ ethnicity?

Does this stereotype hold Does this stereotype hold any truth to it?any truth to it?

Teacher’s Guide• Use the 1st 3 screens to pre-teach “WASP”. (N.B.: The couple in the video is

not truly a WASP couple, but, if your sts are not in America, this will probably do the trick anyway.)

• Use screen 5 to set the pre-viewing task.

• Show the snippet of My Big Fat Greek Wedding from the time the couple is in the car with their son and his Greek fiancee up to the time when the woman in red offers them sth to eat (Title 3: Channel 7: 1h05min29s-1h9min45s). If pressed for time, cut the scene before that.

• Show slide 5 again so sts can compare their impressions in pairs. Class check.

• Pre-teach/Elicit vocabulary and chunks in slide 7. Arrange sts in trios and use slide 6 to set the task. Keep slide 7 open for reference.

• Use slide 8 to discuss stereotypification. Arrange sts in bigger groups or have a whole class debate.