Curated and contributed by: Matteo Socciarelli, TESOL, Hawaii Pacific University
Simon, a regular high school student, lives a regular teenager life made of family time, friends, coffee and school. But Simon has a secret nobody knows: he is gay, and he is struggling with it. One day, he establishes a connection with Blue, an e-mail confident. Blue is the only person to know that Simon is gay, and Simon, although he doesn't know who Blue is, falls in love with him. Trying to find Blue, Simon will also have to find himself in this sweet coming-of-age movie.
Simon: Actually…hmm…I did wanna talk to you guys about something.
Emily: What is it?
Simon: Ah (scoffs)…well–
Jack: Let me guess. You got somebody pregnant.
Simon: Yeah….
Jack: No, you’re pregnant. Hahaha!
Simon: Yeah…
Jack: I knew it!
Simon: I’m pregnant…
Jack: I knew it, he’s got that glow about him babe.
Emily: Honey, honey.
Simon: No, um…I (stammers)…I’m gay.
Emily: Honey…
Simon: And I don’t want you guys to think anything different, I’m still me…
Emily: Of course you are!
Jack: Yeah.
Emily: Simon…
Jack: So you’re gay. Which one of your girlfriends turned ya, it was the… the one with the big eyebrow or the one…
Emily: Jack…
Nora: Jesus Christ dad can you ever shut the hell up?
Jack: I’m kidding!
Nora: It’s not funny!
Simon: Hey, it’s…
Jack: Nora, why don’t you open up your gift please.
Emily: It’s okay honey.
Simon: Nora, I got you this.
Nora: Simon.
Simon: That’s for you, no, that’s for you, that’s from me. It’s a Cuisineart.
Nora: I love it, thank you Simon.
Gilmore Girls is the story of the Gilmore family and its 'girls'. Lorelai Gilmore, positive, caring and messy mother of Rory (Lorelai), a smart soon-to-become woman, and Emily Gilmore, Lorelai's rich and (often) snotty mother. Through the years, these women, and the people around them, will share happy and sad memories, and many ups and downs which will test their strong family bond.
Richard: Good food, good company. Now, let’s move on to good conversation. Rory? What is new in your life?
Rory: Well…funny you should mention it.
Lorelai: Now?
Rory: Why not?
Lorelai: Okay. Mom, Dad, we have some very big news.
Rory: I got my college acceptance letters back.
Lorelai: Harvard. Princeton. And Yale.
Rory: And after giving it a lot of thought I’ve decided. I’m going…to Yale.
Lorelai: Did you hear that? Yale!
Rory: I’m going to Yale.
Lorelai: That’s where you went Dad.
Rory: You liked it, remember?
Emily: Pass the Johnny Machete please?
Lorelai: Pass the…
Rory: I don’t understand. I thought, you wanted me to go to Yale.
Emily: No we didn’t.
Richard: Absolutely not!
Emily: What gave you that idea?
Lorelai: Mom, Dad, look. I know we’ve had our differences over where Rory should go to school, but that’s behind us now. She’s going to Yale. And, that’s good. Really good!
Rory: Nothing but smiles.
Lorelai: We’re both very happy about it.
Rory: Both.
Lorelai: Her and me.
Rory: She and I.
Lorelai: Everybody in this room named Lorelai is over the moon about the going to Yale.
Rory: Which means that everybody else in this room not named Lorelai, can be equally over the moon about the going to Yale.
Richard: I’m getting the champagne.
Emily: I’m calling the Talbotts!
Richard: Make sure you gloat over that dimwitted son of theirs who couldn’t even get into Brown.
Emily: She’s going to Yale!
Richard: She’s going to Yale!
1) Read the title of the two clips before watching the videos. How do you consider these two news? How would you feel if you had to announce them to your family?
2) Watch the video clips and focus on Simon, and Rory and Lorelai. Answer the following questions:
a) How do you think Simon feels in giving his news to the family? And Rory and Lorelai? How do they consider their own news?
b) Complete the chart below with the language (verbal and non verbal) they use to introduce their news (pre-announcement):
Simon's news Rory/Lorelai's news
Verbal language
Non-verbal language
c) Do you notice any difference in the way they introduce their news?
3) Watch the two clips again, still focusing on Simon, and Rory and Lorelai. Answer the following questions:
a) How does Simon deliver his news? And Rory and Lorelai? Complete the chart with your thoughts and with language from the clips (announcement):
Simon Rory/Lorelai
Length of the message
Pauses, intonation
Follow-up to the announcement
b) Do you think the way they consider their news makes them announce them differently?
4) Watch the video focusing on Simon's family and on Rory's grandparents. How do they respond to the announcement? How are their feelings expressed by language? Complete the chart (announcement response):
What they're feeling How they respond
(verbally and non-verbally)
Jack
Emily (Simon's mom)
Nora
Richard
Emily (Rory's grandma)
1) Make a list of different types of announcements that you might have to make
a) exciting news: (ex. I won the lottery)
b) scary news:
c) bad news:
d) sad news:
e) good news:
f) formal news:
g) small news:
2) Work in pairs and role-play:
Student A: Give an announcement to your partner from the list above. Think about what you might feel about the news, and how you would introduce it and announce it, according to that feeling.
Student B: React and respond to A's announcement. Try to think about how they might feel, how you feel and how you consider the news.
1) Discuss in groups of three or pairs:
2) Discuss in groups of three or pairs: