Curated and contributed by Christina Nhu Phan (Set 1) and Jathan Cruz (Set 2), TESOL Program, Hawaii Pacific University

Movie Synopsis "Coco" (2017)

Young Miguel simply loves music. But his family has a mysterious ban on anyone from their clan performing music. The ban dates back for many generations yet Miguel dreams of becoming an accomplished musician just like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz. Longing to prove his musical talents, Miguel finds himself in the technicolor Land of the Dead. Along his way, he meets the charming trickster Hector, and together, they set out to find the real story behind his family's mysterious ban on music.

Clip Transcript (0:08 - 2:04)

Sometimes I think I'm cursed. Cause there's something that happened before I was even born. See, a long time ago there was this family. The Papa he was a musician. He and his family would sing and dance and count their blessings. But he also had a dream: to play for the world. And one day he left with his guitar and never returned. And the Mama, she didn’t have time to cry over that walk-away musician. After banishing all music from her life, she found a way to provide for her daughter. She rolled up her sleeves and she learned to make shoes. She could have made candies or fireworks or sparkly underwear for wrestlers. But no. She chose shoes. Then she taught her daughters to make shoes. And later she taught her son-in-law. Then her grandkids got roped in. As her family grew, so did the business. Music had torn her family apart, but shoes helped them all together. You see, that woman was my great-great grandmother, Mama Imelda. She died way before I was born. But my family still tells her story every year on Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. And the little girl, she’s my great-grandmother, Mama Coco.

Teaching Activities

1. Awareness Raising

1. Fill out the following worksheet while watching the video clip.

WHO WHAT

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WHERE WHEN

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2. Watch the video again. This time, note down all the transition words that you hear from the story.

Transition words: ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

3. Put the transition words you have noted down under the correct category below.

2. Practice

2. In pairs, tell each other the story of your family by answering the questions below. Use the transition word list provided to make your story flow.

• What do your grandparents do? What do your parents do?

• Do your parents do the same thing your grandparents do? If yes, why? If no, why not?

• What do you want to be when you grow up?

• Is your dream similar to your parents' dream? If yes, why? If no, why not?

• Do your parents support your dream? If yes, why? If no, why not?

• What happened that led you to having that dream?

Clip Transcript (0:06-3:05)

Grandma Tala: In the beginning, there was only ocean until the mother island emerged: Te Fiti. Her heart held the greatest power ever known. It could create life itself. And Te Fiti shared it with the world. But in time, some begin to seek Te Fiti's heart. They believed that they could possess it, the great power of creation would be theirs. And one day, the most daring of them all voyaged across the vast ocean to take it. He was a Demigod of the wind and sea. He was a warrior. A trickster. A shapeshifter who could change form with the power of his magical fish hook. And his name was Maui. But without her heart, Te Fiti began to crumble, giving birth to a terrible darkness. Maui tried to escape, but was confronted by another who sought the heart: Te Kā, a demon of earth and fire. Maui was struck from the sky, never to be seen again. And his magical fish hook and the heart of Te Fiti, were lost to the sea. Where even now, 1000 years later, Te Kā and the demons of the deep still hunt for the heart, hiding in the darkness that will continue to spread, chasing away our fish, draining the life from island after island until every one of us is devoured by the bloodthirsty jaws of inescapable death!

Teaching Activities

Listening Comprehension

1. How did the children react to the story at the end? Choose all that applies:

A. Scared

B. Sad

C. Excited

What is in the story that makes them react that way?

What are your reactions to the story?

2. This is from the very beginning of the movie, how do you think the story will unfold? Note important events that happen so far and predict future events.

3. Put the actions in the speaker's telling of the story in order.

A. A quest by the main character

B. Where and when the story takes place

C. Who is in the story (characters)

D. How the story relates to the present

E. A problem met by the main character

Speaking

1. In pairs, tell a folktale in your culture that is similar to the one in the movie clip. Be sure to include the elements of a story in activity 3 above.

2. The listener writes down the story and illustrates it with drawings or photos.

3. Share stories and illustrations as a class.