Category Archives: Actors

Beware of Deepfakes: Digital Impersonations That Can Deceive Us

“To those fearful of a future in which videos of real people are indistinguishable from computer-generated forgeries, two recent developments that attracted an audience of millions might have seemed alarming.” D. Victor, The New York Times, March 10, 2021

ESL Voices Lesson Plan for this post with Lesson Plan

A video of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, who died last year, was created using MyHeritage’s Deep Nostalgia tool.

Excerpt: Your Loved Ones, and Eerie Tom Cruise Videos, Reanimate Unease With Deepfakes,By Daniel Victor, The New York Times, March 10, 2021

“First, a visual effects artist worked with a Tom Cruise impersonator to create startlingly accurate videos imitating the actor. The videos, created with the help of machine-learning techniques and known as deepfakes, gained millions of views on TikTok, Twitter and other social networks in late February.

A looping video of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was created using a photograph and a tool on the MyHeritage genealogy site.

Then, days later, MyHeritage, a genealogy website best known for its role in tracking down the identity of the Golden State Killer, offered a tool to digitally animate old photographs of loved ones, creating a short, looping video in which people can be seen moving their heads and even smiling. More than 26 million images had been animated using the tool, called Deep Nostalgia, as of Monday, the company said.

The videos renewed attention to the potential of synthetic media, which could lead to significant improvements in the advertising and entertainment industries. But the technology could also be used — and has been — to raise doubts about legitimate videos and to insert people, including children, into pornographic images.

The creators of the viral Tom Cruise TikToks said the expertise required to use the technology makes abusing it much harder, and the company behind the photo-animating tool said it put in place safeguards to prevent misuse…‘Although Deep Nostalgia itself is innocuous, it’s part of this set of tools that are potentially very threatening,’ said Sam Gregory, the program director of Witness, a nonprofit organization focused on the ethical use of video, and an expert on artificial intelligence…The Deep Nostalgia tool was created for MyHeritage by D-ID, an artificial intelligence company based in Tel Aviv. Gil Perry, the chief executive of D-ID, said that the company works only with partners it can trust not to abuse the technology, and that it had a four-year relationship with MyHeritage.

Videos created using the tool have watermarks to indicate that they aren’t real, and the videos do not include audio, a decision that Mr. Perry said makes it harder to use them for unsavory purposes…The effects could also be used in Hollywood to better age or de-age actors, or to improve the dubbing of films and TV shows in different languages, closely aligning lip movements with the language onscreen… Of course, people who have died can’t consent to being featured in videos. And that matters if dead people — especially celebrities — can be digitally resurrected, as the artist Bob Ross was to sell Mountain Dew…Henry Ajder, a deepfakes researcher, imagined a future in which our own voices could be used with assistants like Amazon’s Alexa, allowing us to stay connected with loved ones after our deaths.”

STAY SAFE — KEEP LOVED ONES SAFE

ESL Voices Lesson Plan for this post

LESSON PLAN

NOTE: Lessons can also be used with native English speakers.

Level: Intermediate – Advanced


Language Skills: Reading, writing, and speaking. Vocabulary and grammar activities are included.


Time: Approximately 60 minutes.


Materials: Student handout (from this lesson) and access to news article.


Objective: Students will read and discuss the article with a focus on improving reading comprehension and improving oral skills. At the end of the lesson students will express their personal views on the topic through group work and writing.

I. Pre-Reading Activities KWL Chart

The K-W-L chart is used to activate students’ background knowledge of a topic in order to enhance their comprehension skills.

Directions: Have students use the KWL chart to list the information they already know about Digital Impersonations.Later in the Post- Reading segment of the lesson, students can fill in what they’ve learned about the topic.

Advanced K-W-L chart.Intervention for Reading — Michigan State University

 

II. While Reading Activities

Word Inference

Directions: Try to infer the meanings of the words in bold taken from the article. You use a dictionary, thesaurus, and Word Chart for assistance.

  1. Videos of real people are indistinguishable from computer-generated forgeries.
  2. A visual effects artist worked with a Tom Cruise impersonator to make the forgeries.
  3. MyHeritage is  a genealogy website.
  4. The website offered a tool to digitally animate old photographs of loved ones.
  5. The tool is called Deep Nostalgia.
  6. The videos renewed attention to the potential of synthetic media.
  7. Although Deep Nostalgia itself is innocuous, it’s part of this set of tools that are potentially very threatening.
  8. Many people are focused on the ethical use of the videos.
  9. The digital imitation of Mr. Cruise was no easy feat.
  10. Creating these videos required extensive expertise and time.

 

 Grammar Focus: Structure and Usage

Directions: The following groups of sentences are from the article. One of the sentences in each group contains a grammatical  error.  Identify the sentence (1, 2, or 3 ) from each group that contains the grammatical error.

I

  1. More than 26 million image had been animated.
  2. The videos renewed attention to the potential of synthetic media.
  3. Experts say the two examples are not overly alarming.

II

  1. The digital imitation of Mr. Cruise was no easy feat.
  2. Most of what you sea in the videos is the body and voice of Miles Fisher.
  3. Videos like this would require extensive manual work.

III

  1. A nongovernmental organization created a videos of a Mexican journalist.
  2. As the technology advances, it will be used more broadly.
  3. People are always trying to think about the perfect deepfake.

 

While Reading: Identify The  Speakers

Directions: Read the following quotes from the speakers in the article. Then identify the speakers.

  1. “Although Deep Nostalgia itself is innocuous, it’s part of this set of tools that are potentially very threatening.”
  2. “The digital imitation of Mr. Cruise was no easy feat. they required extensive expertise and time…It’s like a small Hollywood studio with the two of us. It’s not something you can do at a home computer, pressing a button.”
  3. “The technology could also have a destabilizing effect on global affairs, as politicians claim that videos, including genuine ones, are fake in order to gain an advantage that they have called “the liar’s dividend.”
  4. “Imagine a future in which our own voices could be used with assistants like Amazon’s Alexa, allowing us to stay connected with loved ones after our deaths…In what cases do we need consent of the deceased to resurrect them?”

Discussion Questions for Comprehension /Writing

Directions: Have  students discuss the following questions/statements. Afterwards,  students share their thoughts as a class. To reinforce the ideas, students can write an essay on one of the topics mentioned.

  1. What is the purpose of the tool Deep Nostalgia? What safeguards has D-ID, the company behind the tool, created to prevent its misuse?
  2. What are some benefits to using ‘synthetic media’? What are some dangers in using this type of media?
  3. Name two ways that people can tell which videos were created using the The Deep Nostalgia tool.
  4. Who was Javier Arturo Valdez Cárdenas? Joaquin Oliver? Why are they important to this article?
  5. What are some other ways this technology be used?
  6. (e.g., In the movies/TV shows–in Politics)
  7. How can this technology  have a destabilizing effect on global affairs?
  8. Have you ever seen a deepfake video? If so, where did you see it? Did you think it was real or could you tell it was fake?  If Yes, explain how you knew.
  9. The article concludes with a discussion of consent from people both living and dead. In your opinion, in the future, will we need the consent of dead people to reanimate them? Explain your answer.
  10. Write down three new ideas that you’ve learned about the topic from the reading,  two things  that  you did not understand in the reading, and one thing you  would like to know that the article did not mention. Review all  responses as a class.

Extra Activity:

Main Idea / Debate

Directions: Divide students into two teams for this debate. Both teams can use information from the article and additional articles from various newspapers including the New York Times to support their arguments.

Team A will list reasons that support arguments for Deepfake technology.

Team B will list reasons that support arguments against Deepfake technology.

Each team will have time to state their points of view,  and the teacher decides which team made their points.  

For organization, have students use Pros and Cons Scale organizer  from Freeology

Pros and Cons Scale

Additional Articles on Deepfakes:

“Facebook Says It Will Ban ‘Deepfakes’ (New York Times)

“Internet Companies Prepare to Fight the ‘Deepfake’ Future‘ (New York Times)

“Deepfakes Are Going To Wreak Havoc On Society. We Are Not Prepared.” (Forbes)

“Deepfakes and the New AI-Generated Fake Media Creation-Detection Arms Race” (Scientific American)

“What Are Deepfakes — and How Can You Spot Them?” (The Guardian)

ANSWER KEY

Category: Actors, Business, Culture, People, Technology | Tags:

Barbra Streisand Cloned Her Beloved Dog Sammie for $50,000…See The Results!

“It was basically an aside — an odd and interesting nugget in an interview with Barbra Streisand that otherwise dealt with heavy topics like sexism and politics…But it was that one nugget — a brief comment about her dogs — that drew the most attention on Tuesday night.” M. Stevens, The New York Times

ESL Voices Lesson Plan for this post  with Answer Key

Barbra holding her beloved Samatha-5:30:17.

 

Excerpt: Barbra Streisand Cloned Her Dogs… By Matt Stevens, The New York Times

“In her interview with Variety, Ms. Streisand revealed that two of her three Coton de Tulear dogs were clones. Specifically, the magazine reported that the dogs — Miss Violet and Miss Scarlett — had been cloned from cells taken from the mouth and stomach of Ms. Streisand’s late dog Samantha, who was 14 when she died last year.

Miss Violet and Miss Scarlett ‘have different personalities,’ Ms. Streisand told Variety. ‘I’m waiting for them to get older so I can see if they have her brown eyes and her seriousness.’

Streisand’s three girls, Pink, Blue and Violet

Ms. Streisand’s third dog, Miss Fanny, is a distant cousin of Samantha’s, the magazine said. (Miss Fanny’s mother, the story noted, had been named Funny Girl.)

Even if you are not a close follower of clones, you may recall Dolly the Sheep, who was born in 1996. Since then, researchers have cloned about two dozen other mammal species, including cattle, deer, horses, rabbits, cats, rats — and yes, dogs.

South Korean researchers announced that they had cloned a dog for the first time in 2005, after almost three years of work and more than 1,000 eggs.

By 2008, a California company had partnered with a South Korean laboratory and made plans to auction off chances to clone five dogs. Later that year, The New York Times reported that the first three puppies from the group had been born in South Korea.

Barbra Streisand revealed in an interview that two of her three Coton de Tulears had been cloned. CreditRussell James for Variety

Two 2015 reports — from Business Insider and NPR — detail the work of Sooam Biotech, a lab in South Korea, and said the lab, on its own, had cloned more than 600 dogs.

Both articles say Sooam Biotech charged about $100,000 to attempt the process. ViaGen Pets, a company based in Texas, says it charges $50,000 for the cloning or $1,600 to merely preserve your pet’s genes.

It was not clear which company Ms. Streisand used to create her clones. A publicist for Ms. Streisand did not immediately respond to an email or phone message on Tuesday night.”

ESL Voices Lesson Plan for this post

NOTE: Lessons can also be used with native English speakers.

Level: Intermediate – Advanced


Language Skills: Reading, writing, and speaking. Vocabulary and grammar activities are included.


Time: Approximately 2 hours.


Materials: Student handout (from this lesson) and access to news article.


Objective: Students will read and discuss the article with a focus on improving reading comprehension and learning new vocabulary. At the end of the lesson students will express their personal views on the topic through group work and writing.

I. Pre-Reading Activities

Stimulating background knowledge: Brainstorming

Directions: Place students in groups, ask students to think about what they already know about  the topic.  Next, have students look at the pictures in the text and generate ideas or words that may be connected to the article.  Regroup as a class and list these ideas on the board. Students can use a brainstorming chart for assistance.

Brainstorming chart by UIE copy

 

II. While Reading Activities

Word Inference

Directions: Students are to infer the meanings of the words in bold taken from the article. They may use a dictionary, thesaurus, and Word Chart for assistance.

  1. The puppies had been cloned from cells taken from Ms. Streisand’s late dog Samantha.
  2. It was basically an aside.
  3. Ms. Streisand revealed that two of her three Coton de Tulear dogs were clones.
  4. The possibility of cloning dogs intrigues many owners.
  5. You do not have to be an incredibly famous and highly acclaimed actor.
  6. The older dog served as the surrogate mother.
  7. It was reported that cloned animals aren’t exact replicas of original dogs.
  8. Cats and dogs delivered by cloning have the same genes as their donor pets.
  9. There is strong potential for miscarriages.
  10. A California company made plans to auction off chances to clone five dogs.

Word Map by Against the Odds

 

Reading Comprehension: Fill-ins

Directions: Place students in groups and after they have read the entire article, have them complete the following sentences  taken from the article. They can use the words and terms from the list provided, or provide their own terms. They are to find the meanings of any new vocabulary.

Cats and ___delivered by___have the same___as their___ pets and will be the closest match possible to the___ ViaGen said on its website. This is best described as identical twins born at a later date. The___ does interact with ___to impact many traits such as ___and behavior, the company continued.

WORD LIST :  personality, genetics, environment, donor, genes, dogs, cloning, donor,

 

Grammar: Identifying English Articles

Directions: Have students choose the correct English articles (THE, A, AN)  from those provided to fill in the blanks.

“You do not have to be ___incredibly famous and highly acclaimed actor to have it done.

By 2008, ___California company had partnered with ___ South Korean laboratory.

Researchers at ___South Korean lab told ___ station that ___dogs it had cloned have been healthy — and had almost always looked and acted like ___dogs they were cloned from.”

III. Post Reading Activities

Discussion for Comprehension /Writing

Directions: Place students in groups and have them  discuss the following statements. Afterwards, have the groups share their thoughts as a class. To reinforce the ideas, students can write an essay on one of the topics mentioned.

  1. Do you have a favorite pet? If so  is cloning your pet something you’d consider?  Explain why or why not.
  2. Other than cloning pets, what other reasons are there for cloning animals?
  3. In your opinion, what are some advantages and disadvantages of cloning?
  4. Who was Dolly the sheep? Why is she famous?
  5. Are there any questions your group would like to ask Ms. Streisand?
  6. Have groups search the web for additonal information about cloning.

1-Minute Free Writing Exercise

Directions: Allow students 1 minute to write down one new idea they’ve learned from the reading. Ask them to write down one thing they did not understand in the reading.  Review the responses as a class. Note: For the lower levels allow more time for this writing activity.

ANSWER KEY

Category: Actors, Animals | Tags:

Leonard Nimoy (aka Mr. Spock) Leaves Us…

“Leonard Nimoy, the sonorous, gaunt-faced actor who won a worshipful global following as Mr. Spock, the resolutely logical human-alien first officer of the Starship Enterprise in the television and movie juggernaut “Star Trek,” died on Friday morning at his home in the Bel Air section of Los Angeles. He was 83.” V. Heffernan, Feb. 27, 2015, New York Times

ESL Voices Lesson Plan for this post with Answer Key

Nimoy as the famous Mr. Spock.

Nimoy as the famous Mr. Spock.

Excerpt: Leonard Nimoy, Spock of ‘Star Trek,’ Dies at 83 By Virginia Heffernan, Feb. 27, 2015 NYT

“His wife, Susan Bay Nimoy, confirmed his death, saying the cause was end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Mr. Nimoy announced last year that he had the disease, attributing it to years of smoking, a habit he had given up three decades earlier. He had been hospitalized earlier in the week.
His artistic pursuits — poetry, photography and music in addition to acting — ranged far beyond the United Federation of Planets, but it was as Mr. Spock that Mr. Nimoy became a folk hero, bringing to life one of the most indelible characters of the last half century: a cerebral, unflappable, pointy-eared Vulcan with a signature salute and blessing: “Live long and prosper” (from the Vulcan “Dif-tor heh smusma”).

An older Mr. Spock.

Nimoy as an older Mr. Spock.

Mr. Nimoy, who was teaching Method acting at his own studio when he was cast in the original Star Trek television series in the mid-1960s, relished playing outsiders, and he developed what he later admitted was a mystical identification with Spock, the lone alien on the starship’s bridge…
Star Trek, which had its premiere on NBC on Sept. 8, 1966, made Mr. Nimoy a star. Gene Roddenberry, the creator of the franchise, called him “the conscience of Star Trek — an often earnest, sometimes campy show that employed the distant future (as well as some special effects that appear primitive by today’s standards) to take on social issues of the 1960s.

William Shatner (Captain James T. Kirk) and Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock)

William Shatner (Captain James T. Kirk) and Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock)

He also directed movies, including two from the “Star Trek” franchise, and television shows. And he made records, singing pop songs as well as original songs about “Star Trek,” and gave spoken-word performances — to the delight of his fans and the bewilderment of critics.
But all that was subsidiary to Mr. Spock, the most complex member of the Enterprise crew, who was both one of the gang and a creature apart, engaged at times in a lonely struggle with his warring racial halves [part Vulcan and part human].

The Vulcan Blessing: Live Long and Prosper.

The Vulcan Blessing: Live Long and Prosper.

To this day, I sense Vulcan speech patterns, Vulcan social attitudes and even Vulcan patterns of logic and emotional suppression in my behavior,” Mr. Nimoy wrote years after the original series ended…But that wasn’t such a bad thing, he discovered. Given the choice, if I had to be someone else, I would be Spock.”RIP LEONARD NIMOY-1931-2015

RIP LEONARD NIMOY-1931-2015

4

ESL Voices Lesson Plan for this post

Level: Intermediate – Advanced


Language Skills: Reading, writing, and speaking. Vocabulary and grammar activities are included.


Time: Approximately 2 hours.


Materials: Student handout (from this lesson) access to news article, and video clip.


Objective: Students will read and discuss the article with a focus on improving reading comprehension and learning new vocabulary. At the end of the lesson students will express their personal views on the topic through group work and writing.

I. Pre-Reading Activities

Stimulating background knowledge: Brainstorming

Directions: Place students in groups, ask students to think about what they already know about  the topic.  Next, have students look at the picture(s) in the text and generate ideas or words that may be connected to the article. Debrief as a class and list these ideas on the board. Students can use a brainstorming chart Kootation.com for assistance.

 

Great Brainstorming chart from Kootation.com

Great Brainstorming chart from Kootation.com

II. While Reading Tasks

Word Inference

Directions: Students are to infer the meanings of the words in bold taken from the article. They may use a dictionary, thesaurus, and Word Chart for assistance.

  1. His wife confirmed his death.
  2. Nimoy brought to life one of the most indelible characters of the century.
  3. Nimoy acknowledged ambivalence about the character.
  4. Star Trek, which had its premiere on NBC on Sept. 8, 1966.
  5. Some special effects appear primitive by today’s standards.
  6. His stardom would endure.
  7. The fans’ devotion only deepened when Star Trek was spun off into an animated show.
  8. His zeal to entertain and enlighten reached beyond Star Trek.
  9. But all that was subsidiary to Mr. Spock.
  10. His speaking voice was among his chief assets as an actor.
Word Map Education Oasis.

Word Map Education Oasis.

Reading Comprehension

True /False/NA-Statements

Directions: Review the following statements from the reading. If a statement is true they mark it T. If the statement is  not applicable, they mark it NA. If the statement is false they mark it F and provide the correct answer.

  1. Mr. Nimoy was known for his role as Spock in the “Star Trek” series.
  2. Mr. Nimoy was working in a store when he was cast in the original “Star Trek” television series.
  3. “Star Trek” had its premiere on ABC on Sept. 8, 1966.
  4. The fans of the show were called Spockies.
  5. Mr. Nimoy was Born in Boston MA.
  6. Mr. Nimoy also directed several of the “Star Trek” movies.
  7. In 2001 he voiced the king of Atlantis in the Disney animated movie “Atlantis: The Lost Empire”.
  8. Mr. Nimoy dreamed of becoming an astronaut.
  9. His religious upbringing never influenced the characterization of Spock.
  10. The phrase “Live long and prosper” was Spock’s signature salute and blessing.

 Grammar Focus: Structure and Usage

Directions: The following groups of sentences are from the article. One of the sentences in each group contains a grammatical  error. Students are to identify the sentence (1, 2, or 3 ) from each group that contains the grammatical error.

I

  1. Nimoy became an folk hero.
  2. Spock was the lone alien on the starship.
  3. Mr. Nimoy was  a star.

 

II

  1. His stardom would endure.
  2. The series was canceled after three seasons.
  3. The fan’s devotion only deepened.

III

  1. Mr. Nimoy also appeared on the follow-up movie.
  2. He also directed movies.
  3. Mr. Spock was the most complex member of the Enterprise crew.

III. Post Reading Tasks

Directions:  Have students use this advanced organizer from Write Design to assist them with  discussing  or writing about  the main idea and points from the article.Main idea chart By Write Design

Discussion/Writing Exercise

Directions: Place students in groups and have them answer the following questions. Afterwards, have the groups share their thoughts as a class. To reinforce the ideas, students can write an essay on one of the following discussion topics.

1. The following  three statements were taken from the article. Rephrase each one, then discuss the meaning with the members of your group.

“His zeal to entertain and enlighten reached beyond “Star Trek” and crossed genres. He had a starring role in the dramatic television series “Mission: Impossible” and frequently performed onstage…But all that was subsidiary to Mr. Spock, the most complex member of the Enterprise crew, who was both one of the gang and a creature apart, engaged at times in a lonely struggle with his warring racial halves.”

“Though his speaking voice was among his chief assets as an actor, the critical consensus was that his music was mortifying. Mr. Nimoy, however, was undaunted, and his fans seemed to enjoy the camp of his covers of songs like If I Had a Hammer.”His first album was called “Leonard Nimoy Presents Mr. Spock’s Music From Outer Space.”

“His stardom would endure. Though the series was canceled after three seasons because of low ratings, a cultlike following — the conference-holding, costume-wearing Trekkies, or Trekkers coalesced soon after “Star Trek” went into syndication. The fans’ devotion only deepened when “Star Trek” was spun off into an animated show, various new series and an uneven parade of movies starring much of the original television cast, including — Mr. Nimoy.”

2. Are you or  the member of your group “Trekkies” ? Explain what you liked or disliked about the  “Star Trek” series.

3. If you could meet Mr. Nimoy today, what questions would you ask him?

1-Minute Free Writing Exercise

Directions: Allow students 1 minute to write down one new idea they’ve learned from the reading and one thing they did not understand in the reading.  Review the responses as a class. Note: For the lower levels allow more time for this writing activity.

 ANSWER KEY

Category: Actors | Tags: , ,

Daniel Radcliffe: His Journey From Magic To Manhood

Daniel Radcliffe has traveled a long way from his “Harry Potter” days, and the path to adulthood has not always been easy for the Boy Wonder. Radcliffe is feverishly working to project his new adult image to the public.

ESL Voices Lesson Plan for this post with Answer Key.

Daniel Radcliff. Photo- Just Jared.

Daniel Radcliffe. Photo- Just Jared.

Excerpt: Daniel Radcliffe’s Next Trick…By Susan Dominus The New York Times Magazine

“Before Daniel Radcliffe became the most famous child actor in history, he was just a child: an only child, a poor sleeper, a nonstop talker, a picky eater. He was also disarmingly sweet. In the screen test he took at age 10, in 2000, for the first Harry Potter film, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” he smiles brightly, ebullient, his delight in being there apparent; he is concentrating, concentrating so hard at one point that he mouths words under his breath while waiting to deliver a line, but even still, when he does finally speak, he is all natural sincerity. His face is a flawless little-boy face, his eyes huge and cerulean blue. ..

Daniel Radcliffe (Kill Your Darlings-2013) Photo- Snitchseeker.

Daniel Radcliffe (Kill Your Darlings-2013) Photo- Snitchseeker.

Thirteen years later, on Sept. 2, Radcliffe was on a small boat in Venice, speeding along the Grand Canal toward the Rialto Bridge. Radcliffe was making his way from the Lido, a small resort island that hosts the Venice Film Festival, to a department store that had agreed to publicize, with huge banners, the independent film, “Kill Your Darlings,” that Radcliffe was in town to promote.

Daniel Radcliffe (How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying-2011) Photo- armchairactivist.

Daniel Radcliffe (How to Succeed in Business-2011) Photo- armchairactivist.

Since the Potter movies ended, Radcliffe has thrown himself into a frenzy of projects, at times working 90-hour weeks and rarely taking vacations. He seems intent on proving that he is, if not worthy of the golden ticket he received at age 10 (because who could be), at least working as hard as anyone could to show he won’t squander his fame. In 2010, while he was finishing the last Potter films, he trained with a choreographer and learned how to dance so he could star in “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” on Broadway.

Daniel Radcliffe (The Cripple of Inishmaan-2013) Photo- Ayoungertheatre.

Daniel Radcliffe (The Cripple of Inishmaan-2013) Photo- Ayoungertheatre.

This summer, he played the lead role in “The Cripple of Inishmaan” in London’s West End. .. Among the wealthiest men under 30 in his country, Radcliffe, particularly when he smokes, has the pallid, slightly starved look of an artist who might live in a garret.

Daniel Radcliffe (The Woman in Black-2012) Photo- IFC

Daniel Radcliffe (The Woman in Black-2012) Photo- IFC 

At times in his professional life, Radcliffe said, he has felt self-conscious about other idiosyncrasies of his face, particularly when he was acting in his first post-Potter movie, a horror film called the “The Woman in Black.” During filming, he said, “I was struggling in vain to not come close to making a face that would make people think of Harry.” And how would he characterize a Harry face? “There isn’t,” he said, exhaling smoke and shaking his head. “It’s just my face. I have to accept the fact that my face is going to remind people of Harry because I played that character.”

Daniel Radcliffe (Equus) Photo- ANightatthetheatre.

Daniel Radcliffe (Equus) Photo- ANightatthetheatre.

Radcliffe has been most successful, outside the Potter franchise, in roles in which the physicality of the character helps him over the hurdle of his past on-camera self. When he was 18, he starred in “Equus” on Broadway, playing a disturbed adolescent, a role that required extensive nudity.

The range of roles reflects Radcliffe’s ambition and his desire to prove, as quickly as he can, that he can genuinely act… Radcliffe told me he tries to dispel the image of a spoiled child star within the first 10 seconds of meeting someone; sometimes he does that by extending his hand and introducing himself — “Hi, I’m Dan” — but as often as not, he finds something, anything, for which he can apologize…Not long after Radcliffe moved out on his own, he started drinking. By his own description, this was not casual drinking at parties, but every-night drinking, heavy drinking, drinking to the point of making a scene and then blacking out. ..In August 2010, when he was 21, after awakening from a blackout, bruised and unable to account for the previous eight hours, he decided to stop drinking…

Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter films began 2001)Photo- The Telegraph.

Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter films began 2001)Photo- The Telegraph.

Thrown into an adult world early on, Radcliffe nonetheless still clings to some adolescent habits. He subsists on a diet based largely on cheeseburgers and pizza… Radcliffe says he confers with his parents about his career options, but he ultimately makes his own decisions and sets the pace.”

ESL Voices Lesson Plan for this post

Level: Intermediate -Advanced

Language Skills: Reading, writing, speaking and listening. Vocabulary and grammar activities are included.

Time: Approximately 2 hours.

Materials: Student handouts (from this lesson) access to news article, and video.

Objective: Students will read the article with a focus on improving reading comprehension and learning new vocabulary. At the end of the lesson students will express their personal views on the topic through discussions, and writing.

I. Pre-Reading Activities

 Predictions

Analyzing headings and photos

Directions:  Ask students to read the title of the post and of the actual article they are about to read. Then, have them  examine the photos. Based on these sources,  ask students to create a list of  words and  ideas  that they think might be related to this article.  Have L2 learners use this Pre-reading organizer by Scholastic.Pre-reading Organizer By Scholastic

II. While Reading Activities

Word Inference

Directions: Students are to infer the meanings of the words in bold taken from the article. They may use a dictionary or thesaurus for assistance. They might find this vocabulary chart by Education Oasis useful as a guide.

Word Chart By Education Oasis

 

Sentences

  1. In the screen test he took at age 10, in 2000, for the first Harry Potter film,  he smiles brightly, ebullient.
  2. His face is a flawless little-boy face.
  3. Thirteen years later,  Radcliffe was hoping to lure at least some of his Harry Potter following to see his new film “Kill Your Darlings”.
  4. After so many years, he is accustomed to the frenzied desire of fans wanting to see him.
  5. A few feet away, behind a barrier, a phalanx of young fans pressed up against one another to get closer to Radcliffe.
  6. At one point, he scrawled an autograph on a piece of paper, then threw it away quickly.
  7. Radcliffe, particularly when he smokes, has the pallid, slightly starved look of an artist.
  8. At times in his professional life, Radcliffe said, he has felt self-conscious about other idiosyncrasies of his face.
  9. On the “Doctor” set that day, Radcliffe seemed to enjoy the small talk and the camaraderie among the crew as much as the acting.
  10. Radcliffe told me he tries to dispel the image of a spoiled child star within the first 10 seconds of meeting someone.

 

Reading Comprehension

True /False/NA-Statements

Directions: Review the following statements from the reading.  If  a statement is true they mark it T.  If the statement is  not applicable, they mark it NA. If the statement is false they  mark  it F and provide the correct answer.

  1. In the last year of filming Harry Potter, Emma Watson, who played Hermione Granger, and Rupert Grint, who played Ron Weasley,  were not happy because of the tightly controlled routine on set.
  2. Radcliffe  also complained publicly about his experience on the Harry Potter set.
  3.  Radcliffe says that he doesn’t actually know how much money he has and leaves financial matters to his mother, who is a casting agent, and his accountant.
  4. Radcliffe’s father, Alan Radcliffe,  was a former actor who had a small role in one of the Potter films.
  5. “You’re not down in the mines” was a phrase Radcliffe’s father used to say to him.
  6. Acting in “The Woman in Black,” was the first time Radcliffe wasn’t accompanied by a parent.
  7. Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint are friendly and keep in touch constantly.
  8. Radcliffe  was  21 when he moved out on his own.
  9. Not long after Radcliffe moved out on his own, he started drinking, and having blackouts.
  10. Radcliffe stated that  he was always sober on the set of “Harry Potter.”
  11. Radcliffe  has an obsession with American football  which he cultivated during “How to Succeed.”
  12. He subsists on a diet based largely on cheeseburgers and pizza. 

 Grammar Focus

Using Adjectives  to describe pictures    

Directions: Have students choose a picture from this lesson and write a descriptive paragraph using adjectives.

For a review of Adjectives visit ESL Voices Grammar

III. Post Reading Tasks

Reading Comprehension Check

Discussion Organizer 

Directions:  Have students use this advanced organizer from Enchanted Learning to assist them with  discussing  or writing about  the main points from the article. Topic organizer. By Enchanted Learning

Discussion/Writing Exercise

Directions: Place students in groups and have them answer the following questions. Afterwards, have the groups share their thoughts as a class. To reinforce the ideas, students can write an essay on one of the following discussion topics.

Review ESL Voices Modes of Essay Writing.

  1. Radcliffe makes the following statement about his fans, “I’m more nervous about the anticipation of feeling bad,” he said. “When you’ve got thousands of people who’ve gotten up at 4 in the morning and think they’re going to get something and they won’t. . . .”  How would you put his sentiment into your own words?
  2. Daniel Radcliffe has enough money to take life easy, but he continues to work, “ Since the Potter movies ended, Radcliffe has thrown himself into a frenzy of projects, at times working 90-hour weeks and rarely taking vacations. He seems intent on proving that he is, if not worthy of the golden ticket he received at age 10 (because who could be), at least working as hard as anyone could to show he won’t squander his fame.”  Give an example of what this statement means.
  3. The article states, “Not long after Radcliffe moved out on his own, he started drinking. By his own description, this was not casual drinking at parties, but every-night drinking, heavy drinking, drinking to the point of making a scene and then blacking out. “I became a nuisance,” he has said. “I became the person in the group who has to be looked after.” He drank in local bars and eventually alone, because he was too embarrassed to go back to the bars where he had been so drunk on nights past.” During his years as young Harry Potter, Radcliffe claims that he was happy. Discuss possible reasons for this drastic change in  his character as he grew older.
  4. Radcliffe states, “ I have to accept the fact that my face is going to remind people of Harry because I played that character. If I try to avoid being expressive in that same way, all I’ll do is stop being expressive, and I won’t be any farther away from that character.” Do you think that Radcliffe still resembles Harry Potter, or has he grown up and away from this image?  Do you think it matters? Explain why or why not.
  5. If you were in Radcliffe’s position (rich and famous) what are some things you would  do with your life?
  6. What are the most significant ideas in this article?

IV. Listening Activity   

Video Clip:  Inside The Actors Studio with Daniel Radcliffe 

“Inside the Actors Studio is an American television show on the Bravo cable television channel, hosted by James Lipton…The program, which premiered in 1994, is distributed internationally by CABLEready and is broadcast in 125 countries around the world reaching 89 million homes.It is currently taped at the Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts at Pace University’s New York City campus.”

Pre-listening 

Here are several terms used during the Daniel Radcliffe interview.  Have students find meanings before viewing the video clip.

dyspraxia, innate, mournful.

 

 While Listening Activities

True /False/NA-Statements

Directions: Review the statements with students before the watching the video.  As students listen to the video if  a statement is true they mark it T.  If the statement is  not applicable, they mark it NA. If the statement is false they  mark  it F and provide the correct answer.

  1. Radcliffe’s real name is Daniel Jacob Radcliffe.
  2. Radcliffe’s father is an actor and his mother is a producer.
  3. Radcliffe stated that he still lives in his imagination.
  4. Radcliffe  was 5 years -old when he decided he wanted to be an actor.
  5. Radcliffe wants to eventually marry an actress .
  6. The first role Radcliffe auditioned for was Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.
  7. Radcliffe has a mild case of  dyspraxia.
  8. He was 8 years-old  when he auditioned for “Harry Potter”.
  9. Radcliffe has a stubbornness and an innate curiosity about life like harry potter and
  10. People often tell Radcliffe that he looks happy.
  11. Radcliffe also played the son of  David Copperfield in the play “My Boy Jack”.
  12. The other profession Radcliffe would like to attempt is journalism.
  13. Radcliffe wants to do more comedy in the future.
  14. The stupidest  question Radcliffe says he’s ever asked was, “What was Napoleon’s first name?”

Post-Listening Activities

Questions for Discussion

Directions:Place students in groups and have them discuss the following questions.

  1. After listening to this video has your personal view of Daniel Radcliffe changed in any way?   If yes, describe in what way.  If no, describe your original opinion.
  2. With your group members, make up questions that you would like to ask Daniel Radcliffe if you had the opportunity.

 

ANSWER KEY: Daniel Radcliffe

 

 

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