Silent Films

A few years ago, I found this collection of intriguing silent films from the NY Times.  It has famous actors such as: Matt Damon, Javier Bardem, Jesse Eisenberg, and Jennifer Lawrence play in these shorts.  I bookmarked the page but had forgotten about it until recently.  As I was browsing through my TESOL convention program booklet, I found materials and a presentation on using silent films in the language classroom, which reminded me of this resource that has been so well done.​

The possibilities are endless!  I think that unlike traditional black and white silent films, these will add more interest for students because they will most likely recognize at least some of the actors.

​One of my favorite ways to use silent films is to teach the elements of plot. 

Javier Bardem in a silent film produced by the NY Times.​