This lesson is based on three simple, minute-long short films directed by Rick Mereki, each revolving around a theme (travel, learning and food) and all three compiled from video taken on an epic trip of 11 countries in 44 days.
Language level: Intermediate (B1) – Upper-intermediate (B2.1)
Learner type: All ages
Time: 90 minutes
Activity: Watching three short films, speculating, speaking and writing
Topic: Travel, food and learning
Language: Modal verbs of speculation, second conditional and food vocabulary
Materials: Three short films and a PowerPoint presentation
Downloadable material: move eat learn lesson instructions foodscapes slides
Step 1
Write the following questions on the board?
If you could travel to 11 countries in 44 days, which countries would you visit?
What would you do in each country?
Get your students to work in small groups, answer the questions and talk about what their epic trip would involve.
Step 2
Tell your students they are going to watch a short one-minute called MOVE which shows clips of 11 countries visited by Andrew Lees in 44 days. Students should watch the film and try to name as many of the countries as possible. The clips are very fast, so it will be necessary to watch the film at least twice.
The countries are Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Brazil, USA, Burma, and Thailand.
Step 3
Ask your students to discuss the following questions in pairs:
Have you been to these of these countrie?
Would you like to go to any of these countries?
What are they famous for?
Step 4
Ask your students to discuss in small groups what you could learn to do in each of the countries. For example, you could learn to dance tango in Argentina or you could learn to make paella in Spain.
Step 5
Tell your students they are going to watch the second film LEARN in which Andrew learns different things in each country. Students should watch the film and spot which things he learns, and then compare them with their answers in the previous step.
Get feedback from your students and ask them which of the things they would most like to learn to do.
Step 6
Revise food vocabulary by showing students some of the slides in the presentation below, they are foodscapes (landscapes created using food) shot by photographer Carl Warner. 3 or 4 slides will probably be enough as they generate a lot of vocabulary.
Show your students a slide and ask them to identify as many different types of food as they can.
Step 7
Ask students what foods and dishes are typical in the 11 countries in MOVE and LEARN. Ask what ingredients are used in the dishes.
Step 8
Tell students they are going to watch the third film EAT in which Andrew tries typical dishes in each country. Ask your students to identify the dishes and ingredients.
Get feedback from your students and then watch the film a second time.
Homework
Ask your students to write a composition about what their own epic journey would be using their ideas in Step 1. They should write three paragraphs: one about where they would go and why, the second about what they would learn in each country and the third about what they would eat and drink.
I hope you enjoy the lesson.
I love this idea and think it’s a great way of teaching students. Just one question – where did you take the films from? They don’t open in Mozilla Firefox. I can only watch the food landscapes.
Would be really great if you could drop me a hint.XYours,
Claudia
Hi Claudia,
Thanks a lot. I’ve just checked and I could watch the videos with Firefox. I imagine it was just a temporary problem with firefox, but if you still can’t see them, here’s a link to Vimeo:
http://vimeo.com/27246366
All the best,
Kieran
Dear Kieran,
I recently came across your website having seen the rave reviews on the BBC’s Teaching English site. I am based in China and cannot access youtube, or Vimeo, or the majority of the videos/films – over here we mainly have access to YouKu or TuDou, I was wondering if you know of any other sites that will play the videos and I can give them a try.
What you are doing is awesome, and I’m really looking forward to introducing my students to your lesson plans – particularly in my ‘experimental’ classes.
Keep up the good work.
James.
Dear James,
Your comments are very kind, I really appreciate them.
I’m sorry, but I don’t know of any sites where you could see the films in China. However, if you could get somebody to download the films for you using software such as Clip Nabber,http://clipnabber.com/, they could send you the films or upload them to a cloud such as dropbox, http://dropbox., you could download them and then put them on a pendrive, and then show them to your students. That’s the only solution I can think of, Ihope it works and that your students can gt to see them. Let me know how it goes.
All the best,
Kieran
Hi Kieran,
An excellent lesson, well put together and an inspired choice of videos! Thanks for sharing these.
David
Hi David,
Thanks a lot for your kind comments. I’m really happy you like the lesson.
All the best,
Kieran
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I think this lesson plan would engage the students and make them want to learn more
Hi TESOLfan,
Thanks a lot, I’m glad you like dit. if you use it with your students let me know.
All the best,
Kieran
Dear Kieran, every time I come accross your blog I end up wanting to see more. Your ideas are fantastic and inspiring, I’m dying to try this one with my groups! Thanks a lot for sharing!
Best,
Andrés
Dear Juan Andrés,
Thanks a lot for your kind comments, I’m really happy that you find the site and lessons useful. Please let me know how the lessons go with your students.
All the best,
Kieran
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Dear Kieran,
Thanks for your genorosity. You’ll never know how many lives you have touched. Your work is treasured by my students. I was sitting here working on my class for tomorrow and needed something to activate their food voabulary…as usual the stuff you found and posted is brilliant. Your work has really inspired my students. Me too.
Dear Chris,
Thanks so much much for your kind words, they really mean a lot to me. I’m really happy that you and your students enjoy the lessons.
All the best,
Kieran
Dear Kieran,
I love your films and I used the film “Signs” last week for the first time. This film “move, lern, eat” I have to say I like less because the pictures are moving to fast, least for me.
With regards,
David
Hi David, Thanks a lot for commenting, I’m really happy that you like the site. The films in this lesson, especially the first one, are really fast, but if you warn your students, as I mention you should in the instructions, it doesn’t have to be a problem. Also, as the films are so short you can watch them several times and pause and ask students to speculate about the images. All the best, Kieran
Hi,
I am really excited to find this lesson! I remember watching all three of these videos when they were first released and being blown away by the idea – the fact that I can now use them in one of my classes has me very excited!! I hope my students love it as much as I do!
PS – I have to say a general thank you for these lesson plans – they are fantastic! I´m looking forward to using a few during this summer semester!
Hi Natasha,
Thanks for the kind words. Great to know you like the lesson plans.
All the best,
Kieran
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This lesson is amazing! Thank you! do you have other lessons?
Hi Aisha,
Thanks a lot for taking the time to comment; I’m really glad you like the lesson. Yes, there are loads more lessons here,; just click on Film Lessons and you’ll see 75 or more! Enjoy!
All the best,
Kieran