This lesson practises listening, speaking and reading. This optimistic lesson is designed around a short film School Portrait by director Nick Scott which tells the story of a jaded, cynical school photographer who tries to give each child a harsh vision of what their future will really look like, but a little girl with an infectious smile teaches him an important life lesson. The lesson also includes images from a beautiful book Everything Is Going To Be OK which uses positive artwork from a variety of artists, graphic designers and illustrators.
Language level: Intermediate (B1) – Upper-intermediate (B2.1)
Learner type: Mature teens; Adults
Time: 90 minutes
Activity: Listening; speaking; reading
Topic: Smiling; optimism
Language: Optimistic vocabulary and expressions
Materials: 2 short films and TED video,video transcripts; PowerPoint presentation
Downloable materials: Smile instructions School portrait dialogue Smile everything is going to be OK slides Ron Gutman video transcript
Step 1
Write School Portrait on the board and ask your students if they know what it means. If they don’t know explain that it is a photograph taken at school by a professional photographer. Ask your students if they have had an individual school portrait taken at their school. Ask about their experience. If you have your own school portrait show it to your students.
Ask your students if they can remember what the photographer said to them and how he encouraged them to smile.
Step 2
Tell your students that they are going to watch a short film called School Portrait. Ask them the following question:
How is the photographer different from a normal school photographer?
Step 3
Cut up the sentences which the photographer says in the School Portrait Dialogue Word document. Put students into small groups and give each group one set of sentences. Tell them they are going to watch the film again and that they have to put the photographer’s sentences into the correct order.
Check answers and get feedback.
Step 3
Put your students in small groups and ask them to discuss what the message of the film is.
Step 4
The message of the film is that smiling and being optimistic is extremely important in life. Show students the images below taken from a beautiful book Everything Is Going To Be OK . Ask them to discuss each image and its message.
You can also show the images using this PowerPoint presentation.
Follow up
Ask students if they know what an infectious smile is. Ask them if they know anyone with an infectious smile. Show them the photo below.
Ask your students the following questions:
Do you like this woman’s smile?
Does she smile a lot?
What kind of person do you think she is?
What kind of philosophy does she have about life?
What does she do?
Tell your students they are going to watch a short film about this woman. Ask them to watch the film and check their answers. Here’s a link.
Homework
For homework give students the link to this TED video in which Ron Gutman talks about empirical research which shows how important smiling is in life.
Ask students to watch the video and make notes about research which shows that smiling has a positive effect on our lives.
Give students the transcript of the talk. Check answers in the following class.
I hope you enjoy the films and the lesson.
Once again, a wonderful film and lesson! A great reminder to keep smiling, even when I think I shouldn’t!
I’m using the film and lesson Symmetry for my Winter English Camp (I’ve expanded it) – thanks Keiran!
Hi Chaz,
Thanks a lot, I’m really happy that you like the film and the lesson. Let me know how the Symmetry lesson goes. Have a great 2012.
Al the best,
Kieran
Love It! I live by this rule…Keep Smiling… this film and the lesson enforced that. My students enjoyed it very much and now understand me much more!
Keep up the great work!
Jacqueline Gunn
Teaching English In Italian Schools – A week never goes by without showing my students something from Film-English….My students and I thank you!
Hi Jacqueline,
I’m really happy to know that you and your students enjoy the lessons. Thanks a lot for your lovely feedback. Have a great 2012 and keep on smiling!
All the best,
Kieran
Thanks for the great sharing:)))
Huge SMILES from TURKEY:))))))
Hi Buket,
I’m really happy you like the lesson. Have a great 2012 and keep on smiling in Turkey!
All the best,
Kieran
Another great lesson. Thank you!
)))
Hi Jo,
I’m really happy that you like the lesson. Keep on smiling!
All the best,
Kieran
great lesson to smile =)
Hi,
Thanks for the kind comment,I’m glad you like the lesson.
All the best,
Kieran
Brilliant! I think my students will love it
Hi Chris,
I’m really happy you like the lesson, I hope your students enjoy it too.
All the best,
Kieran
A big smile from Bulgaria too! I’m happy to see there are stll such human lessons!
Snezhana
Hi Snezhana,
Thanks a lot for your kind comments. I’m really happy you like the lesson. Keep on smiling in Bulgaria
All the best,
Kieran
hi,
its the first time that i’m checking your materials out. congrats for your great job!!! i’ll use the smile lesson here in Brazil during the holiday course.
thanks a lot!!
Hi Fábio,
Thanks a lot for commenting, I hope your students enjoy the lesson, let me know how it goes, please.
All the best,
Kieran
Thanks a lot! All my adult students enjoyed it very much!
Hi Margarita,
Thanks a lot for letting me know your students liked the lesson, I really appreciate it.
Thanks a lot,
Kieran
Kieran I fell in love with the whole sequence (film, activities everything)
Once again I’ll try to use this wonderful material for my lessons and make my students reflect on life. thanks so much for your amazing work.
Hi Elsa,
Great to hear from you. I’m really happy that you like the leson. Please let me know how it works with your students.
All the best,
Kieran
Thanks once more for your wonderful ideas!
I adjusted it for my upper-advanced adult business students, after step 3 students taled about how many times a day they smiled, and tried to predict wjhat the average might be for an adult and a child.
we then watched the Ron Gutman film for the answers.
Then in groups they tried to complete the text of his talk with certain key vocabulary and important linkers blanked out. changed pairs, discussed their ideas with each other and adjusted language. then watched again to check and compare the vocab they’d selected with the original.
very successful and fun class, and hit the right note of optimism for a first class.
Hi Lucy,
The way you’ve adapted the lesson sounds fantastic! I really like asking them how often they think we smile a day, great idea! Thanks for your kind comments and I’m really happy you and your students enjoyed the lesson.
All the best,
Kieran
I should add, we ALL noticed we smiled MUCH MORE than 20 times just even in the course of the class. Infectious smiles indeed! =)
Hi Lucy,
That’s fantastic! I’m really happy that the lesson made you and your students smile.
All the best,
Kieran
Hi I just wanted to say THANK YOU, THANK YOU and THANK YOU! This has been one of my best classes ever. It was just amazing. Once again THANK YOU!!!!!!
Hi Natasha,
I’m so happy that you like the lesson so much. it’s great to know other teachers find the lessons useful. it makes it all worhwhilw. thanks a lot for your lovely comments.
All the best,
Kieran
THaNK YOU!! Loved your lesson and the smile it put on my face ! Really inspiring and moving. I’ll use it with my students next week.I’m sure they’ll love it.
Hi Begoña,
I’m happy that the lesson put a smile on your face : ) Let me know how it goes with your students.
All the best,
Kieran
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HI Kieran,
Thanks very much for putting together this lesson. I’d like to use it with my students this week. Unfortunately the second vimeo video is no longer working (I think this has happened in a couple of other places on your site too). Do you have a link for it?
Thanks,
Sandy
Hi Sandy,
I’m glad you like the lesson. The director of the film has disabled the embed option, but here’s a link to the video:
http://soulbiographies.com/smile/
Let me know how the lesson goes, please.
All the best,
Kieran
this is a fun supplementary activity, making for lots of discussion; classifying true smiles from fake
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/smiles/
Hi Lucy,
The activity’s fantastic, i got 18 out of 20! I’m going to add the link to the lesson plan if you don’t mind. thanks a lot.
All the best,
Kieran
good job! I got only 12 out of 20 initially; I was being too suspicious of people faking it. =)
It’s all in the eyes, Lucy. I didn’t really look at their mouths, I just concentrated on their eyes. Great activity!
I’ve just read this post (some months later) and I love it. It’s the kind of activities I enjoy most. Bringing positivity to class is always a great success. Thank you very much.
Hi Eva,
Thanks a lot for commenting. Great to know you enjoy these activites.
All the ebst,
Kieran
I’m planning to use your interesting and optimistic lesson with some business students this week. Being located in Cyprus during the present situation which we are all facing at the moment – I’m hoping that your lesson will give them a reason to smile…fingers crossed!
Thanks!
Hi Eleny,
Thanks a lot for taking the time to comment. I hope the lesson puts a smile on your students faces:-) Please let me know how it goes.
All the best,
Kieran