This lesson is designed around a beautiful short film called Everyday by Gustav Johansson and the theme of everyday routines and empathy. Students imagine and write about a day in the life of their partner, speak about their daily routines and watch a short film.

Language level: Intermediate (B1) – Upper Intermediate (B2)

Learner type: Teens and adults

Time: 60 minutes

Activity: Writing, speaking and watching a short film

Topic: Everyday life and empathy

Language: Present simple for routines, vocabulary related to everyday activities and second conditional

Materials: Short film

Downloadable materials: everyday lesson instructions

Step 1

Seat students in pairs and tell them they may ask five and only five questions about their partner’s daily life: their age, job, studies, journey to school, university or work, routine and evening pastimes, for example.

Step 2

When they have asked and answered their questions, ask them to write “A Day in the Life” of their partner in the first person, as if they were their partner. They should use the information they got from their partner as a springboard, but they should use their imagination and powers of empathy to fill in details they don’t know. They should try to imagine what life is like for their partner and how he/she feels about his/her life.

Step 3

When they have finished they should give their descriptions to their partner, read the description of their life and then tell their partner if it is a good description of their everyday life.

Step 4

Ask students to say what they do on a normal day. Get each student to explain something they do on a normal day.

Step 5

Write the following question on the board:

If you had an extra day in the week, what could you do?

Keep students in the same pairs and ask them to write down five things they think their partner would do if they had an extra day in the week.

Step 6

When they have finished writing their sentences they should read them to their partner, for example:

“If you had an extra day, I think you’d spend more time with your children.”

Their partner should say whether the sentence is right or not.

Step 7

Tell your students that they are going to watch a short film called Everyday in which a young couple imagine they had an extra day. Tell students they should watch the film and note down as many of the activities the young couple would do.

EVERYDAY from Gustav Johansson on Vimeo.

Step 8

Get feedback from the whole class and then ask students if they would do any of the activities on their extra day.

Homework

Tell students you would like them to write a composition which starts with the words:

If I had an extra day in the week I could …

I hope you enjoy the lesson.

Language level: Upper Intermediate (B2) – Advanced C1

Learner type: Teens and adults

Time: 90 minutes

Activity: Describing portraits, talking about beauty, watching a short film and writing a detailed self-portrait

Topic: Beauty

Language: Vocabulary related to physical descriptions and beauty

Materials: Portraits, article and short film

Downloadable materials: real beauty lesson instructions     portraits A     portraits B      real beauty criticism

Step 1

Put your students into pairs and ask them to discuss the following question:

What makes a person beautiful?

Give them 5 minutes to discuss the question and then get feedback from the whole class.

Step 2

Keep students in the same pairs and give half of the pairs portraits A and the other pairs portraits B. They should look at their portraits and talk about which one is more beautiful and what makes it more beautiful. They should also compare hair, eyes, skin and expression.

Step 3

Now students who have looked at portraits A should work with a student who has looked at portraits B. They should describe their portraits to their new partner who should try to visualise the 2 portraits. When student A has finished they should show their portraits to student B who has to say if the portraits are similar to their visualisations. Next B describes their portraits to B who has to visualise the portraits.

Step 4

Get feedback about the portraits from the whole class. Tell students that the portraits were drawn by the same artist. Ask them how it is that the 2 portraits are so different.

Step 5

Tell students they are going to watch a short film in which the story of how the portraits came to drawn is told.

Real Beauty Sketches from John X. Carey on Vimeo.

Step 6

After watching the film, ask students the following questions:

How does the film make you feel?

How do the women in the film feel when they see their portraits?

What’s the message of the film?

Step 7

Pause at the end of the film when you see the caption:

“You are more beautiful than you think.”

Tell students that this is the publicity slogan of Dove the product which commissioned the short film. Ask students if they agree with this slogan and why they think it was chosen.

Step 8

Tell your students that the short film went viral and has been viewed by millions of people online. However, there has also been a lot of criticism of the short film. Give students the hand out with the 5 main criticisms. Give them 5 minutes to discuss the article and then ask them to discuss each point in small groups.

Homework

Ask students to imagine that they have to describe their face in great detail to a forensic artist. They should write down the description and give you to you in the next class.

I hope you enjoy the lesson.

This lesson plan is designed around a moving short film by Nicholas Clifford and the theme of empathy. Students write a story, watch a short film and speak about empathy.

Language level: Intermediate (B1) – Upper Intermediate (B2)

Learner type: Teens and adults

Time: 60 minutes

Activity: watching a short film, speaking and writing

Topic: Empathy

Language: Present perfect, narrative tenses and language connected with empathy

Materials: Short film

Downloadable materials:  we’ve all been there lesson instructions

Overview

This lesson plan is designed around a moving short film by Nicholas Clifford and the theme of empathy. Students write a story, watch a short film and speak about empathy.

Step 1

Tell students that you are going to explain a situation and that they should visualise the situation. Explain the following situation:

“You are an elderly woman driving a Mercedes through the Australian outback in the middle of nowhere. You realise that one of your tyres is flat. You stop the car and ring for assistance, but there is no cover so you wait inside your car. Suddenly, a Ford pick-up truck pulls up behind you; a large muscular man covered in tattoos gets out of the truck and walks towards you.”

Now put students into pairs and ask them to discuss the following questions:

How would you feel in this situation?

What would you do?

Next get feedback from the whole class.

Step 2

Now put students into pairs and ask them to discuss the following questions:

How would you feel in this situation?

What would you do?

Next get feedback from the whole class.

Step 3

Tell students that you are going to explain another situation and that they should visualise the situation. Explain the following situation:

“You are a young 8-month pregnant woman who has just arrived at the restaurant where you work as a waitress. You have just received a letter from your landlord informing you that you owe $800 in rent; if you don’t pay this money you will be evicted from your house. You ask your boss for extra work so you can pay the rent, but your boss is really rude to you and refuses to give you any extra work.”

Step 4

Now put students into pairs and ask them to discuss the following questions:

How would you feel in this situation?

What would you do?

Next get feedback from the whole class.

Step 5

Now tell students that the 2 woman appear in the same short film and that there is a connection between them. Put them into small groups and ask them to speculate about what the connection might be and what story the film tells. Ask each group to write a short story which connects the 2 women together.

Step 6

When students have finished their stories ask one student from each group to read out their story. Ask for comments on all the stories.

Step 7

Tell your students that you are now going to watch the short film. As they watch they should compare their stories with the story the film tells.

WE’VE ALL BEEN THERE :: Short Film from Truce Films on Vimeo.

Step 8

Ask students the following questions:

How does the film make you feel?

What’s the film’s message?

Step 9

Pause the film at 05:49 where we see the napkin with the words “Keep it all. We’ve all been there.” Ask students what it means. If they don’t know explain that it means that the elderly lady can understand and empathise with the young woman being in a difficult situation and so she wants to help her.

Step 10

Write “What goes around comes around” on the board. Tell students that this is a common English proverb; ask them to explain what it means. If they can’t explain, give them a definition such as:

“The results of things that one has done will someday have an effect on the person who started the events. “

Tell them that What Goes Around Comes Around is the title of the story on which We’ve All Been There is based. Ask them why they think the story has this title.

Put them into pairs and ask them to discuss the following question:

Can you think of any examples of the proverb “What goes around comes around” in your own life, in the life of other people or life in general?

I hope you enjoy the lesson.

This lesson plan is designed around an inspiring short film by Casey Neistat and the themes of life, inspiration and travel. Students put words into order to create quotes, discuss quotes, watch a short film, speak and write.

Language level: Intermediate (B1) – Upper Intermediate (B2)

Learner type: Teens and adults

Time: 90 minutes

Activity: Putting words in order to create quotes, discussing quotes, watching a short film, speaking and writing

Topic: Life, inspiration and travel

Language: Quotes and vocabulary related to travel

Materials: PowerPoint, quotes and short film

Downloadable materials: make it count lesson instructions     make it count quotes  make it count correct quotes 

Step 1

Ask your students if they have any favourite quotes from famous people. Write up any examples on the board and get students to discuss the meaning.

Step 2

Show students the quotes in the PowerPoint presentation. Look at the first slide and tell students that they have to order the works to make a quote from a famous person. Give them 1 minute to put the words in order and then move onto the next slide. When you have shown all 10 slides give them the handout with the quotes and go through them.

Step 3

Put students into pairs and ask them to choose the 5 quotes which they find most interesting. Now give them 10 minutes to discuss the quotes.

Step 4

Tell students that they are going to watch a short film in which the 10 quotes appear. As they watch the film they should consider the following questions:

What is the story of how the film came to be made?

Which countries did the men visit?

How do the quotes relate to the narrative of the film?

Show the film.

Make It Count from Casey Neistat on Vimeo.

Step 5

Put students into small groups and ask them to discuss the 3 questions. Then get feedback from the whole class.

Step 6

Tell students they are going to watch the film again; as they watch it they should consider the following questions:

What’s the message of the film?

Why do you think Nike accepted the short film as the ad?

Show the film again and then get feedback from students.

Step 7

Write Make It Count on the board and ask students if they can explain the expression. Ask students why Nike used this title for the ad and their advertising campaign.

Step 8

Put students into pairs and ask them to discuss this question:

How can you make the most of your life / this year / this week / today / this class / this moment?

Step 9

Put your students into groups of 3 or 4 and tell them you would like them to plan a trip around the world in 10 days. They have to decide which countries they want to visit and plan their itinerary. They also have to decide what they’re going to do in each country. Give them 10 minutes to plan their trip. Then each group has to present their trip to the rest of the class.

Homework

Tell your students you would like them to write a composition about their trip around the world in 10 days.

I hope you enjoy the lesson.

This lesson plan is designed around a beautiful short film by Nuno Rocha called 3 X 3 and the themes of intelligence and persistence. Students describe a photo, watch a short film and speak about physical appearance, intelligence and persistence.

Language level: Intermediate (A2) – Upper intermediate (B2)

Learner type: Teens and adults

Time: 90 minutes

Activity: Describing a photo, watching a short film and speaking

Topic: Physical appearance, intelligence and persistence

Language: Adjectives to describe a person’s appearance and character, and expressions related to intelligence

Materials: Short film and 2 photos

Downloadable materials: if at first you don’t succeed lesson instructions     student A photo     student B photo

Step 1

Tell your students that they are going to describe people’s physical appearance. Write the following words on the board:

Face

Hair

Body

Put students into pairs and give them 10 minutes to come up with as many words as they can to describe face, hair and body. Then get feedback from the whole class.

Step 2

Now give each student either photo A or photo B. Tell them that student A has to describe the person in their photo using some of the words they come up with in the previous stage. Student B has to listen and visualise the person being described. When student A has finished their description they show the photo to student B who says if the person looks like how they had visualised. Now student B describes their photo and follows the same process.

Step 3

Ask students the following question:

What do you think the man in your photo is like as a person?

Get students to compare the characters of the 2 men.

Step 4

Tell students that they are going to watch a short film in which the 2 men appear. Put them into small groups and ask them the following questions:

What do you think the relationship between the 2 men is?

What story do you think the film will tell?

What do you think you will see in the film?

Step 5

Tell students they are going to watch the start of the film and that they should answer the following question:

What is the character of each man like?

What is the relationship between the 2 men?

Show the film and pause at 02:20. Get feedback from the students.

3×3 from Nuno Rocha on Vimeo.

Step 6

Ask students the following questions:

What is going to happen in the rest of the film?

What’s the thin man going to do?

Step 7

Now show the rest of the film and ask students to compare their answers in the previous stage with what they see in the film.

Step 8

Ask students the following questions:

How do the 2 men feel at the end of the film?

Does the film have a message?

How did the film make you feel?

Step 9

Write the following expressions on the board:

“brains over brawn”

“all brawn and no brains”

Tell them to use a dictionary to find the meaning of the expressions and then ask them to say how these expressions might apply to the story they have seen in the film.

Step 10

Write the following proverb on the board:

Tis a lesson you should heed:

Try, try, try again.

If at first you don’t succeed,

Try, try, try again.

Ask students what the meaning of the proverb is. Then put students into pairs and ask how the message of the proverb can be applied in their everyday life.

Homework

Ask students to write a short composition in which they have to describe how the proverb in the last stage can be applied in learning English.

I hope you enjoy the lesson.

This lesson plan is designed around a TV commercial and the themes of paper, iPads and technology. Students practise writing and speaking and use the infinitive to express purpose, and vocabulary related to technology.

Language level: Intermediate (B1) – Upper intermediate (B2)

Learner type: Teens and adults

Time: 60 minutes

Activity: Speaking and writing

Topic: Paper, iPads and technology

Language: The infinitive to express purpose, and vocabulary related to technology

Materials: Short commercial and discussion questions

Downloadable materials: paper is not dead lesson instructions     technology discussion questions

Overview

This lesson plan is designed around a TV commercial and the themes of paper, iPads and technology. Students practise writing and speaking and use the infinitive to express purpose, and vocabulary related to technology.

 Step 1

Put your students into small groups, assign each group as ”paper” or “iPad”, and tell them that you would like them to think of many uses as they can of paper or an iPad or tablet. Give them some examples such as:

You can use paper to write a letter.

You can use paper to make an aeroplane.

You can use paper as a fan.

You can use an iPad to listen to music.

You can use an iPad as a camera.

You can use an iPad to communicate.

Step 2

Give students 10 minutes to come up with as many different uses for paper or an iPod as they can.

Step 3

Get students to pair up with a student from another group. They should explain a use of their object to their partner and their partner should say if their object can perform the same use. For example:

Student A: You can use an iPad to send an email.

Student B: You can’t use paper to send an email, but you can use paper to send a letter or write a note.

Step 4

After students have finished working in pairs get feedback from the whole class about the different uses of paper and an iPad.

Step 5

Ask students the following question:

Do you think paper or an iPad is more useful?

Get the whole class to discuss the question.

Step 6

Tell students they are going to watch a short film in which they will see different uses of paper and an iPad. As they watch they should note the different uses. Show the film and pause at 00:23.

Step 7

Ask students what the differences are. Ask students the following questions:

How does the man feel about his iPad?

How does the woman feel about his iPad?

Step 8

Show the rest of the film but pause at 00:32. Ask students:

What do you think of the film?

Does the film have a message?

Step 9

Tell students that the film is actually an advertisement. Ask them what product or service they think is being advertised. Now show the rest of the film and ask students for their reactions.

Step 10

Put your students into pairs and give them the technology questions worksheet. Ask them to choose 5 of the questions to discuss. Give them 10 minutes to discuss the questions and then get feedback from the whole class.

I hope you enjoy the lesson. 

This lesson plan is designed around a short film called White Night by Arev Manoukian and a commercial inspired by the short film, and the theme of love at first sight. Students write a narrative for a film, predict a story, watch a short film and TV commercial, create a television commercial and read a poem by Leonard Cohen

Language level: Intermediate (B1) – Advanced (C1)

Learner type: Teens and adults

Time: 90 minutes

Activity: Writing a film narrative, predicting a film scene, creating a TV commercial, watching a short film and advertisement, and speaking.

Topic: Love and TV commercials

Language: Narrative tenses

Materials: Short film, TV commercial and poem

Downloadable materials: love at first sight lesson instructions     that’s what i heard you say

Step 1

Write “love at first sight” on the board. Ask your students what the expression means. Put your students into pairs, write the following questions on the board and ask them to discuss the questions:

Do you believe in love at first sight?

Do you know anyone who’s fallen in love at first sight?

Step 2

Ask students the following question:

Have you watched any films in which two characters have fallen in love at first site?

Students should be able to come up with a lot of films, however, if they can’t you could give them some examples such as Westside Story (1961), Scarface (1983), Edward Scissorhands (1990), Titantic (1997), Love Actually (2003), The Notebook (2004), A Cinderella Story (2004) and Mirror, Mirror (2012).

Step 3

Put students into small groups and ask them to choose a film they all know in which a character or characters fall in love at first sight; each group has to choose a different film. It’s important that the groups don’t know which film the other groups are working on. Ask them to try to remember what happens to the characters who fall in love at first sight. They should write a narrative describing the love story in 10 minutes. When they have finished a student from each group has to read out their story without using the name of the characters and the characters; the other groups have to guess which film they are describing.

Step 4

Show your students the 2 images below and tell them they are taken from a film in which a man and a woman fall in love at first sight.

Put students into pairs and ask them the following questions:

Where and when do you think the film is set?

What emotions are the man and woman feeling at this moment?

Step 5

Tell students you would like them to think about the following question:

What do you think is going to happen next in the film?

Give them some time to think and then give them 5 minutes to write a short narrative describing what happens next in the film. When they have finished they should read their narrative to another pair.

Step 6

Tell your students they are now going to watch the film. They should compare their stories with what the story they see in the film.

Nuit Blanche from Spy Films on Vimeo.

Step 7

Ask students the following question:

How does the film make you feel?

Step 8

Ask students to imagine the following situation:

You are an advertising executive who has just seen this film and really liked it. You’d like to contract the film director to make a 1-minute advertisement based on the concept of the film. You have to decide what to keep in the film and what to cut out. You also have to decide what product or service the advertisement will be for.

Put students into small groups and ask them to decide on the product or service you want to advertise and to create the 1-minute advertisement. Show the film again and give students 10 minutes to come up with their advertisements. When they have finished get feedback from each group.

Step 9

Tell students that the situation you asked them to role-play actually happened and an advertiser contracted the film director to make a 1-minute advertisement based on the concept of his film. Show the advertisement and pause at 00:55. Ask students what they think of the advertisement and ask them to compare it with the short film. Finally, ask them what product or service they think is being advertised.

Sony – Two Worlds (Director’s Cut) from Spy Films on Vimeo.

Step 10

Show the rest of the advertisement. Write the slogan on the board:

“Don’t just watch. Feel.”

Ask them if they think this is a good slogan for the advertisement and for Sony products.

Step 11

One of the differences between the short film and the advertisement is that the latter has a poem. Tell students sing-songwriter and poet Leonard Cohen was commissioned to write the poem for the advertisement. Give students the hand-out with the poem. Ask them to read it and help with any vocabulary or expressions they don’t understand.

Step 12

Ask students if they think the poem goes well with the advertisement. Show the advertisement and get students to discuss the poem and the advertisement.

I hope you enjoy the lesson.

Language level: Pre-intermediate (A2) – Intermediate (B1)

Learner type: All ages

Time: 60 minutes

Activity: Speaking, writing and watching a short video

Topic: Happiness and being happy

Language: Gerund as subject of sentence and imperatives

Materials: Short video

Downloadable materials: be happy lesson instructions

Step 1

Write “Things that make me happy” on the board. Then write up 5 things that make you happy. In my case I wrote:

Swimming in the sea.

Being with my daughters.

Drinking coffee in a terrace.

Reading a novel in bed at night.

Waking up late at the weekend.

Explain to your students why each thing makes you happy.

Step 2

Tell your students that you would like them to write 5 sentences about things that make them happy; they should use the gerund as the subject in each sentence.

Step 3

Put your students into pairs and tell them to show their sentences to their partner. They should explain why each thing makes them happy.

Step 4

Put your students into groups of 3 or 4 students. Show them the photo of the cover of Be Happy: A Little Book to Help You Live a Happy Life. Tell them that they should imagine that they are going to write this book. They should write 10 sentences of things you should do and 10 things you shouldn’t do to live a happy life. Give them some examples such as:

Be kind to other people.

Believe in yourself.

Don’t be selfish.

Don’t give up.

Tell them that they should use the imperative in all the sentences. Give them 10 minutes to come up with their sentences.

Step 5

Pair up students with a partner from another group. They should explain their group’s sentences with their new partner. Get feedback from the whole class.

Step 6

Tell students they are going to watch a short video inspired by sentences and images from the book Be Happy. Ask they watch the film they should compare the advice in the video with their own sentences.

Step 7

Get feedback from your students ask them what sentences and images they can remember.

Step 8

Show the video again; this time pause at each new sentence and image, and ask students to talk about them.

Homework

Ask students to write a short composition titled:

What I do to live a happy life.

I hope you enjoy the video and the lesson.

Language level: Intermediate (B1) – Upper-intermediate (B2)

Learner type: Teens and adults

Time: 60 minutes

Activity: Watching a short film, speaking and writing about a perfect world

Topic: Your perfect world and imagination

Language: Vocabulary related to describing cities and second conditional

Materials: Short film

Downloadable materials: world builder lesson instructions

Step 1

Write “build” on the board and ask your students the following questions:

What can you build?

Give some examples such as: a house and a flat. Put them in pairs and ask them to come up with as many things as they can in 3 minutes.  Get feedback from the whole class.

Step 2

Write up “build a world”. Ask your students to imagine that they could build their own perfect world. Give them time to think about what their world would be like. Tell them they should include buildings, streets, plants, light and colours. Ask them to work on their own and give them 10 minutes to write down what their worlds would be like. They should start with:

My perfect world would …

Help them with any vocabulary they need.

Step 3

Put students into pairs and ask them put to explain their world to their partner. Each student should close their eyes as they listen to their partner’s description and try to visualise their world. Get feedback from the whole class.

Step 4

Tell your students that they are going to watch a short film in which a young man builds a world. Ask them to watch the film and compare the young man’s world with the worlds they built. Show the film and pause at 07:12. Ask students the following questions:

Was the young man’s world similar to yours?

Did the young woman like the world?

How did the young woman feel?

Why does she look sad at the end?

World Builder from BranitVFX on Vimeo.

Step 5

Put your students into pairs and ask them to discuss what they think is going to happen next. Get feedback from the whole class.

Step 6

Show the rest of the film and ask students the following questions:

Were your predictions correct?

What’s happened to the young woman?

Homework

Students should write a composition which starts:

If I could build my own perfect world, it would …

I hope you enjoy the film and the lesson.

This lesson is designed around a beautiful short film called Momentos by Nuno Rocha and the theme of homelessness. Students use vocabulary to describe appearance, character and feelings, write a story, watch a short film and speak about homelessness.

Language level: Intermediate (B1) – Advanced (C1)

Learner type: Teens and adults

Time: 90 minutes

Activity: Writing a story, watching a short film and speaking

Topic: Homelessness

Language: Vocabulary to describe appearance, character and feelings, and narrative tenses

Materials: Short film and discussion questions

Downloadable materials: moments lesson instructions     moments photos      homelessness discussion questions

Step 1

Show your students the photo below. Put them into pairs and ask them to discuss the following questions:

What does the woman look like?

What kind of person do you think she is?

What has she done in her life?

How is she feeling right now?

What’s she looking at?

Step 2

Now show your students the other photo below and ask them to discuss the following questions:

What does the man look like?

What kind of person do you think he is?

What has he done in his life?

How is he feeling now?

What’s he looking at?

Step 3

Tell your students that the two photos are taken from a short film. Put them into small groups of 3 or 4 and ask them to create a story in which the man and woman are characters. Give them 10 minutes to write their stories and help them with any vocabulary. When they have finished their stories ask one student from each group to read out their story. Discuss the different stories.

Step 4

Now tell students they are going to watch the film and should compare their stories with the story they see in the film.

MOMENTOS from Nuno Rocha on Vimeo.

Step 5

Ask students the following questions:

How does the man feel when he sees images of his daughter on the TV screen?

How does the wife feel when she sees her daughter?

How does the daughter feel when she sees her father?

How does the father feel when he sees his daughter and wife?

How does the film make you feel?

Step 6

Keep students in the same small groups and ask them to discuss the following question:

What do you think happens after the film finishes?

Step 7

Put students into pairs, give them the homelessness discussion questions, go through the questions and check they understand all the vocabulary and then ask them to discuss the questions for 10 minutes.

Homework

Give students the link to the film and ask them to write a narrative based on the images they see in the film.

I hope you enjoy the film and the lesson.