Sample Conversation:

The Film Festival

A: I’m bored. Do you want to do something
tonight?
B: Sure. What do you feel like doing?
A: Well, the film festival is in town. And I’m in the
mood for seeing a movie. How does that sound?
B: I could go for a movie. What’s playing?
The film festival is on town. Find out what
movies are playing from other students in the
class. Find out as many details about the movie
as you can. Write the details down in the table
below:
Also, try to use various expressions for saying
‘I want to . . . ‘

A: ‘Attack from Planet Q’ is playing at the Odeon I’d like to see a movie.
theatre.
I feel like seeing a movie.
B: What’s that about? I’m in the mood for seeing a movie.
I wouldn’t mind seeing a movie.
A: It’s a sci-fi about aliens who invade China. I could go for a movie.
It takes place along the Great Wall during the
Ming Dynasty. www.bogglesworldesl.com

B: Who’s in it? Title/ Plot Setting Actor/ Show times/ Critics/

Genre Character Theatre Awards
A: It’s starring Will Smith. He plays a palace
guard who uncovers an alien plot to kill the
Emperor.

B: What do the critics say about it?

A: The critics say it’s frightening and entertaining.

It won ‘Best Film’ at the Cannes Film Festival.

B: OK. Let’s see that. What time does it start?

A: Show times are at 6:45 and 8:30.

B: Why don’t we catch the 8:30 so that we can
have a bite to eat before we go?

Film Festival: An ESL Lesson Plan to Get Students

Talking About Movies
. . . continued from Part I: Movie Riddles

Materials for Part II:

Student Activity Sheet

Movie Posters
Lesson Plan:

Start off by asking the class if they would like to see a movie together. Almost certainly, one student will
say yes. Ask them what is playing and write down their answers word for word on the board. You can
examine their responses shortly. Then ask them what it is about, again writing the answers on the board.
Then ask them who's starring in it and what the critics say about it.

Hopefully, they will be using some of the sentence structure from part I (if you did part I). But if they didn't,
you can take this opportunity to compare what they could have said with what they actually said on the
board. You can highlight all of the key phrases for talking about movies. In particular you can also show
how relative clauses are useful for describing movies, plots, and characters. (It's about two people who fall
in love on a sinking ship. Leonardo Di Caprio plays a poor worker who wins a trip to America.)

Next, handout the activity sheet and go over the dialogue. Point out the language that's used in the
dialogue to talk about movies. Then write up the table on the board and with the class fill out the table for
the movie 'Attack from Planet Q'.

Title/Genre:
Attack from Planet Q
Science Fiction

Actor/Character:
Will Smith
Palace guard

Plot:
Aliens invade China

Show times/ Theater

6:45, 8:30
Odeon Theater
Setting:
Great Wall of China,
Ming Dynasty

Critics/Awards:
 Frightening, Entertaining
Best Film 2002 Cannes

Now give each student in the class a movie poster. Ask them to memorize the contents of the poster
(without actually memorizing it word for word). After they have had some time to read their movie poster
they will walk around the class and practice the dialogue. While they are practicing the dialogue, they
should fill out the table.

If you found this lesson useful, you might also be interested in the survival English section.

Look for a job? Check out the ESL job boards.