Sometimes I get asked about how exactly the film-based classes work and how such 1-on-1 classes differ from discussions in our film club.
In this post, I want to share an interactive lesson based on a trailer – the materials that I developed for a lesson with one of my students.
In contrast to the film club, where we only discuss the film, without corrections and explanations, at 1-on-1 classes students have the opportunity to pick up interesting and useful phrases from it, use them during the discussion, and make other sentences with these phrases about their lives.
I’ve chosen the trailer for the language workout for several reasons.
- First of all, it makes no sense to analyze the entire film, line by line, because we’d spend all the time translating new words, and there will be no time left to practice the necessary words (activation tasks that help you remember the phrases).
- Secondly, the trailers are posted officially in this YouTube channel, so I will not violate copyright laws.
- And finally, the trailer is a mini-introduction to the movie, and if you haven’t seen the movie yet, it might pique your interest and make you decide to watch it.
Why the movie “The Pursuit of Happyness”?
This is one of the feel-good movies that inspires, helps to believe in oneself and motivates to move on. Although many consider it depressing, because of the difficulties experienced by the main character, this film seems life-affirming to me.
It conveys the message perfectly: go for your dream, your goal, your idea of happiness, no matter what. The road may be difficult, but if you are persistent, do not lose faith in yourself, you will achieve your goal.
I am also personally interested in films based on real events or people – and this is just the case.
And finally, this movie can be watched by the whole family, there’s no nudity or violence in it.
If you like the movie, we can discuss it as a group at our movie hangout discussion.
So, interactive tasks on the trailer for the movie “The Pursuit of Happyness”
Watch it once
When watching a trailer for the first time, don’t expect to understand everything.
Your task now is to understand the main thing: who is the main character, what is his problem and what does he do about it.
If you have seen the film, list the main life moments shown in the trailer using complete sentences in the Present Simple.
If you haven’t seen the movie yet, after watching the trailer, write your guesses about what the movie is about in 1-2 English sentences.
If you are interested in knowing the true story on which the film is based, here it is:
Background information about the story
Background information about the story:
However, they do not sell, as they are marginally better than the current technology at a much higher price. As Gardner tries to figure out how to sell them, his wife leaves him, he loses his house, his bank account, and credit cards.
Forced to live out in the streets with his son, Gardner is now desperate to find a steady job; he takes on a job as a stockbroker, but before he can receive pay, he needs to go through 6 months of training, and to sell his devices.
If you liked these activities, you’re sure to like Movie Workbooks.
Example:
The main character loses his …
He spends his nights…
He seems like a … man.
If you wish, you can add the significance of these moments selected from the entire film and shown in the trailer.
Watch it again
Before the second viewing, the students and I usually discuss the vocabulary (phrases and constructions) used in the trailer. Understanding the vocabulary helps to better understand the dialogues and the meaning of what is happening.
“Pursuit of Happyness” Trailer Vocabulary with definitions
| pursue (happiness) | to continue doing an activity or trying to achieve something over a long period of time |
| do your best | to try as hard as you can to do something |
| a stockbroker | a person or organization whose job is to buy and sell shares, bonds etc for people |
| hang on to (something) | to keep (something), not throw it away or discard it |
| feed the meter (informal) | to put money in a parking meter |
| have nothing to do with (somebody) | not be involved or connected with it |
| I was not aware of that | I din’t know that |
| my circumstances have changed | it’s different for me now |
| circumstances [countable usually plural] | the conditions that affect a situation, action, event etc |
| quit on (somebody) | to stop supporting or being friends with someone, especially when they need your support |
| determined [not before noun] | having a strong feeling that you are going to do something and that you will not allow anyone or anything to stop you |
| a competitive internship | a period of time during which a new employee gets practical experience in a job, competing with other interns, because only one of them will eventually get the job |
| you gotta protect it | you have (got) to protect it (your dream) |
| to protect (someone or something) | to keep (someone or something) from being harmed, lost, damaged etc. |
| Go get it! | If you want something or someone don’t hesitate to go for it don’t be lazy, don’t be shy, DO NOT miss that opportunity. (explained best here) |
Trailer vocabulary quiz
Take a quiz to see how well you’ve learned the words and phrases from the trailer:
How much did you understand?
Click + (on the right) to answer the questions about the movie:
- How well did the main character know his father when he was growing up?
- What is the main character struggling with?
- What do you know about Chris’ family situation?
- Which words and phrases describe Chris best?
- What do you think is the main idea of this movie?
What did they say? Decoding connected speech
Listen closely to the trailer and answer the interactive questions when the video is paused. You’ll be asked to write the word you heard. It’s like a simplified dictation task. Wait for the pause, then answer the question:
Listening comprehension
Discussion:
- Do you like movies based on or inspired by true stories or do you prefer totally fictional stories? (If you want to know the real story, scroll down.)
- Have you seen this movie dubbed in your native language? If you haven’t seen it, does the trailer make you want to watch it?
- If so, did you like it? Would you recommend this movie to anyone? Why/Why not?
You can complete the task here or in this online worksheet (log in, and after completion, click “Hand in work”)
If you are interested in using movies to enrich and activate your vocabulary, download the free Movie Journal template and use it after watching every interesting movie.
If you liked these activities, you’re sure to like Movie Workbooks.
