UNIT 2 COMFY SEATS

UNIT OVERVIEW: In this unit students will talk about their movie preferences.
Conversation Starters: Watching Movies
Friends talk about their movie watching preferences.
Building Fluency
Expressing preferences; verb phrases — lifestyle
Conversation Model
You really love movies, don’t you? — Stress the important words
Let’s Talk About It: What do you prefer?
Ask and answer questions about entertainment preferences.

Conversation Idioms:
do not have the time
it reminds me of being a kid again
my favorite movie of all time
am a huge movie fan
is a great experience
is a good way to relax
talk about it later
talk with my friends
hold hands with my boyfriend / girlfriend
Additional Links for this unit: Six people discuss if they prefer watching a movie at home or the cinema.
http://www.elllo.org/english/Mixer/04-Cinema.html

S T E P 1 BUILDING THE ATMOSPHERE

 Direct your students to the photographs at the top of page 13, and ask them what the people in the photos are
doing. Try to elicit the responses “watching a movie at home” and “watching a movie at a cinema (a movie
theater).”
 Do a dictation activity with the Amy and Erik script. Write all or part of the script on the board, except the phrase
“I’m a huge movie fan.” Have students listen for the phrase. Next, ask students “Are you a huge movie fan?” and
have them discuss why or why not.

Script [Track 9]
Erik: Hi again. This is Erik.
Amy: And this is Amy.
Erik: And welcome to Unit Two, Comfy Seats. So, Amy, are you into movies?
Amy: Are you kidding? I’m a huge movie fan.
Erik: Well, I’m glad to hear that, because this unit is about movies. We’ve asked some of our friends to talk about
movies. Let’s listen.

S T E P 2 CONVERSATION STARTERS: WATCHING MOVIES

Students will listen to people talking about their movie watching preferences.

1. First Listening
Set-up the listening activity by calling on a student to read the directions to the class. Then play the audio one time.
Allow for additional listenings as needed. Next, have students compare answers in pairs and then go over the answers
as a class. To facilitate the activity, it helps to have a simple conversation on the board:
A: Where does _____ prefer to watch movies?
B: At ___ because ______ said …

2. Second Listening
 Before you play the audio again, check students’ understanding of the words in the “reasons” column. Then, play
the audio and have the students circle the reasons for the answers. Remind students that the wording in the
 recording and the student book may not be the same. Finally, have students compare answers and encourage them
to add other details they heard.
 If there is time, have students briefly summarize each character’s response using the model below. Depending on
the size of your class, have students work individually, in pairs or in small groups. Have them share their
summaries orally or by writing them on the board, and briefly discuss any grammar mistakes.
 Pia prefers watching movies at home because she thinks it’s relaxing and she doesn’t have time to go to a cinema.

Answer Key
First Listening:
1. home 2. cinema 3. cinema 4. home 5. cinema
Second Listening:
1. relaxing / no time 2. comfortable seats / big screen 3. magic / lights / friends 4. surround sound / relax 5. group

VOCAB TROUBLESHOOTING:
magic (noun): a special power, often held by witches, warlocks and magicians
magic (adjective): special, amazing

BONUS:
Have students discuss the bonus questions in pairs. For question one, ask students to also give their reasons (e.g. the
voice, the adjectives they used, etc). Don’t forget to share which character you think you are similar to.

Script: [Tracks 10 -14 ]

1. Pia
What would I rather do, watch a movie at home or at the cinema? I think I would rather watch a movie at home on
DVD because you can relax at home. It’s fun to go to the cinema, but I usually don’t have the time.
2. Simon
Oh definitely, my favorite way to watch a movie is at the cinema. I like the experience of being in a cinema. You
know, sitting in those nice big comfy seats, the big screen? Lord of the Rings — it’s my favorite movie of all time —
watching that in the cinema, it’s just a great experience.
3. Inna
I would definitely rather go to the cinema. There’s a special magic at the cinema. You know, you’re sitting there with
your friends talking before the movie starts and then the lights go down and you’ve got your popcorn and your soft
drinks and everything. It reminds me of being a kid again.
4. Malik
Would I rather watch a movie at home or at the theater? No question, it’s much better to watch a movie at home.
I’ve got a nice big screen TV with a great surround sound system. I have this “on demand” service that gives me any
movie anytime I want, so I watch movies all the time. It’s one of my favorite ways to relax after work.
5. Miki
I prefer to watch movies in a cinema. I like to be with my friends and get their reactions. It feels like a big event, you
know, watching a movie in a group, and then talking about it later with your friends.

S T E P 3 BUILDING FLUENCY: EXPRESSING PREFERENCES

Students will practice expressing their preferences.

1. Expressions
Have students put the expressions on the line (left=don’t like, middle=neutral, right=like). To model the activity it is
best to write a line on the board and elicit the location for the first few expressions. Mention that more than one
expression can go in the same place.

Answer Key
There are probably differing opinions regarding the order. The order given below is one interpretation (with 1 & 3
being interchangeable). Remind students that the respective strength or weakness of these phrases also depends on
how they are said — see the point on stress in the conversation model.
6. I can’t stand, 1. I don’t really care for, 3. I don’t really like, 8. I prefer, 7. My favorite thing is, 5. I really like, 2. The
best thing is, 4. I love
2. Vocabulary
 Have students match the vocabulary to the most appropriate picture. It may be a good idea to check answers after
students have completed both activities.
 Next, have students rank their top three preferences for watching a movie. They can do this by marking the picture
with a star. Also, have them mark two that they dislike. This can be done with an “X.” This will help them get
ready for the next speaking activity.

HOW THE GRAMMAR WORKS:

Go over the structures in the grammar box as a class. Before students move on to Let’s Practice remind them to use –
ing verb phrases or nouns with the expressions.

3. Let’s Practice
 In pairs, have students practice using the expressions and vocabulary by joining them together. You can have them
say “When I watch movies…” at the beginning in order to set the context for their sentences.
 Encourage students to follow up their example sentences with additional detail or questions, to make the activity
more authentic. Give a humorous personal example: I can’t stand holding hands with my boyfriend when I watch
a movie because his hands are always sweaty… and he stinks!

S T E P 4 CONVERSATION MODEL: YOU REALLY LOVE MOVIES, DON’T YOU?

Students will review stressing important words.
Optional Warm-up:
Write the following questions on the board.
(1) What is Max doing?
(2) What does he love?
(3) What does he not want to do? How do you know?
Books closed. Direct the students to the questions on the board. Next, have the students listen to the audio and try to
answer the questions above. Allow additional listenings as needed. Have students compare answers in pairs and then
as a class.

1. Situation
 Books open. Have your students check the conversation for unknown words, and explain any difficult phrases.
Next, play the conversation model [Track 15].

HOW THE PRONUNCIATION WORKS: STRESS THE IMPORTANT WORDS

Discuss the use of stress. One reason why we stress words is because they are important. For example, Max is
watching the movie. He doesn’t want to talk now. So he stresses: watching right now. Shh! As a class do a choral
practice of this conversation, focusing on the use of stress. Say each line or chunk, and have your students repeat.

EXTRA PRONUNCIATION POINTS: CUT AND BLEND SOUNDS

Don’t you  Don chu
Watching it  Watchin it
Right now  Righ now

2. Substitution
Have students work individually to connect the words and phrases in the columns to make a coherent conversation.
Then have students compare answers in pairs.

Answer Key
a) video games – game – “Final Fantasy” – playing
b) music – album – The Beatles: “Abbey Road” – listening to
c) comics – comic series – Superman – reading

3. Practice
 Have students use the substitution words to practice the conversation. Remind them to stress the appropriate
words and to add expression to their voice (female character: enthusiastic, male character: annoyed). Have early
finishers create their own conversations.
 Choose a pair to demonstrate the conversation. Comment on their use of stress and offer pronunciation or
intonation advice as necessary.
 S T E P 5 LET’S TALK ABOUT IT: WHAT DO YOU PREFER?
Students will discuss their free-time activity preferences.

1. Get Ready
Introduce the activity as a free-time preference survey. Have students complete the questions using the words in the
box. Give students a chance to compare in pairs before checking the answers as a class. Elicit several ideas for
question #7. Write these on the board and discuss any grammar/vocab mistakes.

BONUS ACTIVITY: Intonation practice

Students tend to speak in a monotone voice because they say each word individually without chunking them together.
As a result, their sentences lack intonation. Help students practice intonation by highlighting what words can be
chunked together. See sample below:
1) Would you rather ---- watch a movie --- at the cinema --- or at home?
2) What is your --- FAVORITE MOVIE --- of all time?
3) What’s the BEST THING --- about watching ---- a movie--- at home?
4) What DON’T chu like ------ about watching--- a movie---- at the cinema?
5) Do you like ---- watching video games?
6) Would you rather ----- read a comic-----or a book?
7) (sample question) Who is your ---- favorite ACTOR?

To practice, have students start off by saying the sentences slowly but then progressively faster and faster.
(Note: These breaks for the chunks are not uniform. Depending on other factors, the grouping of the chunks and
intonation may vary but for lower level students this is a good way to raise their awareness about chunking and
intonation.)

Answer Key
1. rather 2. time 3. thing 4. do / don’t 5. playing / favorite 6. read / what’s

VOCAB TROUBLESHOOTING: What’s your favorite movie of all time?

of all time = of all the movies in the world / that exist / that you have seen
* What’s your all time favorite movie? = most favorite

2. Let’s Talk
 Do a quick class choral practice of how to say each question. Encourage students to speak in big voices and to pay
attention to chunking and intonation. You may want to concentrate on questions with “rather”:
 Would you rather watch a movie at the cinema (↑rise)… or at home (↓fall)?
 Would you rather read a comic (↑rise)… or a book (↓fall)?
 Have students write their own answers in to the table.
 Have students walk around the room, find a partner, interview them on their preferences and write their partner’s
answer in the table. Make sure students write down their partners’ name for reference. Encourage students to ask
introductory and follow up questions to make their conversations more authentic.
Do you mind me asking you some questions?
Thanks for your time.

3. Follow Up
Put students into small groups and have them analyze their results. You could leave this as an open activity for more
confident students, or provide questions for not-so-confident students to answer. (See below.) Students should briefly
summarize their answers and prepare to report these to the class.
a) Which is more popular: watching movies at a cinema or at home?
b) Are video games popular or unpopular?
c) Which is more popular: reading comics or books?

BONUS: Speaking Activity

Try a one-minute extemporaneous speaking challenge with Question #2. Have students use this guide to quickly
prepare their speeches. Give students 30 seconds to 1 minute to prepare their speech. Encourage them to use bullet
points rather than sentences. Have students give their one-minute speeches in pairs. The listener should time their
partner and ask them at least one question about his or her speech.
My favorite type of movie is __________. There are two reasons for this.
First, …
Second, …
That is why I like __________ movies.

S T E P 6 LANGUAGE AWARENESS
Assign the language awareness activity on page 82 for homework. If necessary, do the first one or two questions
together as a class. Leave 5 or 10 minutes at the beginning of the next class to go through the answers.

Answer Key
1. (I think I) would rather watch a movie at home
2. (I usually) don’t have the time
3. NO 1: he likes watching movies at the cinema the best = any movie
2: he likes to watch his favorite movies at the cinema = favorite movie
4. (it’s) my favorite movie of all time
5. (going to) the cinema
6. you
7. YES
8. watching movies
9. YES (both the infinitive and –ing verb forms can be used with prefer)
10. YES (both the infinitive and –ing verb forms can be used with like)

S T E P 7 ERIK’S LEARNING TIP

This study tip is about encouraging students to exploit movies for their English practice. Movies are a good way for
students to practice “extensive listening.” They are also a great motivation booster! Ask students how they study
English. If some of your students respond with “movies” ask them to elaborate for the class on exactly how they use
them. If no students mention using movies, give them ideas on how they can use them: native language
subtitles/English subtitles/no subtitles, shadowing, dictation, etc.

BONUS ACTIVITIES:
Movie Review Circle
 Have students choose an English language movie to watch and review. Students can work individually, in pairs or
small groups. If possible find out which students will watch which movies before the next class. If necessary, give
a lesson or provide a handout on how to review a movie before students begin the assignment.
 Students should watch the movie two times — once with and once without subtitles. Encourage students to use
English subtitles, if available. Students have 3 things they must do to complete the assignment:
 Briefly summarize the plot
 Decide if they recommend the movie or not, and why.
 Find 1 interesting phrase used in the movie to introduce to their classmates.
 Put aside roughly 30 minutes in the next class to do the group movie reviews. Put students into groups of 3. Make
sure each student in the group has reviewed a different movie. Have students review the movie and introduce their
phrase. Encourage listeners to ask questions and give comments.
 Collect the phrases that the students chose and make a list to give to the class in the next lesson.
 Note: This activity could also be done as a written assignment, or as a blog discussion.

Introduce a New Phrase:

Have students watch a movie and find an interesting phrase that they want to introduce to the class. Students should
find the meaning of the phrase, a translation if appropriate, and provide some other example sentences. Students bring
a video or DVD copy of their movie to class, show the scene in question, highlight & teach their phrase. They should
then encourage their classmates to make their own example sentences.

S T E P 8 UNIT TEST
Make copies of the Unit Test for each student. Start by playing the audio for the Listening section (download Track 2
from http://www.elttestcenter.com). Decide whether you give them one or two listenings. Then, allow the students
about 5-10 minutes to complete the rest of the test. Correct the test in class, and record the score.
AUDIO Script
Home or the cinema? That's a good question. I really like watching DVDs with my friends and I really like going to
someone's house. And it's a cheap way of watching a movie. But I also like going to the cinema. One thing I like about
the cinema is that I can concentrate on the movie. If I watch a DVD at home, I can't focus.

Answer Key

Part A.
1. a
2. d

Part B.
3. care for
4. love going to
5. stand
6. prefer watching

Part C.
7. crowded
8. surround
9. relaxing
10. holding