Live from London: How well do you know each other?

Seven ideas on how to use this video with your class

The following lesson ideas can be used alongside the video Live from London: How well do you know each other? You can use these ideas on their own, you could group some of the activities together and choose to do them in whichever order you prefer. Each lesson idea has a recommended learner level. The transcript is attached under ‘Downloads’ at the bottom of this page.

If you’re teaching teens, you can use these videos alongside the series Impressions. This video can be used with the lesson plan ‘How well do you know each other?’

Some of the ideas can be used for flipped lessons. In this scenario students can do tasks and preparatory work at home or in the school independently from the teacher for the following lesson. This allows more time for communicative tasks, teacher-led tasks or group-led tasks during class time.

1. Still image predictions

Level: Intermediate (B1) to upper intermediate (B2)

Summary: Students look at still images of friends to make predictions

Objective: to practise speaking; to practise making predictions

Instructions: 

1. How do you think they know each other?
2. Do you think they know each other well?
3. Who do you think will know each other the most?
4. Who do you think will know each other the least?

Discuss the questions as a whole class before playing the video to see how accurate the predictions were.

2. Moving image predictions

Level: Pre-intermediate (A2) to upper intermediate (B2)

Summary: Students watch the video of the friends and make predictions

Objective: to practise speaking; to practise making predictions

Instructions: 

3. True or false questions

Level: Pre-intermediate (A2) to intermediate (B1)

Summary: Students are given a list of true or false statements about the video.

Objective: to listen for specific information

Flipped: Students can prepare their true and false statements outside of class – see additional ideas.  

Instructions: 

You can either write them up on the board or create your own handout. You may wish to change the order of the statements to make it more challenging or even using the transcript you may wish to make your own true/false statements.

Additional idea: ask your students to write their own true and false statements about a close friend or family member.

4. Themed discussion

Level: Pre-intermediate (A2) to intermediate (B1)

Summary: Students use the main questions from the video and additional questions as a basis for a personalised discussion about how well they know their friends.

Objectives: to provide the opportunity for an open discussion; to practise spoken fluency.

Flipped:  Your students could do the preparatory work independently and prepare answers to bring to class the following day.

Instructions: Place your students into pairs or small groups for this activity. Before playing the video tell your students that Luke, the presenter/interviewer in the video, asks people about how well they know each other. Ask your students to note down all the questions they hear in the video. Explain that there are four questions (see list below). Note that the questions are often asked in slightly different ways.

Place your students in groups of three and ask one student to do the interviews with the other two students separately. Once completed, ask the interviewer to feedback to the rest of the class about how well their group know each other. As the teacher you could ask the whole class to make predictions about who will know each other the most/least.

5. How well do you know each other survey

Level: Pre-intermediate (A2) to upper intermediate (B2)

Summary: Outside of the class students go and talk to fellow students in their school or meet people in the real world or surrounding area to see how well people know each other.

Objective: to engage students; to practise note-taking; to encourage speaking

Flipped: Preparation for the lesson can be done to bring to class the following day.

Instructions: Play the video to your students as a warmer without instruction. After your students have watched the video explain that they now have a task to do outside of the classroom. 

6. Cut up video

Level: Pre-intermediate (A2) to upper intermediate (B2)

Summary: Students are divided into three groups to watch each pair of interviewees.

Objective: to practise reported speech; to practise note-taking skills

Instructions: 

1. Ask all A’s to stay in the class to watch the section of the video with Lydia and Kayleigh. Whilst they watch they have to make notes about the pair, how well they know each other, what they say, look like, how they act etc. Ask groups B & C to wait outside the classroom.
2. Repeat the above with B students watching Harry and Ivan.
3. Repeat the above with C students watching Sahad and Shaun

When all the students have watched their own section place them back into their original group of three to discuss what they learn.

Finally, play the whole video one more time to consolidate their notes and shared findings.

7. Abbreviations

Level: Pre-intermediate (A2) to upper intermediate (B2)

Summary: Students watch the video, listening out for any spoken abbreviations.

Objective: to focus on abbreviations; to practise listening for specific information

Instructions: 

e.g. MIA is an abbreviation for missing in action 

Tell your students to listen out for any abbreviations they hear in the first section ‘Lydia and Kayleigh’.

• Two common abbreviations are used by the friends: uni- (short for university) and cos- (short for because).

Now teach the following further examples:

Start by writing the abbreviation and asking your students to work in pairs or small groups to work out the standard form. Once their lists are completed share the answers.

Finally, ask your students to turn their papers upside down or switch off their screens and feed them the standard form and ask them to change it into the abbreviated form.

Additional idea: i