Lynn Gallacher, British Council

Topic: TV Adverts

Aims
Listening for global comprehension
Speaking , language of description
Presentation of language

Age: 14 upwards

Level: Intermediate upwards

Introduction
Jigsaw viewing
This is based on the idea that student partners are only given half the complete information i.e. one learner only watches the video and the partner only listens to it. In order to recreate the complete advert, they will need to share their information

Materials: Video - Any TV advert

Procedure

• Discussion about advertising. Are there too many adverts on TV. Would you rather pay than watch adverts? What do you do when the adverts come on? Have you ever wanted anything because you saw it on a an advert. Any favourite adverts on TV at the moment?

• Divide class into 2 groups. 1 group will watch the video with the sound off and then the second group will listen to the advert with the picture covered. . Ideally the group that is not watching or listening should be sent out of the room. Where this is not possible however, students not watching or listening should turn their chairs round and face the back of the classroom.

• Group 1.
  Watch the video with no sound. Note down ideas what the advert is for. Compare answers in pairs.
• Group 2
  Listen to the advert with picture covered. Note down any information about the video .i.e. what's being advertised. Compare answers in pairs. (If Group 1 are still in the room they should at this stage be comparing answers and therefore not paying attention to the sound.)
• Group 1
  Watch video for a second time trying to imagine what's being said. In pairs after the video has finished give learners 10 minutes to try and write a dialogue for the advert.
• Group 2
  Listen to the advert for a second time. Try to visualise the images. In pairs, after the video has finished give learners 10 minutes to note down any images they think would fit what they heard either writing or drawing.
• The learners now work in different pairs - 1 from group 1 and 1 from group 2. They explain what they visualised or the imagined dialogue. Their partner tells them if the ideas were similar to the advert.
• Both groups watch advert with sound and pictures.
• Identify language point from video - adjectives, superlatives.
  Learners note down any they hear.

• Learners make storyboard for an advert.
• Do further work on language point e.g. make posters of positive /negative adjectives.

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