The Bourne Supremacy

I did this exercise today in class with my first year proficiency class and it worked wonders (actually it something from the vaults as I first did it five or six years ago ). It is based on the idea of giving and taking an eye witness account of an accident or crime. I remember reading that the police always found eye - witness accounts problematic as they were often contradictory. It sounded like a great way to "negotiate meaning ."

Lesson Plan

1 Ask students if they have ever seen a crime or accident. Get them to expalin to the class what happened. Alternatively, brainstorm the kind of words and phrases you'd need to talk about a traffic accident.

2 Divide students into two groups; police and witnesses.

Explain to the "police" that they have been called to a crime/accident scene and have to find out what happened. If necessary, work with them on vocabulary and question forms (a devilishly tricky area in English).

Explain to the "witnesses" that they will see a crime/accident just once, as in real life,

3 Show DVD of an accident (see Pulp Fiction) or a crime (The Bourne Supremacy) to the witnesses. In the Bourne Supremacy try out 1hr 23 mins 43 secs.

4 The police then take statements from the witnesses (be on hand to help with vocabulary).

5 The police and witnesses then regroup to create a consensus view on what happened.

6 Ask each a representative of each group to explain what happened.

7 Then show the film scene again and ask the "police" what are the differences between what the "witnesses" said and what they actually saw.

If your preparing students for the Cambridge exams this a great warm-up for writing a (accident) report.