Inseparable
Language level: Intermediate (B1) –
Upper Intermediate (B2)
Learner type: Teens and adults
Time: 90 minutes
Activity: Predicting a story, watching a
short film, 2 short dictations, speaking
and writing a narrative
Topic: Relationships
Language: Prefixes, adjectives and
narrative tenses
Materials: Short film
Overview
This EFL lesson plan is designed around a short
film called Inseparable by Nick White and the
theme of relationships. Students practise using
prefixes, predict a story, watch a short film,
write down 2 short conversations and write a
narrative.
Step 1
Write prefix on the board and ask your students if
they know what a prefix is. If necessary explain
that a prefix is placed before the beginning of a
word to modify or change its meaning. Give some
examples such as impossible, unhappy and
independent. Tell students that prefixes are
sometime used to give the opposite meaning of an
adjective as in the three examples.
Step 2
Write the following adjectives on the board:
consistent
mature
available
polite
offensive
healthy
intelligent
partial
capable
considerate
personal
decent
likely
probable
Pair students and ask them to match the prefixes
im, in and un to give the opposite meaning of each
adjective. When they are ready go through the
answers.
Inseparable
important
www.film-english.com by Kieran Donaghy
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Step 3
Write separable on the board and ask students
which prefix goes with it to create its opposite.
Write inseparable on the board and ask students
what or who can be inseparable.
Step 4
Tell students they are going to watch the start of
a short film called Inseparable. Ask them what
they think the film will be about and what images
they will see.
Step 5
Show the film and pause at 03:00. Pair students
and ask them to discuss the following questions:
Were your predictions correct?
What story does the film tell?
Who is the man in the film?
What has happened to him?
When students are ready get feedback from the
whole class.
Step 6
Now ask students:
What do you think is going to happen next?
www.film-english.com by Kieran Donaghy
Inseparable
Link: https://vimeo.com/70424204
3
Show the film until 03:46 and discuss if the
students’ predictions were correct. Now ask the
following questions:
Who is the man Joe talks to on the phone?
What is the relationship between Joe and Charlie?
What type of person is Charlie?
Step 7
Tell students you are going to play the phone
conversation again and that you would like them to
write down what they hear. Play the conversation
as many times as necessary. Ask students to
compare their conversations and then write up the
conversation.
Joe: Charlie, it’s me, Joe. Are you alright?
Charlie: Yeah, you know me, never better. I could
do with some more pocket money though.
Joe: How much?
Charlie: Too much.
Joe: Charlie, I got the results. We need to meet.
Ask students to discuss the following questions:
Why does Joe say they need to meet?
www.film-english.com by Kieran Donaghy
Inseparable
Why do you think Charlie says he wants more
“pocket money”?
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Step 8
Ask students what they think is going to happen
next?
Play the film until 05:07
Check students’ predictions.
Step 9
Tell students you are going to play the short
conversation again and that you would like them to
write down what they hear. Play the conversation
as many times as necessary. Ask students to
compare their conversations and then write up the
conversation.
Joe: Are you hungry?
Charlie: No, I had a liquid lunch. If you’re
worried about the fee, don’t be.
Ask students how they think the film is going to
end. Show the rest of the film. Put students in
small groups and ask them to discuss the following
questions:
Inseparable
Explain that liquid lunch is a colloquial
expression which means that somebody has drunk a
lot of alcohol but eaten no food at lunchtime and
is probably very drunk. Ask students what Charlie
means when he tells Joe not to worry about “the
fee”.
www.film-english.com by Kieran Donaghy
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Step 10
Why does Joe’s wife react the way she does?
What does Charlie mean when he says “it’s gonna be
alright”?
Why is the film titled Inseparable?
Does the film have a message?
How does the film make you feel?
Step 11
Now assign each group with one of the characters:
Joe, Charlie, Joe’s wife or Joe’s son. Ask each
group to write a narrative from the point of view
of their character in 10 minutes. Go around the
class helping each group with vocabulary.
Step 12
Ask a member of each group to read out their
narrative and invite the other groups to comment
on them.
Inseparable
I hope you enjoy the lesson.
www.film-english.com by Kieran Donaghy
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