Resource tips for teachers - A room with a view - Fawlty Towers

Short activity This is an activity for small groups in which students make up a possible
description/practice points dialogue between a hotel manager and his customer´s complaints.
Video length 2:52

Video title A room with a view - Fawlty Towers

Video URL http://www.cinemalingua.net/index.php?r=classroom/lessonDetail&id=27

(www.cinemalingua.net)
Background A customer is explaining to a hotel manager why she is not happy with her
information/video details room.

Language Expressions used to state dissatisfaction, to place complaints or to claim

theme/Functions compensation and language used to justify one´s argument.

Level B1-B2
Time 20-25min
Preparation/materials None
What to do/procedure • Tell students they are going to watch a video and that the sound will be on
only for the first 26/27seconds (ending with: ´Now listen to me´) and then
for the rest of the video the sound will be turned off.
• Play the video as instructed.
• Ask students to take a guess what the customer and the manager are
discussing (the right answer is the lady´s complaint - possibly concerning a
bath, a view and a radio. Note on the board the students´ assumptions.
• Tell students that they will work in pairs. Their task will be to come up with
a conversation for the missing part of the manager and customer´s
discussion. Brainstorm possible phrases/vocabulary they might need when
placing a complaint and write these on the board.
• Play the video again, students will try to notice what issues the complaint
refers to, they will discuss them in pair and subsequently start writing their
own dialogue.
• When it is obvious that students have agreed on what to write, play the
video one more time for students to get a better orientation in the scene.
• Once they have finished, ask them to get 2 pairs together and encourage
them to read their dialogue out loud. Students stay seated in these groups
of four.
• Play the video - this time with the sound on in the whole scene.
• Ask students to discuss in the whole class how their dialogues
resemble/differ from the original script.
• In the small groups of four, students will vote for the best/funniest/most
suitable/closest dialogue. Solicit their votes and justifications why they
have decided so.
• Extra: one either winning or volunteering pair can be asked to read their
dialogue while the video is being played without the sound on (sort of
dubbing).

Resource tips for teachers – all rights reserved, Mgr. Petr Tyc, Běžecká 2407/2, Praha 6, Czech Republic,
petr@cinemalingua.net, +420/777025721, www.cinemalingua.net
 Key language Vocabulary and expressions referring to placing a complaint
Notes/additional -It is necessary for the students not to know the content of the video.
information -As an alternative, when students are working on their dialogues in pairs, they
may split the roles of the manager and the customer between the two of
them and when finished, they create a complete dialogue.

Nutné vybavení: připojení k internetu, interaktivní tabule nebo počítač/notebook a video projektor, kvalitní
reprodukce zvuku.

Resource tips for teachers – all rights reserved, Mgr. Petr Tyc, Běžecká 2407/2, Praha 6, Czech Republic,
petr@cinemalingua.net, +420/777025721, www.cinemalingua.net