Robot Relationships

In 2017 the V&A Museum in London in association with the Goethe Institute and the British Council launched a project where it commissioned 12 artists to imagine Europe 2000 years in the future, and how people would look back on the Europe of today.

As part of the project an online interactive quiz was launched, called Collecting Europe. In this lesson, students will look at some of the issues highlighted in the quiz around relationships between humans and robots.

Students will discuss this and related questions as they work with the trailer for the film 'Her' and a reading text on the subject. After a focus on useful language from the reading text, students are invited to debate the topic in more depth.

The activities in this lesson plan can be done in one lesson or spread over two classes with additional homework activities.

Learning outcomes:

• Consider whether a human could have a romantic relationship with a robot
• Reflect on boundaries and identities
• Analyse the trailer for Her and a text on the subject in order to inform the debate
• Study new language and useful phrases related to the topic

Age/ Level: 

Aged 13-17 and adults (CEFR B2+)

Time:

70 minutes + 25 min optional extension debate in one lesson or two shorter lessons with homework 

Materials:

• Lesson plan
• Presentation (This can replace Worksheet 1 and 3)
• Worksheet 1 - lead in
• Worksheet 2 - reading text
• Worksheet 3 - post reading activities and discussion
• Transcript

Looking for more content like this?

• Robots for human environments - self-access resource for learners from LearnEnglish Teens.
• Robots: friend or foe? - self-access resource for learners from LearnEnglish Teens.