Fasten Your Seat Belt

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Conversation

UBER has forged forward in developing self-driving technology. That said, the testing of driverless vehicles are suspended pending the outcome of an enquiry into the death of a 49-year-old woman who was struck down and killed. Although this is the first death attributed to this type of technology, public opinion has swayed to say that it could happen again. 
This conversation-based lesson plan takes a look at how essential driverless vehicles are to modern society and it's growing needs to meet the demands of an ever-growing worldwide population. Express yourself with this thought-provoking highly interactive lesson designed to get you to talk. Developed in-house, it's aimed at an intermediate level and focusses on creating grammatical awareness. 
Time: 55 Minutes
Level: Intermediate
Course: The Conversation Course
Teachers: Native 
​Written and produced by One2one
Objectives:
To develop grammatical awareness
To increase vocabulary
To provide the student with the ability to express an opinion in English as a second language.
To create an understanding of both the speed of speech and interaction timing.
To improve pronunciation
To create an environment where the student develops the confidence to speak English as a second language.​

Opinion

"Work smarter, not harder!"

Make Your Opinion Count

​Expressing your opinion personally
In my opinion…...
The way that I see it is…..
To my mind……
From my point of view…..
I see it this way……..
I have a feeling that ……..
I have no doubt that ……..
I think that …….
It goes without saying that ……
I am confident that ……
My opinion is that ……
As far as I am concerned…..
It seems to me that……
I am absolutely certain that …….

Expressing the opinion from many
Generally…..
Most people believe…..
Most of us think that….
The majority of people believe that….
There are people who believe that…
People believe that……

Interacting
I see
Ok
For sure
Absolutely
Couldn’t agree more
Of course
See
Uh huh
Hmmm
Yeah
Yep
I agree with you
I share your view
You could be right 
Fair enough
I agree
Seriously?
No way?
Say that again
What?
Why?
How?
Tell me more!


Confirmation
Ok
Fine
Perfect
Great 


No Opinion
I have never really thought about that
Wow, never seen it that way!
I can’t comment on that
I don’t really have an opinion on that
Not too sure about that

Siding opinion
I’m going to sit on the fence on that 
I agree partly with that 
I agree on some level 
Maybe
Possibly 
Perhaps
I partially agree with you 
On some level I agree 


Disagreement
I don’t agree 
I don’t think so
I have to disagree with you on that
I don’t agree with what your saying
I have a totally different view
Not at all
I don’t think that’s true


Transitions & Sequence
First of all
Firstly
Secondly
Then/ next/ finally
After that/ this
Following this/ that

Comparing 
On the one hand …. but on the other ….
In comparison to ….
Compared to …..
Whereas 
Than
Rather than

Statements

1. We already depend on technology too much.
2. Driverless vehicles will be the reality; it's just a matter of time.
3. This type of technology will replace jobs.
4. There is a difference between a machine making a decision and a human making a decision.
5. We need to test this technology to perfect it, accidents are inevitable. 
6. Getting from point A to point B is all that matters. 

Talking Points

Drinking and driving
Going out
Holidays
Mobility for the old
No status symbols
Job creation
Imports and exports
Connecting families
Mobility for children (School runs/ parties)
Car crime
Deliveries
Shopping and the economy
Car sharing
Car brands (status brands such as BMW)
Crime
The physical driving aspect
Human interaction

Questions

1. How far into the future do you think that this type of technology will be fully operational?
2. Do you think that society will get a choice as to whether they want to use this technology or not?
3. Do you think that this technology will have an impact on other modes of transportation such as planes?
4. How do you think the design will change?