Unit 3: Hobbies and Interests
Objective:
By the end of this unit, students will:
- Confidently discuss their hobbies and interests in detail.
- Use vocabulary related to hobbies, leisure activities, likes, and dislikes effectively.
- Understand and analyze texts and audio dialogues about hobbies and interests.
- Write detailed and engaging descriptions of their favorite hobbies, including why they enjoy them.
Duration:
90 minutes, divided into two 45-minute sessions.
Materials Needed:
- Pictures or visuals illustrating various hobbies and leisure activities.
- Sample texts about hobbies from diverse cultures or personal stories.
- Audio recordings of dialogues discussing hobbies and interests.
- Graphic organizers for brainstorming or structuring ideas.
- Games or quizzes for vocabulary practice.
Session 1: Vocabulary, Speaking, and Writing Practice (45 minutes)
- Warm-Up (5 minutes):
- Conduct a brainstorming activity: students list as many hobbies as they can in pairs or individually for 2 minutes.
- Share ideas on the board, grouping them into categories (e.g., outdoor activities, creative activities, team sports).
- Vocabulary Introduction (15 minutes):
- Introduce key vocabulary using visuals or flashcards (e.g., “painting,” “gardening,” “playing chess,” “jogging”).
- Include phrases for expressing likes and dislikes, such as “I’m passionate about,” “I enjoy,” “I’m not a fan of,” “I’m interested in.”
- Focus on pronunciation and collocations (e.g., “play tennis,” “go hiking”).
- Students practice saying sentences using these new phrases.
- Speaking Practice (15 minutes):
- In pairs, students ask each other about their hobbies and interests using the new vocabulary:
- “What hobbies do you enjoy?”
- “How did you get started with this hobby?”
- “Why do you like it?”
- Encourage students to ask follow-up questions (e.g., “What’s the best part about it?”).
- Rotate partners to increase speaking practice.
- Writing Task (10 minutes):
- Students write a short list of their hobbies and reasons why they enjoy them.
- Provide sentence starters to help structure their writing:
- “One of my favorite hobbies is __ because __.”
- “I enjoy __ in my free time because __.”
Session 2: Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing Practice (45 minutes)
- Reading Activity (15 minutes):
- Provide students with short texts about hobbies (e.g., a blog post or a personal story).
- Students read the texts and highlight key information (e.g., what the writer likes about their hobby, how often they do it).
- Follow with comprehension questions like:
- “What does the writer like about hiking?”
- “How often does the writer practice yoga?”
- Listening Exercise (10 minutes):
- Play audio recordings of people discussing their hobbies (e.g., interviews or informal conversations).
- Students complete a worksheet where they note down the hobbies mentioned and reasons for enjoying them.
- Replay key parts to focus on specific vocabulary or phrases used.
- Discussion (5 minutes):
- Lead a class discussion comparing the hobbies in the texts/audio to students’ own interests.
- Example prompts:
- “What hobbies would you like to try?”
- “Do you know anyone with a unique or unusual hobby?”
- Writing Task (10 minutes):
- Students write a short paragraph about their favorite hobby, including specific reasons for enjoying it and memorable experiences related to it.
- Encourage students to use linking words like “first,” “then,” “after that,” and “finally” for cohesion.
Homework Assignment:
- Exploration Task: Try a new hobby or leisure activity and write a short reflection on the experience, including:
- Why you chose this activity.
- What you enjoyed or found challenging.
- Whether you would continue it.
- Cultural Comparison: Research a hobby popular in a different country and prepare a short written summary or presentation about it.
Assessment:
- Speaking: Evaluate fluency, vocabulary usage, and engagement during pair/group discussions.
- Writing: Assess clarity, coherence, and the use of descriptive language in the writing tasks.
- Listening and Reading: Check understanding through comprehension questions and gap-fill activities.