Conversation Class Lesson Summary

Language Resident Name:

Maria Segura

Maria Glukhova

Katherine Pérez Gutiérrez

Day and Date:

Week 3-4, Fall 2020

Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class):

All

Class theme/topics discussed:

Hobbies

How did you structure the class?

Warm up – what can you do with this object? (//Rosina SP LR 2015)

The LR writes a word on the board (eg: lamp). Then, they divide the group into two teams. Each team has to come up with the greatest amount of “crazy” ways in which a certain object may be used. Online, the chat could be used, or a padlet where each student/team would write down their words as they come up with them.

General discussion questions

  • What is a hobby?
  • What is your hobby?
  • Why do people have hobbies?
  • Why did you start your hobby?
  • Does your hobby influence your choice of friends?
  • Which hobbies are the most popular in your country?
  • Did you have any hobbies when you were a child?
  • Can you think of any hobbies which are popular with children and adults?
  • Do you think a hobby is different from a sport?

Activity 1 – Lost on a deserted island

  • Each student is asked to write down two/three objects that represent something they enjoy doing (it doesn’t have to be realistic handy objects eg could be a swimming pool, the ocean, a horse) —> hobbies. The class is divided in two/three groups. Each student presents to the rest of their group the object and explains why it represents them. 

— Variant 1.

  • Once every student has described and explained their item, the class is divided in smaller groups. They are now on a deserted island and only have the objects they had chosen with them. They must work together to improve their chance of survival by combining all the objects of the group in fun and innovative ways. 
  • To wrap-up the activity, ask the students to discuss in their small groups or in pairs one of their hobbies. 

— Variant 2.

  • Students draw 2 objects instead of just one, and then they exchange pictures without seeing them *online, we could probably use a folder?*. 
  • Students pick 2 pictures that someone else drew. Their task is to come up with ideas of how these two objects would help them to survive on a deserted island. 

Activity 2 – Creating a club, American campus style

  • Students who have very different kinds of hobbies are paired up/put in groups of 3. Together, they must create a club that they would present to the next Turf dinner. The club must be a mix of their  two hobbies plus another element that I randomly gave them (tea, pets, knitting…). They need to fill in a chart with information about the club and prepare a presentation for the Turf dinner. 
  • Fake Turf dinner: in turn, each group presents their club to the rest of the class. The other students must find, with their partner(s), at least one question to ask to each group.

Activity 3 – Jeopardy

  • In small groups, students have to make small presentations on a hobby’s’ categorie, such as, sports, music, audiovisual, cooking. They should include fun & interesting facts about these categories in relation to the countries where and people who speak the target language. For example: Soccer is the most popular sport in Latin America; Guillermo del Toro has won over 10 awards. 
  • The instructor creates a game on https://jeopardylabs.com/ using info students had mentioned during the class, diving the game into the same categories. 
  • This activity would work better if the presentations and the game are done on 2 separate classes. If you have the presentations on a Tuesday and you play the game on a Thursday to make sure all the questions you include in the game are going to be based on information your students already know from the previous class.

Activity 4 – Hobbies charades

  • Using vocabulary reviewed during the class, on zoom, the instructor sends a private message with a hobbie they had mentioned in class (ex: wine tasting) to a student. The student pantomimes the activity mentioned and the class guesses. The student who guesses gets to pantomime next and so on.

Extra activity  – Guess who

  • Part 1: At the beginning of the class ask students 10 questions about hobbies ( Who likes cooking/baking? What do you like to cook/bake?). The instructor asks students to reply the yes/no question using the “thumbs up” icon on zoom. Whoever has clicked the icon has to write down on the chat what it is that they like to do (Baking cakes).  *Check if it’s possible to clear the chat on zoom”
    • Do you like playing sports? Which one?
    • Do you like cooking? What do you  like to cook?
    • Do you like baking? What do you like to bake?
    • Do you like arts and crafts? What do you like to do?
    • Do you like watching films? What genre?
    • Do you play any instrument? Which one?
    • Do you like reading? Which one is your favorite book?
    • Do you like listening to music? What genre?
    • What’s your favorite thing to do? (If previous questions don’t provide enough info)
  • Part 2: At the end of the class, the whole class plays guess who. The instructor randomly chooses one student and the rest of the class starts asking questions to guess who is the chosen student. Repeat a few different times
    • Do you like ball sports/extreme sports/water sports/ outdoor sports?
    • Do you like savory/sweet/hot/cold/spicy/ food?
    • Do you use thread/paint/pencil/paper/etc?
    • Do you like action/comedy/crime/drama/fantasy/historical/horror/thriller/romance/etc.?
    • Is the instrument you play a woodwind/percussion/string/brass/keyboard?

Extra activity version 2 – Guess the sport

  • Display on your screen/Send to your students a picture with about 20 sports. Either the instructor or one student chooses a sport from the display. The rest of the class has to guess which sport was chosen by asking questions to gradually get rid of the different sports. Specify that they have to ask broad questions like: 
    • Do you like ball sports/extreme sports/water sports/ outdoor sports?
    • Do you like savory/sweet/hot/cold/spicy/ food?
    • Do you use thread/paint/pencil/paper/etc?
    • Do you like action/comedy/crime/drama/fantasy/historical/horror/thriller/romance/etc.?
    • Is the instrument you play a woodwind/percussion/string/brass/keyboard?