Topic: Hobbies, Leisure and Lifestyle (Exercise)

This exercise is prepared by the Leaf Academy. It is part of the Spectator college programme and it is linked to the articles: Want to travel for free? Become a volunteer and Student radios could compete with professional stations.

CONTENT
EXERCISE 1:Want to travel for free? Become a volunteer
EXERCISE 2:Student radios could compete with professional stations
Recommended Usage and Format for exercises

Exercise 1linked to the article:Want to travel for free? Become a volunteer

Lesson Objectives

• Read text and demonstrate understanding (comprehension, analysis, connection, and transfer)

• Analyze position

• Respond to argument and work with evidence

1. Read article (10 minutes)
   a. Underline any words you do not recognize or understand.

2. Understanding (5 minutes)
   a. Have each student share word(s) they don’t know and define them.

3. Summarize/Monitor Understanding (10 minutes)
   a. Explain the pros and cons of volunteering, in general.
   b. Explain the advantages of volunteering abroad.

4. Focused Free Write (5 minutes writing, 5-minute discussion)
   a. Prompt: To be a leader in any sector, skills learned by living and volunteering (or working) abroad are essential. Form your own opinion about what it means to be a successful leader and use evidence from the article to support your position.

5. Discussion (10 minutes)
   a. Find similarities and differences in student views on leadership and the importance of living and volunteering abroad.

Exercise 2linked to the article:Student radios could compete with professional stations

Lesson Objectives

• Read text and demonstrate understanding (comprehension, analysis, connection, and transfer)

• Practice writing, demonstrate creativity.

1. Read article (5 minutes)
   a. Underline any words you do not recognize or understand.

2. Understanding (5 minutes)
   a. Have each student share word(s) they don’t know and define them.

3. Develop your own radio show. (30 minutes)
   a. Divide into groups of 3-4.
   b. You will need to record a 2 minute radio segment.
   Choose a news topic
   National
   International
   Economics
   Politics
   Sports

c. Research the topic you will present (10 minutes)
d. Write your news story (the average presenter will present 130 word/minute, so 260 words or about 1 page) (15 minutes)
e. Record your story on your phone or computer (or present it LIVE)

1. Share the Radio Shows- either recordings or LIVE presentations.

Recommended Usage and Format for exercises

We believe a discussion-based format is best for achieving the learning objectives. We also believe that using the technique Writing as Thinking helps students to formulate their ideas and practice their writing in advance of the discussion. The degree of facilitator and adult involvement will vary according to student background and secondary objectives.

Writing

Model by being willing to write along with students and also to share your writing with the class.

Let them know before writing if they will be asked to share their writing out loud.

Here writing is first thoughts, so poor spelling, punctuation or conventions are not the focus.

Focus on engaging with ideas.

They do not need to apologize for the quality of their writing.

Discussion

Set expectations for active listening and body language

Engage introverts and extroverts, be mindful of dominant voices

Be mindful of how much you are speaking

Manage time

Encourage students to respond directly to each other, and not through the facilitator, using evidence- I agree with Igor’s point because…

Encourage everyone to draw from evidence in the text to support their points, avoid generalizations

Can you point to a line in the text…

Can you help me to understand…

Could you give an example…

Use techniques to encourage other voices

Let’s hear some other thoughts…

Let’s hear from someone who hasn’t contributed yet...

Techniques for managing time/discussion

Put this in the parking lot and move on…

Let’s pause here…

Parts of the lesson

Focused Free Write- an opportunity for students to write freely, but about a specific prompt.

Reflection- an opportunity to think about the lesson, what they have learned and hopefully how it will help them or how it connects to their life

Underlining words- this strategy is a good habit for students and it also allows them more ownership of their vocabulary.

This exercise is prepared by the Leaf Academy and it is part of the Spectator College, a programme created by The Slovak Spectator.