What next?
After the students have found all the necessary information, they share it with the teacher and other students; they also share the useful vocabulary they have found and write the words on the blackboard and then discuss them.
Lesson 2
Topic: Gap year
Level: Pre-intermediate to intermediate
Time: 90 minutes/2 lessons of 45 minutes (shortened version) or 4 lessons for less
advanced students
Language: Revision and introduction of language connected with traveling, means of
transport, accommodation, discounts etc.
Sites: www.ling.pl, www.longman.pl, www.dictionary.cambridge.org, www.dict.pl,
http://www.gapyear.com/, http://www.gap-year.com/
Author: Elżbieta Olak-Posacka
Warmer
The teacher and students talk about the idea of a gap year if they are already familiar with the term, they discuss the pros and cons, if not, they look it up in an on-line dictionary and then discuss the following questions:
1.What is a gap year? Who can take it?
2.What do people usually do during a gap year?
The web
The students are asked to have a look at two websites listed below; all the websites give the gappers some advice. The students should go through the sites before they start doing the exercises to avoid the feeling of confusion caused by the amount of information they will find there.
http://www.gapyear.com/
http://www.gap-year.com/
Then the students get the following list of things to do and questions to answer.
1. Go to: http://www.gapyear.com/, enter COUNTRY ADVICE. Select a country: e.g. Ghana and check the following:
How much does it cost to get there? (getting there)
What is good to eat there? (food and drink)
What is the average cost of life there? (ideas of cost)
2. Go to: http://www.gapyear.com/ go to: holidays and flights and then: travel discount cards
What is ISIC?
How much is it?
Why is it worth buying?
Who can buy it?
3. Go to : http://www.gap-year.com/
See MESSAGE BOARD
Who puts their advertisements there and why?
4. Go to: http://www.gap-year.com/ then check: Traveling worldwide: Hostels
What kind of accommodation is most popular among gappers? Why?
5. Go to: http://www.gapyear.com/
Enter JOBS. Read about being an au pair in United States.
How old should you be?
How much can you earn?
What are your duties?
What next?
When the students finish, they share the information they have found. At this point they are usually eager to discuss it and they already have some ideas where to go and what to do during the gap year. They are asked to use the information they have found on the websites to plan their trip and present it to the class. If they do not have their own ideas or they are on a lower level, the teacher can suggest some questions to be answered.
Worksheet
Here are some examples of questions you have to answer preparing your gap year:
Destination(s)
How long are you going to work there?
How long will you travel?
What jobs and where are you going to perform?
What preparations are necessary before leaving?
Do you need any vaccinations?
Do you need visa?
How to get there and what is the cost?
What is the cost of living there?
How much will you earn?
Useful information about the country / ies you are going to?
What places in the country are going to see?
Other…
| 