Activity length

Preparation

Activity Suggestions for Students

Activity 1

Getting ready

20’

o        Give students a list of verbs expressing movement

(DOCUMENT 1)

o        Students classify those verbs into 3 groups (hand movements, feet movements or both)

o        In case those verbs are transitive, the students give an example with a direct object (For instance: throw a ball…)

o        Students complete the list.

§         Classify those verbs in 3 columns: movements done with

1.      hands and arms,

2.      feet and legs,

3.      all those body parts...

§         Can you complete this list?

To duck

To run

To spread

To stretch

To close

To hit

To throw

To lift

To walk

To swim

To open

To pedal

To flex

To dive

To bend

To shoot

To tense

Activity 2

15 ‘

o        Outlines illustrating the breaststroke, front view and side view.

(DOCUMENT 2)

o        The students look a the outlines illustrating the breaststroke. The teacher asks what sport it represents.

o        One of the students describes one of the 12 outlines and the others try to find out what he is describing. The teacher shows the example (for instance: The swimmer’s arms are outstretched and his legs are spread à picture 11)

o        Which verbs from the previous list can be applied to this sport?

Front view                                                   Side view

Activity 3

15’

o        The teacher gives the following list of verbs: place one’s feet / duck one’s head / stretch out one’s arms / bend one’s body over / flex one’s knees

o        Grammar: giving instructions.

o        The students pretend they have to teach children how to swim…

o        They must use the verbs given by the teacher in their instructions.

Activity 4

15’

o        Discussion

o        Do you practice this sport (swimming)?

o        If you don’t, do you practice any other sport?

o        In your country, what sport did you do?

o        And now, are you still practicing this sport or do you do another one?

o        With whom?

o        When?

o        Do you train regularly?

o        Are you a member of any sports club?

o        Why do you do sport?

o        Do you practice a different sport according to the seasons?

Activity 5

20’

o        The teacher gives a list of questions, in a written form, so as to learn or revise vocabulary dealing with body parts and sports.

(Document 3)

o        The students look up the words they do not know.

Test your knowledge! Depending on the question, more than one answer is correct.

1.      He lost…

q      the game

q      the defeat

q      the victory

2.      Athletes have muscled ___________

q      fists

q      arms

q      legs

3.      This competition’s great ________ is the Russian athlete.

q      winner

q      victory

q      defeat

4.      In soccer, I can score a goal with ___________

q      my fingers

q      my head

q      my arms

5.      He _________ the record

q      fought

q      won

q      broke

6.       ___________ sport is important

q      Practicing

q      Doing

q      Playing

7.      I can swim on ___________

q      my back

q      my head

q      my feet

8.      He owns the world ___________

q      medal

q      record

q      cup

9.      I am

q      a professional

q      an amateur

q      amateur

10.  We ___________ a game

q      play oneself

q      play

q      play with

11.  In rugby, one can use one’s ___________

q      hands

q      feet

q      back

Activity 6

20’

o        The teacher gives to the students a series of pictures depicting accessories (rackets, boxing gloves).

o        S/he also gives them the names of those accessories… The letters of these words are scrambled.

(Document 4)

Remark: For sports clothes, see the unit on clothing.

o        The students look at the pictures and give them a name, with the scrambled letters.

Here are the names of accessories needed to practice some sports. Unscramble the words and give the number of the image matching that word…

Examples:     

§         Which sports are these accessories used for?

1     2         3 4

5     6   7    8

9          10            11

12 13

14

Activity 7

30’

o        The teacher gives a list of words to the students. 

(Document 5)

o        Discussion

o        In groups of two, students make a double input table.

o        Do you prefer team sports or individual sports? Why?

o        Among those sports, which one can be practiced outside?

o        What are those to be practiced inside?

o        What do you prefer? Why?

Here’s a list of words: in groups of two, try to make them fit in a double input table.

Aerobics

Badminton

Basket-ball

Beach volley

Running

Acrobatic dancing

Horse-riding

Fencing

Soccer

Golf

Hockey

Discus

Synchronized swimming

Swimming

Table tennis

High jump

Downhill skiing

Team sports

Summer sports

Winter sports

Individual sports

Tennis

Key:

Activity 8

15’

o        The teacher gives names of places where some sports can be practiced (track, field, etc.)

(Document 6)

o        The students name sports that can be practiced in those places.

What sport are we talking about? (Sometimes, more than one answer is correct)

It is practiced…

1.      on a track                                            

2.      on a race track                                                          

3.      on a field                             

4.      on a court                                                                 

5.      on a skating rink                             

6.      in a swimming pool                                                                

7.      on a mat                              

8.      inside a room                                                  

Answers:

1.      (cycling, fencing, ski, track and field)

2.      (horse-riding)

3.      (soccer, football, rugby, basket-ball, volley-ball, hand-ball, cricket…)

4.      (tennis, badminton, squash)

5.      (hockey, figure skating…)

6.      (swimming, water-polo, …)

7.      (judo, pole vaulting, high jump …)

8.      (aerobics, fitness, basket-ball, …)

Activity 9

35’

o        The teacher gives to each student the picture of an athlete.

(DOCUMENT 7)

o        Then the teacher takes back the pictures and redistributes them at random.

o        When the image and the sport have been identified, the teacher asks questions to everyone.

o        Each student describes their image, on a piece of paper, with as many details as possible.

o        Only restriction: he or she can never, in any case, give out the name of the depicted sport. They must stick to the clothes worn, the accessories, the facial expressions, the movements, the place, the season…  

o        Each in turn, the students read aloud their description. The others pay close attention to know if it is their (new) picture they are talking about.   

o        In which country is this sport the national sport?

o        Do people practice this sport in your country? 

o        Is it more a sport for men or for women?

      Without giving out sports names, give the most detailed description of your image. Describe the sportsmen’s clothes, the place and time, the facial expressions, etc.

Activity 10

40 ‘

o        The teacher gives a reading comprehension to the students (about a contest reserved for high-level athletes).

(DOCUMENT 8)

o        The students read the text… and answer the questions.

Read this text carefully and answer the questions in your own words.

QUESTIONS

1.      What sport does this text talk about?

2.      Put those prepositions back into order and build a continuous and coherent text: 

                    The athletes must / can…

a.      Be a high-level sportsmen and be listed

b.      Pass a written examination

c.      Pass an oral examination

d.      Register for a grading examination

e.      Take part in a contest

f.       Follow a training course

3.      What is the difference between the “admissibility examination” and the “competitive examination”?

4.      During one of those examinations, the candidate will have to express himself/herself orally. Which one?

5.      When does the new training course start?

6.      etc.

Activity 11

20’

o        Discussion

o        Remark: This is an oral activity but it can be done in a written form as well. The students will then receive the list of qualities (right column) and the following table.

(DOCUMENT 9)

o        What qualities does a sportsmen have to have?

o        Among the following qualities, which is the most important one according to you?

¾      endurance

¾      physical strength, being fit

¾      team spirit

¾      concentration

¾      discipline

¾      the will to win/competitive spirit

¾      will to work

¾      instinct

o        Among those qualities, which one do you lack the most to become a great athlete?

Fill in the following table:

Activity 12

15’

o        The teacher reads descriptions of sports

(DOCUMENT 10)

o        The students listen carefully and try to find out what sport the teacher is talking about.

o        The students repeat the word(s) that helped them to find what sport the teacher was talking about.

1.      This sport consists in running faster, jumping higher and throwing further away than one’s opponents. It is one of the most popular Olympic sports. From 100m sprint to 42.195km marathon to hammer and high jump, it involves a great deal of quality events.

2.      This game implies being quick, agile and reacting rapidly. Players must also be endurant, because they sometimes run more than 6 kilometres during one game. Few people know that this game is the fastest racket sport. The speed of shuttlecock can reach 260 Km/h. Particularly popular in Asia and Europe nowadays, it became an Olympic sport at the 1992 Olympic games. 

3.      It is the only sport in which men and animals can form a team and one of the very few where men and women can compete equally. It involves three disciplines (jumps, dressage and full contest) with individual tests and team tests. It is the team sport: indeed, a horse and a rider have to work together for years to achieve a perfect harmony in terms of grace, agility, speed and risk-taking. 

4.       

5.      In this sport, the athlete does not go from one point to the other but turns round and round in an oval shape whose banks form an angle of 42°. The athletes’ helmet and clothing, as well as the type of bikes (very different from what everyday bikes) can sometimes make you think of “Star Wars”! Those differences have increased over the years, as technical progress evolved and athletes pedalled faster.

6.      During the Ancient Olympic games, the “players’” fists were wrapped up in long leather bands. The fight was over when one of the contestants fell or gave up. Romans added another dimension to the sport with gladiators, who used gloves covered with spikes or filled with lead. The fights often ended with one of the contestant’s death, which was common in the other types of entertainment of the time.

7.      This game is known as “the king of sports”. It is the most practiced sport in the world. It exists on the five continents, and young and old love it. From Rio de Janeiro to the Caucasus, from the United States, where children practice every day, to the roads of Nairobi, it is everywhere! It goes without saying that each competition is followed by millions of viewers all around the world.

8.      This ball game is not well spread in France and Europe. It is played by two teams of 11 players on a field equipped with 2 sets of 3 pegs. The bowler bowls the ball to the batsman from the opposite team. He has a helmet and uses a long, flat bat.

Answers:

It is…

1.      track and field.

2.      badminton.

3.      horse-riding

4.      cycling (on a track)

5.      boxing

6.      soccer.

7.      cricket

Activity 13

60’

o        List of fixed expressions used in sports, and their definitions (to calm down the game ; to be knock-out; to stay on the sidelines; to be a fair player; to be offside)

o        The students read those expressions and look for a definition.

o        They say if there is a similar expression in their mother tongue.

o        They make up a story that will include at least three of those expressions.

Activity 14

60’

o        Description of a sports club (where the students could easily go)

(DOCUMENT 11)

o        The students read the document carefully, because they will take part in a role-playing game, in groups of two.

o        One will play the sports club director, the other will play an amateur who would like as much information as possible about the club. This activity will take place as a dialogue, on the phone.

 Fléron’s Bad-Club

Created five years ago, Fléron’s badmington club already has more than 40 members who meet up on Tuesday and Thursday evening to play and practice together in a good-humoured group. Our members are quite young (25-30 years old), which makes the atmosphere really relaxed, and each training session ends up with a drink in our cafeteria. 

But when it comes to tournaments or interclub competitions, everyone surpasses themselves and does their bery best, which explains why from the very first year on, our members have won several tournaments. 

We have been organising training sessions since last year. They are supervised by Christophe Dorao (player ranked B1. in Bierset’s B.C.) and take place almost every week, usually on Tuesdays. Depending on the coach’s availability, some training sessions will take place on Thursdays, if no interclub competition is planned.

Whether you come to the Bad’Club just to play with friends or to take part in tournaments or interclub competitions, everyone gets something out of it and participates in the club’s convivial and friendly spirit.

Timetables

Our training sessions take place on Tuesday and Thursday nights, following this timetable: 
- Tuesday evening from 9pm to 10:30pm
- Thursday evening from 8pm to 10pm (11pm when interclub competitions take place in the club)

Location

Our training sessions take place at the “Sports Place” in Fléron, Rue de Romsée, 18. Here is the road to follow by car: 

From Liège
- Leave Liège taking the Robermont hill (route de Herve - N3), direction Fléron.
- Continue on the N3 for 7 Km.
- When entering Fléron (traffic lights and a shoe store on your right), keep driving straight ahead for 500m.
- At the next crossroads, turn to the right, direction Romsée (a brown board, with writings in white, indicates the “Sports Place”).
- 200 m after the crossroads, just before the soccer field, the road on your left will drive you to the “Sports Place” and its car park. 

From the E40 motorway (Liège-Aachen Motorway)
- Leave the motorway in Melen (exit 37)
- Follow the Fléron direction for 5 Km.
- When entering Fléron (roundabout with a Quick restaurant on your right), keep driving straight ahead to the rue des Martyrs (direction Liège).
- Keep driving straight ahead at the two traffic lights.
- Take the first road on the left (150m after the second traffic light), direction Romsée (a board indicates the “Sports Place”).
- 200 m after the crossroads, just before the soccer field, the road on your left will drive you to the “Sports Place” and its car park

 You can also go to the Sports Place from Liège with the bus, taking lines 10 or 11 (bus stop at the rue Léopold in Liège). You have to get off the bus at the stop at the entrance of Fléron, just after the crossroads with the rue Romsée. Starting from the bus stop, you only have to walk for 250m in the rue Romsée and to turn left before the soccer field. 

Sports Place Fléron
Rue de Romsée, 18
4620 Fléron
Tel: 04/355.95.10.
Fax: 04/355.91.84.

o        Discussion

o        In your country, were you part of a club?

o        And here, are you part of a club?

o        If not, why? What are your favourite leisure activities then?