Free-Time Activities

Topic: free-time activities

Objectives & Outcomes

• Students will be able to identify at least 3 different free-time activities and explain the benefits of each.

Materials

• List of common free-time activities (e.g. watching TV, playing video games, spending time with friends, etc.)
• Marble dispenser (optional)
• Container (optional)

Warm-up

• Have students sit in a circle.
• Give each student a marble and a small container.
• Ask students to exchange their marbles with their peers and put the new marble into their container.
• Continue until everyone has a different marble.
• Ask students to look at their new marble(s) and describe what they see.
• Encourage students to use descriptive words and phrases (e.g. bright, colorful, shiny, etc.).

Direct Instruction

• Explain to students that free time is time that is not occupied by schoolwork or other obligations.
• Ask students to brainstorm a list of free-time activities that they enjoy.
• Have a volunteer from the group share their ideas with the rest of the class.
• Review the list of free-time activities and remove any that are not appropriate for middle school students (e.g. driving, dating, etc.).
• Distribute copies of the list of free-time activities to the rest of the class.
• Ask students to read over the list and think about which activities they would like to try.

Guided Practice

• Have students work in pairs or small groups.
• Give each group a copy of the list of free-time activities and have them choose one activity to try.
• Have each group share their choice with the class and explain why they chose it.
• Encourage students to try out their chosen activity during free time and report back to the class about their experience.

Independent Practice

• Have students choose one free-time activity to try on their own.
• Encourage them to be creative and think outside the box.
• Have students create a project or report about their chosen activity.
• Allow students to schedule time during class to work on their projects or reports.

Closure

• Have students share their projects or reports with the class.
• Ask students to reflect on their free-time activities and discuss what they liked and did not like about them.

Assessment

• Observe students during the independent practice activity and provide feedback on their understanding of the concept of free-time activities.
• Collect and review the projects or reports created by students for understanding of the topic and use of detail and language.