Talking about doing weekend activities — ESL lesson

Teaching English learners how to discuss weekend activities is an excellent way to build practical vocabulary and conversational skills. This lesson focuses on essential words and phrases that are simple, relatable, and applicable to everyday life.

By introducing vocabulary related to common weekend activities—such as dining out, watching movies, or playing sports—learners can quickly gain confidence in expressing their plans and preferences. The structured lesson plan, complete with dialogues, visual aids, and interactive activities, ensures that learners of varying levels can engage with the material in a meaningful way. This approach not only enhances language acquisition but also encourages cultural exchange by allowing learners to share their own weekend experiences.

Basic vocabulary

Start with essential words related to weekend activities. These should be simple, commonly used terms that learners can easily apply.

Vocabulary list

• Weekend: Saturday and Sunday.
• Activity: Something you do for fun or leisure (e.g., sports, movies).
• Restaurant: A place where you eat out (e.g., a pizza restaurant).
• Menu: A list of food and drink options.
• Movie: A film watched at a theater or home.
• Cinema/theater: A place to watch movies.
• Sport: An athletic activity (e.g., soccer, basketball).
• Game/match: A single event of a sport (e.g., a soccer match).
• Park: An outdoor area for activities like walking or sports.
• Friends/family: People you do activities with.
• Ticket: A pass to enter a movie theater or event.
• Reservation: Booking a table at a restaurant.
• Fun: Enjoyable or entertaining.
• Relax: To rest or unwind.
• Plan: To decide what to do (e.g., weekend plans).

Vocabulary for extension

1. Cafe: A small place to eat or drink coffee (e.g., a cozy cafe).
2. Showtime: The time a movie starts at the cinema.
3. Team: A group of players in a sport (e.g., a soccer team).
4. Outdoor: Activities done outside (e.g., outdoor hiking).
5. Indoor: Activities done inside (e.g., indoor bowling).
6. Snack: A small amount of food, often eaten during activities (e.g., popcorn at the movies).
7. Event: A special activity or occasion (e.g., a music festival).
8. Hobby: A regular activity done for enjoyment (e.g., painting, cycling).
9. Waiter/waitress: A person who serves food at a restaurant.
10. Score: The points or result in a sports game (e.g., 3-2 in soccer).

Teaching tips

• Use visuals like pictures of a restaurant, movie theater, or park to connect vocabulary to real contexts.
• Practice pronunciation of terms like “cinema” (SIN-uh-muh) or “reservation” (rez-er-VAY-shun).
• Create flashcards with words on one side and images or definitions on the other for quick recall.

Useful phrases

Teach simple sentence structures for discussing weekend activities. These phrases should be versatile and easy to adapt.

Key phrases

1. Talking about weekend activities
   • “On the weekend, I [activity].”
   • “I like to [activity] with [friends/family].”
   • “I went to [place/activity] last weekend.”
   • “My favorite weekend activity is [activity].”
2. Describing the activity
   • “It’s [fun/relaxing/exciting].”
   • “We went to a [restaurant/cinema/park].”
   • “I played [sport] at the [park/field].”
   • “The food was [delicious/expensive].”
3. Expressing opinions
   • “I like [activity] because it’s [reason].”
   • “I don’t like [activity] because it’s [reason].”
   • “My favorite [movie/restaurant/sport] is [name].”
   • “It was a great weekend!”
4. Asking questions
   • “What do you do on the weekend?”
   • “Do you like to [activity]?”
   • “Where did you go last weekend?”
   • “What’s your favorite [movie/restaurant/sport]?”

Teaching tips

• Write phrases on a board or handout and model their use (e.g., “On the weekend, I go to the movies. It’s fun!”).
• Have learners substitute their own activities or places into the phrases.
• Practice question forms to encourage interactive conversations.

Example conversations

Provide short, realistic dialogues to model how to talk about weekend activities. These examples progress from basic to more detailed.

Conversation 1: Basic exchange

Anna: What do you do on the weekend, Tom?
Tom: I like to play soccer with friends.
Anna: Nice! Where do you play?
Tom: At the park. It’s fun.
Anna: Cool! Do you watch soccer, too?
Tom: Yes, I watch matches on TV.

Conversation 2: Adding details

Sara: Hey, Juan, what did you do last weekend?
Juan: I went to a restaurant with my family.
Sara: Oh, nice! What kind of restaurant?
Juan: It was an Italian restaurant. The pizza was delicious.
Sara: Sounds great! Did you make a reservation?
Juan: Yes, we booked a table.

Conversation 3: More advanced

Mark: Hi, Lisa! What’s your favorite weekend activity?
Lisa: I love going to the movies with my friends.
Mark: Cool! What kind of movies do you like?
Lisa: I like action movies. Last weekend, I saw a new one at the cinema.
Mark: How was it?
Lisa: It was exciting! We bought tickets online, so it was easy.

Teaching tips

• Role-play these dialogues with the learner, switching roles to practice asking and answering.
• Encourage learners to adapt the dialogues using their own weekend activities or favorite places.
• In group settings, pair students to practice, prompting them to ask at least one follow-up question.

Teaching strategy

Here’s a step-by-step lesson plan to teach this topic effectively (approximately 45 minutes):

Step 1: Warm-up (5 minutes)

• Ask: “What do you do on weekends? Do you go out or stay home?” to spark interest.
• Show a picture or short video clip of weekend activities (e.g., a restaurant scene or a soccer game) and describe it briefly (e.g., “This is a restaurant. People eat and relax here.”).

Step 2: Vocabulary introduction (10 minutes)

• Present the vocabulary list using visuals or a slideshow of activities like dining out or watching movies.
• Practice pronunciation, especially for terms like “reservation” or “cinema.”
• Play a quick game: Say an activity (e.g., “going to the movies”), and learners name a related word (e.g., “ticket” or “cinema”).

Step 3: Phrase practice (10 minutes)

• Display key phrases and model them with your own example (e.g., “On the weekend, I play basketball. It’s exciting.”).
• Have learners practice by filling in the blanks (e.g., “On the weekend, I ____. It’s ____.”).
• Correct pronunciation and grammar gently, emphasizing natural phrasing.

Step 4: Conversation practice (15 minutes)

• Read one example conversation aloud, emphasizing natural tone and enthusiasm.
• Pair learners (or role-play with them) to practice the dialogues, encouraging personalization.
• Ask learners to create their own short dialogue about their weekend activities.

Step 5: Wrap-up and personalization (5 minutes)

• Have each learner share one or two sentences about their weekend (e.g., “I went to a restaurant. The food was great.”).
• Provide feedback on their use of vocabulary and phrases.
• Assign homework: Write 3-5 sentences about a weekend activity or practice a dialogue with a friend.

Additional tips

• Cultural sensitivity: Be aware that weekend activities may vary by culture or region. Encourage learners to discuss local activities (e.g., traditional games or festivals) if relevant.
• Visual aids: Use images or videos of restaurants, cinemas, or sports fields to make the lesson engaging.
• Listening practice: Play a short audio or video clip (e.g., from YouTube or ESL resources) of someone talking about their weekend to expose learners to different accents.
• Adapt for level: For beginners, focus on simple phrases (e.g., “I play soccer.”). For intermediate learners, encourage details (e.g., “I went to the movies with friends. It was a funny movie.”).
• Incorporate technology: If teaching online, share a screen with images of activities or use a virtual whiteboard to highlight vocabulary.

Common mistakes to address

• Grammar: Learners may say “I go cinema” instead of “I go to the cinema.” Emphasize prepositions like “to” or “at.”
• Pronunciation: Terms like “restaurant” or “tournament” may be mispronounced. Practice these explicitly.
• Word choice: Clarify differences like “game” (a single event) vs. “sport” (the activity in general).

Example activity: “Weekend planner”

For group classes, try this interactive activity.

• Give each learner a card with a weekend scenario (e.g., “Plan a day with friends: eat out and watch a movie.”).
• Learners describe their plan using vocabulary and phrases (e.g., “We’ll go to a restaurant and then buy movie tickets.”).
• Others ask questions (e.g., “What food will you eat?” or “What movie will you watch?”).

Homework or follow-up

• Writing: Write a short paragraph (5 sentences) about your favorite weekend activity or what you did last weekend.
• Speaking: Record a 30-second audio or video describing a weekend activity and why you like it.
• Research: Find a picture or video of a weekend activity (e.g., a sport or restaurant) and describe it in 2-3 sentences in English.