Title: Can we spend our free time without money?
Course: Anglès 4t ESO 1r T > Section: Unit 2

How do people spend free time?

Make no mistake! There is always a cost to how you spend your time, like it or not! Time is actually quite expensive since, once it is spent, it's over. Sometimes the cost you pay doesn't have to do with Euros or Pounds or Dollars, but with the choices you make. So, my advice is: spend your time wisely! Once you have accepted that time is anything but free, let's find ways to spend your free time without spending much money on the way and let's do it in a collaborative way.

Image by Bruno /Germany from Pixabay

You are going to do a survey to your classmates to learn about their views on the topic of free time and money. Think about 5 things you really want to know.

If you need extra help, consider the following examples: what free time activities do they do? Who do they do the activities with? Would they rather keep their free time for themselves or donate it to others? How much money do they spend on free time activities? Does summer time or school time make a difference in their choice?

Before you start with your actual research on the topic, a little bit of extra brainstorming might be useful too, so I'll help you with some resources you may find interesting. Are you ready?

Read these online reports by the Pew Research Centre about the way US teenagers spend their free time:

Fact Tank “For U.S. teens today, summer means more schooling and less leisure time than in the past” Pew Research Center, Washington, D.C. (August 13, 2019). Click on the link for an adapted version of the article, so it will be easier for you to understand.

Fact Tank “The way U.S. teens spend their time is changing, but differences between boys and girls persist” Pew Research Center, Washington, D.C. (February 20, 2019). Click on the link for an adapted version of the article, so it will be easier for you to understand.

Source: Pewresearch.org Terms of Use

Stop & Think: Do the following activities:

1. Make a list of the main ideas in these texts in My learner Diary 2 or My Basic Ideas 2. Compare the American teen's life to yours. Is it similar or quite different?
2. Do the Quiz: Let's practice reading 2.
3. Use a dictionary, when necessary, and add a new entry in the Glossary 2 for at least THREE different words you have learnt while reading these texts. Click the folder Writing Guides and read the guide on How to write a glossary.
4. Write 3 questions for your survey in My Learner Diary 2 on in My Basic Ideas 2.

Free time and kindness.

So far we have seen that, when we think about free time, we are mostly focused in finding activities that are self-centred: doing sport to keep fit, reading a book to develop our imagination, playing games to compete and win, etc,  What if we spent our free time in altruist free activities? How would you feel? How much money do you think you would need to do them?

Stop & Think: Here you have a video by kindness.org about a genuine proposal. Watch the video and write your ideas in My Learner Diary 2 or My Basic Ideas 2. If you need some help to understand the video, click on the following YouTube link and do the comprehension activities on the video with subtitles: Can I help you with anything?

Express written permission by Kindness.org. Copyright notice: “© 2017 kindness.org. All Rights Reserved.”

    1. Make a list of the actions he performs for other people.
    2. Make a list of people's reactions to his proposal: How many people think he expects a reward? How many people are grateful? How many people feel suspicious?
    3. Do you agree with the boy's opinion: "if you want to help people you need money"
    4. This project is based on the butterfly effect. But what is it? Click on the link and find out. Have you ever experienced its effects?
    5. How did you feel while watching the video? Why are people kind? What stops people from being kind? Do you think kindness helps people feel happy?

Doing research online.

In this unit, you are asked to do some research about the topic of free time and money, but doing research online is not always easy and effective. Before you start with your research, think about the following questions so you don't waste your time doing research:

How many types of browsers are there? How do they work? How can I make my search more effective?

Click the following link and watch the video from the Google Search website.

usage as allowed by Google terms

What are the best keywords for a fine search? Choosing the right words is essential, so here you have some advice:

1) Choose a most common word, avoid unusual synonyms.

2) Write short phrases or a couple of words.

3) Don't use capital letters or punctuation signs.

4) Be as descriptive as possible!

Are there any symbols that help refine my search? Yes, there are! Here you have a list:

1) * (asterisk): write * next to your keyphrase and you will get all information related to the topic. e.g teenagers *hobbies

2) site: this will help you focus on a website in particular. e.g. free time site: https://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/ ,

3) "..." (Quotation Marks) will help you look for a full sentence, for example if you want to know who said what.

4) ~ (Tilde): write ~ next to your key word and you will get words that are similar to the one you entered,

5) filetype: will help you get information only on a given type of file e.g. free time activites filetype:pdf,

6) – (Negative Symbol): adding - before your keyword will tell a search engine to ignore pages that use that word prominently.

7) if you write OR between your keyphrases you will get information on one and the other.

8) .. (Two Periods): it means ‘between’ and is always used in the context of numbers, so it may help you find information for prices, periods of time, etc.

Are you looking for an image? Just remember that you have to be aware of copyright!

1) Google browser: use the tools to find free images

image by Núria Vergés under Creative license Attribution: NonCommercial - NonDerivative (BY-NC-ND)

2) Use pages like Pixabay, Unsplash or Piqsels. Remember! You don't have to create an account to look for images and download them free.

3) Checklist copyright before using other people's material: by commonsense.org

by Commonsense.org/education under Creative Commons license Attribution - NonCommercial -NonDerivative (BY-NC-ND 4.0)

Stop & Think:

1. Let's practice a little bit. Why don't you do some Google searches taking this information into account? Let's see how it goes!
2. Do a listening comprehension exercise on Google searches: Let's practice listening 2.

FINAL TASK

Now it's time for the final task! Remember this is a GROUP TASK, so teamwork and collaboration is essential! It will take quite a lot of time to do this task, so you'd better have a plan of action!

Use the Forum: Teamwork to communicate with team members and design your plan of action.

Goal: to write a report about the question: Can we spend our free time online without spending money? and present an activity or challenge to do in the free time which is free!

Steps:

Step 1) as a team (3 members min.)

SURVEY

1. Design your plan of action: who makes what? What are the deadlines for each task?
2. Plan your research and collect information: Compare your 3 questions with your team members' 3 questions and together make a list of the top 6 questions for your survey.
3. Post your survey on the Forum: Class Survey and wait for your classmates' answers! Answer your classmates surveys, too.
4. Create a graph with the data you have collected.
5. Analyse the data and discuss a conclusion with your team. Publish your findings on the Wiki: Class Survey.

REPORT

1. Consider the main ideas in the online reports you have already read and browse the internet for extra information.
2. Consider the surveys' findings that are written on the Wiki: Class Survey.
3. Can you make a connection between the surveys results and the information you have read on the internet?
4. Review the presentations about Present Perfect Simple, Relative Clauses and Expressing reason, result and contrast and check the guide on How to write a report, too. It will help you write your report.
5. Share a document with the members of your team and edit the document in a collaborative way.
6. Write the report with the results of your research, a conclusion and a proposal of a free activity. REMEMBER, you have to design an activity teenagers can do in their free time which is mostly free. Be creative!
7. Upload your pdf document to the FINAL TASK individual assessment 2.

Step 2) individual work

1. Write an entry to your blog that defines your experience with teamwork and report writing. Write a text about 50-60 words. Talk about the pros and cons of teamwork and report writing. Tell your classmates about your proposal of free time activity and invite them to join it. Publish a link to your team report (pdf). Click the folder Writing Guides and read the guide on How to write a blog.
2. Do the FINAL TASK peer assessment 2 and give a mark to your classmate's work.

Step 3)

1. Give feedback on the Exit Ticket 2