In this lesson students will learn about unusual summer camps. They will practice reading, listening and writing.
Age: adults and teenagers
Level: Intermediate+
Time: 50+ mins
Lesson type: reading, listening and writing
Number of students: 1-8
Materials: worksheet, teacher’s notes
Table of contents:
- Activity 1. Warm up
- Activity 2. Unusual summer camps
- Activity 3. Text
- Activity 4. Choosing the best camp
- Activity 5. Camp No Counselor
- Activity 6. Camp Brochure
- Activity 7. Letters from camp
- Sum up
Activity 1. Warm up
5 min
Procedure: introduce the topic. Ask students to discuss the questions in pairs.
Discuss with your partner:
- Have you ever been to a summer camp?
If not, would you like to go?
If yes, what was the most memorable experience? - What do children typically do at a summer camp?
- Why do parents send their children to a summer camp?
- What makes a perfect camp?
- What types of summer camps do you know?
More worksheets for Intermediate level:
Activity 2. Unusual summer camps
15 min
Procedure: students discuss six unusual summer camps and write down 3 activities campers might do at each one.
Here are some unusual summer camps in the USA. With your partner write down 3 activities that campers might do at each one:
Harry Potter Camp
____________________
____________________
____________________
Zoo Camp
____________________
____________________
____________________
Space Camp
____________________
____________________
____________________
Camp Broadway
____________________
____________________
____________________
Lord of the Rings Camp
____________________
____________________
____________________
Spy Camp
____________________
____________________
____________________
Activity 3. Text
10 min
Procedure: students read the text and match the heading and the paragraphs. Afterwards ask the students to compare their list in the previous activity with the text.
Make sure to pre-teach the following vocabulary:
sword-fighting | juggling |
foam archery | martial arts |
a dwarf | surveillance |
a wizard | ropes courses |
to create potions | code breaking |
to cast spells | marine |
Match the paragraphs and the headings:
A. Lord of the Rings Camp
B. Future Stars Circus Arts Summer Camp
C. Camp Broadway
D. Sea Turtle Camp
E. Harry Potter Camp
F. Star Wars Camp
G. Robotics Camp
H. Astronomy Camp
I. Zoo Camp
J. Spy Camp
- ____________________
At the Willowell Foundation in Bristol, Vermont, kids attending this weeklong camp can spend their days learning to write in Elvish, hone their sword-fighting skills, practice foam archery, and more, culminating in a “battle” between humans, dwarves, elves, and wizards at the end of the session.
- ____________________
If modern-day magic is more up your kid’s alley, this camp in Oregonia, Ohio, might just be the place for you. For a week each summer, kids can learn to create potions, cast spells, and play Quidditch just like a Hogwarts student. And that Quidditch training might come in use some day: These days, more than 100 colleges around the nation have actual Quidditch teams. - ____________________
Kids with energy to burn will love participating in this camp located just outside the town of Hancock, New York. Students can study juggling, unicycle-riding, aerial performance, clowning, trapeze arts, and more, eventually performing for their fellow campers at the end of the session. - ____________________
From martial arts to surveillance to ropes courses to code breaking, kids can channel their inner Bond in this unique program. At the end of the session, older campers can show off their skills with a reconnaissance and rescue mission. - ____________________
For anyone who wishes the Force was with them, this camp in Wolcottsville, Indiana is the perfect place to hone those Jedi skills. This weeklong camp trains campers in the Jedi arts, as well as offering other, more traditional camp fun. - ____________________
The engineers of tomorrow would be well-advised to snag a spot at the awesome camp based in Honolulu, Hawaii. From learning programming skills to building bots that compete with one another, this one-week camp offers an undeniably educational and fun experience for kids with an interest in STEM fields. - ____________________
If looking up at the stars fills you with a sense of wonder, you’ll wish you had spent summers at this camp at The University of Arizona as a kid. This Tucson-based program gives kids the opportunity to study the sky using the telescopes at the Mount Lemmon Observatory and Kitt Peak National Observatory, all while under the tutelage of world-class scientists. Kids also learn scientific methods of data collection. - ____________________
Animal-loving kids will flip for weeklong program that allows children to go behind the scenes, experience animal encounters, engage in science projects, and play animal-themed games in this unique and exciting setting. - ____________________
The mysteries of the deep are investigated by a new group of intrepid explorers every summer Held in Topsail Beach, North Carolina, this camp teaches marine biology and conservation skills to children, giving them hands-on experience with marine life along the way. In addition to exploring the local beaches on foot, campers can surf, swim, and paddle board to their local marine life habitats. - ____________________
For the kid who was born to be on stage, this camp is a perfect fit. This program, which offers sessions in New York and Atlanta, teaches kids skills in acting, singing, dancing, and choreography. And for the lucky New York campers, attending a performance on Broadway is in the cards.
Adapted from “20 Crazy Summer Camps That Actually Exist”
1. — a 2. — e 3. — b 4. — j 5. — f 6. — g 7. — h 8. — i 9. — d 10. — c
Activity 4. Choosing the best camp
10 min
Procedure: students answer the questions.
Which camp/camps:
- lets you practice the arts of battle? _____
- is based around a fictional school? _____
- is for very energetic kids? _____
- has a performance at the end of the session? _____
- teaches professional skills? _____
- is taught by scientists? _____
- includes swimming? _____
Which camp/camps:
• Lets you practice the arts of battle? Lord of the Rings Camp, Star Wars Camp, Spy Camp
• Is based around a fictional universe? Lord of the Rings Camp, Harry Potter Camp, Star Wars
Camp:
• Is for very energetic kids? Future Stars Circus Arts Summer Camp, Star Wars Camp, Camp
Broadway:
• Has a performance at the end of the session? Camp Broadway
• Teaches professional skills? Camp Broadway, Robotics Camp
• Is taught by scientists? Astronomy Camp, Sea Turtle Camp
• Includes swimming? Sea Turtle Camp
Activity 5. Camp No Counselor
15 min
Procedure: students watch the video and answer the questions.
“Camp No Counselors” is an American summer camp for adults. Watch the video and discuss the question with your partner:
- How is this summer camp for adults different from a typical summer camp for children?
- What activities do the campers do?
- What rule do the adults have to follow?
- How was the camp started?
- What kind of people would go to this camp?
- Would you like to go to Camp no Counselors?
An entire sleepaway camp where campers have free reign of the property completely unsupervised. What’s this all about? Doesn’t sound like the typical camping experience. In fact, it is not. Newschannel5 photojournalist Tony Cook takes us to “Camp no Counselor”.
My internal alarm clock went off at about seven and then I convinced myself that it was gonna go off at like 9.30. There’s not a lot of people that’ll sign up on a whim for an overnight summer camp for adults. We want to take work out of the equation, technology out of the equation, and just have fun, just like you did when you were kids. So can you go this long without your phone, Wi-Fi? I think I can. I think I can.
Camp no counselors started from friends inviting friends. I just decided to rent out a camp for a weekend and invite my friends and the word spread through each new city that we move in because I have friends there and then they tell their friends and then they get a big enough group that want to host the camp. So we had a friend in Nashville that wanted to host their own camp and so we’re making it come to life right now. So we have a camp this weekend, the 13th, next weekend, the weekend of the 20th and then the following weekend August 27.
I always wanted to go camping as a kid and never got to because I played sports. So I did this and I didn’t know anybody, went by myself and I left there with 200 best friends.
Answers:
1. How is this summer camp for adults is different from a typical summer camp for children? Campers have free reign of the property completely unsupervised.
2. What activities do the campers do? Rock climbing, archery, volleyball
3. What rule do the adults have to follow? No technology
4. How was the camp started? Word of mouth, friends inviting friends
5. What kind of people would go to this camp? People who never went to summer camp as kids, people who want to have fun, chill and make new friends
6. Would you like to go to Camp no Counselors?
Activity 6. Camp Brochure
10+ min
Procedure: in pairs students design an advertisement brochure for “Camp no Counselors”.
Useful material: campnocounselors.com
Together with your partner design an advertisement brochure for “Camp no Counselors”. Make sure to include information:
- Food and Accommodation
- Activities and Typical Day
Activity 7. Letters from camp
10+ min
Procedure: ask students to choose a type of camp discussed in the lesson and write letters from that summer camp. The author of the funniest letter is the winner.
Here are some extracts from real summer camp letters. Use these ideas to write your own funny summer camp letter:
Sum up
3-5 mins
Summarise the lesson and tell students what results they have achieved (Now you can … After our reading and speaking lesson you will be able to….). Ask them if they have any questions. Conduct delayed error correction if needed.
Have a great lesson!
Can you send me the plan of this lesson?
Здравствуйте! Здесь план урока расписан в самой статье. Хороших вам уроков!