◄UNIT 2 : FOOD AND NUTRITIONUNIT 4: CLOTHES AND FASHION►

UNIT 3: HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES

  • UNIT 3: HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES

    A. Listening and speaking

    Introduction

    Talking about holiday activities

    Look at the picture. Where are these animals found? When do we visit this place?
                  

    Discussion

    1. Discuss in groups what you can do during the holidays to preserve wildlife.
    2. Discuss the holiday activities that can help conserve the environment.

    Read the following sentences:
    1. During the holidays, I like visiting my grandparents.
    2. I sometimes prefer staying with my aunt.
    3. I value making new friends during the holidays.
    4. I look forward to meeting new people during the holidays.
    5. I like relaxing during the holidays.

    In groups of five, discuss the following questions
    1. How often do you go for holidays?
    2. How many weeks do you have for the school holiday?
    3. Where do you plan to visit during your school holiday?
    4. Why do you want to visit that place?
    5. Who will accompany you to that place?
    6. Do you have any information about the place? Discuss.
    7. For how long do you wish to stay in that place?
    8. How will you benefit from visiting the place?
    9. Make five sentences stating what you intend to do during the holiday.

    Practise reading the conversation below in pairs.
    TABARO:We will soon be breaking for holidays.
    KASINE:I can’t wait.Holidays always seem so short.
    TABARO:Well, we have a three-week holiday in November.That is not a short time.
    KASINE:I know it is enough time to rest. It is just that we have so many activities. Time
                   seems to run out too fast. I am glad we have holidays three times a year.
    TABARO:Oh, I love holidays! I love visiting my relatives during the holidays. I like
                     watching plays at the theatre too. What do you like doing during the holidays?
    KASINE:It depends on where we go for the holidays. We went to Rubavu last holidays.
                   I enjoyed planting trees to mark the National Tree Planting Day. Then we went
                   to a hotel near Lake Kivu. I enjoyed walks on the sandy beaches!
    TABARO:Did you visit the Nyamyumba hot spring?
    KASINE:Yes we did. We were there for a whole week. We also visited caves and the
                   Gishwati natural forest.
    TABARO: I hope to visit Volcano National Park.
    KASINE:Well, the holidays start in three weeks. You have enough time to plan.

    1. How many times do Kasine and Tabaro go on holiday in a year?
    2. How long will the holidays be?
    3. When are the next holidays?
    4. What does Tabaro like doing during the holiday?
    5. What did Kasine do last holidays?
    6. In groups of five, discuss when the next holidays will be, where you plan to go and
         what you plan to do.

    Discussion

    1. In your groups, discuss the number of times you usually go on holiday in a year.
    2. Identify and explain various tourist destinations in Rwanda. What makes the places
         you identify attractive holiday sites?
    3. Discuss the importance of tourism to our country.
    4. Describe a memorable experience during one of your past school holidays. This can
        be a place you visited or an event you attended. Also, it could be an incident that
        you were involved in. Narrate all that you came across during your visit. Make it as
        descriptive as possible.
    5. In your groups, talk about the places you intend to visit during the holidays.Use these guidelines:
        a) Where would you like to go?
        b) What means of transport will you use to go there?
        c) How long will you stay there?
        d) Who would you like to see?
        e) What activities would you like to be involved in?

    B. Reading and comprehension

    Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.

    The holiday plans
    Many learners look forward to the next school holiday. There is excitement as holidays
    approach. Finally, they can take a break from routine. However, many students do not
    spend their leisure time productively.
          Manzi and Ingabire were discussing how they are going to spend the six-week December
    holiday. It was beginning in three weeks’ time. Both of them were excited.


      Ingabire said, “This coming                           
    holiday, my sister and I are
    going to go to Rusizi. My uncle
    and other relatives live at the
    lake-view border town. My
    uncle, Nsengiyumva, has a big
    elegant mansion. We are going
    to stay there for three weeks.
        “My sister and I are going
    by Volcano Bus. We are going
    to board it at Nyabugogo, at
    exactly 6:30 a.m. Since it’s a
    long journey, we will carry
    snacks. When we arrive, I am
    going to help my aunt with
    house chores. I am also going to
    help keep the compound clean.
    My cousin, Kalisa, is going to


    take me around Rusizi Town. We’ll cross the Congo border. I hope we are going to travel
    by boat. What are your plans for the holiday, Manzi?”
          “I am going to visit my aunt, Umutoni, in Kigali. She has a big, beautiful house. She is
    coming back from China soon. She had gone there for business. My aunt is rich, successful
    and has many employees. However, I will offer to help with chores. I am going to spend most
    of my leisure time reading English and Kiswahili novels. The two are the main languages
    used by the East African Community. I will easily interact with East Africans when I am
    fluent in both. My aunt is my role model. When I finish my studies, I am going to engage
    in business like her,” Manzi said.

    Answer the questions below.
    1. The school holidays begin in .............
    2. They are going to last for ..............
    3. Write down Ingabire’s holiday plans using the following outline.
         Destination: ..............
         Time of departure: ..............
          Means of travel:..............
          Planned activities:..............
    4. Give the names of Ingabire’s relatives.
    5. Match the following words used in the passage with their synonyms.
    a) holiday                                                      e) role mode
    b) students                                                    d) successful
    c) arrivel
    6. Add a question tag to this sentence:
        We will have many activities this holiday, ..................?
    7. According to you, who had better holiday plans? Give a reason for your answer.
    8. We know Manzi’s aunt is wealthy because
        A. She is coming from China.
        B. She has many employees.
        C. She needs Manzi to help in the house.
        D. Her way of life suggests she is.
    9. How best can you describe Manzi?
        A. He’s ambitious and helpful.
        B. He likes wealthy people.
        C. He reads novels in Kiswahili and English.
        D. He is a close friend of Ingabire.
    10. How would you best describe the two friends’ holiday plans?
    11. Some students engage in irresponsible behaviour during the holidays, for example,
          sex. What are the consequences of this behaviour?

    Think about this

    Discuss the following:
    1. What is pre-marital sex?
    2. Should young people engage in pre-marital sex?
    3. What is the relationship between irresponsible sexual behaviour and HIV/AIDS?

    C. Language use


    In the previous Unit, we talked about what adverbs are. We also looked at adverbs of
    frequency.
    What is an adverb?
    Give examples of adverbs of frequency.

    Adverbs of frequency/time and duration

    Look at the following examples.
    1. I go on holiday twice a year.
    2. I seldom travel abroad for my holiday.
    3. I rarely visit my uncle in the USA during the December holidays.
    4. I often visit the game reserves for my holiday.
    5. Since I was young I have always visited Kigali once a year during December holidays.
    6. I always insist on a two-week holiday.
    7. I frequently make trips to my rural home for the holidays.
    8. Is De Gaulle going on holiday next year?
    9. I always visit Uganda during the holidays.
        Look at the words in bold again. They are adverbs of either frequency or time/duration.
        Adverbs of time show when something happens. Here are examples of adverbs of time:
        before, yesterday, now, next, lately, soon.
        Adverbs of duration include words like one-week, two-year, month-long, day-long.

    Working in groups, fill in the gaps in the following passage using adverbs of frequency
    or time/duration. Use the following words
    Our geography teacher has .......1....... been promising us that he would organise a trip to
    the zoo ‘..........2.......’. Unfortunately, this had become like the tomorrow that .......3.......
    comes. But we never gave up hope that indeed we would visit the zoo .......4....... we left the
    school.
            The day .......5....... came. The whole class was excited. They were so excited that on
    the day, everyone arrived at school before dawn. We were all smart with our uniforms
    spotlessly cleaned, starched and our hair beautifully done. The school had hired a bus to
    take the fifty of us to the Kigali zoo. We were all anxious for we had heard many exciting
    stories about the many animals in the zoo, most of which we had only seen in pictures.
    ....... 6....... the bus arrived and we all boarded it. .......7......., it left the school compound and
    soon we were on the highway.
            We had been driving for about .......8....... when suddenly I heard the bus give a loud
    moan. This was followed by some shaking movement from under the bus. We all kept
    quiet and looked at one another .......9....... looking at the driver. He was biting his lips
    and holding the steering wheel as if his life depended on it. Before we could ask what the
    matter was, the bus came to a stop. He opened the driver’s door and walked towards the
    rear of the bus.
               Soon he came back.  He looked serious and unhappy.
               “I’m afraid, the bus has a puncture,” he said.
               “Then we just have to change the wheel,” the teacher said.
               “I’m sorry, it’s not so easy...I have no spare wheel.”
                My heart sank. Our year-long wait for the trip had come to this!
                Sometimes in life what can go wrong .......10.......does.
    Complete the following sentences using the following words.

    1. Every Muslim is expected to visit Mecca at least ............. in a lifetime.
    2. He came to school late ............. even after being warned.
    3. We ............. visit the beach.
    4. We go to visit the park ..............
    5. I haven’t seen Susan ..............
    6. We ............. go to Kigali.
    7. She will be suspended ............. if she doesn’t change.
    8. You must always think ............. you talk.
    9. He came to school late ..............
    10. We have finished the work and we can .............res

    Past simple tense
    Read the following passage. All verbs are in the past. The verbs are in bold type.
    We were all excited as we looked forward to the holidays. Our English teacher told us about
    a place we could visit during the holiday. We competed in listing holiday destinations. We
    had not visited but only heard of most of them.
            She asked us whether we actually knew where they were. We responded honestly that
    we did not. She smiled broadly and congratulated us for being ambitious. She planned for
    us a forthcoming holiday excursion.
    Generally, we form the past simple tense by adding -d to a verb. For example:
    Also, we form the past simple tense by adding -ed to a verb in its base form. For example:
    However, if a regular verb ends in consonant that is preceded by a single vowel, the last
    constant is doubled, before – ed is added to form the past tense.
    For example:
    If the verb ends in y preceded by a consonant, the y is changed to i before –ed is added to
    form the past tense. For example

    Study the following sentences.
    1. We planned for the forthcoming holiday together.
    2. On our journey to the National Game Reserve, we stopped at Kigali.
    3. We hurried so as to travel to the holiday site before the sun got hotter.
    4. We studied the map of the National Game Park carefully before we set off for the excursion.
    5. We were supplied with water and drinks at the National Game Reserve.
    6. When the game warden finished his speech, we all clapped.
    7. Nobody was denied enjoyment during the holiday trip.
    8. Our English teacher married her fiancée during the holidays.

    Use the words in brackets to fill in the gaps in the following passage. The words should
    be in the past tense.
    Last holiday, my parents ........1........ (take) me to Mombasa for a holiday. We ........2........
    (leave) Kigali at seven in the morning. We ........3........(cross) the Rwanda-Uganda border
    at around midday. We ........4........(be) feeling a bit hungry and so we ........5........(decide) to
    take lunch. We........6........(go) to Jumuia Hotel. There, we took a meal of rice and chicken
    stew. We also........7........(buy) a few snacks and drinks to take on our journey.
    Six o’clock ........8........ (find) us at Jinja. My father felt it was too late to drive to the Kenya-
    Uganda border. He decided that we would spend our night there. We would continue with the
    journey in the morning. We had an early supper. All of us were very ........9........ (tire)
    after a whole day on the road.

    Morning found us fresh and ready to set off for the border. We ........10........(reach) there
    at eight thirty. We were........11........ (clear) to cross over to Busia, Kenya. I wasn’t really
    interested in the sites along the road. My main interest was to reach Mombasa.
    We ........12........ (arrive) in Nairobi at two in the afternoon. My father was looking tired.
    I ........13........ (feel) it would be unfair to even hope he would drive on to Mombasa. This
    coastal town was over five hundred kilometres away. We decided to spend the night in
    Nairobi, the noisy and disorganised Kenyan city.
    We ........14........ (rise) at dawn and got into our vehicle. I ........15........(experience) the most
    amazing landscape with the plateaus that went way beyond the horizon. I also ........16........
    (see) beautiful zebras and graceful giraffes. There were also occasional warthogs.
    We saw the huge blue sheet that is the Indian Ocean. We felt the hot humid air long before
    we........17........ (step) into the wonderful hotel. The White Sands would be our home for
    four days.

    1. Write down at least ten things you did over the last holiday.
    2. Use the things you have mentioned in (1) to write down two paragraphs of what you
         did over the holidays. Also, use adverbs of time and duration.

    Present simple tense with future meaning
    Do you remember what we said about the present simple tense? Quickly go through the
    section again before we go on.
    Study the following sentences.
    1. Our family moves to Sandy Beaches Estate next month.
    2. My brother travels to South Africa for a holiday in two weeks.
    3. The President visits our district next week.
    4. The staff meets the Minister of Education when the school closes for the holidays.
    5. The entertainment for the tourists starts at 6 p.m. in Amahoro Hotel.
    6. Our national team plays against Argentina next week at Amahoro Stadium.
         Each of the above sentences has the verb in present simple tense with a future meaning.
         These verbs denote actions. These actions will occur in the future, even though we are
          talking about them as if they are happening now.

    Working in groups of five, imagine you are planning for a tour to the national park. Write
    down all the things you intend to do.

    Examples:
    1. We visit Virunga National Park next week.
    2. We take a bus from the Central Bus Station.
    3. We leave the school at seven in the morning.
    4. We arrive at around nine.
    5. We hire tour guides at the gate.
    6. We eat our lunch in the park.
    7. We start on our way back at three.

    D. Writing

    Describing fixed holiday plans

    Fixed holiday plans are those plans that you intend to carry out. These enable you to have
    the desired holiday, as planned.
    Here is an example:
    In July, we shall travel to Butare. We shall stay for one week at a beautiful hotel. We shall
    enjoy its peaceful environment and luxurious rooms. We
    are going to travel by bus. We are going to visit my uncle. We shall visit various places in Butare and see for ourselves the scenic and incredibly beautiful features of Butare. We are looking forward to an exciting
    stay in Butare during the holiday.

    Look at the work you did in the section on using the present simple tense to indicate the
    future. Write a composition on what you intend to do in a forth coming holiday. Use the
    ideas you came up with in that section.
          Ensure you use vocabulary related to holiday activities. This includes go out with, invite,
    stay, visit, travel, etc.

    Make correct sentences from the table below. Write them down in your exercise
    book.
    Brochure
    A brochure is a booklet or a pamphlet that gives information or publicity about a product.
    It could also give information on a service, or a holiday destination.
            We can make a brochure to advertise a service we give in our school.
    To make an interesting brochure, we need to do a few things. We may follow the following
    steps.
    1. Come up with an interesting sentence that immediately attracts the attention of the
        audience.
    2. Give details about the service or destination, for example a hotel or a park. At this
        point, don’t talk about the price.
    3. Determine the people you are targeting or aiming at.
    4. Make the story in the brochure suitable to the target. How is the visit to your park
         important to the school children you are inviting?
    5. Summarise or write an outline of the important features of the park. Write in bullets
        or something similar.
    6. Let it be easy to read. The sentences should be short and to the point. Make sure you
         write using correct English.
    7. Use fonts or physical writings that are easy on the eyes and attractive.
    8. Give your contacts.
    9. Include positive things said by previous visitors (testimonials).
    10. Use pictures and drawings that help you give the message of the brochure.


    Group project

    Working in your groups, carry out a research on brochures. When you have adequate                                                   information, design a brochure for an area of your choice. You can use old newspapers,                                                  magazines, or if you are near a big hotel or a park, you can borrow a brochure from them.                                                        You may also use the internet if you are connected to it.                                                                                                             Your teacher will reward the group with the best designed brochure

    E. Little laughter

    HISTORY: Why was the math book sad?
    ENGLISH: Because it had so many problems
    ◄UNIT 2 : FOOD AND NUTRITIONUNIT 4: CLOTHES AND FASHION►