Introduction:

This is an activity for intermediate students to review vocabulary related to ‘household chores’. Students divide the chores into three categories, come up with a cleaning schedule in a house they have just moved into and write a short advert for a new housemate. They seem to need help with the bills. ☺

Level: B1+

Time: 45 minutes

Objectives:

1. To review vocabulary related to household chores.
2. To come up with an effective cleaning schedule.
3. To write a short advertisement for a new housemate.

Materials:

1. Flying the Nest Worksheet – one per student.

Procedure:

1. Write the names of various rooms on the board, such as kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, etc. In pairs, ask the students to name two chores they perform in each of those areas of the house; monitor, and when they have some suggestions, nominate students to write them on the board by the room names. Clarify meaning and check spelling.
2. Hand each student a Flying the Nest Worksheet and ask them, individually, to separate the household chores into 3 separate categories (Exercise 1).
3. When the students have finished, they compare their tables with their partner’s and explain their choices.
4. In their pairs, ask them to think about what they find most difficult when sharing a flat/house with other people, such as their parents, a partner, friends, a housemate, e.g. having a curfew, finding dirty dishes in the sink, etc.
5. Put students in small groups of three and tell them they have just moved into a beautiful new house with a garden and they are now sitting in the kitchen, trying to decide how to divide the chores (Exercise 2). They must negotiate with their housemates and try to agree only to do chores they like or don’t mind doing around the house. Encourage negotiation and compromise.
6. When the students have reached an agreement, ask them to compare their cleaning schedule with the other groups.
7. In the same groups, students now move on to Exercise 3. They must write a short description of an ideal new housemate.
8. When the students have finished, ask them to read their description to the other groups.

Fast finishers:

1. Ask students to choose 8 chores from the list and decide how much they think it would cost in their country to have them done, e.g. your shirts ironed, your windows cleaned, etc.

Flying the Nest Worksheet