Everyday Dialogues

Making
Weekend Plans
In this lesson, you will practice making plans and
stating preferences. You’ll talk about different
recreational activities that people do, such as
going to a show or watching a sporting event.

Pre-Reading
A. Warm-Up Questions

1. What do you like to do on the weekends?

2. What sports do you like to watch or play?

3. Do you have any plans for this weekend?

B. Vocabulary Preview

Match the words on the left with the correct meanings on the right.

1. plans a) a team sport where players move a puck around the ice with a stick
2. weekend b) prefer, like better
3. to have in mind c) a place where you can drink alcohol and socialize
4. hockey d) to go and get someone or something
5. rather e) an individual outdoor sport where players hit a small ball into a hole
6. theater f) a place where you watch shows, plays, or movies
7. pick up g) a live music show
8. arrange h) to make plans
9. golf i) to be thinking about something in particular, to have an idea
10. concert j) Saturday and Sunday
11. bar k) prearranged future activities or events

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 Making Weekend Plans
Everyday Dialogues

Dialogue Reading
Read the dialogue with your partner a few times. Take turns
being each character. Practice your intonation and pronunciation.
Circle any new words or phrases that you need to practice.

Bill: Hi, Amy. It’s Bill.

Amy: Hi, Bill. How are you doing?

Bill: Not bad. I’m calling to talk about the weekend. Have you got any plans yet?

Amy: No, not yet. What did you have in mind?

Bill: How about going to a hockey game on Saturday night?

Amy: I don’t really feel like a hockey game. I did that last weekend.

Bill: Well, then, what about going out for dinner?

Amy: I’d rather go to a movie.

Bill: Okay. That sounds good. Do you want me to pick you up?

Amy: No. That’s okay. I can meet you at the theater.

Bill: Okay. Let’s talk on Saturday morning and arrange the time.

Amy: Great. I’ll talk to you then. Bye.

Bill: Bye.

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 Making Weekend Plans
Everyday Dialogues

Practice
Work with your partner. Role-play the dialogue on page 2,
substituting the different expressions below. Then switch roles.

1. How are you doing? 7. Well, then, what about going out for dinner?

• How are you? • Well, how about going to a concert?

• How’s it going?
8. I ’d rather go to a movie.
2. Not bad.
• I’d prefer going to a movie.
• Pretty good. • I’d like to go to a movie.
• So so.
9. That sounds good.
3. I ’m calling to talk about the weekend.
• That sounds fine.
• I wanted to find out about the weekend. • That sounds great.
• I called to see about the weekend.
10. Do you want me to pick you up?
4. What did you have in mind?
• Should I pick you up?
• What were you thinking of? • Should I come and get you?
• Did you have any ideas?
11. That’s okay. I can meet you at the theater.
5. H
 ow about going to a hockey game
• That’s all right. I’ll meet you at the theater.
on Saturday night?
• That’s okay. I’ll meet you at the bar.
• What do you think about • I’ll meet you at the arena.
playing golf on Sunday? • I’ll see you at the golf course.
• Maybe we could play tennis this Saturday? • No, thanks. I’ll meet you at the tennis court.
• Would you like to go to a baseball game? • It’s okay. I’ll meet you at the concert hall.
• Do you want to go to a bar • How about I meet you at the stadium?
and listen to some music?
12. Let’s talk on Saturday morning
6. I don’t really feel like a hockey game. and arrange a time.

• I’m not really in the mood for a hockey game. • I’ll call you on Saturday morning, and
• I don’t really want to go to a hockey game. we can decide what time to meet.
• I’ll call on Saturday morning
to make definite plans.

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 Making Weekend Plans
Everyday Dialogues

Listening Practice
Listen to the recording of the dialogue from page 2. Fill in the missing
words as you listen. Listen again. Now look back at page 2 and check your
work. Did you fill in the correct words? Did you spell everything correctly?

Bill: Hi, Amy. It’s Bill.

Amy: Hi, Bill. How are you             ?

Bill: Not bad. I’m calling to talk about the             . Have you got any plans yet?

Amy: No, not yet. What did you have             ?

Bill: How about going to a             game on Saturday night?

Amy: I don’t really feel like a             game. I did that last weekend.

Bill: Well, then, what about             for dinner?

Amy: I’d             go to a movie.

Bill: Okay. That sounds good. Do you want me to             ?

Amy: No. That’s okay. I can meet you at the theater.

Bill: Okay. Let’s talk on Saturday morning and             the time.

Amy: Great.             talk to you then. Bye.

Bill: Bye.

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 Making Weekend Plans
Everyday Dialogues

Vocabulary Review
Match the activities on the left with the correct locations on the right.

1. play golf a) at the bar

2. play tennis b) at the arena

3. see a movie c) at the course

4. watch a hockey game d) at the restaurant

5. watch a baseball game e) at the court

6. listen to music f) at the theater

7. eat dinner g) at the stadium

What Would You Rather Do?

Work with a partner and take turns asking
each other questions about preferences.

Example: Options:

A: Would you prefer going to a hockey game or playing golf? • go to a hockey game or play golf
• going to a restaurant or ordering takeout
B: I’d prefer playing golf.
• listen to music or go to a concert
B: Would you rather go to a hockey game or play golf? • watching a baseball game or playing baseball
• go to a theater or watch a movie at home
A: I’d rather go to a hockey game.
• playing tennis or going dancing

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 Making Weekend Plans
Everyday Dialogues

Write Your Own Dialogue

Write a dialogue with a partner using phrases from page 3.
You will be friends deciding what to do this weekend.
Practice and present the dialogue to your class.

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 Making Weekend Plans
Everyday Dialogues

Review
Task 1

LISTEN & ANSWER

Listen to the conversation and answer the questions.

Your teacher will tell you if you have to write or say the answers.

1. What is the main reason for the call?

2. What suggestions does Bill make for the weekend?

3. Why does Amy NOT want to go to the sporting event?

4. What do the friends decide to do this weekend?

5. Why will they call each other again on Saturday morning?

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 Making Weekend Plans
Everyday Dialogues

Review cont.
Task 2

BR AINSTORM

Imagine that you and a friend are trying to think

of things to do this weekend. Complete the chart.

# Activity Suggestion Possible Response (negative or positive)

Ex go to a movie We could go to a movie. I saw a movie last week.

Task 3

ROLE-PLAY

Find a partner. Imagine that you are making plans over the phone for
a special event, such as a birthday, first date, or anniversary. Create a
role-play using some of the suggestions and responses from your charts.
Your audience will have to be able to answer the following questions:

1. What is the main reason for the call?

2. What activities do they consider?

3. What do they decide to do together?

4. What specific arrangements do they make for meeting?

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 Making Weekend Plans
Everyday Dialogues

Answer Key
LESSON DESCRIPTION: LEVEL: Int

In this lesson, students practice making weekend plans. TIME: 1.5 hours
They learn vocabulary for various recreational activities.
TAGS:  everyday dialogues, preferences, rather,
They also practice explaining preferences using rather and prefer.
prefer, plans, making plans, recreation, sports

Pre-Reading Vocabulary Review

A. WARM-UP QUESTIONS 1. c 2. e 3. f 4. b 5. g 6. a 7. d

Discuss as a class or in small groups. Answers will vary.

What Would You Rather Do?
B. VOCABULARY PREVIEW
Put students in pairs or groups of three and have
1. k 3. i 5. b 7. d 9. e 11. c
them practice what they’ve learned in this lesson.
2. j 4. a 6. f 8. h 10. g

Write Your Own Dialogue

Dialogue Reading
Encourage your students to use vocabulary from the model.
Give your students time to read the dialogue in pairs.

(continued on the next page...)

Practice

Have your students read the dialogue again and

practice subbing in some of the different expressions.

Listening Practice

Have students complete the dialogue by listening

to the recording or by having two students read
the completed dialogue from page 2.

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 Making Weekend Plans
Everyday Dialogues

Answer Key cont.

Review (Assessment Tasks)

The following tasks can be used for assessment purposes

and/or review practice. You can save all of the tasks until
the end or assess your students throughout the lesson.

TASK 1

Play the audio from this lesson. Then assign the questions. You
can decide if you want your students to say or write the answers.

1. Bill calls Amy to make plans this weekend.

2. Bill suggests they go to a hockey game or go out for dinner.
3. A my does NOT want to go to a hockey
game because she went to one last weekend.
4. T he friends decide to go to a movie.
5. T hey will talk to each other on Saturday morning
to arrange a meeting time at the theater.

TASK 2

Have students complete the chart individually before getting into

pairs for Task 3. Encourage them to use a variety of positive and
negative responses (e.g., I’m not in the mood. That sounds great.
I’d rather..., etc.).

TASK 3

Place students in pairs and have them prepare a role-play using

what they learned in this lesson. Remind them that the audience
will be asked to answer the questions provided.

SPELLING NOTE:

This lesson shows the American spelling of the words Theater

and Practice. Most other English-speaking countries spell
these words this way: Theatre and Practise (when used as a
verb; Practice when used as a noun). Make it a challenge for
your students to find these words in the lesson and see if
they know the alternate spellings.

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 Making Weekend Plans
Everyday Dialogues

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