Week 3 of our Gold Coast Junior Holiday Program was all about connection—whether through learning, games, or exciting excursions. Students engaged in dynamic lessons on describing their home countries, discussing the weather, and sharing travel experiences, all while building confidence in English. Outside the classroom, they bonded over friendly gaming sessions, explored Surfers Paradise aboard the famous Aquaduck, and tackled team challenges at the Hijinx Hotel. The week wrapped up with a fun-filled picnic at Broadwater Parklands and an unforgettable day at Sea World theme park. Read about their week below.
Tuesday, 28th January 2025:
Students learned what details to discuss when describing their country. They prepared to share their countries’ location, geography, language, population, culture and flag; before asking and answering with a partner from another country to report to the class. As we had some students arrive from New Caledonia today, this was an excellent topic to start with as part of introductions, and students getting to know each other, as we all enjoy talking about our home countries and learning about others. This activity simulated real-life conversations students can expect to have in the future in their travelling and education journey.
In the afternoon students played Mario Kart on Nintendo Switch, Just Dance and Kahoot. These were also great ice-breaker activities as the class welcomed five new students today; they were able to relax, have fun and share their love of games.
Wednesday, 29th January 2025:
Today’s topic was ‘the weather’. Students learned weather vocabulary and some grammatical expressions used to describe it. Students worked in groups to complete an information gap activity to improve their listening and speaking skills. To conclude the morning’s lesson, they prepared and presented a TV weather report about a state in Australia to demonstrate the target language they’d learned.
We ventured into Surfers Paradise to go on the city-famous Aquaduck. The journey started from the centre of Surfers Paradise. From there we travelled north along the Esplanade taking in the sights of the beach, as well as waving to locals and tourists along the way. We entered the water at Main Beach and students were interested in listening to the tour guides talk about some of the landmarks and houses situated along the Broadwater. On the way back to shore, each student had a go at steering the boat.
Thursday, 30th January 2025:
This morning our lesson was ‘holidays and sightseeing’. All students could relate to this topic very easily as they’re travelling at the moment. Students learned some new vocabulary and had some great questions; asking for clarification on some existing knowledge too. We also compared our previous travel experiences. Students finished the morning’s lesson by identifying and practicing contractions and writing a postcard home about their experiences on the Gold Coast so far.
In the afternoon the class visited the Hijinx Hotel. Here students experience a hotel setting with a difference. In each room, teams work together to earn points through challenges. Students must listen to the audio instructions before each activity. There is a physical and mental component required to succeed. Teams did well when they communicated and worked together; and had some fun while doing so.
Friday, 31st January 2025:
Friday’s topic focused all on me, introducing ourselves. We started off the morning learning about various hobbies and free time activities, then we discussed our own hobbies and compared with other classmates. We then partnered up and came up with interview questions to ask our partner. We learned about interviews and made an all-about-me interview of our own with a classmate! It was great to learn about our fellow peers!
In the afternoon students made their way to Broadwater Parklands. There they enjoyed a picnic filled with typical Aussie cuisine and some special treats from abroad as well! It was a hot day so students cooled off by having a water battle!
Saturday, 1st February 2025:
We had a blast at Sea World theme park on Saturday. There were countless rides and attractions for us to explore. We saw sharks and petted stingrays and had a blast watching the dolphin show. We experienced the thrill of many of the rides including the Leviathan which was undoubtedly the class favourite.
It was an exciting way to finish this week and celebrate the new friendships made.
Week 3 was filled with valuable learning experiences related to free time and a deeper understanding of each other. Students were able to connect on a deeper level sharing the different interests they each have both at home and here in Australia. Stay tuned next week to hear more about JHP week 4 which includes a day trip to Dreamworld theme park.
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