HEAAADERLOGORIGHT

GENERAL ENGLISH · PRACTICAL ENGLISH · PRE-INTERMEDIATE (A2-B1)

AT THE
POOL
QrrkoD Scan to review worksheet

Expemo code:
1473-F492-FUS

1 Warm-up

These pictures show things related to swimming. Say how the items in each pair are the same and
how they are different.

bathing suit and trunks flippers and flip-flops

goggles and a mask a swimming cap and a baseball hat

Do you enjoy swimming and diving?

FOOOOTERRIGHT Learn without forgetting! 1/5

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in william oliveira's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
PRE-INTERMEDIATE (A2-B1)

AT THE POOL

2 Listen for main idea

Nick and Margaret work together in an office. Listen to the dialogue and choose the best answer for
AUDIO each sentence:

1. Nick is / is not a very good swimmer.

2. Margaret was / is / wants to be a good diver.
3. Margaret thinks a few / some / many people are afraid of the water.
4. The swimming pool is in Nick’s apartment building / near the office / opposite the train station.
5. The showers at the pool are dirty / broken / hot.

3 Listen for detail

Listen again and write the missing words in the dialogue. You need to write three words in each gap.

Nick: Wow – it’s so hot! I can’t wait to finish work today.

Margaret: Do you have plans?
Nick: Yeah – I’m going swimming!
Margaret: What a great idea! Are you a good swimmer?
Nick: Not really. I’m going to do a few laps and then lie in the sun and
1
for a bit. Do you like to swim?
Margaret: Well, I was the junior diving champion when I was at school and I worked as a
lifeguard for a few summers when I was at college.
Nick: Junior diving champion? That’s amazing! I was a little afraid of the water as
a kid. It took me years to get out of the shallow end of the pool. I didn’t
like all the splashing and dunking the other kids did and I certainly didn’t
2
.
Margaret: Lots of people feel the same way. It’s great that you learned how to swim and
you can enjoy the water now.
Nick: Yeah. I love hanging out at the pool these days. I go
3
a week.
Margaret: Which pool do you go to?
Nick: It’s the Splash Club, just around the corner from here. They’ve got
4
pools. There’s even a water slide for the kids!
Margaret: What are the changing rooms like?

Nick: Pretty good - they’re really clean and the showers are always hot. The only thing
I don’t like about the Splash is that you have to wear a swimming cap in the pool.
5
No one looks good !
Margaret: I know, but it keeps the water clean. Tell me how much it costs to join the Splash
Club. I think I’d like to start swimming again ...
FOOOOTERLEFT Learn without forgetting! 2/5
Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in william oliveira's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
PRE-INTERMEDIATE (A2-B1)

AT THE POOL

4 Vocabulary

Match words or phrases in bold from the dialogue with these meanings.

1. swim many times across the pool for exercise =

2. spending time relaxing in a specific place =
3. playing and fighting in the water =
4. the places where you take off your clothes and put on your swimming costume =
5. a person who watches swimmers and saves them if they are in danger =
6. the part of the pool where the water is not deep =
7. a play structure that you climb up and then go down quickly =

5 Language point: Rules

Read what Nick says about a rule at his swimming pool.

The only thing I don’t like about the Splash is that you have to wear a swimming cap in the pool.

We use have to + verb to say it is necessary to do something – this is a rule and you cannot choose what
to do. We can also use must + verb to express the same idea, especially in written rules, for example on a
sign:

You must wear a swimming cap in the pool.

To express the opposite and say that is it necessary not to do something:

You mustn’t eat or drink in the pool area.

You can’t eat or drink in the pool area.

This is a rule and we cannot choose what to do.

However, if we want to say that it’s not necessary to do something, but we can choose to do it if we
want to:

You don’t have to bring your own towels to the pool because you can rent them there.

Finally, if we want to say that it’s possible to do something if we want to, although there may still be
some conditions:

You can reserve a table for two hours.

FOOOOTERRIGHT Learn without forgetting! 3/5

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in william oliveira's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
PRE-INTERMEDIATE (A2-B1)

AT THE POOL

Study the table below. Then read the pool sign and write sentences which explain the rules in the
best place in the table.

DO SOMETHING DON’T DO SOMETHING

YOU CAN
You can reserve a table for two hours. You don’t have to bring your own towels to the
CHOOSE
pool because you can rent them there.

YOU
CANNOT
You have to wear a swimming cap in the pool. You mustn’t eat or drink in the pool area.
CHOOSE
You must wear a swimming cap in the pool. You can’t eat or drink in the pool area.
(often written)

THE SPLASH CLUB - RULES AND REGULATIONS

Welcome to the Splash Club Pool. Please keep these points in mind:

1. Keep the water clean — always shower before swimming!

2. Don’t run in the pool area.
3. Stay safe — wear flip-flops at all times.
4. No diving — the deep end is only 6 feet.
5. The slide is for children 8 years and older.
6. It is not necessary to be a member of the Splash Club to use the pool.

Can you think of any more rules for the pool?

FOOOOTERLEFT Learn without forgetting! 4/5

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in william oliveira's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
PRE-INTERMEDIATE (A2-B1)

AT THE POOL

6 Writing

The Splash Club also has a gym, sauna, and spa. Work in pairs or small groups to write 6-8 rules for
the club using these structures:

• must
• have to
• mustn’t

• can’t

• don’t have to
• can
Extension: draw signs which explain your rules and then show the signs to the class. Can they guess
the rule and make a sentence?

Example: You mustn’t/can’t bring dogs into this area.

FOOOOTERRIGHT Learn without forgetting! 5/5

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in william oliveira's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
TEACHER MATERIALS · PRE-INTERMEDIATE (A2-B1)

AT THE POOL

Transcripts

2. Listen for main idea

Nick: : Wow, it’s so hot! I can’t wait to finish work today.

Margaret: : Do you have plans?

Nick:: Yeah, I’m going swimming!

Margaret: : What a great idea! Are you a good swimmer?

Nick: : Not really. I’m going to do a few laps and then lie in the sun and read my book for a bit.
Do you like to swim?

Margaret: : Well, I was the junior diving champion when I was at school and I worked as a lifeguard
for a few summers when I was at college.

Nick:: Junior diving champion? That’s amazing! I was a little afraid of the water as a kid. It
took me years to get out of the shallow end of the pool. I didn’t like all the splashing
and dunking the other kids did and I certainly didn’t like the deep water.

Margaret:: Lots of people feel the same way. It’s great that you learned how to swim and you can
enjoy the water now.

Nick: : Yeah. I love hanging out at the pool these days. I go at least once a week.

Margaret: : Which pool do you go to?

Nick:: It’s the Splash Club, just around the corner from here. They’ve got indoor and outdoor
pools. There’s even a water slide for the kids!

Margaret:: What are the changing rooms like?

Nick: : Pretty good - they’re really clean and the showers are always hot. The only thing I don’t
like about the Splash is that you have to wear a swimming cap in the pool. No one looks
good in one of those!

Margaret:: I know, but it keeps the water clean. Tell me how much it costs to join the Splash Club.
I think I’d like to start swimming again ...

FOOOOTERAPPENDIXRIGHT
Learn without forgetting! i
Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in william oliveira's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
TEACHER MATERIALS · PRE-INTERMEDIATE (A2-B1)

AT THE POOL

Key

1. Warm-up

10 mins. In this stage, the topic of swimming is introduced, and students can review and extend some useful
vocabulary in this lexical area, which they will see later in the lesson. Working with the whole class, demonstrate
the first activity with question 1 – see answers. Students can then work in pairs to find the similarities and
differences between three more pairs of items. As you check answers, accept any reasonable ideas even if the
grammar is not completely accurate, but make sure that all items are pronounced correctly (stressed syllables are
underlined). Then quickly go over the final question with the whole class and elicit/explain the two meanings of
diving (it could mean to jump off a high board in a graceful way or it could mean to explore the ocean using a
mask and flippers). Find out how many students like these activities and ask a couple of follow up questions, for
example – Why do/don’t you like them? Where do you do them? When/how did you learn how to do them?

ANSWERS: 1 Both items are worn for swimming, but bathing suit refers to female attire, and trunks refers to male
attire. 2 Both items are worn on the feet, but flippers are worn in the water to swim faster and flip-flops are worn
before and after going in the water, often for health and safety reasons. 3 Both items protect the eyes, but goggles
are used for competitive swimming and masks are used (often with snorkels, as in the picture) for diving in the
sea. 4 Both items are worn on the head, but swimming caps keep the pool water clean while baseball hats protect
you from the sun.

2. Listen for main idea

5 mins. In this stage, students listen to a dialogue for the first time to recover some basic information. Before you
play the audio, go over the five questions. Then listen to the dialogue for students to choose the best answers.
Check answers with the whole class.
1. is not 2. was 3. many 4. near the office 5. hot

3. Listen for detail

5 mins. In this stage, students listen again to the dialogue for detailed information. Make sure they understand
that they need to write three words in each gap. Allow a few minutes to look through the dialogue – students
could work in pairs to remember or predict the missing words. Then play the dialogue again for them to complete
the task and check answers. Words in bold will be defined later in the lesson, so don’t confirm or deny any ideas
about their meaning at this stage.
1. read my book 2. like the deep water 3. at least once 4. indoor and outdoor
5. in one of those

4. Vocabulary

10 mins. In this stage, students find words in bold from the dialogue which match the definitions. These words
will be appropriate additions to the vocabulary of students at this level and include some useful natural colloquial
items. Students could work alone and check answers in pairs before you check with the class. If you ask students
to provide the word which matches the definition, then you have an opportunity to check their pronunciation
(stressed syllables are underlined).

FOOOOTERAPPENDIXLEFT
Learn without forgetting! ii
Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in william oliveira's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
TEACHER MATERIALS · PRE-INTERMEDIATE (A2-B1)

AT THE POOL

Then get students to read the dialogue out loud in pairs – this will both consolidate the vocabulary and offer them
an opportunity to get a feel for the context, so they are ready to explore the grammar point in the next stage.
1. do ... laps 2. hanging out 3. splashing and dunking 4. changing rooms
5. lifeguard 6. the shallow end 7. slide

5. Language point: Rules

15 mins. In this stage, students compare and contrast modals and semi-modals for talking about rules. First, focus
students’ attention on the sentence from the dialogue and present this and the rest of the grammar information,
one item at a time. Students may have encountered this grammar before, but modals can have many functions,
and these are frequently confused at this level. Here are some mistakes students often make:
Form: students often use to with full modals like must and can
Meaning: while ’must’ and ’have to ’are more or less synonymous, their opposites (’mustn’t’ and ’don’t have to’)
have very different meanings.
Style: ’must’ is frequently used in written contexts (signs and notices); it can be used when speaking, but if students
overuse ’must’ in conversation, it can sound bossy.
This information can also be expressed as a table, which may help students to process and remember these
structures more efficiently.
Students then have an opportunity to practice formulating more pool rules and activate some of the vocabulary
from the lesson. Go over the six sentences on the sign and then demonstrate how the first sentence can be
expressed with the target language; elicit first that the sentence refers to doing something in a situation where
you can’t choose, which indicates must/have to, and then elicit the full sentence with both forms. Students can
continue in pairs and then check answers with the whole class. Sometimes more than one answer is possible
and this is indicated in the answers below. Asking students for multiple answers is a good way to extend their
understanding and rephrasing this sort of information is an important skill in Cambridge listening and reading
exams.
Finally, ask students to suggest any other rules for a pool, using the target language.
1. You have to/must shower before you swim. (do something, you can’t choose)
2. You mustn’t/can’t run in the pool area. (don’t do something, you can’t choose)
3. You have to/must wear flip-flops in the pool area. (do something, you can’t choose)
4. You mustn’t/can’t dive in the deep end. (don’t do something, you can’t choose)
5. You can go on the slide if you are over 8 years old (do something, you choose) OR You must/have to be over 8
years old to use the slide. (do something, you can’t choose)
6. You don’t have to be a member of the Splash Club to use the pool. (don’t do something, you choose) OR You
can use the pool even if you’re not a member of the Splash Club. (do something, you choose).

6. Writing

15 mins. In this stage, students extend the idea of rules into a similar context and create original sentences using
a range of target language. They may need support with vocabulary so you could encourage them to ask you for
help or they could use a dictionary, for example, to find the name of a piece of gym equipment, but try to keep
this to a minimum. Monitor and support students, offering correction as necessary. Encourage all students to use
each item of target language once, and early finishers can go on to write a couple more sentences.
If you have time, the extension activity offers a fun and communicative way to share ideas and further practice
the target language. It could also lead to the production of a classroom display.
If students are not familiar with gyms, saunas, or spas, they could focus on another context such as rules for
schools, classrooms, or online learning. ANSWERS: students’ own answers.

FOOOOTERAPPENDIXRIGHT
Learn without forgetting! iii
Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in william oliveira's lessons.