2. Your Spark: Interests, Subjects and Strengths

Alex had never thought of himself as an adventurous person. He had one clear interest: writing. In his leisure time, he often stayed in his room, worked on blogging projects, wrote private thoughts in his journalling notebook, did a few minutes of meditation, or made tiny paper animals with origami.
Then, one rainy afternoon, Alex found a strange list inside an old library book. At the top it said: "Try five things that scare you a little."
The first challenge was backpacking, so Alex filled a large backpack with food, water and a map, then spent a whole day walking through the forest. The next one was mountain biking. The trail was steep and muddy, and Alex had to ride over stones, roots and sharp turns.

After that, was go-karting at a summer festival. Alex put on a helmet, sat in a small racing car and drove around the track faster than he expected. When he stepped out of the car, he heard music nearby and saw a cheerleading team performing for the crowd. They jumped, clapped and moved together in perfect time, and their energy made everyone cheer.

Later, Alex tried windsurfing on the lake. Standing on a board and holding a sail was harder than it looked, especially when the wind suddenly changed. Then came scuba diving in a training pool, where Alex breathed through special equipment and saw the world go quiet under the water.
The last word on the list was skydiving. Alex looked up and saw people jumping from a plane, then floating down under bright parachutes. He was not ready for that challenge yet.
But that evening, Alex opened his notebook and wrote: "I do not have to become a different person. I just have to discover more of who I already am."

 

Revise: before we begin the new challenge, let’s wake up your memory. You already know many words about free-time activities and hobbies. Think of this as your vocabulary warm-up before the real adventure begins. Ready? Click, revise and get your brain into English mode! Form 5: Free time activities I, Free time activities II, Free time activities III

 

General Topic Words

 

School subjects and afterschool activities can help students discover what they enjoy and what they are good at.
In algebra, students use letters and symbols to solve number problems. For example, they may need to find the missing value in an equation. In geometry, they work with shapes, lines, angles and measurements, so they can understand how space and design work.
Some subjects connect strongly with real life. In economics, students learn about money, prices, buying, selling and financial choices. In engineering, they design and test things such as bridges, towers, machines or simple inventions. In programming, they write instructions for computers, which can be used to create games, apps or websites.
Afterschool activities can develop different skills. At a coding club, students practise creating digital projects after lessons. In robotics, they build and control robots that can move, turn or complete small tasks. At a drama club, students act, use their voices and perform stories on stage.
Students can also help their school community. The school newspaper team writes articles, interviews people and reports school news. The student council listens to classmates, shares their ideas with teachers and helps improve school life.
These subjects and activities show that learning is not only about marks. It is also about finding interests, building confidence and discovering future strengths.

 

Revise: before you unlock the new words, take a quick trip back to the school subjects you already know. Click on the links below and revise the basic subject vocabulary from Form 6: School subjects

 

Useful Phrases for Talking about Subjects and Interests
Use these phrases to explain what you like, what you want to learn more about and how different subjects or activities make you feel.