Category: Class

Zip it

B1 – Intermediate

The phrase “zip it” originates from literally closing a bag by zipping it. Zipping the mouth of the person talking incessantly so that he or she could stop giving more information that others shouldn’t hear. This phrase is used more as a slang since it may sound rude to others specially in a formal conversation.

Let us hear more about the phrase “zip it” in the audio below.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/the-english-we-speak/ep-210503

Discussion Questions:

  1. Are you talkative? Why or why not?
  2. Do you usually tell people to zip it? What are some reasons?
  3. Do you find it rude when someone stops you when you’re speaking?
  4. What are the topics that you don’t normally talk about with others?
  5. How do you stop someone from talking when you want them to zip it?

Slay

B1 – Intermediate

There are multiple meanings of the word “slay”. It may often mean to kill a person or an animal, sometimes it means to make someone laugh very hard, it could also mean that something is quite impressive but most of the time it means that someone is looking attractively fashionable.

Let us hear more about the word “slay” in the audio below.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/the-english-we-speak/ep-210524

Discussion Questions:

  1. What comes to your mind when you hear the word “slay”?
  2. Are you a fashionable person? What kind of clothes do you wear?
  3. Do you easily get impressed? What things do you find interesting?
  4. What memory do you have that you have slayed something?

Noob

B1 – Intermediate

There is no exact origins of the word “noob” but this is a very popular expression online specially for gamers that means a “newbie” which most of the time is used as an insult. This word may also be used in the real world for people who are part of an activity but not yet well experienced and quite knowledgeable thus, not performing very well.

Let us hear more about the word “noob” in the audio below.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/the-english-we-speak/ep-210607

Discussion Questions:

  1. Is being a noob always necessarily a bad thing?
  2. How are usually you like as a newbie?
  3. How can we tell that someone is a noob?
  4. What activities are you a noob at?
  5. What are you good at or an expert on?

What Makes a Good Life?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

We are constantly being pushed to have a better career or pursue bigger dreams thinking it could make us happy and fulfilled.

In this video, you will know more about true happiness and satisfaction as psychiatrist Robert Waldinger shares three important lessons learned from a 75-year-old study on adult development.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Share your thoughts on what Robert Waldinger is talking about.
  2. What keeps us happy, healthy, and satisfied as we go through life?
  3. What can you say about the quality of relationships that you have in your life?
  4. Do you agree that loneliness can kill us? Elaborate.
  5. What is your most important life goal?
  6. Do you think money and fame are important to be happy in life?

How to Gain Control of Your Free Time

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Time is a gift. What you do with it is a choice. We have the power to do the things that we enjoy even if we are busy. It’s only a matter of priority.

Time management expert Laura Vanderkam offers a few practical strategies to help us find time to do our commitments. Watch this video to know why it’s necessary to choose what to prioritize.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you do in your free time? Why is this the activity you chose to spend your free time on?
  2. What are your priorities now? What makes them the most important things for you?
  3. How has the way you spend your free time changed over the years?
  4. How would you like to change the way you spend your free time?
  5. In general, do you think you manage your time well? If yes, how do you do it? If not, what can you do to change it?

New Housing Regulations in the Basque Country

B2 – Upper Intermediate

When the pandemic started, one of the major measures imposed was strict lockdown. This meant people were suddenly confined in their homes for what seems to be months on end. Due to this, the need for open-air elements of a home became more apparent than ever.

Read the article about the new legislation in the Basque Country providing homeowners subsidy for home renovations to add essential element of a house’s livability especially during lockdowns.

https://www.mchmaster.com/news/new-housing-regulations-in-the-basque-country/

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are your thoughts on the new legislation in the Basque Country?
  2. What other areas are you in need of subsidy for to live better during a pandemic or other type of crisis?
  3. Does your house/flat have an open-air space? How livable was your home during the lockdown?
  4. Did you do any renovations/Would you like to do any renovations in your home to make it suitable for lockdowns or other future circumstances where you’d need to be confined in your home? What home improvements were they/would they be?
  5. How do you see home or building designs would change because of our pandemic experience?

Food Superstitions

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Do you ever believe in bad or good luck? Well, perhaps most of us do and the food culture is no exception as we have different beliefs on how it brings good or bad luck, in other words, superstitions.

Listen to the podcast about food superstitions and learn more.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Are you superstitious? Are most people in your country superstitious?
  2. What are food superstitions you know of?
  3. Can you share any food superstitions you have in your country?
  4. Do you believe in any food superstitions? Why or why not? What are examples of food superstitions do you believe?
  5. Could traditions lead to superstitions? Explain your thoughts.

Older UK Farmers Get Money for Retiring

B1 – Intermediate

Farming is probably one of the hardest professions to be in. Being a farmer means long days of work in the field. All those years of hard work, you think farmers get a huge amount of money when they retire. In most cases, they don’t. But in the UK, they want to change this.

Read the lesson and find out more about UK’s plans to offer huge retirement benefits for farmers.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2105/210524-farming-1.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of when you hear the word “farming”?
  2. What is your opinion on this plan to give farmers a huge amount of money when they retire?
  3. What do you think about the job of farmers?
  4. In your country, are farmers well-paid? Is it a job that many people want to have?
  5. How can we make working in the farming industry interesting to younger people?
  6. What kind of help does the farming industry need in your country?

Booths for Stressed Workers

B1 – Intermediate

Work is probably one of the most common causes of people’s stress. Some companies are trying to help their workers deal with stress. One of them is Amazon. They have created something they call “AmaZen”.

Read the lesson and find out more about “AmaZen”.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2106/210601-wellness-chambers-1.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of this wellness chambers?
  2. Would you like to have something like the “AmaZen” in your office/home office?
  3. How does your company help workers manage their stress?
  4. Does work stress you out? Why or why not?
  5. How do you manage work stress?

Larks Are Happier than Night Owls

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Being a lark means waking up early and going to bed early. Whereas, the opposite night owl, is someone who tends to stay up until late at night. Being a lark is usually associated with being a go-getter.

Studies have shown that people who are more active at night face greater health risks such as diabetes and low muscle mass.

But is staying up late really as bad as some people make it out to be?

Let’s read the article below about advantages of being an early riser.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/jun/08/the-lark-advantage-why-naturally-early-risers-are-happier-than-night-owls

Discussion Questions:

  1. Are you the type of person who is active during the day or at night? Why?
  2. What are your thoughts on this statement: “People who get up earlier in the morning tend to be happier and better protected against depression.”?
  3. Do you tend to sleep through the night without waking? If not, what usually wakes you up?
  4. In your opinion, what is the main function of sleep? Why do some people need more sleep than others?
  5. Which do you enjoy more: the silence of night or the calmness of morning? Why?
  6. Have you ever suffered from insomnia? Share your experience.