Category: Class

Fight for Alaska Oil

B1 – Intermediate

Oil and gas extraction is one of the most profitable industries in the world. It’s no wonder many companies fight for drilling rights in oil reserves around the world.

The US is one of the most oil-rich countries in the world. Now, multi-billion dollar companies are competing against each other to get oil drilling rights in Alaska.

Click and read this short article to know more about this issue and its possible consequences.

https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/fight-for-alaska-oil-level-1/

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you agree or disagree with Biden’s plans?
  2. What are the environmental impacts of oil drilling?
  3. What can you say about the world’s dependence on oil resources?
  4. What are the sustainable and environmentally-friendly alternatives to oil?

How to Know If It’s Time to Change Careers

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Career changes—at any level—are stressful, time-consuming, and, well, often agonizing. How do you know if you’re making the right decision? It’s not an easy process to pivot to something unfamiliar, or to quit a job that’s OK on many levels but ultimately professionally unsatisfying.

Let’s watch the video on how to know if it’s time to change careers.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Are you happy at work? Why / Why not?
  2. What are some of the most common reasons that people change their jobs?
  3. Do you know anybody who has led a successful career in one field and then suddenly given it up and changed to something completely different? What reasons do you think they may have had?
  4. What three things are most important for you in a job? Why?
  5. What is a dead-end job? Are you OK to have one if it pays well?
  6. What preparations did you make before leaving your previous job/jobs?

Poor Diet Creates 20cm Height Gap in Children

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Human growth is affected by complex interactions among various factors, including gene, race, birth weight, hormone, nutrition, and environment.
Eating behaviours evolve during the first years of life; children learn what, when, and how much to eat through direct experiences with food and observing the eating behaviours of others.

But how can poor diet and nutrition affect a child’s health?

Let’s read the article below to learn more about diet and height.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2011/201111-diet-and-height.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What two things did the article see were behind the height gap?
  2. What did the article warn people against?
  3. What is the average height of children and also men and women in your country?
  4. Do you think you had a healthy lifestyle when you were a child? Is it possible to have a healthy lifestyle in this modern world?
  5. How could we improve the eating habits of children?

Advice If You Should Quit Your Job

B2 – Upper Intermediate

There are times when we feel tired and listless in doing our job. There are many reasons why, including toxic work environment, bosses from hell, and sometimes, the work itself is just so tiring.

In this video, it will help you realize why and how to continue even if you’re tired of your chosen profession. You will somehow think of the reasons why you need to continue or otherwise.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is the problem of the two men? What did the sage tell them?
  2. How did the two men solve their problems?
  3. How do you explain these two expressions “Only a bowl of rice” and “Only a difference of thought”?
  4. What are some reasons you quit your previous jobs?
  5. What makes you stay in your current job?

A Tale About Honesty

B2 – Upper Intermediate

“Honesty is the best policy” this is one of the most popular sayings that we often hear. Though, it’s a popular one, most of us fail to be honest not because we want to but because we don’t want to hurt other people. But some do this plainly to deceive others to make money and skyrocket to fame.

This story teaches us a lesson that honesty is not more than lying. It is truth-telling, truth-speaking, truth-living and truth-loving.

Discussion Questions:

  1. How do you define honesty?
  2. What are white lies?
  3. Is there a time that you lie to someone?
  4. Do you know a person who lied so much?
  5. How do you deal with a liar person?

Awake at 3 a.m.? What to Do

B2 – Upper Intermediate

We’ve all had to burn the midnight oil at some point. Perhaps it was for that all-important presentation at work, or maybe we’ve had to pore over notes for that university examination that loomed the next day.

However, it’s a different thing altogether when we have the opportunity to get a full night’s sleep, but our body clock seemingly refuses to cooperate.

The following article has some nifty tips to have you snoozing your way to dreamland sooner and brimming with energy when the alarm clock finally rings.

https://www.thetimesinplainenglish.com/awake-at-3-a-m-what-to-do/

Discussion Questions:

  1. On an average evening, what time do you usually find yourself tucked up in bed? Do you sleep soon after or much later? What do you see as the ideal sleep schedule for you?
  2. Having read the article, what would you say are the things that keep you from falling asleep? How can you manage these factors to enjoy blissful slumber?
  3. Which of the tips do you find most useful? Which tips can you implement immediately to improve the quality of your sleep? Which would be difficult to put into practice?

Taking a Look At Extreme Exercise

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Eating a healthy diet and getting sufficient exercise have long been considered the power tandem of habits to reach a ripe, old age.

In this short segment from CNN10, we are given some key ideas on how to break a sweat effectively and maximize our workouts.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are the benefits of regular physical exercise?
  2. On average, how many hours do you exercise in a week? Would you describe the intensity as mild, moderate, or vigorous?
  3. How do you squeeze in your fitness routine into your daily grind?
  4. What activities comprise your workouts? Why do you prefer these forms of exercise over others?
  5. If you don’t get much exercise, what are the obstacles to your fitness goals? What changes can you make to accommodate this vital habit?
  6. What is your opinion about High Intensity Interval Training?

Is Punctuality Important?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Punctuality isn’t universal as it varies from culture to culture. For some countries, it might be fuzzy as time moves in different pace, but it doesn’t mean that if someone is strictly conditioned to be on time that the person would be cultivated that way. It still depends on the individual. For this reason, some are always on time and some are late regardless whether punctuality is observed in their country or not.

Learn more about why punctuality is a struggle for many who couldn’t manage to be on time.

Listen to this audio and learn more about punctuality.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Does being prompt or on time matter to you? Is being on time important in your country? Why or why not?
  2. Do you think people in your country are somehow trained to be on time from when you are young? How can you say so?
  3. How does being punctual impact your personal and professional life?
  4. Why is being late trivial to some?
  5. Do you agree that being on time is a choice? Explain your stand.

Apartment Contracts

B1 – Intermediate

Looking for a new apartment can be both exciting and stressful. There are a lot of properties to choose from. Work doesn’t end when you finally settle on a property. It actually has just begun…. There are a lot of things to consider.

Watch this video and learn the things you need to remember when moving to a new place.

Apartment Contracts

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is Randall doing in the video?
  2. What are Randall’s 3 tips on moving into a new apartment?
  3. Add some more tips about moving to a new place.
  4. Are you currently renting an apartment? Are you familiar with the contract terms and conditions? Do you think they are fair?
  5. What apartment floor do you prefer to live on?

PlayStation 5

B1 – Intermediate

Sony’s PlayStation 5 is still in high demand that outlet stores and courier companies have been overwhelmed by the number of purchases people made. The Tokyo-based tech giant anticipated the high volume of sales because of the holiday season and people being confined at home due to the coronavirus.

Read the text and listen to the audio about the new PlayStation 5.

https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/playstation-5-level-1/

Discussion Questions:

  1. Are you a fan of gaming consoles?
  2. What do you think are the reasons why there is an increasing number of people buying them?
  3. What forms of entertainment did you enjoy as a child? How would you compare them with gaming consoles?
  4. What is the name of the competitor mentioned in the article?
  5. Why do you think children get hooked on this kind of gadget?