Category: Class

Toxic People

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Has anyone stripped you of your happiness before? As the saying goes ‘Don’t let the silly little things steal your happiness’. Similarly, we should not let toxic people drag us down. Take note of these negative people and avoid interacting with them.

Read this article on different kinds of toxic people you could encounter on a rather regular basis.

https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/8-types-of-toxic-people-you-should-always-avoid.html

Discussion Questions:

1. Share your experience about an interaction with a toxic person.

2. What could be best ways to deal with these eight types of toxic people?

3. Among these eight types of toxic people, which do you consider the most crippling?

Minimalism

B1 –  Intermediate

In an era when we can shop whenever and wherever, why do some people choose not to?

Minimalism is a lifestyle where you just own what is necessary in order to focus on more important things, interesting isn’t?

Lets take a look on how Japanese people practice this lifestyle.

http://www.businessinsider.com/inside-japans-extremely-minimalist-homes-2016-6

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is minimalism?
  2. What are the pros and cons of being a minimalist?
  3. What do you think about minimalism?
  4. Would you like to try living as a minimalist? Why or why not?
  5. How popular is minimalism in your country? Why do you think this is?

Work Burnout

B2 – Upper Intermediate

One of the most common and serious work issues is work burnout. It is often confused with stress. But there is a big difference between the two.

Listen to the audio and read the transcript to find out more about occupational blues.

https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/business-english/podcasts-for-professionals/work-burnout

Discussion Questions:
1. What’s the difference between stress and burnout?
2. What are ways to fight work blues?
3. Share any story about being burned-out.

Rise of Robots End of Work?

C1 – Advanced

Robots and Artificial Intelligence are rapidly advancing in the recent years. Are you one of the thousands of people who are worried about job opportunities in the future? Let us see things in a different perspective and learn more from the specialists.

Watch the video below.

Discussion Questions:

  1.  Are you scared of robots replacing humans?
  2.  What do you think can men do if robots dominate the jobs in the future?
  3.  How can we prepare the next generation with the rise of robots?

Jobs for School Children

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Working part-time while studying used to be the norm in the UK but the trend is changing. The number of student part-timers has decreased in the recent years.

Find out more through this podcast:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english/ep-171214

Discussion Questions:
1. Should schoolchildren have jobs?
2. What are the pros and cons of working while studying?
3. Share your own story about juggling work and studies.

Urban Millennials Go to Farmer School

B2 – Upper Intermediate

When you were young, have you ever thought of being a farmer? Do you want to work outdoors or indoors? This new school is trying to teach millennials who want to work on a farm.  In a society where technology is everywhere, farming has been often put behind thus creating a huge demand in the workforce for young people to work in the land.

Let’s watch and read the article below about this below:

https://www.voanews.com/a/virginia-agriculture-school-helps-train-new-farmers/4349791.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think about farming?
  2.  Is farming a good and thriving industry in your country?
  3.  Do you think it is good to encourage young people to do manual jobs such as farming?
  4.  Do you need farmers and people who will work on the farm in your country?

Solution to Poverty: Educating Girls

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Thomas Jefferson said, “All men are created equal.”  Everyone should have access to education regardless of his race, gender, religion or nationality.

It may sound absurd because we are already in the 21st century and almost everyone can go to school, but this is a sad reality for some women in third world countries.

Let us read the link below to know more about how educating women can create an impact on the society.

https://www.theguardian.com/opportunity-international-roundtables/2017/oct/04/global-poverty-child-marriage-education-girls

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you find it surprising that over 130 million girls worldwide are not in school? Why? Why not?
2. Would you agree that education is “a protection for girls”? Why? Why not?
3. Do you believe that education is the most effective way to fight poverty? Why? Why not?

Lack of Pencil Holding Skill

B1 –  Intermediate

Nowadays, it’s very common for parents to give kids access to computer tablets like iPads at a very young age. After all, early exposure will help our children understand the world better. Well, it turns out there is increasing evidence that allowing kids access to computer tablets at an early age may be counterproductive.

Read this lesson on how technology reduces children’s ability to hold a pencil.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1804/180404-pencils.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your view on this: “Children are not using pencils, so they now lack the muscle strength in their hands to be able to write properly.“?
  2. Do you know anyone who has had skills delay because of early exposure to gadgets? Talk about them.
  3. Do you think kids should never have access to gadgets? Explain your stand.
  4. According to the article, “Technology may be causing bigger problems.“. What do think are some of these problems?
  5. What other skills have we lost because of technology or too much dependency on gadgets?

Sleeping Late

B1 –  Intermediate

Do you always sleep late? If staying in bed till late morning interests you, better watch out for yourself. This is not a recommended practice by health experts. Even doctors all over the world suggest to strictly avoid sleeping late. Sleeping late not only makes your body subject to various health problems, but also disturbs your daily routine and increases stress. Your physical and mental health both will be greatly affected.

Read the article about a new study that found that going to bed late may be bad for our health.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1804/180416-sleeping-late.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What time do you usually go to bed? Why? Do you wish you slept earlier/later? Explain.
  2. What does sleep mean to you?
  3. Do you always get enough sleep? Why is that?
  4. What are you like when you don’t get enough sleep? Describe.
  5. How have your sleeping patterns changed over the years? Describe.

How does food affect your mood?

B1 –  Intermediate

Food is one of our necessities in life, but little do we know or we aren’t conscious enough that it impacts our moods. Sugary food is one of the so many examples of how our mood changes once we have an intake.

https://www.healthline.com/health/mood-food-can-what-you-eat-affect-your-happiness

Let’s talk!
How does food affect your feelings?
Do you crave for a particular food depending on how you feel?
What foods do you eat when you are sad?
What foods do eat when you are happy?
What are your food habits?