Category: Class

Speaking Activity: Like It, Love It

This activity will practice your speaking skills by expressing your likes and preferences.

Answer the questions below. Try to add more information.

  • Do you like sports? Which sport do you love?
  • Do you like to stay up late? What time do you go to bed?
  • Do you like to wake up early? Which time do you wake up?
  • Do you like school or work? Do you love school or work?
  • Do you love a special dish from your country? What is it?
  • Who is your best friend? Why do you like (or love) him/her?
  • What movies do you like? What movies do you love?
  • What season do you like the most? Why?
  • What songs do you like? What songs do you love?
  • How do you like to relax? Please explain.

Bonus Questions:These questions are more difficult. Can you answer them?

  • What are you really crazy about?
  • What do you like to do when you hang out with your friends?
  • What do you like to do when you go on vacation?

Source: headsupenglish.com

Chicago Pizza

B1 – Intermediate

There’s thin crust, there’s thick crust. Deep dish and all-meat. With so many choices out there, what makes pizza the best pizza?

Read the article and be ready to answer the discussion questions included in this article.

Chicago pizza is a unique and famous pizza from Chicago. But how is Chicago pizza different from the pizza served in New York, London, or Italy?

First, the crust is about 2.5 inches deep, or about 6.35 cm. It is cooked like a pie in a deep, round pan. The pan has a lot of olive oil, so the crust becomes crunchy on the bottom.

For toppings, the pizza usually has about 1/4 inch of sausage, 1/4 inch of cheese, and 1/4 inch of chunky tomato sauce. Other popular ingredients include pepperoni, green peppers, mushrooms, and olives.

No one know exactly who made this style of pizza first, because several restaurants claim to be the creators. However, everyone from Chicago has a favorite pizza restaurant, and they feel very strongly that it is the best pizza.

Source: headsupenglish.com

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you like pizza? What kind of pizza do you like?
2. Do you want to try Chicago pizza? Why/not?
3. Does your hometown or country have an unusual / unique dish?
4. Talk about some of the strange dishes that you have tried in the past.

Video: Information the Gun Industry Won’t Tell

B2 – Upper intermediate

Gun control varies around the world.  Some countries impose stringent distribution and use of guns while others don’t. How about in your country?  What information do you know about the gun industry?

Watch the video and find out some interesting facts. Click CC on the video to watch with subtitles.

Five Things the Gun Industry Won’t Tell You

Discuss:

1. Explain the information given in the video.
2. What question/s do you have about the gun industry?
3. Is gun control a controversy in your country?
4. Would you like to own a gun? Have you tried firing one before?

Ecotourism a Danger to Wildlife

C1 – Advanced

Listen to the news clip about ecotourism then be ready to answer some discussion questions.

Choose the speed that you prefer to practice your listening and comprehension. You may also listen and read along using the transcript below the audio clip.

Ecotourism a Danger to Wildlife

Discuss:

1. What is ‘ecotourism’? What do you think of it?
2. What are its benefits? How about the possible dangers?
3. How can we best help animals in the wild?
4. What parts of the world should be off limits to humans?

CEO Hikes Life-Saving Drug 4000%

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B2 – Upper intermediate

Martin Shkreli just made hundreds of people hate him by making an outrageous decision of raising the price of his company’s products.

Read the article below to know more about the effects of his detested choice.

‘Hated’ CEO Hikes Life-Saving Drug 4000%

Discuss:

1. Is it fair that companies have the right to hike the price of their product as much as they desire?
2. How do you think consumers should be protected from any price hike of commodities?
3. Are pharmaceutical products in Spain affordable?

Speaking Activity: Family

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B1 – Intermediate

For this activity, you’ll be able to talk about family and family life. Be ready to share some of your experiences.

Click the title below and be ready to have a discussion.

Topic: Family

Russia: Western Food Destroyed

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C1 – Advanced

In 2015, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a certain presidential decree that has brought forth shock and outrage among the populace.

Find out why Russia’s head of state issued this ban and how the citizens reacted. Watch the videos included in the resource to get extra information.

Russians shocked as banned Western food destroyed

Discuss:

1. What does the presidential decree state?
2. Why do you think Russia came up with this ban?
3. What do you think of the said sanction?
4. What are the long term consequences of a sanction like the one mentioned in the article?

It Only Takes One Bad Apple

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Recent studies have shown that negative vibes have stronger influence in the workplace. An employee with a negative behavior could easily influence the rest of the team and might have undesirable effects on the team dynamics and quality of work.

Read the article to learn more about how negative behavior at work affect others around.

There is an old saying: It only takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch. The idiom can be applied to every day life. A recent research report indicates that “one bad apple” can quickly spoil the atmosphere of the office. An employee with a negative attitude brings conflict and stress to the workplace. A problem employee usually doesn’t do an equal amount of work, is always unhappy and complaining, and bullies others.

Negative behavior, the researchers found, is much stronger than positive behavior. As such, several positive employees can’t change the mood created by one negative teammate. In fact, it often leads to a downward spiral, with more and more employees becoming unhappier and unhappier as time continues. The news comes out of the University of Washington.

In order to solve the problem, companies need to deal with the negativity immediately. One answer is to have the employee work alone as much as possible. In effect, he should be isolated from other team members work-wise. Better yet, ensure that effective hiring practices prevent the problem from entering the building. Training managers to better determine potential hires helps, as do personality tests. These can identify and remove emotionally unstable or disagreeable people.

Case in point: The wife of the report’s lead author noticed that when a problem employee at her office was sick for several days, the atmosphere quickly changed. People began to help one another. They played classical music on their radios. Many went out for drinks after work. However, once the problem returned, the toxic atmosphere returned, too.

Source: headsupenglish.com

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you agree, that “one bad apple spoils the bunch?” Why/not?
  2. Have you ever had a similar experience as the example? What happened when the negative person was away?
  3. If your office were “toxic,” would you consider quitting? Why/not?
  4. What other solutions do you think might work with a bad apple? Why?
  5. Do you think that a bad apple usually knows he creates a negative atmosphere? Why/not?

Columbus Day: Some Love It, Others Not

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B2 – Upper intermediate

Columbus Day is known as the most disputed holiday in the US. For the Native Americans, Columbus was very devastating to them, as he enslaved the natives and caused depression in the place. Columbus’ critics say that he did not land in America on that day and he did not discover America because it has long been inhabited by the natives.

Read the article below and be ready to have a discussion.

Columbus Day: Some Love It, Others Not So Much

Discuss:

1. Is Christopher Columbus celebrated as an important person in Spanish history?
2. What is your opinion about the Americans dispute about “Columbus Day”?
3. Is there any controversial or disputed holiday in Spain?

Animals That Are Also Verbs

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B2 – Upper intermediate

Pay attention while listening and reading along with this very interesting article. You will find that some verbs are coined from animal names.

Take note of how some nouns can be used as verbs.

Weasel, Duck, Dog: Animals That Are Also Verbs

Discuss:

1. In your own words, explain what it means to weasel your way out of something.
2. Have you ever been hounded by someone to do something?
3. What does it mean to fish for compliments?
4. Aside from the ones used in the article, what other animals can be used as verbs?