Category: Homework

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.

21st Century Education

B2 – Upper Intermediate

“The children are our future.” This is a sentence we often hear from the generations ahead of us. With this vision in mind, society, through collaborative work, strive to value, respect, and train them for the future. The goal is to help them realize their full potential.

One aspect of such training is education. In the 21st century, we are experiencing a technological revolution. It dramatically changed the way children learn and interact with each other. For example, online learning is becoming the norm. Kids can stay at home and still be “present” at school. They can even take their exams in the comfort of their homes!

But how does 21st-century education benefit the children and in turn, society? Watch the video about 21st century education.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are some ways technology is utilized in learning?
  2. What do you think of distance learning?
  3. How does the fast-developing technology affect the way children learn and communicate?
  4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using technology in educating children?
  5. What are some examples of jobs that are recently invented?

Credit Card Rewards

B2 – Upper Intermediate

When we use credit card rewards, we think it’s our banks that shoulders our bills. How very thoughtful and generous of them, right? What most of us do not realize, though, is that businesses have got to find a way to compensate for that.

Find out about the ugly truth behind who really foots these credit card rewards.

https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22454885/who-pays-for-credit-card-rewards

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you use credit card rewards to purchase things? Talk about your experience.
  2. What do you thing about this: “Credit card perks reward rich Americans to the detriment of the poor.”?
  3. Would you say that the payment system in your country has also evolved into a reverse Robin Hood? Explain.
  4. Has knowing that every time you use a rewards card to pay for something you buy at some shop, some others paying in cash is footing some part of your tab changed your thoughts about (using) rewards cards? Support your stand.