Tag: B2 – Upper intermediate

Ways to Stop Over Apologizing

B2 – Upper Intermediate

An apology is telling someone how sorry you are for the pain or trouble you have caused them while promising that the bad behavior will not be repeated. However, are you the type of person who tends to over apologize ?

While it is a powerful tool for building trust, valuing the other person and your relationship with them, we sometimes need to assert our self-worth and try not to apologize for everything little thing so much.

Let’s read the ways on how to stop saying sorry too much.

https://www.thelawofattraction.com/stop-saying-sorry/

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your opinion about the article?
  2. What makes a good apology?
  3. When apologizing, is it best to make it up with someone with a costly gift?
  4. How do you apologize for a personal and professional mistake?
  5. Should you apologize if you feel that you are right?

How Do Vitamins Work?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

There is a famous English proverb that goes, “Health is Wealth” which means the greatest wealth one can have is their good health. Wealth is not about the money you have but your good health.

Vitamins help the body to be healthy, however, most of us don’t really know how vitamins work and if it is highlighted enough as something that is very essential to our bodies.

Let’s learn more about vitamins in this video below.


Discussion Questions:

  1. According to the video, how do vitamins work?
  2. Why are vitamins important to our bodies?
  3. Do you take vitamins? What types do you take?
  4. Do you think vitamins will keep us healthy? Why and why not?

How Miscommunication Happens ( and How to Avoid it)

B2 – Upper Intermediate

How do you feel when you try to explain something as simple as possible yet the other person still doesn’t get it? Frustrating, right? How about when you worked hard on your presentation but none of your colleagues get your pitch. Miscommunication is definitely draining especially when you are working in a big team.

Please watch the video and get some ideas on how we can minimize frustration while expressing ourselves better.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Some may argue that good communicators are born, not made. Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?
  2. What can you do to prevent miscommunication?
  3. Why do miscommunication and misunderstanding happen?
  4. Talk about your experience related to this topic.

Health Benefits of Gardening

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Greens, colorful flowers, and vegetables, these are some views that will surely give us positive emotions. Feelings like amusement, appreciation, excitement, passion, happiness, and serenity will definitely have a great impact on our mental health.

Would you believe that you can achieve all these positive emotions in one activity? Yes! It’s gardening!

Here are the 8 surprising health benefits of gardening:

https://healthtalk.unchealthcare.org/health-benefits-of-gardening

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are the health benefits of gardening?
  2. Do you like gardening? Why or Why not?
  3. Do you have a garden? If yes, what are the plants that you have in your garden? If not, do you plan to put up a garden?
  4. Would you like to try growing your own food? Why or why not?
  5. According to WHO, good health means the presence of sense of community and happiness. Can you explain this?

The Rise of the Ripped Teen

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Elite is a popular 2018 Spanish thriller teen drama on Netflix. Perhaps one thing you will quickly notice about this show is how bulked up these high school students are! In a way, you’d think to yourself, that’s unrealistic, teens are normally not that buff. Safe to say, these teenagers do not only work on their studies now but on their bodies as well.

However, after reading this article, you might need to think again. The way these high schoolers are portrayed in that series could be true; that many people in their teens are all about abs and pecs now.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/may/09/anyone-popular-at-school-has-muscles-the-rise-of-the-ripped-teen

Discussion Questions:

  1. What might have led to this trend? What do you think are the good or a detrimental effects of this teens?
  2. What is your reaction to the rise of popularity of the muscular teens?
  3. Is this the same situation in your country? 
  4. What is your reaction to this: “If you’ve got a child who is overweight, you worry. I’ve got one who is extremely muscular and lean, and I still worry”?
  5. How would you compare teenagers’ hobbies and interests during your teenage years and now?

Cabin Fever

B2 – Upper Intermediate

After a long while being stuck indoors, we start feeling bored and restless. This is called “cabin fever”. It sounds like an actual disease but it is not. However, when one gets into this state, some effects could be being anxious, irritable, and even depressed caused by the long period of confinement in a tight or a remote, isolated space.

Read the article to learn more about cabin fever and be able to answer the questions below:

https://www.healthline.com/health/cabin-fever#symptoms

Discussion Questions:

  1. Have you ever had cabin fever before? If so, why and what happened?
  2. How did you cope or deal with it?
  3. What situations usually cause people to have it?
  4. What advice can you give to a person suffering from it?
  5. Are you a social hermit or a social butterfly?

Reading Might Help You Live Longer

B2 – Upper Intermediate

It’s undeniable that screens compete daily for our attention. Work and entertainment all play out to some extent on these digital displays, so much so that our days are consumed in activities that require their use. This includes reading.

Some argue that reading off anything other than a screen should be relegated to the past. However, some studies suggest that the act of assimilating ideas from the printed page may be just what the doctor ordered.

In this video, Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains how reading (or listening to a good read) can help add years to your lifespan.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What benefits of reading are mentioned by Dr. Gupta?
  2. How do you like your books? On the printed page, as an audiobook, or scrollable on a portable screen?
  3. What do you think can be done to encourage people to read more?

Things Healthiest People Have in Common

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The secret of longevity is mainly eating healthy food. However, it is also proven that the world’s healthiest people have the same habits, not only eating healthy food.

Learn the real secrets to healthy living by reading this article.

https://www.rdasia.com/healthsmart/fitness/17-things-worlds-healthiest-people-have-common?pages=2

 Discussion Questions:

  1. What can you say about the saying “health is wealth”?
  2. Do you do all these habits described in the article?
  3. Do you agree that these habits will keep you healthy?
  4. Aside from these habits mentioned in the article, what else do you think is helpful in providing major health benefits?
  5. What do you think of wellness institutions and their programs?
  6. From your own experience, can you give some examples of how the mind and the body are connected?

Ways to Kill Your Dreams

They say that dreams are only for children or for people who have the means to reach it. In reality, dreams are lifelong goals that we can achieve through discipline, hardwork, and believing in ourselves.

Brazillian entrepreneur Bel Pesce enumerate the ways of discouraging thoughts when we try to achieve our dreams and on how to keep ourselves going.

Watch the video below and learn more.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Discuss the five ways how not to follow your dreams?
  2. What does overnight success mean? Share a related story.
  3. What are your first thoughts about the video?
  4. What are your childhood dreams that came true?
  5. In the video, what is meant by “believe the fault is someone else’s?”
  6. From the five tips mentioned in the video, what is one tip that can be most helpful to you?

Nature Rebounding during Coronavirus

B2 – Upper Intermediate

More or less two months now since quarantine has started in most of the countries around the world. Obviously, we are experiencing adverse losses in the economy globally due to bounded outside activities. But amidst this pandemic that we are dealing with, our natural world is healing.

Let’s check some of the photos in different countries showing how nature is flourishing.

https://www.rdasia.com/culture/8-photos-that-show-nature-rebounding-during-coronavirus

Discussion Questions:

1.Is there any news in your place that reports nature’s healing during this lockdown?

2. What can you say about the photos that you’ve seen? Which one is your favorite?

3. Do you think people would do some efforts to maintain the improvement we’ve seen in nature even after this lockdown is over?

4. As a simple citizen, what can you do to help preserve our nature for the future generation?