Tag: Preliminary PET

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.

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

Discussion Questions:

  1. What time do you usually go to bed?
  2. What does sleep mean to you?
  3. Do you always get enough sleep?
  4. What are you like if you don’t get enough sleep?
  5. How have your sleeping patterns changed over the years?

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?

Change the World by Making Your Bed

B1 –  Intermediate

Did you ever think that you could change the world by…making your bed? Yes, it may sound silly and irrational. Howbeit, this simple housework could have a deeper message to tell. Watch the snippet of U.S. Navy Adm. William H. McRaven’s speech about why we should make our bed.

Discussion Questions:

1. What are some simple housework and office tasks that you do every day? How do you feel after you carry out those tasks?

2. What do you consider your biggest accomplishment so far? What do you want to accomplish by this year and how do you believe you can attain them?

3. What three things would you change about the world if you could?

4. In your own way, how could you change the world?

Air Rage

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Do you like to travel? Have you experienced passengers showing aggression during your flight?  Air rage has been a problem among airlines and passengers alike.

Let’s read the article to know how airlines are not doing enough to promote cabin safety to the passengers and even their own employees.

Click to read the article:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=92907&page=1

Discussion Questions:

  1. Have you ever experienced air rage?
  2. What do you think causes air rage?
  3. Should airlines make a list of passengers who commit air rage and ban them from flying altogether?

Language to Persuade Someone to Change Their Mind

B1 – Intermediate

As defined by Britannica, persuasion is the process by which a person’s attitudes or behavior are, without duress, influenced by communications from other people.  It often involves manipulation. People get manipulated which can sometimes be offensive while some only try to persuade to stop others from making hasty decisions.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/english-at-work/63-language-to-persuade-someone-to-change-their-mind

Discussion Questions:

  1. Is it easy to persuade someone to change their mind? Why or why not?
  2. Talk about your experiences persuading someone to accept your point of view. How did you do it?
  3. Is agreeing on issues or topics the best way to solve a disagreement? Explain.

An Unhealthy Habit

B1 – Intermediate

Dining out was once reserved for the wealthy or a special occasion. Not anymore. Now more than a third of the food Americans eat is made up of so-called “away-from-home” foods, which include both restaurant food and prepackaged or prepared foods purchased at supermarkets. And about 40 percent of that comes from fast-food restaurants serving the likes of cheeseburgers and French fries.

It seems then that the more you “buy out”, the more likely it is that you will have a calorie and fat rich diet that is poor in nutrients.

Let’s read the article to learn some of the issues with eating “out of the home” and talk about the questions that follow:

http://www.amdietetics.com/articles/eating-out-an-unhealthy-habit

  • How often and where do you usually go when you eat out?
  • Who do you usually go with when you eat out?
  • What do you think about eating out?
  • In what ways have people’s eating habits changed over the years?
  • How have your eating habits changed over the years?
  • What’s the best and the worst experience you ever had at a restaurant?
  • Do you like to try new restaurants, or do you prefer to go to those you have already been to? Why?
  • Do you care what a restaurant looks like, or is the food the only thing you care about?

Conversation with Colleagues

B1 – Intermediate

Business is all about good communication. While communicating with customers is important, internal communication must be given attention, too.

Communicating effectively with your colleagues minimizes misunderstandings and increases work efficiency. Active communication also produces healthy working relationships. This, in turn, creates a more pleasant and less stressful work environment.

Watch the video about a conversation with a colleague.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Is it easy to communicate with your colleagues? Why or why not?
  2. What do you often talk about with your colleagues?
  3. Talk about a situation when you had a miscommunication with your colleagues. How was the problem resolved?
  4. What can be done to avoid miscommunication at work?

Rip-off Restaurant

B1 –  Intermediate

Japanese tourists were allegedly ripped off their meal at a Venice restaurant. The tourists reported the incident to the police which was then escalated to the mayor.

Let’s find out more by clicking on the links.

Audio  (Listen before reading the text)

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1801/180124-rip-off-restaurant.html

Discussion Questions:

1. What’s your take on the issue?
2. What do you think of the mayor’s reaction?
3. Have you ever been ripped off? If so, how and why?
4. Do you check TripAdvisor.com for a certain establishment’s rating?

Millennials on Dating Apps

B1 –  Intermediate

Does it feel like the dating game is taking over your life?

Well it probably is, sort of. It’s likely to be taking around 16.8% of your life, which is quite a bit when you think about it.

A recent study  found that millennials are spending 10 hours a week trawling through dating apps like Tinder.

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/dating-apps-millenials-10-hours-week-tinder-bumble-romance-love-a8174006.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. Have you ever gone/Would you ever go on a date with someone you met on a dating app? Why/why not?
  2. What are the good and bad things about online dating?
  3. Why do you think people, especially millennials, are so obsessed with dating apps?
  4. If you could design your own dating app, how would it work?
  5. Is love really that difficult to find these days? Explain.
  6. What are other things define millennials?