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Home Office Injuries Are Workplace Accidents

B1 – Intermediate

Injury sustained within the office premises is considered a workplace accident and it is your employer who is responsible for your medical needs. Most people are working from home these days because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, your home office is your workplace. What happens when you have these accidents while working from home?

Let’s read the German court ruling of this case.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2112/211213-workplace-accidents-4.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you think employers are liable for employees’ work from home accidents?
  2. Do you have a workplace accident insurance? If yes, what is your insurance coverage?
  3. What are the common workplace accidents in your line of work?
  4. Are you working from home? Do you have a designated home office?

Teaching Children the Real Value of Money

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Being young does not mean that children cannot grasp deep and difficult topics like the value of money and how to be financially responsible. By starting early and giving them interesting and relatable concepts, they learn essential lessons and attitudes that they need to possess once they’re earning and have their own money to manage. When they know how to make good financial decisions as they grow up, they avoid financial problems in the future.

Read this article to find out how to teach children the real value of money.

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2021/dec/13/how-to-teach-children-the-real-value-of-money

Discussion Questions:

  1. Why do you think teaching children this is important?
  2. What are some tips that you can add to the list?
  3. Do you think schools should include finance classes starting on 1st grade? Why or why not?
  4. Talk about your experience of financial awareness growing up and as you started working. Was it a difficult journey or not?
  5. How different is it at this current age to openly discuss and get children involved with finances as compared to 10 or 20 years ago?
  6. Does regional culture play a role in how financial topics are discussed within the family? Explain your answer.

Open Borders for Afghan Refugees

B1 – Intermediate

Afghanistan has encountered a huge crisis in their country. Afghans have enjoyed their freedom for the past two decades but this has suddenly changed. Due to the Taliban takeover last August, young human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Malala Yousafzai, urged countries to accept and protect Afghan refugees.

Read the article below to find out more about her plead from this lesson.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2108/210820-afghan-refugees-1.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. Does your country accept refugees from other countries? What help does your government offer them?
  2. What would be effective programs to help refugees seeking help in your country?
  3. How effective is it being an activist?
  4. Are there famous activists in your country? What do they advocate for?
  5. What are some causes or movements that you advocate for?

Bezos Promises to Help Nature

B1 – Intermediate

During a trip in space, Jeff Bezos was able to see our planet and he saw how delicate it is and he felt the need to protect it. So he has decided to give $2 billion dollars to help earth.

Read the lesson on Jeff Bezos giving $2 billion to help protect our planet.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2111/211104-helping-nature-0.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of Jeff Bezos’ act of giving a huge amount of money to help earth?
  2. If you were very rich, would you do the same? Explain.
  3. Do you think going into space would change you? Why or why not?
  4. What can you promise to help protect our planet?
  5. What are the biggest environmental issues you have in your country?

Covid Vaccine Passports Could Discriminate

B2 – Upper Intermediate

As Covid-19 vaccination rates increase, the economy reopens. As a result, decision makers and public officials have considered the idea of a “vaccine passport”. This is required to provide proof of vaccination before traveling or conducting daily work and other activities in order to allow human mobility while protecting lives. Although there are a lot of benefits from it, the cons on the other hand, are quite controversial.

Read the article and be able to answer and answer the questions that follow.

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-56125142

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of “vaccine passports”? Do you agree that it could lead to discrimination?
  2. What do you think are its pros and cons?
  3. What are your thoughts on people who don’t want to get vaccinated?

Best Bedtime to Lower Heart Disease

B1 – Intermediate

To stay healthy, one must eat properly, exercise regularly, and sleep well. A study reveals that sleeping early prevents people from developing heart problems.

Read the lesson on the healthiest time to go to bed to avoid heart diseases.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2111/211111-bedtime-1.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you believe that going to bed early is healthy? Explain your stand.
  2. Talk about your sleeping pattern. What time do you normally sleep and what is the reason for this?
  3. Now that you know sleeping beyond 12MN isn’t healthy, would you try to change your sleeping habits? Why or why not?
  4. What else can we do to avoid heart diseases?
  5. What other health problems can you develop if you do not sleep early?

Japan to Give Children Cash Handouts

B1 – Intermediate

In Japan, the government is thinking to give money to young people 19 years old and younger. It is a way to help families during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Read the lesson on Japan’s plans to give money to children.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2111/211108-cash-handout-4.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your opinion on this initiative?
  2. Do you agree or disagree with the critics of this initiative? Share your opinion.
  3. Should this money be given to everyone, including children from rich families? Explain your opinion.
  4. If you received money from your government now, what would you do with it?
  5. Describe the economic situation of your country during the pandemic.

Companies Lean Harder on Non-Parents

B2 – Upper Intermediate

With work getting very demanding nowadays, certain groups of workers are affected by some work arrangements. Parents can easily get away with leaving work early, getting extra days off, or not showing up because of domestic duties. The pressure to cover certain hours or work loads now falls on workers without kids.

Little by little, non-parents feel as if their voices or needs are not as important or respected as those of the parents. They believe that they also deserve the same benefits or leeway that the companies give parents.

Read the article below to see the differences in the work setup that non-parents experience and what they yearn for from the management.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20211005-is-modern-office-culture-unfair-to-non-parents

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you think that there’s a huge tension building up between parents and non-parents in the workplace? Why?
  2. Do you believe that there are higher expectations for non-parents to work harder and perform better? Why?
  3. Why do you think it’s important for company management to take their employees’ concerns into account?
  4. What are some policies that you can propose for a good working environment?
  5. What are some countries that have some of the best working environments?

Should Fast Food Sponsor Sport?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

There are millions of sports enthusiasts who are always tuned in to big sporting events in the world such as the Olympic Games and FIFA World Cup. For these spectators, it is hard to ignore the large banners of sponsors all throughout the match. Some experts believe that these advertisements are contributing factors that lead to people consuming them.

Listen to this audio and read the transcript on fast food sponsorships in sports.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english/ep-211104

Discussion Questions:

  1. Are you a big sports fan? Do you always watch big sporting events? Why or why not?
  2. How important is sponsorship in these events?
  3. How does brand loyalty and unhealthy food and drinks companies sponsorship result to obesity?
  4. Do you agree that these companies should be banned from sponsoring big sporting events?

French Diet Secrets for Health and Happiness

B2 – Upper Intermediate

People are fascinated by the French diet as it allows them to be healthy and thin without dieting or exercising and just merely using the French principle. How does a population that loves steak, cheese, bread, and desserts avoid going to the gym but manage to stay healthy and live long?

Click the picture below and read the tips the French can give us about living longer, healthier, and happier lives. Be able to answer the questions that follow.

https://empoweredsustenance.com/french-diet-healthy/
https://empoweredsustenance.com/french-diet-healthy/

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of the French diet?
  2. How important is diet to you? Explain.
  3. Based on the article, which tips have you ever tried before? Did they work? Share your experiences.
  4. Which of the tips did you find fascinating or strange and why?
  5. How do you keep yourself fit and healthy?