Tag: video

Choosing a School

B2 – Upper Intermediate

When choosing a place to study, there are many factors to consider, including your learning style, your preferred atmosphere, how to tell whether your school is invested in your success, the types of assistance that various institutions provide, and, of course, the subject you want to pursue.

There are many options, which might be daunting, even if there are no right or wrong decisions.

Watch this video on how to choose a school carefully.

Discussion Questions:

  1. How did you decide on the school/uni you were going to attend? What were the factors you took into consideration?
  2. How was your school/uni like?
  3. What were the best and worst thing about the school/uni you attended?
  4. Would you choose a different school if you had the chance to do so? Why or why not?
  5. What advice do you have for others who are going through the school-selection process?

Are GMOs Good or Bad?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

For centuries, farmers have been selectively breeding animals and plants for better results, this is a form of GMO. Yet this hasn’t faced scrutiny like scientific GMOs, and we ask, “why is that?”.

GMOs or Genetically Modified Organisms have been criticized heavily by the general public due to many reasons, but is this skepticism justified or do GMOs actually help us live a better life?

What are their pros and cons from a scientific point of view?

To find out more, let’s watch this video.

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does the expression “get to the bottom of something” mean? Use it in your own sentence.
  2. What is “yield“? Use it in your own sentence.
  3. What does “pronounced” mean? Use it in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. From your point of view, are GMOs good or bad? Elaborate on your stand.
  2. Can you think of any other pros and cons of GMOs? Cite all of them.
  3. Do you believe that there is a type of GMO that can help stop climate change? Explain your point.
  4. In your opinion, is there a way to help GMOs have a better reputation? How?
  5. What are some ways that you know GMOs are used?

Finding Your Mission

B2 – Upper Intermediate 

Every day, lots of people struggle to find their calling in life and not all of them succeed as it takes a lot of effort, patience, and know-how.

Watch the video and you’ll learn how to make the search for one’s calling easier. 

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think is your mission in life? How did you find out about it?
  2. What is a calling? Why do many people struggle to find their calling?
  3. How can you understand that you’ve finally found a calling in life?
  4. Which of your childhood dreams would you like to live out?
  5. Would you change your career to find something more interesting and suitable for you? Why or why not?
  6. What would you do if your loved ones were against your passion?

Woman Lives Every Day Like It’s 1958

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The idea of time travel is fun as it lets you see how people lived before. For some, it is scary because they have no idea what to expect. What if I tell you that today there is a woman who lives her life exactly like she is in the 1950s?

Watch the video and meet Laci Fay, the vintage girl next door.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Looking at Laci Fay, describe the vibe that she gives off.
  2. When people choose to live differently than others, what do you think are some challenges that they might face?
  3. Do you know anything about the 1950s? Discuss your ideas.
  4. How do you think the 1950s is different from today?
  5. If you could travel back in time, which era would you choose? And why?

Why Great Businesses Fail

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Experts believe that when a successful company fails to deal with disruption, it might collapse. On the other hand, what sets companies like Amazon and Walmart apart from those that fail, is their ability to decide quickly. They do not let the slow process of decision-making kill innovation.

Watch the entire video that explains why great businesses fail.

Discussion Questions:

  1. The video talks about the term ”ideation”. How do you define it in your own words?
  2. Think of a successful company in the past that failed and went bankrupt. What were the reasons for it going under?
  3. According to the speaker, some companies are good at the incubation period. Why do you think these companies fail when they decide to scale up?
  4. What lessons can companies in the world learn from Amazon?
  5. The video teaches companies about ideation and scaling up. How can these concepts be applied in your personal and professional life?

The Life of Nelson Mandela

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Nelson Mandela never supported discrimination on the grounds of race. If truth be told, he fought against it. He was an activist, a politician, and a philanthropist. Learn more about this Nobel prize awardee who was also the first black president of South Africa.

Watch this video to know more about the life of Nelson Mandela.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your understanding of the term ”white-only authority”?
  2. Describe Nelson Mandela as an activist.
  3. Do you think he was an ideal politician? Explain your answer.
  4. Many considered Mandela a freedom fighter. Do you agree or disagree? And why?
  5. In the 90s, Mandela became president and pushed for equal rights. Has it been achieved today? Provide specific points to support your answer.

How Adidas Turns Plastic Bottles Into Shoes

B2 – Upper Intermediate

According to studies, there will be more plastic bottles in the seas than fish in thirty years. This prediction could spell trouble for both humans and animals. By turning plastic bottles into shoes, Adidas, a multinational corporation, helps prevent such plastics from getting to the ocean.

Watch this video to learn how Adidas uses plastic bottles to manufacture shoes.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you think Adidas is successful in reducing marine pollution? Explain your answer.
  2. Recycling is one of the topics covered in the video. Talk about some recycling ideas that you see in your community.
  3. Aside from Adidas, do you know any other companies that have exerted effort to help the environment? Talk about these companies.
  4. Have you ever tried purchasing any Adidas sportswear? If so, what can you say about its quality?
  5. What recommendations do you have for Adidas relative to sustainability initiatives?

What Did Dinosaurs look like?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Although humans have lived on Earth for a long, long time, there are still many species of animals that go undiscovered and may be lurking in the shadows for long.

Therefore, consider how many myths from the past still exist now. For instance, how did dinosaurs actually look like?

As a result of movies like Jurassic Park, people have compared dinosaurs to lizards, crocodiles, and other animals, which has shaped our concept of these prehistoric creatures.

Recently, scientists have discovered that dinosaurs are actually more feathery than reptilians, and although this information has been spread a lot more recently, many still think dinosaurs are scaly beasts.

What other aspects of the past are unknown to us if many people are mistaken about what they believe dinosaurs to be?

To find out more, let’s watch this video.

Discussion Questions:

  1. How many animals or species do you think we’ll never discover?
  2. Based on the information from this video, would we know if humans were to go extinct?
  3. What other animals do you think would disappear from history if they went extinct?
  4. How do you imagine the world would be like if we shared one environment with these extinct animals?

Opera Singer by Day, Janitor by Night

B2 – Upper Intermediate

What if part-time jobs hide some information about the people who are doing them? A janitor who is actually an opera singer during the day? Do you think it’s possible? Well, for Keanon Kyles, it is.

Watch the video about Keanon Kyles, the internationally touring opera singer and janitor.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What’s your reaction to this video?
  2. Have you ever had an unusual job? What about your friends or relatives? What are your thoughts on these odd jobs?
  3. How do you explain to others what your job is about?
  4. If you could take on an odd job, what would it be and why?
  5. Why do you think people tend to be so judgemental about what others do for a living?

Burn the Candle at Both Ends

B1 – Intermediate

There are times when we have to do more than what our body and mind can handle. It could be working long hours everyday in order to pay the bills or to stay up late every night to study so that we pass an exam. Whatever our reason may be, this is not a good practice and doing so will eventually affect our health.

Watch the video and listen to what Randall has to share about an idiom that describes this attitude.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What does burn the candle at both ends mean? Have you burned the candle at both ends before? What happened?
  2. What was the most exhausting moment of your life?
  3. What are some reasons people burn the candle at both ends?
  4. Can someone be so stressed out without having to burn the candle at both ends? How?
  5. How do you manage mental and/or physical exhaustion?