Tag: video

The First Supervised Illegal Drug Injection Site

B2 – Upper Intermediate

In the fight against opioid addiction in the country, the first supervised drug injection center of America has just been opened in New York. Hopefully, this will be the beginning of the establishment of many more centers such as this to help curb the record overdoses in the country.

Watch the video and read the article about the first supervised illegal drug injection site in New York.

https://www.euronews.com/next/2022/02/22/amid-the-ongoing-opioid-crisis-america-s-first-safe-injection-site-has-just-opened-in-new-

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of injection centers such as this?
  2. Do you think that the centre will attract more drug users to the area? Explain your opinion.
  3. How does substance abuse impact a person’s life?
  4. How big is the problem of addition in your city/country? Why do you think this is?
  5. What else can be done to help address the problem with addiction?

Working from Home Tips to Stay Motivated and Productive

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Due to the pandemic, a lot of people were constrained from going to the office and obligated to start doing work remotely.

Surely, there a lot of pros in working from home but there are cons as well. But regardless of these things, the question is, are we making the most out of this new work setup?

Here are some tips which could help ensure we get the best results while working in our homes.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are the tips to stay motivated while working from home according to the video?
  2. Which among the tips do you apply personally?
  3. What are the pros and cons of working remotely?
  4. Do you prefer working in the office or at home? Why?
  5. How long have you been working from home? How did you adjust to this work style at first?
  6. Give your personal tips on how to be productive while working remotely.

Middle Ground Fallacy

B2 – Upper Intermediate

We have grown to believe that moderation in all things is the key to a good life. We tend to think that when we are in between two seemingly equal choices, we have to compromise and choose the middle ground. This way of thinking, however, has resulted to countless injustices in the world.

Let’s watch the video and learn more about the middle ground fallacy.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is the middle ground fallacy? Share your thoughts on it.
  2. Aside from slavery, can you give other historical events wherein it was used?
  3. Do you agree that a compromise between one action/idea that is morally indefensible and one that is not is still wrong? Explain your stand.
  4. Have you fallen prey to this fallacy? Share that instance.

The Buy Nothing Project

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Buy Nothing is a nonprofit organization that not only helps people save money but also reduce the clutter in their homes. This idea is based on gift-giving. The members of this group barter or offer their old stuff as a gift. The main payment for getting this free stuff is saying “Thank you” a a sign of appreciation.

Watch the video and read the transcript to know more about it and be able to discuss the questions that follow.

https://www.fox5ny.com/news/what-is-the-buy-nothing-project

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of this organization? Is there a similar group like this in your community?
  2. What are the pros and and cons of this type of organization?
  3. Would you like to be a member of this organization? Why or why not?
  4. What do you usually do with your old stuff or other things that you don’t need anymore?
  5. How long can you go without buying anything? Why is that?

Why Is It So Hard to Cure Cancer?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The difficulty in treating cancer is that it’s not a single disease, but rather a group of diseases. Sometimes a drug works well at first but later on, the cancer becomes resistant and continues to grow because the cancer cells have mutated or changed genetically.

Watch the video to know more about why some cancer patients most often do not survive even with new medical advances that are coming along the line.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Would a clinical trial be right for cancer patients? Elaborate.
  2. When should cancer patients consider having hospice care?
  3. When should you get tested for cancer?
  4. Do you think the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and pharmaceutical companies are blocking or witholding new cancer treatments from the public? Explain your opinion.
  5. What are some treatments for cancer do you know of? Explain them and their rate of efficacy.

Should We Have Let Pandas Go Extinct?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Pandas are no longer endangered now but that begs the question, should we really have focused on saving them?

Pandas are not very crucial to the environment and it takes a lot of money to save them but we still did because of how cute they look.

Instead of helping pandas, we could have helped other species that are more crucial to the environment and cost less to save.

Watch the video and be ready to answer the questions that follow.

Discussion Questions:

  1. In your opinion, was it necessary to save pandas? Explain your stand.
  2. Do you think that because pandas are no longer endangered now, we won’t make the same mistake again, and help other species that are more cost effective to save and vital to the environment?
  3. If you were able to decide where money goes in saving endangered animals, would you have chosen pandas? Why or why not?
  4. Imagine a world without pandas.
  5. What are some endangered species in your country and what has the government done in order to save them?

Covid Health Pass Implanted in Your Hand

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Biochip technology is believed to be one of the most thrilling advanced technology to emerge and it expresses a lot of interesting potential applications. This technology makes it possible to verify a person’s identity without the use of identity cards, store medical information, have control over many devices, and create a cashless society.

A Swedish company created a rice-sized chip implant that is capable of storing COVID-19 vaccination information. Hence, people don’t need to worry about using their phones to present their COVID passport.

Let’s read the article below to learn more about this biochip implant.

https://www.euronews.com/next/2021/12/23/would-you-be-willing-to-have-your-covid-health-pass-implanted-in-your-hand

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are your thoughts on the use of biochips as access to COVID-19 vaccination information?
  2. Would you be willing to have your COVID passport implanted in your hand? Why or why not?
  3. What dangers do you see in putting biochips in people’s bodies?
  4. Microchip implants in the future could create a cashless, cardless, keyless society. What do you think of this?
  5. Technologies upgrade because of its tendency to enter the mainstream. Are you the type of person who is updated with technology? Why or why not?

Using Scarcity in Marketing Strategy

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Companies and businesses use the tactic of scarcity marketing to stand out. The idea is to make product scarce in order to attract customers and boost sales. It’s based on a psychological principle that the more difficult it is to obtain something, the more people want it.

Watch the video on how scarcity is used in marketing strategy and be able to express your opinions by answering the questions that follow.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Why do you think scarcity marketing has been effective and why has it become a powerful sales and marketing tool?
  2. What are some of scarcity marketing do you know of? Cite some examples.
  3. Share an experience you had when you fell for scarcity marketing which led you to purchase a product.

School Lunches from Around the World

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Lunchtime at school is a very important part of a kid’s day. It provides them with enough energy to learn and be active.

Many schools provide students with access to meals. When choosing what to eat for lunch, making a healthy choice is really important.

Let’s watch the video to see what school lunches around the world are like.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do kids in your country usually eat for lunch at their schools?
  2. What was your school lunches like when you were a kid?
  3. Do you think school lunches should be provided by the government? Explain.
  4. What are things to consider for school kids’ lunches/snacks?
  5. In your opinion, which country has the best school lunch? Why do you think so?

Embryo a Year Younger than the Mother

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Some couples are lucky to have children without needing any medical interventions but there are others whose dreams of having a child is a long shot. Luckily, with the help of science, their dreams could possibly come true.

Read the article and watch the video about the oldest frozen human embryo and be ready to answer the questions that follow.

https://edition.cnn.com/2017/12/19/health/snowbaby-oldest-embryo-bn/index.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are your thoughts on/reaction to this news?
  2. What do you think about embryo donation and adoption?
  3. Talk about other modern methods of conceiving that you know about.