Category: Question of the day

What books do you want to read?

I know that the prospect of reading an actual novel in a second language may be much too ambitious a goal. However, I do like to sift through book reviews and talk about what students might like to read. And hey, it might get them interested enough that they will attempt it. If they do, I would not hesitate to encourage your students to get the audio version of the book as well.

I love audio books! Not only can I read while walking the dog, they provide a fantastic model of pronunciation and rhythm. Most “readers” even offer a speed feature where you can listen slower or faster. If this is something that could interest your students, send them to Audible.com or check with your local library (it will depend on the country you are in) to see what is available for free.

Pre reading discussion:

  • What was the last good book you read?
  • What did you like about it?
  • What kind of books do you like to read?

43 Highly Anticipated Books of 2019

Scan through some of the books on this page and pick one that catches your eye

  • Which book would you like to read and why?
  • What do you think the story will be about?
  • What books have you read in the past that are similar to this one?
  • Is there a pattern or theme to the books you like?

Have a great discussion!

What is your definition of success?

Success is a looming goal that can drive us, but also plague us. It can be defined in so many ways. Money, fame, happiness, many things can be considered hallmarks of success, but are we chasing the wrong things? Also, how does our culture define success? Do you think this might be driving us unconsiously?

Without a doubt, success is important. No one strives to fail. But this drive can sometimes create unhealthy life choices and lead us to prioritize the wrong things. In Alain de Botton TED talk, he exposes his struggle with success and some of the elements that may shape our choices.

Warm up

  • Name someone you consider successful?
  • What makes them successful? Money, fame, happiness?
  • Put the following elements in order of priority: happiness, family, work, relaxing, spouse, exercise, health
  • How is our relationship with success unhealthy?

The Video: TED A Kinder, Gentler, Philosophy of Success by Alain de Botton 

  • Divide the presentation into 5 min segments and do a Tell Back
    • First 5 min: What is snobbery according to Botton?
    • 5-10 min: What is meritocracy? How might it be destructive?
    • 10-15 min: What can literary tragedy teach us? Why does nature attract us?
  • If you have time, I would suggest doing a Mind Map of the main elements that contribute to our notion of success. Perhaps group them according to those that are good and bad.

What do you do for Valentine’s Day?

A popular North American celebration, February 14th is the day for lovers. For me, it is a day filled with pressure and lack of inspiration. Yes, you heard me, I just don’t know what to do on Valentin’s Day.

Thus since this celebration is a little weird in my view, here is some weird stuff to look at and talk about

Warm Up

  • Do you have Valentine’s Day, or the equivalent in your culture?
  • What do you do?

Activity 1: Here is what the birds do

  • Describe the actions in this video
  • What are some of the “messages” this bird is trying to send?

Activity 2: And another just for fun…

  • Describe the actions in this video

Activity 3: Forbes on the expense associated to Valentine’s Day

  • Summarize the main points of this article
  • Why is Valentine’s Day costing us more?
  • Do you think it is money well spent?
  • Do you make a point of spending time with your spouse?

Ahh…L’amour

Would you eat the marshmallow?

TED features Joachim de Posada’s presentation of the famous “marshmallow” test done children. It is a test that claims to predict the success of those children through their ability to delay gratification.

I won’t go into great detail about the test because the video only last about 5 min. I will say this, although this test makes me feel a little uncomfortable, I think it makes an interesting discussion.

Pre discussion

  • Do you consider yourself a patient person?
  • What things or events in your life have you had to wait for?
  • What stories or anecdotes from your life show how you are patient or impatient?

The video: Don’t eat the marshmallow by Joachim de Posada TED

  • How did the video of the children make you feel?
  • How did the children act around the marshmallow?
  • If it were you, would you have eaten it? Why?
  • Why do you think it is important to be able to delay gratification?
  • What do you think Posada means by “we are eating more marshmallows that we produce?”
  • Do you agree?

What is in your food?

We live in a fast paced world with all kinds of conveniences. Food taking a huge chunk of the convenience market, many foods are processed and packaged to serve. If food and nutrition are a topic of interest to you and your students, you might find this National Geographic article about Henry Heinz rather interesting.

Pre discussion

  • What concerns do you have about food?
  • What do you look for when you read the labels on packaged foods?
  • What are your ‘rules of thumb’ when food shopping?

The article: How Henry Heinz used ketchup to improve food safety

  • Mind Map the main points of the article
  • What were some of Heinz’s values?
  • How did that affect his products?
  • Do you think today’s food producers are concerned about the same things as Heinz?
  • What can food producers learn from this story?

Where would you travel to?

If you could choose among National Geographic top 15 travel destinations, where would you go?

Scroll through the top 15 destinations suggested by National Geographic and say which you would choose and why (only read titles and look at pictures).

Go explore the picture of the chosen destination. What is happening? What is the weather like? Where are we, in the mountains, the city, the forest, etc? What do you like about it?

Now choose a destination you DON’T want to visit. Why? What is happening in the picture? Where are we? What is the weather like? What don’t you like about it.

What are you doing to prevent climate change?

What are you doing to prevent climate change?

PBS Frontline presents an innovative interactive presentation on how the people of Marshall Island are affected by climate change. Even though the presentation is a bit deep and disturbing, I would use it to spark a discussion on actions related to climate change. I would first do a  Tell Back  of the video centered around how climate change is affecting the daily lives of the people of Marshall Island (note: you must click the forward buttons to make the presentation go forward. You can stop at any point to discuss).

Here is a link to the PBS lesson plan. It includes some of the key vocabulary which can save you a bit of time in analyzing the content from the perspective of second language difficulties.

Discussion Questions

Do you notice any differences in the weather that could be related to the weather?

What are some of the current actions happening in your community that is intended to help stop climate change?

What habits have you changed?

If you review just this last year, is there anything you do differently?

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