Sunday, January 29, 2012
Thursday, January 19, 2012
ESL Discussion Questions about Dragons
What are Dragons? They are legendary creatures that breathe fire, look like lizards, have big teeth, guard castles against knights seeking to rescue damsels in distress.
Do dragons have wings? How many legs do dragons have?
Dragons represent __________? Primal forces of nature. Wisdom. The Chinese Emperor. China. Power. Majesty.
Is the dragon the symbol of China?
Can Dragons talk?
Are Dragons good or bad creatures?
Are Dragons good luck or bad luck?
Do you like Dragons?
Do you like Dragon imagery? Do you have Dragon images on your computer, your clothes, or on your things.
Dragons are __________________. What adjectives can we use to describe dragons?
Dragons can __________________. What can dragons do?
2012 is the year of the Dragon. Are there any dragons in the room? That is, is there anyone born in the year of the Dragon? What do Dragon people have to do in the year of the Dragon? What do Chinese people do in the year of the dragon? Will they buy lots of dragon images?
Is the Dragon the most popular of the twelve animal years? Why? Why not?
Why is the Dragon the only mythological creature of the 12 animals on the Chinese calendar?
Is the year of the Dragon a good year to have a baby or get married?
What are Chinese Dragons like? How many kinds of Chinese Dragons are there? Are they like western dragons? In Western stories, men often have to fight Dragons. Do men have to fight Chinese Dragons? How old is the idea of the Chinese Dragon?
Why do many buildings in Wuxi have dragons in front of them?
Why are Dragons such popular animals? Are Dragons cool?
Would Dragons make good Pets
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
ESL Discussion Questions about Junk Food
What is Junk Food? What images come into your minds?
Tell me some kinds of Junk Food.
Did KFC bring Junk Food to China?
Was there Junk Food before KFC came to China?
Do you eat Junk Food? Why? Why not?
Do you have Junk Food in your house now? What do you have?
Do you like Junk Food? Why?
Are you addicted to Junk Food? What Junk Food are you addicted to?
What is the most delicious Junk Food?
What is the most worst-tasting (yucky) Junk Food? What Junk Food do you really hate?
How does eating Junk Food make your feel?
How do you feel after eating Junk Food?
Is Junk Food expensive?
Is Junk Food too easy to eat?
How often did you eat Junk Food? Did you eat Junk Food today? What did you eat?
Why is Junk Food bad for us?
Why do we eat Junk Food?
Do older Chinese eat Junk Food?
Do lots of Chinese eat Junk Food?
What kinds of Chinese Junk Food is there?
Do your parents eat Junk Food? Do your parents eat Junk Food?
Do bad parents let their children eat Junk Food?
What do you think of people who eat always eat Junk Food?
Is Heaven full of Junk Food?
Should there be a Junk Food tax?
Should Junk Food be banned?
Will there be more junk food in the future?
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Ideas, Ideals, Idols: ESL Discussion Questions
Ideas
What are they? Notions, Opinions, Thoughts, Views
Examples of ideas: You should treat others as you treat yourself. Let's go shopping. I think I will buy a car. I think he is a bad man.
What is a good idea you have had? What was the best idea you ever had?
Do you ever have bad ideas? What was the worst idea you have ever had?
What is the craziest idea you have had? What ideas did you have in your youth?
What is an idea you disagree with?
Tell me an idea that you got from a teacher or friend or parent.
Do you like to debate ideas?
What is an idea you have now?
Ideals
What are they? Dreams. What we would like. What we think is perfect. Examples: Everyone should be peaceful. Everyone should have a house. Everyone should love one another. There should be no war. The weather should always be nice. There should be no car accidents. I should live in a big house and have a handsome husband. I should never fight with my relatives.
What is an ideal you have?
Explain Idealism and Idealistic.
What is Idealism's opposite? Realism and being realistic. Is it realistic to think that we can never fight?
The young are idealistic, the old are realistic. Agree? Disagree?
Have you lost your idealism?
What would be your ideal day, ideal place, ideal job?
Is your life ideal now? What people do you think have ideal lives?
Do we live in an ideal world?
Idols
What are they? Things we worship and adore. Examples: Gods, famous people, images, money, ideas, symbols, sports teams.
Do you have any idols?
Why do people have idols?
Idolatry: the worship of ideals.
Do you have shrines in your home?
Is money an idol for many people?
Are pop stars, sports stars, sport teams, fashions the idols of many people today?
Who are the pop and sports idols in China today?
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Friday, January 6, 2012
ESL Discussion Questions about Honesty
What is honesty?
Honesty is hard to find? Agree? Disagree?
Honesty is easy? Why? Why not?
Finish this sentence: Honesty is _________
Are you honest?
Are you always honest? Can you always be honest? Should you always be honest?
Are you honest with your family? Your boss? Yourself? The government?
Do you say things that are partially true? Why do we do that?
Do you say things that are true but you leave out some details?
We say a person is honest? What do we mean?
Are there people you know who are honest? What do they do?
Are there people you know who are dishonest? What do they do?
Honesty is the best policy. Agree? Disagree?
Do you want honesty from everyone else? Do You really?????
Can you stand honesty?
Do you appreciate honesty?
What would happen if everyone was completely 100 percent honest?
When we say we want honesty, we want __________ (the truth among other things.)
What is the opposite of honesty? Dishonesty, Lies, fiction.
How can you tell if someone is being honest or dishonest?
When (What situations?) are people dishonest? In what situations are people always honest?
Are you a good liar?
What occupations are honest? Which ones are dishonest?
Are hypocrites dishonest? (You will need to explain hypocrisy)
Who are more honest? Adults or children? Teachers or students? Fiction writers or history writers? Managers or workers? Police or Shopkeepers? Government workers or businessman?
Finish this sentence: Honestly, I __________________________________.
You can become successful by lying?
You can become successful by being honest?
Playing the lying game:
Students tell three things about themselves. One of them is not true. Students have to guess which statement in untrue.
The Eight Days of Spring Festival -- An English song about Chinese New Year
Have to do a performance at your Spring Festival / Chinese New Year Dinner? You can't go wrong with this song.
On the first day of Spring Festival
my true love gave to me
Money in a red envelope!
On the second day of Spring Festival
my true love gave to me
Two bottles of Baijoe,
and money in a red envelope!
On the third day of Spring Festival
my true love gave to me,
Three cartons of cigarettes,
Two bottles of Baijoe,
and money in a red envelope!
On the fourth day of Spring Festival
my true love gave to me,
Four chicken's feet,
Three cartons of cigarettes,
Two bottles of Baijoe,
and money in a red envelope!
On the fifth day of Spring Festival
my true love gave to me,
Five sets of new clothes,
Four chicken's feet,
Three cartons of cigarettes,
Two bottles of Baijoe,
and money in a red envelope!
On the sixth day of Spring Festival
my true love gave to me,
Six sets of quilting,
Five sets of new clothes,
Four chicken's feet,
Three cartons of cigarettes,
Two bottles of Baijoe,
and money in a red envelope!
On the seventh day of Spring Festival
my true love gave to me,
Seven fireworks a-bursting,
Six sets of quilting,
Five sets of new clothes,
Four chicken's feet,
Three cartons of cigarettes,
Two bottles of Baijoe,
and money in a red envelope!
On the eighth day of Spring Festival
my true love gave to me,
Eight dragons dancing,
Seven fireworks a-bursting,
Six sets of quilting,
Five sets of new clothes,
Four chicken's feet,
Three cartons of cigarettes,
Two bottles of Baijoe,
and money in a red envelope!
Thursday, January 5, 2012
ESL Discussion Questions about Happiness
What is happiness?
Finish this sentence: Happiness is ___________.
Explain the words: happy, happily, happiness, happier, happiest.
Are you happy now?
Are you happy all the time? Why? Why not?
Finish this sentence: I am happy ____ percent of the time.
Is it possible to be happy all the time? Why not?
Is it good to be happy all the time?
Are there people who seem to be happy always?
Can you be happy on a rainy day?
Is it your goal to be happy?
Do you think that happiness is the goal of every person?
What things do you do happily?
Can people die happily?
Finish this sentence: Happily, I __________
Do you ever happily: Go to school? Go to work? Clean the house?
Finish this sentence: I am happiest when ________
At what age, are people the happiest?
What was the happiest time of your life?
What is the happiest time of: Your day? Your week? Your year?
What makes you happy?
What three things make you happy?
What is the secret to happiness? (Is gratitude the secret to happiness?)
Are rich people always happier than poor people?
Are you happier than your friends?
Finish this sentence: The happiest people ___________.
Do you share your happiness with others?
Do you think some people hate it when others are happy?
Can happiness be a weapon?
Is Wuxi a happy city?
Is China a happy country?
Sometimes you are so happy, you become giddy (you can't concentrate). Is this a good feeling?
Can we be happy for shameful reasons?
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Scenes from my life in Wuxi, China #2
Friday, December 30, 2011
2011: Year in Review ESL Discussion Questions
What does it mean to review? Re-again. View – look.
Was 2011 a good year for you? Why? Why not?
Was 2011 a good year for everyone you know?
Was 2011 a good year for Wuxi? For China? For the world?
What was your best moment of 2011?
What was your worst?
What was your biggest regret?
Did you lost somebody?
What was the funniest?
What did you learn in 2011?
What was the best movie you saw?
Did you travel anywhere?
Did you meet anyone interesting?
Did you start a new relationship?
What new things did you buy in 2011?
Was 2011 a year of big changes for you?
Was 2011 a milestone year for you?
What did you accomplish in 2011?
Are you richer now than when you were in January?
Who was the most interesting person of 2011?
Who were the 2011's bad guys?
What famous people had a good 2011?
What famous people had a bad 2011?
Did the American president have a good year?
What famous people left us?
What were the biggest news stories? Big sports stories? Local stories? Stories in your hometown? Celebrity stories?
What will be most remembered about 2011?
What was the biggest fad of 2011? What were the fashions like?
If you could change one thing about 2011, what would you change?
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Friday, December 16, 2011
Words that begin with the letter "F"
What is your favorite word that starts with “F”? (Free Food)
What are some of the most commonly used words in English starting with “F”? Below is the top 25 in order by use and then listed alphabetically.
| 1 | for |
| 2 | from |
| 3 | first |
| 4 | find |
| 5 | form |
| 6 | follow |
| 7 | father |
| 8 | found |
| 9 | food |
| 10 | four |
| 11 | far |
| 12 | few |
| 13 | feet |
| 14 | friend |
| 15 | fish |
| 16 | face |
| 17 | feel |
| 18 | family |
| 19 | fire |
| 20 | farm |
| 21 | fast |
| 22 | five |
| 23 | fall |
| 24 | fine |
| 25 | fly |
| face |
| fall |
| family |
| far |
| farm |
| fast |
| father |
| feel |
| feet |
| few |
| find |
| fine |
| fire |
| first |
| fish |
| five |
| fly |
| follow |
| food |
| for |
| form |
| found |
| four |
| friend |
| from |
Divide the class into two or three teams and give points to each team that can guess a word.
Now ask them what their favorite word is?
Here is a list of discussion question topics starting with the letter “F”
Facebook
Fads & Trends
Faith & Faithlessness
Family
Family & Alternative Lifestyles
Famous People
Fashion
Favorites
Fears
Feelings
Films in Your own Language
Fire Safety
First Dates
Food & Eating
Free Time
Friends
Fruits
Future
Take a poll to see which topic the student would most like to discuss. Then have the students formulate questions about the topic.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) ESL Discussion Questions
What does "frequently" mean?
What questions are frequently asked? (Tell the students to use the five W questions and how. Yes-No Questions. Have other students try to answer the questions.)
When you first meet a person?
When young men meet young women?
When you buy something? (e.g. Cars, televisions, computers, mobile phones, food)
To a teacher?
To a Language Teacher?
To a government official?
To a foreigner? (e.g. American, Japanese, German, Canadian)
To Chinese by foreigners?
When you have a visitor?
To a policeman?
To a computer technician?
To a financial expert?
To a child?
To a pet owner?
To a store clerk?
To a movie or pop star?
To a sports star?
To a scientist?
To a doctor?
To a Taxi driver?
To a bus driver?
To you?
To someone who just went to the cinema?
To parents (of twins and so on)?
To an ninety year old person?
To someone who just did a stupid thing?
To someone who just did something very clever?
To another person after you both saw a UFO?
To someone who is in the hospital?
To some who has just been in an accident?
To someone on a day with good or bad weather?
To someone who looks tired or sick?
At the end of the class:
What questions are you frequently asked?
Are there questions that you hate being asked?
Is there a question you would like to be asked?
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Words that begin with “E”
Have students brainstorm a list of words that begin with the letter "E"
Add these words to the mix if the students can think of many. Perhaps, match a word for every word suggested by the students
eye excellence elegant earnest each explode
earn easy extra eat eccentric echo
ecstasy edge educate entertain effective effort
ego eject elaborate elastic energy electric
elephant elevate elite embarrass empty enough
encourage end enemy energy engineer English
enjoy entire equal erase error escape
eternal evade even ever every evil
exact exam excite exist exit expert
explode
Once, you have a good list, play with the words.
Think of questions you can ask about the word.
Try using the five W question words and how.
What do the words mean?
Ask the students to try to make sentences or questions with the words.
Ask the students to think of famous people of places that begin with the letter "E."
Saturday, November 12, 2011
ESL Discussion Questions about Trust
What is trust?
Words made from trust: Trustworthy, Trusting
Who do you trust? Why? What do you trust?
Who don't you trust? Why? What don't you trust?
Can we trust anyone in this world?
What would happen if we couldn't trust anyone? What do we need to trust people?
Did you need trust to come to school?
How can we get your trust? How do we gain others' trust?
Is trust an easy thing to get?
Is the level of trust in Wuxi or China high or low?
When you have someone's trust, what will you do with them?
What occupations do you trust? What occupations don't you trust?
What kind of people don't you trust?
Do you trust your neighbors?
Do you trust foreigners?
Do you trust the opposite sex? Which sex is most trustworthy? Which age group is most trustworthy?
Who is the most trustworthy person you know?
What kind of people will we quickly trust?
Do you trust the police? Do you trust shop keepers? Do you trust your neighbors?
Do you trust young people?
What happens if you lose trust in a person?
What do you do if you feel your trust has been betrayed?
Can you tell if people are trustworthy by how their appearance or mannerisms? What physical action do untrustworthy people do?
When do you know you can trust a person?
What is the meaning of these expressions using "Trust":
You have broken a trust.
I will put my baby in your trust.
My trust in that person was misplaced.
I will take what you say on trust. (*What do you take on trust?*)
I trust him to finish the work on time.
I wouldn't trust him a inch (a millimeter).
Trust me!
I wouldn't trust him as far as I could him.
We will have a brain trust look into the matter.
