ESL Discussion Questions about Toys

What are Toys?

Who uses them?

Why do they use them?

What images come to mind when you hear the word "toys"?

Are toys good or bad?

Is it good or bad to play with toys?  Why?

Give me some examples of toys.

What toys are good?  What toys are bad?

What about toy guns and toy military things?

Compare these toys:   Dolls, Toy Cars, Toy animals, Toy blocks, Toy guns, Toy shovels, balls, Toy musical instruments, Toy trains, Toy shovels, Toy soldiers and Toy boats.    Compare them or rate them in any way you like.

What toys do girls play with?  Boys?

Do all girls want to play with dolls?

Do all boys want to play with toy trucks?

Do you still like to play with toys?

At what age should we stop playing with toys?

Why do kids like toys?

What toys do you have now?  Do you have a toy with you now?   Are computers or mobile phones toys?

Parents say to the child:  "That is not a toy!"  What would they say that?

What toys did you have when you were growing up?

What was your favourite toy?  What is your favourite toy?  What is your child's favourite toy?

What is the greatest toy ever invented?

What toy do you want to see invented?

Would you like to work in the toy industry?

If you could be a toy what toy would you be?

Did you sleep with your toys?  Do your children sleep with your toys?

Did you always break your toys?

What was a crazy thing you did with your toys?

Do you still have those toys?

What toys do your children have?  Do they have more toys than you did?

Compare your toys with your child's toys.

Do parents (you?)  like looking for toys?

Where is the best place in Wuxi to buy toys?  Do you like Toys-R-Us?

What do you think of the toys that you can get at McDonald's and KFC?

Are toys too expensive?

What toys are popular now?  What toys were popular when you were growing up?

Can adults have toys?  What kind of toys do adults have?

Are toys educational?  What are the best kind of educational toys?  (blocks?)

Expressions and Idioms using the word "toy."

He is like a kid with a new toy.

To toy with someone.  (do you like to be toyed with?)

To toy with something.  (What do you like to toy with?)

Toy boy.

Scenes from my life in Wuxi, China #8

ESL Discussion Questions about Temperature

Temperature

Vocab:   Hot, warm, cool and cold are adjectives.  Heat, warmth, coolness and cold are the associated nouns.

Celsius, Fahrenheit, degrees, plus, minus, below

Heat

Other words for hot:  scalding, sweltering, boiling, feverish

What temperatures are very hot?

What places in the world are very hot?

What is a hot place you like to go?

What happens when it is very hot?  What happens to water if it very hot?   It Boils.

We say a day is boiling hot?  Do we really mean it?

What is the hottest temperature you have ever experienced?

It was so hot that ________________________.

Heat and water mean humidity.  Is Wuxi a humid place?  (Also use Hot and Muggy)

What can you do to deal with extreme heat or humidity?

How to keep cool in the heat?

What food do we want to eat or drink that is hot?

What does it mean if we say a person is hot?

What does it mean if we say a product or activity is hot?

What can we also mean if we say food is hot?

What does it mean to have a temperature?  What does it mean to have a fever.

What does it mean if we say things are heating up?

What does this mean:  if you can stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen?  The student in in hot water with the teacher.  The worker is in hot water with his boss.

Warmth

What temperatures are warm?

What is thought of as a warm place in China?

Is warmth the best feeling?  Why?

How to keep warm in Winter?

What does it mean if we say a person is warm?  (Who is the warmest person you know?)

When is the weather in Wuxi warm?

What is the best way to keep warm in winter?  A/C, furnaces, central heating or fire?

What warm things do you like?

We received a warm welcome.  What does that mean?

Coolness

What temperatures are cool?

Is coolness the best feeling?

When do we want to be cool?

How can we be cool on a hot day?

What food should we eat cool?

What does it mean if we say a person is cool?  (Who is cool in that way?)

What does it mean if we say a thing is cool?  (What things are "cool" these days?)

He is "cool under pressure."  What does that mean?

What does it mean to lose one's cool?  

He is cool as a cucumber.  What does that mean?

Play it cool.  What does that mean?

Cold

Other words for cold:  chill, freezing, frosty, frozen, ice cold and freezing cold.

What is the difference between freezing and frozen?

Is cold the most uncomfortable feeling?

What do you like to drink or eat cold?  Frozen?

What temperatures are cold?

What temperatures are very cold?

Is cold the worst feeling?

What do you do when it is cold?

What happens to water when it is cold?

What happens when it is extremely cold?

What was the coldest temperature you have ever experienced?

It was so cold that ____________.

What things do we want to be cold?

What does it mean if we say a person is cold?

What does it mean to say a person has a cold?  Do we get a cold because it is cold?

What does it mean to say a person had cold feet?  What does it mean to give someone the cold shoulder?  What does it mean to quit cold turkey?

Conclusion

What do you like best:  Heat, warmth, coolness or cold?

Finish these sentences:

I like hot _________.

I like warm________.

I like cool _________.

I like cold _________.

What does it mean to take a temperature?  Also:  to take a temperature of the audience.

ESL Discussion Questions about the Senses

Senses

What are the five senses? Sight, Hearing, Taste, Smell, and Touch.

What are the verbs associated with each sense? See, Hear, Taste, Smell and Touch.

What body parts are associated with each sense?

What do you like to see?

What do you like to hear?

What do you like to taste?

What do you like to smell?

What do you like to touch?

(*What do you hate to _________?)

What is the sixth sense? Intuition

What is your favourite sense?

Which sense gives us the most pleasure?

If you had to lose one sense which sense would you lose?

If you had to have only one sense which would you have?

What is common sense?

What do you think it means to have your senses overwhelmed?

Can you feel someone is close to you without seeing, smelling, touching and hearing them?

Do animals have senses that we don't have? Which animals are associated with each particular sense?

Ways of expressing our senses:

It feels like___________.

Expressions using the word "Sense"

Nonsense

out of one's senses

bring (one) to one's senses

have more luck than sense

horse sense (common sense)

In a sense (in a way)

knock some sense into

make sense

make sense out of something

sense of humour

take leave of one's senses

Idioms of the Senses

I see the light. Seeing is believing. I see something coming.

I smell a rat. to come up smelling like roses.

To get in touch. To stay in touch To be out of touch. Not touch with a ten foot pole

There's no accounting for taste. To have different taste. To be in bad taste.

So quiet, you can hear a pin drop. I hear you!

ESL Discussion Questions about Sleeping

Sleeping

Other words for sleep.  Snooze, forty winks, shut-eye

Do you like it?  Why?  Is sleeping important?

Why do so many Chinese insist that it is a hobby or their favourite thing to go?

Did you have a good sleep last night?  Did you sleep well last night?

Have you been sleeping well lately?

How many hours of sleep should you get every night?  How many do you get?

How do you feel is you can't get enough sleep?

What is the longest you have slept?  What is the longest you have gone without sleep?

What equipment do you need for a good sleep?  Pillow, mattress, quilt, blanket, sheet, pyjamas, nightie, sleeping cap, eye-covers, ear plugs.....

Do you think long and hard about your sleeping equipment?  Which special equipment do you use?

Dreams?  Nightmares?  Do you have any?   Have you had any recently?  Tell us about them.

Do you fall asleep quickly?  Do you need to take sleeping pills?

Can you sleep anywhere if you are tired enough?

Naps.  What are they?  Do you have one every day?

Do you sleep on the bus or train?

Where is the strangest place you have slept?

Have you ever slept outdoors or in a tent?

What can stop us from having good sleeps?  What do you do when you can't fall asleep?

Do you have problems that keep you awake at night?

What are things that we drink or eat that can stop us from sleeping?

Do you snore?  Do you know anyone who snores?

Do you need an alarm to wake you up in the morning?  How many alarms do you have?  What do you use for an alarm?  How often do you press the snooze button?

Do you often sleep in?

Do you often sleep over at other places?

Expressions

How do you sleep at night?

Beauty sleep

let sleeping dogs lie

lose sleep over

didn't get a wink

put to sleep

lull to sleep

sleep like a log

sleep on it

sleep through

sleeping giant

sleep together

sleep around

sleep with

ESL Discussion Questions about Reading

Do you like to read?

How often do you read?

How long can you read at one sitting?  (One hour?  Two hours?)

Where do you read?

How do you read?

How many books are you reading these days?

What have you read today?

What kinds of books do you read?

Do you prefer to fiction or non-fiction?  Novels or short stories?

What do you like to read about?  What do you want to read about?

Can you read one book at a time or do you have several started?

What is you favourite book?

Who is your favourite author?

What is your favourite fiction genre?

Is there a book that changed your mind, your thinking or your life?

Are there books that you are ashamed to admit that you read?

Some books are brain candy. What does that mean?

Have you read a book recently that you couldn't put down?

Does reading make you smarter?

Is reading better than playing computer games?  Conversation?  Doing sports?

Is there a book you always have besides your bed?

Is there a book that you have read over and over and over again?

Do you ever read aloud?

Do you always carry something to read you with?

Can you read minds?  Can you read lips?  Have you ever had your palms read?

Expressions and Idioms using "Read" or "Reading"

Read book

Read between the lines

Read cover to cover

Read from the same page

Read into something

Read it and weep

Read like a book

Read my lips!

Read oneself to sleep.

Read the handwriting on the wall

Read you loud and clear

ESL Discussion Questions about Quarreling

What is it?

We can also call Quarrels: spats, fights, arguments, disagreements,.....

How often do you quarrel? Are you a quarreller? Do you know someone who always seems to be quarrelling?

What do you quarrel about? What do many people quarrel about?

Who do you quarrel with? Is there someone you are always quarrelling with? Do you know a quarrelsome person?  At what age are people most quarrelsome?

Do you win or lose your quarrels?

Are you more likely to quarrel with people you know or strangers?

Are there people who are scared to quarrel with? Why?

Do you like to quarrel? Why? Why not? Is quarrelling fun? Do you do a silly sort of quarrelling?

Who do you like to quarrel with?

Is there good quarrelling and bad quarrelling?
Should quarrels be public or private?

Do you like to watch public quarrels?

Have you seen a quarrel recently? What happened? What were they quarrelling about? How was it resolved? Did the quarrellers come to blows?

Where do you see people often quarrelling?

When husbands and wives quarrel, who wins? What do they quarrel about?

When parents and children quarrel, who wins? What do they quarrel about?

Who quarrels more? Men or women?

What can you do to win a quarrel? What are some good quarrelling tactics? Does screaming and shouting help you win a quarrel? Does hitting help you win a quarrel? Is it better to act calmly? What about being silent?

You know you have won the quarrel when ______________________________.

Is there too much quarrelling in the world? Does quarrelling improve a situation?

Have you ever tried to be the peacemaker in a quarrel?

If you two friends are quarrelling, what will you do?

If your parents are quarrelling, what will you do?

Quarrel Expressions and Idioms

It takes two to make a quarrel. (This means a quarrel is usually both person's fault)

Patch up a quarrel.

To pick a quarrel

To quarrel over something (People often quarrel over _________.)

To quarrel with something (I can't quarrel with what you say. I can't quarrel with lunch at Grandma's. Does anyone want to quarrel with what I just said?)

He has a quarrel with the world.

ESL Discussion Questions about Popularity

Popularity

What is popularity?  What does it mean to be popular?   

What is the opposite of popular?  (unpopular or not popular)

Synonyms:

Accepted, approved, attractive, beloved,  caught on, celebrated, crowd-pleasing, faddish,

famous,fashionable, favored, in, in demand, in favor, in the

mainstream, in vogue, leading, likable, liked,lovable, noted, notorious, now*, okay*, 

pleasing, praised, preferred, prevailing, prominent, promoted, right stuff, run-after, selling, 

social,societal, sought, sought-after, stylish, suitable,the rage, thing*, trendy, 

well-liked, well-received

Antonyms:

Disliked, unknown, unpopular

Are popularity and fame the same thing?

How would you describe it when you are not popular and not unpopular?  (People are indifferent to you)

Are you popular now?  Were you popular before?  Do you want to be popular in the future?

Do you prefer to be popular, unpopular, obscure?

What are the benefits of having popularity or being popular?  What are the problems?

Who are the most popular people in the world? China?  Wuxi?  Who are the unpopular people?  Why?

What things are popular in the world?  China?  Wuxi?  What things are unpopular?  Why?

What activities are popular in the world?  China?  Wuxi?  What activities are unpopular?  Why?

What are the popular places in the world?  China?  Wuxi?  What places are unpopular?  Why?

Also:  Restaurants, Food, pets, cars, drinks, et cetra.

Are these things, activities, or people popular now?  NBA?  Yao Ming?  Jay Chou?  Jeremy Lin? Barack Obama?  Hu Jiantao?  Apple products?  KFC?  McDonalds?  Hollywood Movies?  LV Bags?

Are there popular things that you hate?  

Are these things that don't deserve to be popular?

How can a person become popular?  How can a person become unpopular?  How can a person loses his popularity?  How can a person recover his popularity?

Can anyone become popular?  For some people it is easier to be popular?  Why?

What would you choose:  Do the right thing and become unpopular, or do the wrong thing and be popular?  Are you scared of becoming unpopular?  

What do you think of people who are always trying to be popular?

What do you call people who are always trying to be popular?  (politicians)

Do you like things because they are popular or do you like them because you like them?

Some people think that if a thing is popular it is no good.  Do agree with this?

Do you become popular by agreeing with common opinion or trying to convince them of your opinion?

Things, people, activities can one day be very, very popular.  Then they become very unpopular.  These things are called fads.  Can you think of any recent fads?   Can you think of things in Wuxi that have become very unpopular or are no longer unpopular?

You can be very popular at a moment.  Does that mean you will be very popular in history?

ESL Discussion Questions about Parenting

What is it?

Do you do it? Do you do it well?

Parenting. Other forms of the word, we can make: parent, parenthood, parents, parental, parent,...

What does "parent company" mean?

Finish this sentence: Parenting is ___________.

Are you a parent? Do you like being a parent? Why?

Do you want to be a parent? Why?

Is being a parent the most wonderful thing that can happen in life?

What do you think of people who say they don't want to be a parent? Are they being selfish or are they helping the world by not adding to over population?

Can every person become a parent?

How to be a good parent?

Finish this sentence: A good parent must _________

What kind of parent are you or would you be? Strict, disciplinarian, hands-off, easy-going, loving, attentive?

Should you be your child's best friend?

Do you hug your children?

Is being a good parent all fun and games?

What is bad about being a parent?

What is it like to be with other parents?

Are your parents good parents?

Do you know anyone who has bad parents?

Finish this sentence: I need my parents to give me _____________________.

Would you parent in the same way as you parents? What would you do differently?

How do Chinese parents parent these days? Are they stricter or more gentle with their children than in the past?

What roles do mothers and fathers play as parents?

Finish this sentence: Fathers should ________________ and mothers should____________________________.

Which parent spends more time with a young child?

Which parent should discipline the child?

You want to buy a new computer or candy. Who do you ask? Your mother or father?

You did something wrong and you need your parent's help? Who do you ask? Your mother or father?

Who are the most famous parents in the world?

Do you think parents who have many children have a hard life?

Would you disown (explain!) your children if they were criminals? What would you do if your child was the worst student in class?

It is okay for parents to spank their children?

ESL Discussion Questions about People and Overpopulation

People and Overpopulation

What do you think about people?  Do you like people?  Are you a people person?

Are people generally good or bad?

Are people strange?

What are people good at?

What is bad about people?

What is silly about people?

What kinds of people are there?  What kind of person are you?

What kind of people do you like?

What kind of people do you hate?

Do you like people in groups?  Do you like to be in groups?  Would you rather be alone?

Who is your favourite person in the world?

Who is the greatest person of all-time?

People who don't like people:  misanthropes?  Are you a misanthrope?  Do you know any?

What is population?

Tell me about the Chinese population?  The Wuxi population?  How is the population of Wuxi changing?  How is the population of China changing?  Are these populations growing?

Where is the population of China?  Jiangsu?  Wuxi?  Canada?  America?  Do Chinese live mostly in the city or in the countryside?  Where in China is the population low?

Could you live in a country like Canada where the population is low?

How many people are there in the world?

Do you think there are too many people in the world?  Is there overpopulation?  Is there a population crisis?  Should governments do anything about overpopulation?

What will the population be like in the future?

Should you have a license before you have a baby?

How many people in your life is enough?

Do you like crowds?

How should populations be structured by age?  Do you want a young population or an old population?

ESL Discussion Questions about Old Age

Old Age

At what age do people become old?

Is being old a quantity or a quality?

Other words for old people:  seniors, retirees, grandparents, old codgers, 

Finish this sentence:  Old age is ______________.

What is it like to be old?  What do old people want?  What do they like?  What do they hate?  How do old people feel?  How will they look at the world?  Do they prefer to hang out with other older people or with young people?

Finish this sentence:  Old People are ___________. (wise, experienced, et cetra)

Are old people useful?  What do old people do for Society?  For You?

Are old people respected?

Are old people out-of-touch?

Are old people out-of-fashion?

Are old people scary?

Are old people boring?

Are old people lonely?

Are old people jealous of young people?

Do old people think all young people are foolish?

Are some old people crazy?  Do you know any?

Do you like the way old people dress?

Do you hang out with old people?  Do you hang out with old people who aren't your grandparents?  Who are the old people you know?  Do these old people have lots of stories to tell you?  Are you curious to hear their stories of the old China?  What stories have they told you?

What do these old people do everyday?

What are some things that old people do that you don't like?

Do you agree with the mandatory retirement age in China?  Will it have to be raised in the future?

Do you think old people enjoy being old?

Are you looking forward to being old?

Who looks after old people?  Will you be looking after your parents when they grow old?  When you are old, do you want your child to look after you?  Would you like to live in a care home with other people your age?

What kind of old person do you want to be?

How long do you want to live?

Some old people are curmudgeons.   That is, they are cranky and hate new things.  Do you know any curmudgeonly old persons?

Do you think Old people like the China of 2012?  Do they prefer the older China?

Do old people in China use the Internet, Ipads, mobile phones?  Do they play video games?  Do you think you will play video games when you get old?

Do old people drive cars?  Should they drive cars?

China's top leaders are old.  Is this a good thing?  Should younger people, below 50, be at the top?