ESL Discussion Questions about Blindness

Blindness: What is it?

Word forms related to the word blindness: blind, blindly, to blind, to be blinded,

What is the opposite of blindness? Sightedness.

What is the opposite of being blind? Being sighted.

Physical Blindness

What would it be like to be blind?

If you became blind, what would you miss most about being sighted?

What are the advantages of being blind? (Do blind people have special powers.)

Do you know anyone who is blind? Has limited sight? Has a bad eye?

Are we all blind in our own way? 

Willful Blindness

What does this mean? That we choose to be blind.

How can we say that we chose to be blind?

• We choose to be blind to certain things.

What do people choose to be blind to?

• Their faults, their bad habits, the faults of people they love or have to deal with, omens of disaster, the suffering of others.

Why do people choose to be blind to these things?

Blind Spots

What does this mean?

Sometimes we are unthinkingly or unknowingly blind to things. We never notice them perhaps.

Example: We don't notice that we talk too much. We don't notice how our actions annoy other people. We have a flaw in our appearance that we never notice except when we see them in a mirror either in a public place or after we have been in public.

Everyday Blind Spots

Are there some things you may be blind to?

Are there some things that you have noticed that other people are blind to?

What is a common blind spot people have?

What would it mean to have a store in a blind spot?

Driving Blind Spots

Where are the blind spots on a moving vehicle?

Without mirrors?

With Mirrors?

Why shouldn't you pass cars on the right?

Why shouldn't you be on the right hand side of a truck?

Blind Idioms and Expressions

A case of the blind leading the blind

blind as a bat

to blind someone to something

Love is blind.

A nod is as good as a wink to a blind horse

• You cannot get people to take a hint if they are determined not to.

There's none so blind as those who will not see.

• You cannot make someone pay attention to something that he or she does not want to notice. 

• (Used often to upbraid someone for being unwilling to notice what you are trying call attention to.) 

turn a blind eye (to someone or something)

• to ignore something and pretend you do not see it. 

Blind date

Blind Alley

Blinded by the light

Blindfolded

Drink oneself blind

Bonus Chinese Idiom

瞎子摸象 (xiāzi mō xiàng)

 

The blind men feel an elephant ─ To take a part for the whole.

ESL Discussion Questions about Mothers (Mother's Day Questions)

What will you do on Mother's Day?

Slang names for mothers? Mom, Mommy, Ma. Mamma,

How do you address your mother?

Are you a mother? Do you like being a mother?

Do you want to be a mother? (even ask the men this question.)

What are the pleasures of being a mother?

What do you hate about being a mother?

What duties does a mother have?

What roles do mothers have in our lives?

What are some things that mothers shouldn't do? That is, it is best that the father does them.

Is it good for a child to not have his mother in his or her life? (Are mothers necessary for raising children?)

How to be a good mother? How to be a bad mother?

Should there be a school to teach women how to be a good mother?

How can one learn to be a good mother?

Tell me about your mother.

How much are you like your mother? How are you and your mother different?

Do you admire your mother? Why? Why not?

What do you like best about your mother?

Finish this sentence: My mother is the best because____________.

Do the Chinese like to compare their mothers?

What did you learn from your mother?

What is your mother's favourite expression or saying?

What does your Dad like to do?

What is your favourite memory of your mother?

How do you show your mother you appreciate him?

Famous mothers?

Famous mother characters? e.g. Marge Simpson, Mary,

How are mothers portrayed in Chinese television and movies?

Idioms and Expressions using the word "mother"

A face that only a mother can love.

Like mother, like daughter

He is a momma's boy

the mother of something (e.g. the mother of all parties)

Necessity if the mother of invention

Discussion Questions about Gratitude (Updated with some idioms and expressions added)

What is Gratitude?

It is said that the secret to happiness is to have gratitude?  Agree?  Disagree? Why?

What are you thankful for?

What should we most be thankful for?

Who are you thankful to?

Who is a person everyone should be thankful to?

Make a list of ten things you are grateful for?

Why are you thankful for these things?

Make a list of ten people you are grateful to?

Why are you grateful to these people?

How to show your gratitude?

How do other people show their gratitude for things?

How to thank people?

Is there someone you forgot to thank?

Is the Spring Festival a time to have gratitude?

Do you expect to be thanked when you do something nice?

To have no gratitude — ingratitude; to be ungrateful

Do you know some ungrateful people?

What people are usually more ungrateful?

Can you remember some times when you were ungrateful?  

Are children usually grateful for what they have?

Is it okay to do thankless tasks?  What are some examples of thankless tasks?

Do you think the youngest generation is ungrateful for what they have?

Were the older generations more grateful?

Expressions

You better thank you lucky stars.

To owe someone a debt of gratitude

Thanks a lot

Thanks for nothing

No thanks to you

Thanks a million

Thanks but no thanks

Thanks for the lift

Thanks for the info

bite the hand that feeds you

don't look a gift horse in the mouth