The China Teaching Web

Level: Intermediate to Advanced

Sometimes I just do not have the energy to lead a ESL topic discussion so I will resort to using a series of random questions that your English students can discuss amongst themselves. After all, the purpose of an ESL conversation class is to get your students talking.

Warmup: Divide students into groups of two and hand out a copy of the following questions to each group. Tell them that they will have 20 minutes to discuss the questions amongst themselves. After the discussion, you will reconvene the class back together to disuss student’s answers.

1. Talk about three problems that you have right now that you can’t solve. How can you solve them?

2. What are three resolutions that you would like to make? Do you think it is possible to follow through with these resolutions?

3. Why do you think so many bad things have happened in Asia recently?

4. If you need advice, do you go to your mother or father? Why?

5. Is it OK to live with your boyfriend or girlfriend before you marry them?

6. Many people have cars in China today. Some of them simply use their cars to drive 2-3 minutes to work. Do you think all of the cars in China are necessary? Why or why not?

7. Who is the most famous person in the history of China?

8. Look at the sentence “Madam, I’m Adam” and the word “Racecar.” What does this sentence and word have in common?

9. What is one country in the world that you would never visit even if someone paid you a thousand dollars to visit? Why?

10. If you and your wife (or husband) were having a baby would you want to know the sex of the baby? Why or why not?