Oral Topics

Role Play Topics:

A: Invite B to go somewhere this weekend. B: Politely refuse A's invitation. A: Call and tell your boss (B) you can't come to work because of illness. B: You think A is bluffing (not really sick). A: Ask B to teach you to play tennis. B: You hate coaching for free. A: Try to get B to divulge a secret about someone else. B: Don't be persuaded to do it. A: Ask B to give you a ride home. B: A's house is out of the way, and your time is limited. A: Call and tell B you can't come to the party on Friday. B: Try to get A to come to the party. (It's a surprise party for him/her.) A: Try to get B to smoke marijuana. B: You don't want to use any illegal drug. A: Call to order a pizza. B: Wrong number. You sell pitas, not pizzas. A: Present B with an unsolicited gift. B: You do not feel comfortable accepting the gift. A: Try to get B to go on a date with your niece/nephew. B: You can't stand A's niece/nephew. A: You ran over B's favorite pet with your truck. Apologize to him/her. B: You are very upset with the news. The pet is irreplaceable. A: You lost your wedding ring. Tell your spouse (B). B: Get angry with A for losing the ring.

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Society, social life, and living standards

Society: - How would you describe Spanish society? - How do you think Spanish society will change in the next forty years? - What is it that holds a society together? drives it apart? - Discuss the problems of a multi-racial, multi-ethnic society. - What are some of the icons of today's society?

Social life: - Are you satisfied with your social life? Why or why not? - Where is it easiest for you to meet new people? - Compare your social life to that of your parents twenty or thirty years ago. - How would your social life change if you had more money? less money?

Living standards: - How would you compare your living standards to those of your grandparents? - How does society decide what acceptable living standards are?

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INTERNET BLOGS 1. Do you think that Internet blogs should be regulated by the government? 2. Should people have the right to access any information they choose on the Internet? 3. What do you think will happen if government tries to censor certain information on the Internet? What will happen if they don't? 4. Who has the right to curtail freedom of speech? (The government, the individual, political organizations, no one) For More Practice With a partner or in groups, debate the pros and cons of censoring information on the Internet. JUNK FOOD BAN 1. Do you agree or disagree with the idea of banning junk food in public schools? 2. Should people have the right to consume whatever they want, even if it might be harmful to them? 3. Are school children mature enough to make their own decisions about what they will eat? 4. Who is most responsible for teenagers' health? (the kids themselves, their parents, school teachers and administrators, the government) 5. Should schools be allowed to accept money from businesses in exchange for promoting their products? For More Practice With a partner or in groups, debate the pros and cons of banning junk food in public schools. DISASTER PLANS 1. How do you feel about recent natural disasters (earthquakes, tsunamis, etc.) in the news? 2. What do you think is most important for survivors of these disasters? 3. How can the rest of the world best help the people in devastated areas? 4. What can people do to prepare for possible disasters in the future? 5. What types of disasters are common in your home country? (hurricanes, typhoons, tornadoes, etc.) 6. Have you ever experienced a natural disaster? What was it like? For More Practice 1. Pretend you are an emergency relief worker. Role play a conversation with a disaster victim. 2. With a partner or group, make plans to cope with potential disasters in your area. 3. Organize a project to assist survivors of a recent catastrophe. 4. Prepare a speech to request donations for a charitable cause. 5. Pretend you just received a large sum of money to assist disaster victims. Make plans with your group or partner to spend the money effectively to help the most people. 6. Pretend you experienced a recent disaster. Describe the event in detail to your partner or group.

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MARRIAGE AND HEALTH 1. Do you agree that married women (or men) have fewer health risks than single people? 2. Why do you suppose there is a connection between marital happiness and health? 3. Could an unhappy marriage lead to health problems? Why or why not? 4. Do you think that living with (but not being married to) a partner can produce the same health benefits? Why or why not? 5. What are the health benefits and/or risks of having children? 6. What are the advantages/disadvantages of remaining single? 7. Does health necessarily decline as a result of being divorced or widowed? For Additional Practice Take a survey of your married and single friends. Who do you think is better off in terms of health, wealth, happiness? ART EDUCATION 1. Where does the budget for public school events come from? 2. When schools need to raise money for a school activity, where should they go? (parents, school districts, taxpayers, volunteers, etc.) 3. What do you think would be a reasonable amount for citizens to pay to support education in their communities? 4. How should schools determine which extracurricular activities to support? (e.g. athletics, band, clubs, dances, drama, etc.) For More Practice Pretend you are a parent and need to raise funds to support your child's school soccer team. How would you go about it? Role play the above situation, asking a local businessman/woman to support your cause. ENGLISH LANGUAGE STUDY 1. When do you think is a good age to start learning a new language? 2. What are the advantages/disadvantages of learning a new language at a young age? 3. Which language(s) would you most like to learn? Why? 4. How is knowing a second language helpful to your children's future? 5. What do you think are the best methods for learning a new language? For More Practice - Discuss the merits of second language learning with a person who doesn't think it's important. - Do your relations speak a second language? Would you recommend that they learn another one? Why or why not?

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