SESSION 8: EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION AND FINAL TASK

SESSION 8: EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION AND FINAL TASK

2. EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION

2.1 NATIONAL DIET: do all countries eat healthily? Explain your image of this diet and say wether they are healthy or unhealthy:

• Italy
• the USA
• Japan
• Lebanon
• England
• India

2.2 YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT: Express your opinion:

• I strongly believe you are what you eat (if you eat healthily, your mind will be healthy)
• I strongly believe food does not affect your brain

2.3 DEPRESSION: What can stop depression? Rate these and share your ratings with your partner: 10= would definitely stop depression; 1= would have zero impact on depression:

• food
• money
• English level
• friends
• weather
• news
• television
• work

2.4 MEDITERRANEAN FOOD DISCUSSION: Here are some questions you can try asking yourself before you come to our discussion on Wednesday:

a) What did you think when you read the headline?
b) What do you think about what you read? Was there anything surprising?
c) How would you describe your current diet?
d) Do you think people in Mediterranean countries are more laid back?
e) Do you think there’s a link between food and happiness?
f) Do you think the kind of food you eat can lead to depression?
g) Do you eat differently when you feel unhappy?
h) How healthy is your country’s national food?
i) How does the food you eat change your feelings?
j) Which country’s food do you think is healthiest?
k) What do you know about Mediterranean food?
l) How do you make your brain and heart work better?
m) Is there anything better than food to make you happier?

PREPARING A DISCUSSION IS FUNDAMENTAL:

THIS MUST BE DONE IN TWO DIRECTIONS:

FIRST, YOU NEED TO LEARN NEW VOCABULARY AND EXPRESSIONS THAT YOU WILL HAVE TO USE FOR THE DISCUSSION.

SECONDLY, YOU HAVE TO PREPARE THE TOPIC BY LOOKING UP INFORMATION IN THE INTERNET, BOOKS, ENCYCLOPAEDIAS.THIS WAY YOU WILL FEEL MUCH MORE CONFIDENT AND AT THE SAME TIME YOU WILL HAVE MUCH MORE TO TALK ABOUT.

FINAL TASK:

HERE IS ONE FINAL TASK THAT YOU MAY DO IN ORDER TO COVER THE FOUR SKILLS YOU SHOULD FOCUS ON WHEN LEARNING A LANGUAGE: LISTENING, READING, SPEAKING AND WRITING.

Write a composition and leave it in the blog as a comment to Session 8, I will edit it in the blog so that everybody can learn from other people´s opinions.

Choose one of the following topics:

• Write a letter to the newspaper promoting the Mediterranean Diet with all its benefits
• We are what we eat: express your opinion