SESSION 22: A SONG

SESSION 22: A SONG

SIXPENCE NONE THE RICHER - KISS ME

SESSION 22: A VIDEO (2)

SESSION 22: A VIDEO (2)

BBC: BRITAIN NEEDS A CABINET MINISTER FOR MENTAL HEALTH

SESSION 22: A VIDEO (1)

SESSION 22: A VIDEO (1)

ACTION FOR HAPPINESS LAUNCH ON BBC 1 NEWS AT SIX

SESSION 22: EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION AND FINAL TASK

SESSION 22: EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION AND FINAL TASK

 

2. EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION:

2.1 LIFE SATISFACTION: Think about the following points and how they are related to life satisfaction:

• work situation
• financial situation
• personal relationships
• mental well-being
• anxiety
• peacefulness

2.2 DISCUSSION: HERE ARE SOME QUESTIONS AND STATEMENTS WHICH YOU CAN THINK ABOUT AND TRY ASKING YOURSELF BEFORE YOU COME TO OUR DISCUSSION ON WEDNESDAY:

• Do you think happinness has to do with the fact that things you do in life are worthwile or not?
• Must there be a balance between time spent on paid work and on other aspects of life? Do you think this contributes to life satisfaction?
• Think about what Lord Layard said: Life satisfaction will fall as the recession hits. Do you agree with this?
• 'More equal societies are happier', do you agree? Does this mean that redistribution of income will produce a happier populace?
• Felicia Huppert has made a study on 'things in life that are worthwile'. Have you ever asked yourself about the things in your life that are worthwile to you?
• What do you know about the Himalayan Buddhist Kingdom of Bhutan and the idea of gross national happiness?
• President Sarkozy asks Nobel Laureates Joe Stiglitz and Amartya Sen how to measure happiness. Do you think Presidents and Prime Ministers are or should be worried about the idea of national happiness? Is this an important political issue?
• Professor Jonathan Haidt highlights the importance of relationships and talks about five values in societies that we should consider: care, fairness, loyalty, respect and purity. Do you agree with him? How do these values relate to happiness?
• Do you agree with the fact that a lot of young people think that wealth and celebrity will make them happy? Isn´t this what we have taught them?
• Professor Jonathan Haidt says that it´s not wealth and celebrity what makes you happy but relationships, engagement and feeling that you contribute to the community. Do you agree with him?
• Paul Allen mentions that another big factor in happiness is health. Do you agree with him? To what extend is health important to our happiness?
• Britons associate happiness with being: calm, relaxed and peaceful. Nevertheless, our lifestyle nowadays leads us to being energized and excited. Do you agree with the Britons?
• In what way are the following factors more or less important to feeling happier: money, work, relationships, engagement, health.

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 IN THE ORAL SESSION.

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 22, I will edit it in the blog so that everybody can learn from other people´s opinions:

• 'More equal societies are happier', express your opinion.
• 'Life satisfaction will fall as the recession hits', how does this statement relate to Spain and its economical situation nowadays.

SESSION 22: TEXT FOR WEDNESDAY 14th MARCH

SESSION 22: TEXT FOR WEDNESDAY 14th MARCH

BRITONS STILL HAPPY DESPITE FINANCIAL WOES, SURVEY FINDS

Author: Tim Bowen

A 2011 survey has revealed that while most Britons are not content with their work-life balance, they are averagely very happy with their personal relationships and mental well-being. However, experts warn that this will decrease as the recession takes hold.

Text taken from:

http://www.onestopenglish.com/

Just click on: http://www.onestopenglish.com/skills/news-lessons/monthly-topical-news-lessons/pdf-content/britons-still-happy-despite-financial-woes-advanced/551856.article And you have the text together with some exercises and the key for you to work on.

HOPE YOU ENJOY IT!

SESSION 21: A SONG

SESSION 21: A SONG

STING - MY ONE AND ONLY LOVE

SESSION 21: TEXT FOR WEDNESDAY 7th MARCH

SESSION 21: TEXT FOR WEDNESDAY 7th MARCH

Hi followers,

This week we will repeat the same topic of Session 20. Read the text in Session 20 and do the exercises, you have the key to correct yourselves.

6,000-Calorie Burger Gives Man Heart Attack

You can also write the composition suggested in Session 20. Choose one of these two Topics:

• Mens Sana in Corpore Sano, express your opinion.
• Write a letter to Jon Basso telling him what you think about his restaurant: Heart Attack Grill Restaurant.