April 7 2016 Blog Discussion

This is today's article. Please read and understand it before Wednesday's class. The difficult vocabulary is defined at the end of the article. Try to read it first before studying the vocabulary.

Don't forget the questions below the article.

See you in class!

More than 100,000 of these baby turtles have been released into a river near the Bolivian Amazon. 

Bolivia's President, Evo Morales, along with Alexandra Moreira, Bolivian Minister for the Environment and

Water, attended the releasing ceremony.

The goal is to repopulate the area with the small turtles. These can eventually measure up to 3.2 feet (1

 metre), weigh up to 154 pounds (70 kilograms) and live for up to 100 years.

The repopulation plan dates from 2007 and has the support of Brazil. According to Moreira since they 

started, 10 million baby turtles have been released back into the wild near the border with Brazil.

River turtles inhabiting the rivers of the Bolivian Amazon are endangered due to the high demand for 

their meat and eggs which are high in protein.

Morales praised conservation work being carried out for the turtles, pointing out how more than ever 

there are new generations joining political projects that allow us to take care of Mother Earth. The 

president of the ecological association in the area, Jose Suarez from Brazil, said conservation work was

 important for the biodiversity in the region. He pointed out that turtles have no nationality. They belong

 to nature and it is imperative, therefore, that projects like this are undertaken.

The turtles live in the rivers of the Departments of La Paz, Pando, and Santa Cruz. They play an 

important role in the ecosystem there, as they help to save flooded forests by digesting food which can

 clean the rivers.

Difficult words: the support of Brazil (the people in Brazil want this plan to happen), inhabit (to live somewhere), endangered (at risk of dying out), due to (because of), praise (to say good things about), ecological (studying plants and animals), biodiversity (the different living things in a place), imperative (very important), therefore (for that reason), digest (to eat).

Source: www.ondemandnews.com

1. Do you think it is humans responsibility to replace extinct or endangered animals?
2. Are there any animals in your country you think should be re-populated?
3. Do you think re-populating just encouraged polluters to pollute more?
4. What actions do you do to conserve the environment?
5. Who do you think should pay the money to clean the environment? Government? Taxpayers? Companies? Why?
6. In your opinion, do animals have a nationality? Do they belong to a certain country or are they world citizens?

March 30/16 Blog Discussion

The blog discussion today is short, but please think about it. I'd like each student to be able to discuss at least 4 of the suggested topics below. You can also add different advice you might want to give, as long as you have four good points to discuss. Be ready to ask questions to other people too.

If you could go back in time and speak to your younger self, what advice would you give?

eg. something you should not do, something you should do, someone you should/shouldn't meet, somewhere you should/shouldn't go, something you should/shouldn't buy, etc. Make sure to think of more than just these examples.

March 23 2016 Discussion!

Please watch the entire video by clicking http://www.bbc.com/news/business-35631265

It is about 4 and a half minutes and is about food.

Also, please think about these questions.

1) What do you know about 3D printing? Is there a place that you can 3D print in your home city?
2) Do you think 3D printing and food go together? Why or why not?
3) Do you think this technology will reduce the number of chef jobs?
4) What other profession is technology entering these days?
5) Do you enjoy gourmet food or do you think it is a waste of money?
6) Would you eat this 3D printed food? Would you pay more for it? Why?

Wed, March 13 2016 blog discussion

Please read the article posted below. We will talk about this in class. There are no questions to prepare for. I will give these out in class.

Remember your reading strategy. Read one with no dictionary. Read again with a dictionary. Then read again however you would like.

See you in class!

A man in Britain can see again because of a new bionic eye. Ray Flynn, 80, became the first patient in the world to get the new device, which is an artificial retina. Mr Flynn suffers from a condition called age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This is one of the most common problems with eyesight around the world. Flynn started losing his sight ten years ago. Doctors told him eight years ago that he had AMD. From that time, his sight became worse and worse. It became so bad that he could only see things out of the corners of his eyes. Everything in the centre of his eyes was blurred and he could not see shapes properly. He said that even looking at simple things made him very tired.

Mr Flynn's bionic eye cost $125,000. Britain's national health service hopes the cost of the operation will come down. This means many more people will be able to have the operation for free. Flynn had the surgery last month. Doctors spent four hours putting a microchip in the back of his eye. Doctors are very happy with the operation, which they said was a success. Flynn can now read a newspaper and admire the flowers in his garden for the first time in many years. His doctor, professor Paulo Stanga, said: "Mr Flynn's progress is truly remarkable. He is seeing the outline of people and objects very effectively." Professor Stanga hopes scientists can also help people who have been blind from birth.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3169864/Eye-sight-breakthrough-thousands-UK-scientists-invent-BIONIC-EYE-save-sight-80-year-old.html#ixzz3gYzWtYRM

Wed, March 9, 2016 Blog Discussion!

Please read the following article about a 10 year old model, look up any words you do not know, and be ready to discuss the questions below. See you in class!

Matthew

Discussion Questions

With your partner, discuss the following questions. Feel free to ask any follow-on questions you like.

1.      When you first looked at this article, read the title and saw the pictures, what were your initial thoughts?  Do you find the pictures disturbing?

2.      What is your opinion of Thylane’s parents?  Are they doing anything wrong? 

Do they deserve to be criticized?  Are they bad parents?

 

3.      What do you think life is like for a 10 year old supermodel? 

Do you think she enjoys her career?  Would you?  

4.      What do you think Thylane’s life will be like ten or twenty years from now? 

Will she still be modeling?  Will she be rich, successful and happy? 

5.      Is it good for a child to have a career?  Is it healthy?  Will they thank their parents for the opportunity or will they resent their lost childhood when they grow up? 

6.      Would you encourage your child to be a model?  What about a child actor or singer?    Why/why not?  What if you were offered a lot of money? 

7.      What is a good age for someone to start their first job?  How old were you when you started yours?  How did you feel?  How did you spend your wages?

8.      Did you have any special talents when you were young?  How did you use them?  

March 2, 2016 Blog Discussion!

Today it'll just be questions for us to talk about in class. Please look up the unknown words in your dictionary before class and make sure you understand all of the questions. Let's have a good discussion!

There are many signs up in the subway cars that say people in apartments are not recycling. I have a few questions about this.

1) Does it seem easy to recycle here in Toronto?
2) Should we blame the people who live in apartments, or the landlords for not making it easier to recycle?
3) Should there be a fine if people are caught throwing recycling in the garbage?
4) Is there a recycling program in your home city?
5) Can anything be recycled in your home city?
6) Do you recycle here? Do you recycle in your home city?
7) Do you think that recycling really helps the environment?



See you in class.

Matthew

Feb 24, 2016 Discussion

Hello Speaking Class! I hope the weekend was pleasant. Below is the link to the video for Wednesday and below that are the questions. Try to think of how beauty and health are related in your home culture or city.

This YouTube video is pretty long. You only need to watch about the first five minutes to get the main idea. Watch more of it for more practice if you have the time.

1) Which do you think is more important, health, or appearance?

2) Would you take medicine to cure an appearance problem (for example, acne or serious pimples) even though it might negatively affect your health?

3) Do you think our culture is too worried about appearance?

4) If someone dies because they were taking a prescribed drug, whose fault is it? The company that makes the drug, the government for allowing the drug to me prescribed, the doctor for prescribing the drug, or the patient for choosing to take the drug?

5) Who puts more pressure on girls to be beautiful? Men or Women?