Journal Question #8

 

The winter solstice comes December 21st.  It is the shortest day of the year, but it signals the return of light to the northern hemisphere, and since ancient times, humans have celebrated it.  The solstice may be the reason Stonehenge (pictured above) was built in England thousands of years ago.  The question is, why is sunlight so important to us?  Today,we have all sorts of artificial light, yet people miss long hours of sunlight; some even suffer from a kind of depression due to lack of daylight.  How about you?  Does the darker time of year bother you?  Why or why not?

Journal Question #7

How do you choose a friend?  Do you speak the same language?  Do you come from the same place?  Do you have the same interests or believe in the same ideas?  How do you know when someone isn't a friend?  Do you choose not to be friends with some people for some of the above reasons (different language, place, interests, beliefs)?  How easily can a friend become not a friend?  How does that happen?

Journal Question #6

The picture shows a "caravan" of immigrants walking through Mexico toward the United States, where they are hoping to live.  President Trump has already said he won't let them in, and he has sent American soldiers to the border to prevent them from entering the country.  Thanksgiving, which celebrates pilgrims immigrating to America 400 years ago, is coming up, and America has been known forever as a "land of immigrants."  Here's the question: Should these immigrants be allowed to enter the United States?  Can immigrants come into your country? In general, should anyone be allowed to live in any country they want?

Journal Question #5

Cigarettes.  Lots of smokers start when they are teenagers, and the earlier you start to smoke, the harder it is to quit smoking later on.  Even if a smoker knows that smoking causes lung cancer and other diseases, he can't stop.  Here's the question: why do teenagers start smoking? 

Journal Question #4

Is it important to have a girlfriend/boyfriend?  Think of your situation now, as a teenager, in high school, working on learning English as well as learning other subjects.  Where does having  a personal relationship with someone - someone more than a "friend" - fit into your life?  What do your parents think?  (Does that matter?)

Journal Question #3

Monday, October 8th is Columbus Day, an American holiday that celebrates the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus, an Italian sailor who sailed for Spain.  Of course, Columbus didn't discover America - there were lots of people there already, whom he called "Indians" because he believed he had discovered a quick way to India.  Some people think Columbus' arrival in North America (or Central America) was a disaster for native Americans: beginning with Columbus, Europeans enslaved, killed, drove away, and, in general, brutalized them.  What's your view?  Is Columbus a hero or a bad guy?  Was his "discovery" a good event in world history?

Journal Question #2

September is "Hurrricane Season" in the Atlantic Ocean, and right now Hurricane Florence (pictured above) is hitting the coast of North Carolina in the United States.  Climate change is causing an increase in the number and strength of extreme weather all over the world, including hurricanes, typhoons, and other big storms, as well as droughts (very dry weather).  Two questions: have you experienced extreme weather of some type?  If so, describe it.  Second: do you think anything can be done to prevent or prepare for increasing extreme weather?  What?

Journal Question #1

 

Monday, September 3rd, is Labor Day in America.  It's a day to celebrate the worker, but also a day to celebrate work.  There's all kinds of work that needs to be done in society, and doing work gives an individual life meaning and importance.   You, as a student, are working, too; the knowledge you gain, skills you acquire, and habits you form through education will enable you to make a living, contribute to society, and take pride in doing a good job.  In your opinion, what is "good work"?  Is there work you have done, or work you hope to do someday that is meaningful and important to you? 

Journal Question #18

There are lots of external reasons to study and to learn: to please your parents and teachers, to get a good grade in school, to get a good score on the TOEFL or SAT, to get into a good college after you graduate from high school, to get a good job in the future.  But there are other reasons to learn that have nothing to do with grades, parents, tests, colleges, or jobs.  I'm talking of curiosity, inquisitiveness, the joy of learning for learning's sake.  Why do you learn?  Take a minute as we approach the end of the school year and ask yourself this question.  Tell me your answer.

Journal Question #17

Sunday is Mother's Day (May 13).  Also, we have been reading stories about family relationships in ELL III.  So, think about families.  First, what is a family?  Must it have two parents?  Children? A mother?  Next, why are families important, both to individuals and to society?    How do they stay the same over time and how do they change?  Can you imagine life without your family?  You can write about your own family, if you wish, or families in general.

Journal Question #16

While we were away on vacation, the world observed "Earth Day."  This is an occasion to remember where we live, and the importance of taking care of our home.    We're not doing a great job at the moment: climate change is creating catastrophic change, melting polar ice, forming massive super storms, and flooding coastlines, all of which could cause species extinction, including our own!  In the spirit of Earth Day, what can we, as individuals, do to save our planet and ourselves?

Journal Question #15

Let's talk about music.  As I write this, I'm listening to Wilco's "Impossible Germany."  What are you listening to?  (Be specific - don't just say, "pop music," say "Lady Gaga's newest CD" or whatever.)  Tell me why you like your music.  When do you listen to music?  Do you listen to different musicians and singers at different times of day or in different situations?  Has your musical taste changed over time?  Do you prefer to listen to music alone or with other people?  Share your music!

Journal Question #14

These are images from the "March for our Lives" protest marches that happened all over the world on Saturday, March 24th.  The march was intiated and organized by students from Marjorie Stoneham Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where a 19-year-old shot 17 people last month.  Many people hope that these protests and further action, led by young people, will finally lead to gun control in the USA.  Here's the question: Do you believe teenagers can make real change in society?  Should teenagers be politically active, lead protests, call for change - even when they can't vote?

Journal Question #13

A student is talking to her father.  She says, "Dad, will you do my HW for me?"

Her father says, "I'm sorry, kid, it just wouldn't be right."

The daughter says, "Well, maybe not.  But give it a try anyway."

That's a joke.  Every culture has its jokes - thousands of them, in fact - but very few jokes are funny to all cultures.  In fact, it's hard to see the humor in the jokes of another culture, even after mastering that culture's language.  Here's the question: What makes you laugh?  Who makes you laugh?  Have you heard jokes or seen comedies from foreign cultures that make you laugh?  Share a joke, if you want, and make us laugh!

Journal Question #12

These are right whales, and they are endangered: there are only 100 females left, according to marine scientists, and they aren't having babies - no calves were born last year.  They are also getting killed by fishing lines and ships, and warming ocean waters are reducing their food (phytoplankton).  At this rate, there may be no more right whales by 2040.  Here's the question:  Should we care about right whales?  If so, why?  What difference does it make to us whether they survive or not?

Journal Question #11

It's hard to pay attention.  I know this because I have to try hard to pay attention, and I've noticed paying attention is hard for most people, especially students.  There is so much to distract a student: digital devices, classmates, intercom announcements, bells, the stream of thoughts running through one's head... Of course, if you want to learn a subject, you have to pay attention to it.   Here's the question: How do you pay attention when all these distractions are around you?  Do you have any strategies or tips to share with your classmates?  

Journal Question #10

If you could design your perfect school, what would it look like?  Think about daily schedule and yearly schedule.  When should the school day start and end?  How many classes should you have every day?  How long should each class period be?  How about curriculum: what kinds of subjects should students take?  What about online classes?  Should sports teams be a part of or separate from school?  How about clubs and other extracurricular activities?  Is your perfect school residential or day, or a combination?  Share your ideas!

Journal question #9

Fire and Ice

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

Robert Frost

This short poem by the American poet, Robert Frost, poses the question: how will the world end - through fire or ice?  If fire is desire, and ice is hate, either one is capable of destroying the world.  In the end, it doesn't really matter how the world ends, it only matters that the world ends.  I thought of it because the weather is getting really cold, and January is the coldest month.  In your opinion, which is the greater destroyer: fire/desire, or ice/hate?  If that's too hard to think about, discuss which you prefer: extreme cold or extreme heat.