Finding common ground and building conversation can often prove a difficult task for many. Help learners build this important social skill using this resource, which includes a Venn diagram worksheet and sentence prompts to help students...

Get small groups of English language learners talking with this short activity. Attached is a worksheet that encourages learners to talk about leisure activities that they do, that they'd like to try, and that they would never try....

In this language arts worksheet, students participate in a small group discussion about leisure activities. Before the discussion, students fill out a chart about activities they already do, ones they want to learn and those they would...

How familiar are your pupils with globalization? Hold a discussion on that topic using the questions and viewpoints provided here. Learners can study the vocabulary and read the points of view in order to prepare for the final talk.

After reading or watching the musical Les Miserables, challenge your high schoolers with these analysis questions. The sheet provided suggests having class members record the answers to these questions, but they would also be good...

Teach learners how to communicate and collaborate in a discussion on a shared project with this rich activity. It asks participants to channel their unique imaginations to produce a fictional "groupworld", while adhering to proper...

Are you afraid of what goes bump in the night? Talk about the supernatural with your English language learners to find out their beliefs while practicing speaking skills. Learners read three different viewpoints on the paranormal...

Smile for the camera and find out how your English language learners feel about fame! Class members read three different points of view on fame and then discuss ten questions about the topic.

Technology is a hot topic, so why not discuss it with your English language learners? There are three viewpoints from students included on this page, along with vocabulary words and ten tech-related questions to discuss.

A wonderfully graphic cartoon entices learners to read more about issues near the Arabian Peninsula. They will use the provided cartoon and critical thinking question to practice building their analytical and critical thinking skills....

In this ESL discussion learning exercise, students will focus on the usage of the word "should." Students will read a letter and offer up advice pertaining to the problems discussed in the written note.

Readers are introduced to the key themes in Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie by this carefully crafted anticipation guide. A great discussion starter.

Connect events of the past to events of today. Budding historians read an eight paragraph passage describing the Watergate scandal. They then connect the Nixon scandal to sex scandals of recent times. There are six critical thinking...

Immigration to the US has been a topic of discussion for many years. Inform your class about discrimination against immigrants during the Gold Rush with a short reading passage. After reading, class members answer five questions related...

Is being uncomfortable worth it if you look good? Inspire discussion about fashion and culture with a brief New York Times article about painful fashion. Whether used as a persuasive essay prompt or as a discussion starter,...

As scholars take in the constant ambush of current events, help them develop media literacy skills by extracting important details from hard news articles. This story from December 2011 presents information on the Republican primaries...

These historical scenarios are designed to aid the class understand how slaves resisted their masters. They are presented with six scenarios which they then respond to by describing how they would resisted slavery in each situation. This...

Political comics can be a great way to get kids thinking critically about current political topics. They assess this cartoon and analyze how the cartoonist feels about US spending policy. There are three solid critical analysis...

Get an idea of how your learners are feeling now that they are back in school with a quick activity. Kids complete 12 sentence starters in order to express their thoughts on the new year. Why is it fun? Why is it stressful? The final...

In this discussion starters worksheet, students name 2 things they must remember to do before the given activities. Students come up with 8 responsibilities they must do.

Use this political cartoon as a class warm up or discussion starter. Upper graders examine the role of newspapers as government watchdogs. Items for consideration are available, alongside a vivid cartoon.

In this conditional sentences worksheet, students respond to 8 short answer questions regarding financial decisions. Students also finish 6 sentence starters.

In this ESL conversation starter worksheet, students work in partners to read each of 16 situations. Students try to guess what happened immediately before. Then the partners read the cause.

Start off analysis of a text with a instructional activity that asks pupils to complete several tasks. Class members note down a couple of characters or people and their distinguishing traits, describe the most important event, summarize...