Discussion Topic: My New Home

Gerard Counihan
profesorSs [at] blabla.es

Activity A

Your students are going to buy a new home, get them to list off their priorities. For example, I got the following:

It must face South (Why?)
It must have a lot of natural light
It should have nice views/Nice location
It must be near the countryside
I prefer a house to a flat (Why?)
It must have amenities nearby (parks, mountains, culture centres, sports centres ...)
I want my privacy
I would not live in a tough area (Why not?)
My flat has to be in the city centre (Why?)

You can even give your students these comments and ask them to rate them in importance (for them).

You could also get them to debate the needs/priorities of single people as opposed to married couples with children, for example.

Tastes and priorities differ from country to country so the English might emphasise the importance of the house as an investment, while the Spanish could underline the necessity to have a comfortable home with a good kitchen, for example.

Activity B

Inside the house, the most important thing for me is ...

Some answers I got:

A balcony (Why?)
Two bathrooms! (If you have sisters ...)
A big TV
An enormous bed
A really comfortable sofa
Book shelves
Big kitchen
A fire place (Why?)
A big bath
Distribution of the house (the lay-out), ie having the bedroom far from the
kitchen or living room (Why?)

As always, anything they say must be supported by explanations/elaboration. No short answers. You could also mention the word "facilities" here, letting them see how it differs from "amenities".

Activity C

Name two or three amenities you consider essential for you. The most common answers I got were:

Sports centre
Public transport
Mountains
Open country
Shopping centre

The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. V, No. 5, May 1999
http://iteslj.org/