The following 45 minute lesson plan is a wonderful way to get your students talking. Everyone has an opinion on these controversial topics, such as gap years, college entrance exams, and boarding schools. After your students learn the vocabulary for agreeing and disagreeing, they can dive into this engaging discussion.

You can download the student worksheet below.

Worksheet:

1. Look at the following vocabulary words and put them into the table below.

Table:

Vocabulary:

2. In the following dialogue Juan and Adriana are discussing whether or not their school should provide laptops for every student.

What are Juan and Adriana’s opinions on the topic?

Juan – Well, the way I see it our school should offer a free laptop for every student.

Adriana – No way! How could the school possibly afford that?

Juan – For me, it’s not about the cost. It’s necessary. The school asks the students to do assignments online, so the school should be responsible for giving every student access to the online homework.

Adriana – I see what you’re saying, but just to play devil’s advocate, isn’t it also the student’s responsibility to do everything they can to make sure they keep up with their studies?

Juan – For sure, but I still think the school should try to be as fair as possible to all the students and not leave some students behind just because they can’t afford a computer.

3. Practice reading the dialogue with a partner.

4. Talk to your partner. Who do you agree with, Juan or Adriana? Why?

5. Discuss the following education topics with a partner. Be sure to use the new vocabulary words you’ve learned.

1. What do you think about boarding schools? (Boarding schools are the schools where the students live in dormitories at the school.)
   • Are boarding schools popular where you’re from?
   • Some people say boarding schools are better than normal schools. What do you think?
   • It’s unkind to make children and teenagers leave their families for boarding schools. Do you agree?
   • Students who go to boarding schools socialize more than normal students. Do you agree?
2. What’s your opinion on gap years? (A gap year is a year that a college student takes off to travel, study, or work. This “free” year can be taken during, before, or immediately after college.)
   • Are gap years popular in your country?
   • According to some people, gap years help students gain “real world” experience and better understand their interests. Do you agree?
   • Some people think students who take gap years will give up on college entirely. Is that a valid concern?
3. What do you think about year-round schooling? (Year-round schooling is when a school has a shorter summer vacation and longer winter, spring, and fall holiday.)
   • Do most schools have summer vacation in your country?
   • Summer vacation is important for students to relax, don’t you agree?
   • Do you agree that students tend to forget a lot over the summer vacation?
   • Year-round schooling would hurt students opportunities to get summer jobs, go on summer vacation, or go to summer camp. Are those things important?
4. What’s your opinion on college entrance exams? (These exams are often taken in the final year of high school and help determine what college you’ll be allowed into.)
   • Does your country require college entrance exams?
   • College entrance exams are the fairest way to determine what students have learned during their time at school. Do you agree?
   • Some people say these exams are way too stressful for students. Do you agree?
   • Are there other points that should be taken into account when judging whether a student is a good fit for a college? If yes, what are they? If not, why not?

Download the PDF version of this conversation worksheet below.

If you enjoyed this fun conversation lesson, maybe check out another 1 hour long conversation lesson about self-control.