Discussion Topic: My New Home

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