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Topic 17 of 60

Discussion picture Discussion questions Key words

Picture warm-up

1. What do you see in this picture?
2. Who are these people, and what are they doing?
3. Does this look like your life here, or in your home country? How is it the same or different?

Discussion questions

1. Do you know your neighbors? What are they like?
2. How do people treat neighbors in your home country?
3. What makes someone a good neighbor?
4. Have you ever had a problem with a neighbor? What happened?
5. What would you do if your neighbor played loud music late at night?
6. Do you feel part of a community where you live? Why or why not?
7. What community places do you use (library, park, community center)?
8. Have you ever volunteered in your community?
9. How can newcomers get involved in their local community?
10. Is your neighborhood safe? What makes it feel safe or unsafe?
11. What would you improve about your neighborhood?
12. Do neighbors in the U.S. help each other? Give an example.
13. Would you lend your neighbor money or tools?
14. Do you use apps or social media groups to learn about your neighborhood?
15. What local events have you attended?

Key words

Say the word, then read the example sentence out loud.

• neighbor
  Our neighbor watered our plants while we were away.
• neighborhood
  This neighborhood has a great park.
• community
  The community helped the family after the fire.
• volunteer
  I volunteer at the food bank on Saturdays.
• local
  We shop at local businesses.
• community center
  The community center offers free English classes.
• library card
  Getting a library card is free.
• noise
  The noise from upstairs keeps me awake.
• friendly
  The people on my street are very friendly.
• borrow
  Can I borrow your ladder?
• welcome
  Our neighbors welcomed us with cookies.
• gossip
  I don’t like to gossip about my neighbors.
• get involved
  You can get involved by joining the school board meetings.
• block party
  Our street has a block party every July.
• respect
  It’s important to respect your neighbors’ privacy.

Next topic: 18. Health & Doctors

Topic chosen by comparing popular ESL conversation resources (see How these topics were chosen). Questions and example sentences are original to this collection. Translations are a guide and should be reviewed by a fluent speaker.