Blogging mission and reflection on the current situation

Step 1: Watch this informative video. You can also activate the English subtitles. Notice the vocabulary which is used. 

Coronavirus: How did it really start and how do we stop it from happening again?

Step 2: Read these articles and/or other related ones on the web, concerning the recently imposed lockdown and quarantine due to the Covid-19 outbreak. The causes and effects of our current situation could easily be topics of discussion in all the official oral exams in June. 

Suggested reading:

Social Distancing? You Might Be Fighting Climate Change, Too

Social distancing accidentally did the hard part for the climate crisis – now it’s up to us to keep going

How to Keep Mentally Healthy During a Quarantine (with a quiz for learners of English at the end)

How to Deal with Coronavirus (Mis)Information Overload 

Additional Measures to Stop Virus Weigh on Economy

A look at cities under lockdown due to the spread of coronavirus

New Reality of Working From Home

Pros and Cons of Teaching Online

I'm a teacher in Italian quarantine, and e-learning is no substitute for the real thing

Reflect on this quote, too.

Step 3: Now answer at least two of the following questions in the comment section below or in your own post on this blog. Click on the image to read the questions.

Typo in question number 5: Have your eating habits...?

ECPE Challenge Unit 9: Global Population

1. One of the best known initiatives to limit population growth was the One Child Policy instituted in China from 1979 to 2015. Things have now changed, and all couples are now allowed to have two children. Here is a video explaining why the policy was of limited success, what the consequences have been, and why other countries achieved comparable reductions in population without introducing draconian laws. At the end of the video you'll find links to videos on population issues in other countries.

 2. India is soon set to be the world's most populous nation. Here is a Deutsche Welle report (in English!) on how education and income influence family size, particularly among India's growing urban middle class.

3. Following on from the above, here is a TED talk by the Swedish academic Hans Rosling (1948-2017) on why the global population has ballooned in recent decades, and his view of the only sensible solution to the problem.