How to coax a Finnish person into expressing themselves in English? A Mission Impossible? Hopefully not! Holding all students’ grandmothers hostage until their offspring cave in and wag their tongue till the cows come home is not practical. Withholding Wi-Fi privileges on the homefront? Not likely to happen.

Teachers can only do so much to promote the atmosphere in class conducive to a lively hum of conversation and they, indeed, do SO MUCH to attain that goal. So, how about it, our Dear Students! Let’s wrench that threshold for speaking in class away once and for all! You’ve got what it takes so just let your hair down and go with the flow! Sounds like teacher talk? Maybe, but that’s really all we can do short of abducting students’ loved ones.

Resistance is futile? Well, this is a free country: you have the right to speak or hold your peace. Holding your peace in Finnish, Swedish, English, German and French is your constitutional right but not really what so called life expects of you. So, why not just give in and enjoy the fabulous materials your teachers have prepared for you. You could, in fact, pull your weight and be a productive member in your group. Doesn’t cost you a dime and actually makes you feel good.

Alrightie, then! Glad to have you on board! Let’s move on to what’s on offer today:

All talk! Topics for Finns to talk about!

Each topic first features a text on the topic to motivate you, then discussion qurestions follow as well as relevant vocabulary that might help you when you discuss the topic at hand. Enjoy! 🙂

• Cloning, Cryonics and Mind Uploading
• Phobias and how to overcome them
• A Look at Values and How They Shape Us
• What’s in a name? A Look at Names
• TikTok: A popular app with a dark side?
• Becoming an adult: Rights and responsibilities at 18
• The Future of Humanity? Genetic Engineering
• Doping in Sports: Shoud It Be Allowed or Banned Forever?
• Being Left-Handed: The World Through The Left-Handed Lens
• Why Finland Is he Happiest Country In The World – Again
• The Role of Gaming in Young People’s Lives: A Curse or a Superpower?
• Fashion with a Conscience: Used Clothes and Modern Trends Among Young People
• The Voyager Probes: Humanity’s Message in a Bottle
• LOVE: A Language With Many Dialects
• MUSIC: The Rise of Streaming: Music in the Digital Age
• TECHNOLOGY: The Role of Technology in the Future of Mankind
• TECHNOLOGY: The State of Self-Driving Cars: Where We Are, What Lies Ahead
• The Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing but the Truth? – Lying!

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Aliens in our midst! The Day of Reckoning?

• Mission: Decode the Alien Descriptions!

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Are you humble, kind, patient, diligent, generous, temperate, and chaste? No? Then read on!

• The Seven Deadly Sins are a classification of vices in Christian teachings that are considered particularly harmful to spiritual growth and moral integrity. 

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Build Your Own Political Party – From Interest Group to Influence

• “What do we want? A NEW PARTY! When do we want it? NOW! What do we say? Well, this is where YOU take over. Together with your group, make our political landscape more interesting with exciting new special interest parties!“

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It’s movietime!

• Don’t we just love a rewarding movie experience! This time you’ll first learn everything about movie logic – a world of its own, really. Then you’ll become a star in a movie and trust me: You’ll get to say the best lines! Next, together with your partner(s), plan the next blockbuster movie. Following that, act out some full-fledged movie scenes. Finally, when we’re fully immersed in the topic, it’s time to discuss your preferences in detail.

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Legal Eagles – I’ll See You In Court!

• This is your chance to see if you’re cut out for legal professions. Looks like it’s going to be a busy day at the court – no fewer than five cases to be decided! It’s tempting to point the finger at the defendant, but every perpetrator deserves a chance to be heard – the due process. However, justice will prevail! Won’t it? All rise! The Honourable Judge Knott presiding!

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Pitching competition for start-up ideas – SLOSH!

• You and your fellow wannabe entrepreneurs have been chosen to attend this exclusive event. Your group has got two minutes to present your business idea to wealthy investors. They are known to be a picky lot, but if your presentation makes them sit up and take notice, you just might get funding for your great business proposition and be on your way to one day making some serious dough with it.

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Role-Play: Who Takes Care of Buddy The Dog?

• It’s Friday afternoon, and the Reynolds family is looking at a busy weekend. Everyone has plans—some fun, some necessary. To make matters more complicated, the apartment is under partial renovation (living room & kitchen out of use Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning).
• Target of the role-play:
• The family must negotiate and compromise to make sure Buddy is cared for Friday evening → Sunday night. They need to discuss availability, distances, transport, and even possibly moving Buddy between locations.

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The Meaning of Life

• … aaaannnd the Meaning of Life isssss ……. just one click away!

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Thoughts about food / Food for thought

• Food is something we all need every day, but our opinions about it can be very different. Some foods are almost universally loved, while others are often hated or avoided. Food can also be seen as healthy or unhealthy, comforting or risky, everyday or festive. In this activity, you will explore different foods and eating habits, compare tastes, and discuss your own likes, dislikes, and choices.

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Project Finland, Finland, Finland!

• Loooaaads of stuff to do with Finland and finnishness. Enjoy! 🙂

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National stereotypes

• Stereotypes and prejudices – Miksi emme suomalaisessa koulusysteemissä juurikaan opeta kansojen ja kansallisuuksien “tyypillisiä” ominaispiirteitä? Siksi, että stereotypiat ja muut joskus ennakkoluuloiset käsitykset ovat arvottavia ja yksinkertaistavia. Mene itse paikan päälle tai ota muuten selvää ja muodosta oma mielipiteesi. Mtäh? Taasko iskee sensuuri? Ha haa! Ei tällä kertaa! 🙂

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Teacher’s Pet or Trouble Magnet? – Nicknames in the school world (all bases covered)

• In this day and age, do we still have Teacher’s pets? In fact, teachers are also interested in other students beside the compliant, independent and simple-to-manage ones. To be branded Teacher’s pet must be one of the most unfortunate fates for a student. Hence they have nicknames, but so do every other type of student running the gamut from Veritable Angels to Disaster Magnets. Below you will find different categories of students and a whole host of suitable nicknames for each type of student. In all fairness, different types of teachers are also included as well as different types of schools and headmasters/headmistresses. Hopefully studying all these nicknames will motivate you to discuss school life and the importance of education with your partner. Let’s rock’n’roll!

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Philosophical & Moral Dilemmas – Oral Exercise

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Murder Mystery Game Situation: “The Case of the Midnight Masquerade”

• At a lavish mansion, a grand masquerade ball is underway. Guests from high society mingle in an evening of intrigue. The host, Lord Reginald Blackwood, is a wealthy and influential man. However, at the stroke of midnight, Lord Blackwood is found dead in the ballroom, and the doors to the mansion are locked. No one can leave until the murderer is caught.

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Murder Mystery Game Situation: “Overboard on the High Seas”

• A luxurious cruise ship, the SS Oceanic Dream, is on a two-week voyage through the Caribbean. On the fifth night of the journey, Richard Davenport, a wealthy tech entrepreneur, mysteriously disappears. The ship is en route to its next destination, and when Davenport doesn’t show up for dinner, his absence raises alarms.
• After a search of the ship, it’s clear: Richard Davenport is missing, and the possibility that he was thrown overboard looms large. The captain orders a lockdown—no one can leave the ship until the case is solved. But was it an accident, or is there foul play involved?

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Mystery Game Situation: “The Case of the Sudden English Prodigy”

• At Northern Pines Senior High School, rumors are spreading. Alex Nieminen, a perfectly average 17-year-old student, has suddenly started scoring near-perfect marks in all recent English course exams. Teachers and classmates are baffled. Has Alex suddenly unlocked hidden genius? Or is something fishy going on? Players (students, teachers, investigators, or a mix) must piece together the clues to uncover the truth.

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Mystery Game Situation: “The Vanishing of the Elder Wand”

• The Elder Wand, one of the Deathly Hallows, has mysteriously vanished from Dumbledore’s tomb. Alarmed by the potential consequences of the most powerful wand in existence falling into the wrong hands, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley are tasked with finding it. As they dig deeper, they realize the mystery is more complex than it seems, and several key figures at Hogwarts—both allies and enemies—are involved.

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