Talk about history: 90 questions for English learners in modelled patterns

Stimulate discussion in English with these conversation prompt cards designed to elicit discussion about all things related to history and historical events and figures. With this set of 90 conversation prompts, help your students encounter, notice, and practise language patterns and collocations commonly used to form and answer questions in English.

Questions are colour-coded and grouped into common grammar patterns, with repetition of question forms designed to encourage language uptake as students share their answers.

Example questions and grammar patterns:

What was the most important invention** in history? **
Who was the most powerful woman** in history?**
Which was more important, the invention of the camera or the mobile phone?
Who was Nelson Mandela?
What was the Industrial Revolution?
Which historical event would you like to see?
Do you wish you could visit the Roman Empire?
What do you know about Genghis Khan?
How much do you know about John F. Kennedy?
When did humans first come to Australia?
When did the British Empire exist?

These cards are designed for intermediate levels and above, but are suitable for most levels depending on language goals and careful selection of questions. The choice of appropriate cards depends entirely on what you know of your students’ interests!

They are appropriate for all ages of learners from early teens onwards, regardless of if they are currently at school or graduated some time ago. However, we recommend selecting as appropriate with reference to maturity and cultural sensitivities.

These cards ensure your students learn naturally, increasing the fluency, accuracy, and vocabulary while discussing their own knowledge and understanding of history.

These conversation prompts allow you students to identify and learn common English patterns in a natural, communicative way, while making the class personal to them and their ideas.

Check out more of our products on Foreign Language Teachers to find materials for all levels and ages of learner.

Enliven your language classroom with engaging discussions!