Do you look on the bright side?

Get your students discussing the benefits (and drawbacks) of being an optimist in this interactive survey. The language in this poll is suitable for low-intermediate+ English learners. A related lesson on this topic is available in our Discussion Starters section.

Preview
1. How do you usually feel when you face a problem?
- Everything will work out for the best.
- Nothing ever goes my way.
- I think I can figure this out.
Keywords
Do you know these words?
- optimist
- pessimist
- realistic
- progress
- grateful
Agree or Disagree?
2. Optimism can be learned.
- Agree
- Disagree
3. Optimists are usually more successful than pessimists.
- Agree
- Disagree
4. Pessimists are often more realistic than optimists.
- Agree
- Disagree
5. Being too optimistic can be a bad thing.
- Agree
- Disagree
Elaborate
6. What makes you feel hopeful?
- spending time with family and friends
- seeing acts of kindness
- learning about new scientific discoveries
- spending time in nature
- making progress toward my goals
- seeing improvements in my community
7. How do you practice optimism?
- list things I'm grateful for
- spend time with positive people
- practice meditation
- don't take things personally
- be kind to myself