I’m obviously not the only person around who creates “The Best…” lists.

The excellent Interesting Pile blog (which is one I’d recommend you subscribe to) led me to lists created by Forbes Magazine (not a publication I generally read).

Most of the lists Forbes creates are not useful to educators, but several are. The articles aren’t accessible to English Language Learners, but excerpts can be modified by teachers. However, some of the topics are intriguing, and they come with accessible slideshows. They could certainly be used to provoke class discussion and to provide writing prompts of students so students can share their opinions about the criteria used to determine the lists’ ranking.

They include:

The Ten Happiest Countries In The World

America’s Best Places To Live

World’s 20 Best Places To Live

World’s Friendliest Countries

America’s Most Polluted Cities