QUICK RESOURCE SHEET #20

Using the newspaper – Part I

“Why do so many teachers like using newspapers? Well, to start with, newspapers are much more current than coursebooks. There is also a lot of information in newspapers which make them an excellent springboard for lessons. Finally, there are lots of different kinds of texts in newspapers (narratives, stories, letters, advertisements, reports…)” 

------------------------ from onestopenglish.com

Today’s links are filled with practical activities using the newspaper to enhance teaching and learning. You’ll find simple and fun activities for young learners, as well as more sophisticated tasks for the more advanced student.

http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Dycus-Jigsaw.html

“The advantage of jigsaw activities is that students must depend on each other for their information, so they must interact to accomplish a given task. The technique described for making jigsaw activities from newspaper articles structures activities so that students read the text, hear the text, master new vocabulary, paraphrase, and interact at all stages of the activity (not at just the discussion stage, as in the traditional approach).”

http://nwanews.com/nie/educators/teachingideas.php

The helpful homepage of this site categorizes the many activities by both subject area and grade level, and includes a special section on arts and crafts activities using the newspaper – integrating the development of language skills into the teaching of students with a variety of learning styles.

http://www.onestopenglish.com/News/Magazine/Archive/news_elt.htm

Included in this well-designed site are the following: Newspaper DOs and DON'Ts | Ideas on how to use newspapers: writing activities, speaking activities, reading activities | Do it yourself news quiz.

http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Krajka-OnlineNews.html

This detailed article from two Polish teacher-researchers focuses on the use of online newspapers. There are quite a few linked references in the bibliography. This article explores a bit more of the background underpinning effective use of the newspaper in the English-language classroom.