Teacher Tips for using Easy English NEWS in your classroom.

Tips for Teachers

Please see our new 24-page "HOW TO Use Easy English NEWS in your ESL Classoom". It's a free download for teachers.

Advanced Students

Ask preview questions to create interest and readiness for the articles: "What do you think this article is about? What do you know about ____? What do you know about ____?"
Provide class time for silent reading. Let students explore the paper and read the articles in the order they choose.
Assign articles to read as homework.
Ask each student to choose an article (or assign one) to read and give a report on. Have students present a class "TV NEWS Broadcast." Students can work in pairs, dividing up the responsibility for the report and rehearsing with each other.
Have students give their opinions of the article and tell how the article impacts their own lives.

Intermediate Students

Find out how much your students already know about an article you choose for a group lesson. Elicit the experiences they have had regarding the topic.
Write the boldfaced words (and any other words you think your students may not know) on the blackboard. Pronounce the words for the students, and elicit their meanings if possible. Use the words in several sample sentences.
Create several fact questions that are answered in the article, and write these on the blackboard. Tell the students to listen for the answers as you read the article to them (with their papers closed). Have students raise their hands to stop you when they hear the answer to one of the questions.
Then, with papers open, read the article as students follow along in the text.
Next, have students take turns reading a paragraph at a time. Help by modeling pronunciation or intonation when necessary.

Beginning Students

Choose easier, concrete articles. Use the pictures to help communicate the context. Ask students what they can see in the picture. Write their remarks on the blackboard.
Read a sentence to the class. Use pictures, gestures, and actions to get the meanings across. Ask "yes/no" questions and "who/what/where/when" questions to check comprehension. Repeat the sentence and have the class read the sentence together. Then have individuals read the sentence.
Read sentences at random from a selected article. Have students skim to find the sentence and then have them read the sentence that follows it.
Have students work in pairs and read the article to each other, alternating paragraphs.
Call out key words in the article, and have students search for them and circle them in the article. Give a spelling test on selected sentences from the article.
Have students relate the article to their own experience.

Regular Features in Easy English NEWS

Page 1: Life in the U.S.

Front-page articles may include recent news of interest to newcomers; an aspect of U.S. government; or tips for adapting to living and working in the U.S. These articles are longer and more challenging than some of the shorter pieces in other sections of the paper. Some topics are continued over several months. Determine what students already know about the topic before reading. Gather any additional illustrations or materials to supplement their visual understanding of the topic.
Pace the reading based on the strengths and background of your students. Students' comprehension will depend on their prior education as well as on their age and English level. Based on the students needs, decide if students should be "familiar" with the topic, "conversant" with the topic or "masters" of the topic.
A single subtopic may be sufficient for a day's lesson for beginning students, while advanced students may cover the entire article. Use students personal experience to make the topic "come to life."
Vary the way you approach the article each month. Silent reading; reading in pairs; group oral reading; listening while the teacher reads; skimming to find answers to questions.
Spend the time that "it's worth" to the students' current and future needs. Some topics may not be suitable for some classes, so shave students skim or find the highlights, or read just the first few paragraphs in class, allow others to read the article if interested, outside of class.

Pages 2 and 3: Holidays

Using the calendar, have students tell any special days that they know about in the current month, including school events, holidays in their home countries, their own birthdays and anniversaries, etc.
Have students relate how holidays of the current month are celebrated in the students' home countries.
Have students research how other members of their school or community will celebrate the holiday. Have them report their findings to the class.

Page 4: Editorials

Help readers understand the purpose of an editorial. Have them predict the writer's opinion from the title.
After reading the editorial, ask students what attitude the editor has, or what actions she or he hopes the reader will take. Have students express agreement or disagreement. Have them speak from their own experiences and give their reasons. Students from some cultures may feel uneasy expressing differing opinions. Encourage them by reminding them that democracy depends on a full and free discussion of ideas. That way, all can learn how others feel, and people's opinions may change.
If there are strong opinions about the editorial, encourage students to write a letter to the editor to express their view.

Page 5: This Is Your Page

This page is written by newcomers themselves. These are usually the easiest articles for beginners to understand. Readers can relate to the ideas from their own experience, and the vocabulary is usually not difficult.
Ask questions such as "Has this ever happened to you?" "What would you do in this situation?" "What can you learn from this?
Encourage your students to write stories about their own experiences that might be of interest to other readers. These may be culture shock, troubles with English, challenges faced, new friends, humorous situations, or ways they handled problems.
Make a class newspaper so students can read each other's stories and experience being published. Have students send their best work to Easy English NEWS. Point out that not all stories can be published, even if they are quite good. We receive hundreds of stories each year, enjoy them all, but can publish only 40. Those that we do publish, we pay authors $15, upon publication. We don't publish stories that are merely letters of thanks to their teachers, or repeat themes of stories we have already published.
Stories with the best chance of publication are detailed, unique incidents rather than "I came, I had a hard time, I learned English, all is well now." The stories should be 100 to 500 words long, and the writer's name, home address, native country should be included with the story. Don't send a class set of stories with only one return address, to the school. It may be many months before a story is published, and can get separated from its address. (Or the student may no longer be in your class, etc.)

Page 6: Discover the USA

This article is intended to ground the students in U.S. geography, history, and famous Americans, as well as expand their awareness of many facets of the country they now live in.
Ask what students know about the topic already. Use the relevant question from the Quiz page, and create other questions based on the article. Use large wall maps or state maps to clarify locations. Bring in any additional illustrations from magazines, encyclopedias, videos, film strips, etc.
Have students compare the data about the U.S. places or people with their own country. Have them find ways to relate the information to their own lives or needs in the future.
Have students learn more about the topic through research in the library, almanac, encyclopedia, the Internet, a video or current newsmagazine. Have them present any interesting findings to the class.

Page 7: Ask Elizabeth

This feature varies from month to month, in response to readers' questions. Sometimes the entire page is devoted to one area; other times, many shorter answers are given to questions.
Have students work in small groups to read and discuss the articles. Have students create questions to ask another group about the article.
Ask students what fields they are experts in or would like to be experts in. (It might be their job, native country customs, dating, driving, shopping, cooking, roller blading, baseball, sewing, etc.) Conduct an "Ask an Expert" session. The students ask the Expert questions, and the Expert has 30 seconds to make up (or fake up) answers.
Keep a list of the general culture questions that students ask you in class. Even though you answer them on the spot, other readers are likely to want to read about the topic. Send them to "Ask Elizabeth." Letters may be sent by e-mail to Eceardley@aol.com.

Page 8: Crossword Puzzle

Many of the words in the puzzle are from the newspaper articles. Most of the other words are useful, high-frequency words. The definitions are as clear as we can make them in the space allotted, so readers will have a positive experience in completing the challenge successfully.
You may need to show students how to do a crossword puzzle if they have never done one before. Work through an entire puzzle with the class. Show them that they can skip difficult definitions and do just the easy ones at first. (The puzzle will be much easier for students to do after they have read the paper.)
Have students start individually at first, and then team up with a partner to compare and share answers. After a time period, have students check their words against the answers. Clarify any difficulties, and expand on vocabulary if needed, with sample sentences.

Page 8: Quiz

You can use the match quiz for a pretest of vocabulary and concepts before reading the paper. Have students retake the quiz later, to see how much they have learned.
Have students create other vocabulary matchups for each other by using the words and definitions in Word Help.
Use the "Get the Facts" questions to help students focus on important ideas in the paper. Elicit answers orally. Clarify concepts and vocabulary. Have students create additional questions about the articles to ask the class.
Use "Share Your Ideas" to stimulate discussion and tolerance for others' ways and opinions. Allow the discussion to develop through students' interest in each others' experiences and culture.
Some of the issues and questions may lend themselves to debate. Help the students express their own ideas clearly and listen to others' opinions with tolerance.

Page 9: Idiom Corner

Explain that an idiom is an expression that has a special meaning different from the meaning that it seems to have, and that the pictures are NOT the meanings of the idioms. Have students work in pairs or small groups to match the idioms with their meanings, discussing reasons for their answers in English. Provide the answers, and additional sample sentences and contexts for the idioms. Have students look up the idioms in their bilingual or other dictionaries. Then have the students write the correct idioms in the practice sentences. Remind them to change verb tenses or pronoun forms as needed.
Encourage students to listen for idioms in others' conversations. Have them bring in other idioms they come across, learn their meanings, and use them in their own conversation.
Drill exactness in using an idiom, as the misuse of a preposition can change the meaning or the good sense of the sentence.

Page 9: Funny Stuff

Humor is usually the last thing a person understands in a new language. If the students don't "get" the joke, make sure they understand each word. Give any background information and expectations that contribute to the point of the joke.
After the joke is understood, have students practice telling the joke, and coach them in their pronunciation, intonation and timing. Assign them to tell the joke to several people for homework and report on people's responses.
Have students tell jokes from their own culture. If necessary, have them explain why people think the joke is funny.

Page 10: Ask Jim About Sports

Inquire about students' own participation in sports, either on the court or as spectators. How are sports in the U.S. similar to their own sports? Are there any differences?
Teach additional vocabulary about the sports being discussed. Have students go through a slow-motion game as you teach the vocabulary for players, actions, rules, etc.

Page 10: Culture Corner

Have students describe how things are done in their own culture before reading about the article. Ask what differences they have noticed in this area in the U.S.
Help students see that a culture may have a customary way of looking at things. A culture is valid, but not "right." There may be many valid ways of handling a particular social interaction.
Discuss the meaning of the idiom, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." Ask if they have changed their own way of looking at things after learning how others see those things. What are the costs of adapting? What are the costs of not adapting?
Validate students home cultures and leave choices about change up to them.

Page 11: Word Help

Show students that the words in bold faced type with an asterisk are defined on page 11. Point out the entry word, the part of speech, and the definition. Look up several of the words in a regular English dictionary. Have students notice that a word may have four or five meanings. Remind them that the only meaning given in Word Help is the meaning used in this issue of Easy English NEWS.
Pronounce difficult words for the students.
Have students work in groups to create exercises for word practice.
Have a quiz show, with a master of ceremonies reading the definitions, and teams naming the word called for.
Create additional exercises for students to match words and definitions.

Culminating Activities

Self Evaluation: Ask students to decide which articles were most important to them. What do they feel was valuable about the paper for them this month? How many new words have they learned? What would they like to read about in the future?
Have students send in questions to "Ask Elizabeth" or "Ask Jim"; or send in corrections, comments and suggestions for improving the newspaper.
Have students bring in articles and illustrations from other newspapers and magazines on the topics they have read about in Easy English NEWS. Post articles on a bulletin board.
Invite students to write stories and print them in their own newspaper. If there is a newspaper in your area, take a field trip to see how it is produced.

More Information on Easy English NEWS

What is Easy English News?
Sample Pages (html, pdf)
Resources for Teachers: Tips for Teachers, Teacher's Pages
Comments from Our Readers
Order Easy English NEWS