In the news …

There is so much happening in the world today that it is sometimes difficult to keep up with it. Over the course of my career as an English teacher, I have used many, many news stories to help my students learn English. In most cases, these are topics that have been discussed in class as a way of helping students achieve fluency and increase their vocabulary. 

The advent of the internet and now the COVID-19 crisis have forced many teachers to rethink their strategies and find new ways of helping students learn and practice English. As a teacher I am often overwhelmed by the materials that are available to me. Unfortunately, a lot of the material that is out there is not designed for non-native speakers. Which is why I have decided to make this material available to you.

It is free, it should be interesting, it should be informative, and it should help you learn a bit more about the United States, its people, and its current political and economic challenges.

What you get …

Links to videos – usually taken from youtube – dealing with a topic in the news. You have the chance to watch the video.

Transcripts – in addition to watching and listening, I have also provided a detailed trascript of what the speakers actually say.

This gives you a chance to do a close reading/listening of the material provided.

What can you learn?

In this section, I point out some interesting points about how the speaker uses the language and relate this back to some of those things you learned in school. 

In addition to that, I will also point out some relevant vocabulary as well as points of cultural, social or political interest.

Quizzes and questions

I am at heart a teacher which means that I love writing quizzes, tests, and formulating questions to see if you have been listening.

Now the good news is that you are not in school and I will not force you to take the quizzes. You are always free to say no, skip the quiz and go back to your daily routine.