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.