Breaking News English: Cuteness for Improved Concentration

Details

Activity Description

Students listen to and read a simplified version of a news article on research about how looking at cute images aids in concentration.

Preparation

• The Web site has self-contained lesson plans that include warm-ups, pre-reading/listening activities, while reading/listening activities, after reading/listening activities, and extension/writing activities.
• An answer key is provided, so all the teacher really needs to do is make sure that the Web site (if you plan to project images) is not blocked at your school site.
• Go to the site (or select the link below) and download the lesson handout. It is located on the top left under the word Print. Select the "13-page PDF handout" (PDF). Print the PDF file and make copies for your students.
• If you plan to use the MP3 file, check to see if the site is blocked at your school. If it is, download the MP3 file to your computer and copy it to a USB flash drive to play on the computer in your classroom.

How-To

1. Distribute the handout and go through the lesson beginning with the warm-up activities.
2. If you want students to listen to the audio of the article being read as part of a group activity, open the Web site on the instructors computer (must have speakers) and select "MP3" under "Listen" (top left). You can play the audio in the pop-up window or right-click on it to download the audio file to a computer or audio player that will pay MP3 files. (If students will be listening for independent study, the student will need headphones.)
3. Follow up (optionally) with the site's interactive online quizzes (Fill-in-the-blank, Matching, Hangman, Flash cards, Sentence jumble, Missing words, No letters, Crossword), either as whole-class activities or have students do the exercises individually or in pairs in a computer lab setting.

Teacher Tips

• Take a video tour/explanation of the Web site.
• You may choose to use the site's materials solely as listening exercises by not distributing the articles and just having students listen to the MP3 files.
• The Web site does have many ads, which can be distracting, so you may want to print out the articles.
• Also, the audio has a voice with British accent, which may be difficult for some ESL learners to understand.

More Ways

• The Web site contains numerous reading lessons on a variety of high-interest news items that have been put into simplified language for ESL students. The site's main page lists new entries, posted every few days in chronological order.
• If you are looking for a reading lesson on a specific topic, scroll down to the bottom of the homepage where you can search for lessons categorized in the following groupings: Business English, Environment, Health, Lifestyle, Famous People and Gossip, Technology, and World News.
• Each lesson (a downloadable PDF file) has a downloadable audio file (mp3), so students can listen to the article while reading it, or you can use the lesson plan materials for listening skills practice.
• The lessons have the following types of activities based around short news articles: warm-ups (e.g., conversation, interviews, ranking); before reading/listening (e.g., prediction, vocabulary preparation); while reading/listening (e.g., cloze); after reading/listening (vocabulary, comprehension, recall); discussion; language (grammar, parts of speech); and writing -- all with answers.
• There are also online interactive exercises to accompany the lessons, which include fill-in-the-blank, matching, hangman, flash cards, sentence jumble, missing words, crossword puzzles.
• Also see Breaking New English creator Sean Banville's other sites, Famous People Lessons, News English Lessons (easier), ESL Holiday Lessons, and Listen a Minute (easier English listening).

Program Areas

• ESL: English as a Second Language

Levels

• Intermediate Low
• Intermediate High
• Advanced

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