ESL etc.

mp3

I start right off talking about my teaching. I discuss how last week’s classes went, and then I describe what I’m doing this week. I explain the headline activity (see below) and talk about how my new approach focuses more on doing a variety of tasks than covering a lot of content. Check out my lesson plan for a bit more information.

I finish off by mentioning two great blogs, Beijing Newspeak and No Impact Man.

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The Headline Activity

Begin by reading the headlines to the class. Read each one two or three times, then ask a student to tell them back to you. After writing it on the board, ask students if they have any vocabulary questions. Ask someone to tell you what the story is about. Finally, ask the students what you need to change to make the headlines into grammatically correct sentences. You can give them hints by placing carats where words are missing.

Here are the headlines I used:
China says toys in latest recall safe
China shuts 1,000 factories near polluted lake
China: Foreign investment up 12.8 pct.
China Sees Rise in Industrial Output
Toppling the Great Firewall of China
China’s terracotta army invades Britain
Taiwan military shows strength amid fresh tension with China

Afterwards, I had students do a brief discussion activity, followed by a news-related roleplay, both of which are outlined in my lesson plan.

Please feel free to email me or post in the comments if you have any questions or suggestions.

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