CNNSF STUDENT PRESENTATION
USING CNNSF AS A SPRINGBOARD FOR INTERNET PROJECTS
CNNSF appears listed as an internet resource in much of our current literature. It is designed to increase literacy-reading skills with high interest news stories and excellent vocabulary exercises. It has great potential for low-intermediate readers (about 4.0 plus on TABE M) and intermediate to low-advanced ESL students as well.
When you access the site at www.cnnsf.com (CNN San Francisco), you will be immediately transferred to Learning Resources at Literacy Net, which serves as a teachers’ resource. You will then be able to choose the current news story or a story from the archives. Archives allows you to choose by category or from a chronological list. Once you select a story, you can choose to read the original news story, the simplified abridged version, or the outline. You can also choose to view the original video and use the news story as a transcript. At the end of each reading, there are links to further information about the topic. All of the links are informative but many of them are also very entertaining.
Along the left side of each story, you will notice that there are activities. These include several reading exercises for each story such as vocabulary, word select, sequencing and conclusions. All exercises self correct to
give the student immediate feedback and show the student which selections are correct with a “:)”or incorrect with an “x”. The final exercise poses questions for discussion or thought and asks for your opinion. It also offers you the opportunity to post your opinion on the website along with others that you can already find there. The opinions, which usually include opposing views, are interesting readings in themselves and can be used for discussion in class or as samples for students to follow in their own writings.
Did I mention that you can print and use all of this material?
This resource is very rich in possibilities for the ESL teacher. The video and/or audio components can be used for listening comprehension or pronunciation practice. Outlines can be used to construct summaries or for “retell” exercises. Readings (and vocabulary) can be assigned as part of classwork or for individual enrichment. In short, there are many ways an instructor can use the website to enhance and/or expand classroom instruction. I use it as a “guided” internet research project over time in the computer lab followed by informal oral student presentations in the classroom.
In order to do oral projects the students are ideally already acquainted with using the computer. They have e-mail addresses and can access news websites in English as well as their own languages. They may have already done searches on the internet using MSN or Yahoo. As a warm up to the CNN activity, students can be directed to do a search on Ask Jeeves---it is helpful but not necessary.
A CNNSF unit can be printed off and introduced to students as a reading exercise by itself or as a post reading expansion exercise. Using the unit on paper as a classroom activity will familiarize students with the format of the post reading exercises. Later students can be directed to access www.cnnsf.com to do the exercises on the computer and to view the video.
After students are familiar with the format of the units, they can look through story archives and choose something of interest to them. This is when the project begins. Projects can be simple, a summary of a news story using the story outline as helpful tool, or involved, using additional information gained by following links at the end of unit. Presentations can be simple oral presentations (with a visual such as a photo or a poster board) or technically involved power point demonstrations. The website and project allow for large ranges of skills and abilities while the high interest nature of the news stories and “links” serves to actively involve students.
Each time I have used this project in class I have been happily surprised by the outcomes. There is a lot of flexibility for the student and a lot of potential for increased reading, oral, and computer skills. Using CNNSF has been a positive and motivating activity for my students. I hope you will consider using it with your students as well.
Connie Kappas is currently an Assistant Professor of AE-ESL intermediate level at Black Hawk College in the Quad Cities. Her MA is in Applied Linguistics from NEIU.
Click here:
CNNSF appears listed as an internet resource in much of our current literature. It is designed to increase literacy-reading skills with high interest news stories and excellent vocabulary exercises. It has great potential for low-intermediate readers (about 4.0 plus on TABE M) and intermediate to low-advanced ESL students as well.
When you access the site at www.cnnsf.com (CNN San Francisco), you will be immediately transferred to Learning Resources at Literacy Net, which serves as a teachers’ resource. You will then be able to choose the current news story or a story from the archives. Archives allows you to choose by category or from a chronological list. Once you select a story, you can choose to read the original news story, the simplified abridged version, or the outline. You can also choose to view the original video and use the news story as a transcript. At the end of each reading, there are links to further information about the topic. All of the links are informative but many of them are also very entertaining.
Along the left side of each story, you will notice that there are activities. These include several reading exercises for each story such as vocabulary, word select, sequencing and conclusions. All exercises self correct to
give the student immediate feedback and show the student which selections are correct with a “:)”or incorrect with an “x”. The final exercise poses questions for discussion or thought and asks for your opinion. It also offers you the opportunity to post your opinion on the website along with others that you can already find there. The opinions, which usually include opposing views, are interesting readings in themselves and can be used for discussion in class or as samples for students to follow in their own writings.
Did I mention that you can print and use all of this material?
This resource is very rich in possibilities for the ESL teacher. The video and/or audio components can be used for listening comprehension or pronunciation practice. Outlines can be used to construct summaries or for “retell” exercises. Readings (and vocabulary) can be assigned as part of classwork or for individual enrichment. In short, there are many ways an instructor can use the website to enhance and/or expand classroom instruction. I use it as a “guided” internet research project over time in the computer lab followed by informal oral student presentations in the classroom.
In order to do oral projects the students are ideally already acquainted with using the computer. They have e-mail addresses and can access news websites in English as well as their own languages. They may have already done searches on the internet using MSN or Yahoo. As a warm up to the CNN activity, students can be directed to do a search on Ask Jeeves---it is helpful but not necessary.
A CNNSF unit can be printed off and introduced to students as a reading exercise by itself or as a post reading expansion exercise. Using the unit on paper as a classroom activity will familiarize students with the format of the post reading exercises. Later students can be directed to access www.cnnsf.com to do the exercises on the computer and to view the video.
After students are familiar with the format of the units, they can look through story archives and choose something of interest to them. This is when the project begins. Projects can be simple, a summary of a news story using the story outline as helpful tool, or involved, using additional information gained by following links at the end of unit. Presentations can be simple oral presentations (with a visual such as a photo or a poster board) or technically involved power point demonstrations. The website and project allow for large ranges of skills and abilities while the high interest nature of the news stories and “links” serves to actively involve students.
Each time I have used this project in class I have been happily surprised by the outcomes. There is a lot of flexibility for the student and a lot of potential for increased reading, oral, and computer skills. Using CNNSF has been a positive and motivating activity for my students. I hope you will consider using it with your students as well.
Connie Kappas is currently an Assistant Professor of AE-ESL intermediate level at Black Hawk College in the Quad Cities. Her MA is in Applied Linguistics from NEIU.
Click here:
posted by Teacher Connie at 10:37 AM
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