STORIES IN THE NEWS Stories in the News is an intermediate-level English-second-language (ESL) teacher’s guide that introduces the use of newspaper articles in ESL instruction.
www.montrealgazette.com/digital
Pictures in the News
INDEX PAGE
1
Preface
2
Glossary of Useful Terms
UNDERSTANDING HEADLINES 3
How Newspaper Headlines are Written
4
Different Types of Newspaper Headlines
5
Headline Vocabulary
6
Idioms and Puns in Headlines
LESSONS 7
Understanding Headlines
8
What’s the Headline?
9
Matching Stories
10
Finding the Facts
11
Sequencing
12
True or False?
13
Compare & Contrast
14
Total Recall
15
Editorial Cartoons
16
Letters to the Editor
17
Columns
18
Help!
19
Cause and Effect
20
A Question of Character
21
Job Skills
Stories in the News is an intermediate-level English-second-language (ESL) teacher’s guide that introduces the use of newspaper articles in ESL instruction. It is adapted from the Gazette-in-Education guide of the same name written by Michèle Langlois and P. Charles Brown. The current version was updated and adapted for online use in 2008 by Ellen Laughlin, with design by Laleah Tanguay.
Stories in the News
Preface
I
n order to introduce ESL students to the use of the newspaper as a tool to practice and improve their second-language skills, the activities in this manual are all designed around newspaper stories. The lessons focus on the four basic skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Designed for intermediate-level students, the activities are interactive and aim at improving comprehension and production skills. Each activity helps teach or practice one or more of the following global objectives: • Inferring meaning • Finding global information • Locating specific information • Looking for details • Comparing information • Restating • Questioning • Asserting • Discussing The bar at the top of each page indicates the lesson number, the level (with level 3 being the most difficult) and the suggested strategy – i.e. whether the students should work individually, in pairs or in groups. The activities can be completed using either the print version or the digital version of The Gazette. The digital edition contains everything in the printed Gazette, as well as extra features, summaries, archives, search capability and oral reading of each article. The latter can be particularly helpful for ESL students, who can use this feature to read and listen to an article at the same time. Online subscribers also have access to other Canwest newspapers across the country.
The original version of this manual focused on pre-selected newspaper texts. In this version, students are encouraged to select their own articles from the current newspaper. The teacher may wish to keep a file of interesting news stories about relevant topics, and may want to practice some of these activities as a group with preselected articles and questions. However, allowing students to choose their own news stories – from whichever section interests them most – increases motivation and meaning, and consequently enhances learning. It also means that an activity can be repeated, if appropriate, using different articles. Before your students begin the activities, ensure that they are familiar with the general format and content of the newspaper. You may want to give them time to browse, exploring the various sections and features of the newspaper and, if using the digital version, make sure they are familiar with the special navigation tools. You may also want to emphasize that newspaper stories are generally written in a way that helps ESL students to understand them – i.e. the inverted pyramid style. (See diagram on page 10.) The headline summarizes the story, while the most important details (the 5Ws, or the who, what, when, where and why of the story) are usually found in the first few paragraphs (the lead). This means that your students can get the main idea of the story from the headline and the lead, with the rest of the article providing supporting details.
1
Stories in the News
Glossary of Useful Terms
Byline
The name of the writer, usually appearing above a news or feature story
Column
Specialized or personal writing, by the same writer, and appearing on a regular basis; expresses the view of the columnist
Cutline
Information under or beside a photograph or illustration; also known as a caption
Dateline
Also known as a placeline; the place from which a story is sent (originally included the date the story was written)
Editorial
An article (essay) written to express the opinion of the newspaper’s editorial board
Feature
A story written to provide the human angle or an in-depth analysis of an issue or event
Headline
The title of a story, usually printed in large type above the story
Lead
1. The main story in a newspaper 2. The introductory sentences or paragraph(s) of a news story, giving the main facts
2
Stories in the News
UNDERSTANDING HEADLINES
How Newspaper Headlines are Written 1. Headlines are almost always in the Simple Present Tense. Example: Earthquake rocks Japan
2. The Simple Present Tense is used to describe something happening in the present or in the past. Examples: Woman kills husband Storm leaves 5000 homes without power
3. The Simple Present Tense is used to describe both something happening now, and something that happens repeatedly. Example: President’s visit tests the mood of the public
4. The Present Continuous / Progressive is sometimes used, mostly to give the meaning of something that is developing. The auxiliary (is / are) is omitted. Example: Traffic chaos getting worse
5. The auxiliaries is / are / were or has / have / had are often omitted.
6. The infinitive is used to refer to the future. Example: Murderer to get 10 year jail term
7. In headlines, articles and conjunctions are often omitted Examples: Fire guts apartment building Hostages, terrorist killed in attack on plane
8. In passive constructions, the auxiliary is omitted and only the past participle is used. Example: Tenants surprised by robber
9. A series of nouns used as adjectives is often blocked together without any verbs or conjunctions. Example: Middle East peace hope
10. Acronyms and abbreviations are often used in headlines. Examples: UNICEF needs donations year-round Mormons put date on the Net
Examples: Policeman awarded medal Plant given 10 days to clean up
3
Stories in the News
UNDERSTANDING HEADLINES
Different Types of Newspaper Headlines 1. Straight headlines Straight headlines simply tell you the main topic of the story. They are the most common type of headline and are the easiest to understand. Example: Fire creates chaos 2. Headlines that ask a question Most question headlines are not really typical questions at all. They are statements followed by a question mark. Questions marks are used when: a. The headline reports a future possibility Example: Taxes to rise again? b. There is some doubt about the truth or accuracy of the story. Example: Police allowed jailbreak?
4. Headlines that contain a quotation What people say can be as important as what they do, so it is not surprising to find a quote as a headline. Example: “We owe our lives to the pilot” A quotation is another way a newspaper can begin a story with an unproven statement: Example: College students ‘invasion’ 5. Double headlines Double headlines are two-part headlines for the same story. They are often used for major events. Examples: Deadline hijacking frightens passengers
“I really thought this was it!”
3. Feature headlines Not all newspaper stories report major events. Some stories are unusual, others are amusing. Headlines for such stories try to be as clever as possible to catch the reader’s interest. It is often necessary to read the story to understand the headline. Example: ‘Down in the mouth’ news for dentists
4
Stories in the News
UNDERSTANDING HEADLINES
Headline Vocabulary Below are words often found in newspaper headlines. The definitions are those most common in headlines; some of the words also have other meanings (e.g. ink, row) Accord Aid Air Assail Axe Back Balk Ban Bar Bid Blast Blaze Blow Boost Cite Claim
agreement help to make known to criticize strongly to cut, destroy, dismiss from job to support to refuse to accept to prohibit to exclude, prohibit, not allow attempt, offer explosion; to criticize fire injury, disappointment help, incentive to mention to declare to be true; ask for, take Clash dispute, fight, battle, disagreement Cool uninterested, unfriendly Coup revolution, change of government Curb limit, restrain, control Cut reduction Deadlock no agreement Deal agreement Drive campaign, effort Due expected Ease to reduce or loosen Envoy diplomat Eve the day before Eye to watch with interest Exit to leave Fault to find in the wrong Fear a dread of or that; have uneasy anticipation of Feud dispute, strong disagreement Foe opponent, enemy Foil to prevent from happening Gems jewels Go-ahead approval Grip to take hold of
Gunman Gut Halt Haul Head Head off Held Heist Hold Hit Ink Jobless Key Kick off Lash out Launch Line Link Loom Loot Man Nab Net Nod Ordeal Office Opt Oust Output Pact Pay Plea Pledge Plunge Poised Poll Post Probe Prompt Quit
man with gun to destroy completely by fire stop large quantity of stolen goods lead, direct prevent retained theft to arrest affect badly to sign unemployed, without work very important, essential to begin criticize, accuse to begin position; demand connection expected in the near future stolen money or goods representative to capture total; capture approval painful experience government position choose, decide take power away from, remove from office production agreement wages, salary request for help; statement of guilt or innocence promise steep fall ready for action public opinion survey position investigation to cause leave, resign
Rage Raid Rap Riddle Rock Row Rule Rule out Sack Scare Set Slay Snag Snub Soar Spark Split Squeeze Stalemate Stall Stance Stem Storm Strife Sway Swindle Switch Swoop Talks Thwart Ties Top Trim Trigger Vie Void Vow Walkout Wed Weigh
to burn out of control attack, robbery accusation, charge, criticize mystery to shock, to surprise quarrel, dispute, disagreement decide dismiss as a possibility dismiss from a job public alarm decide; ready to kill or murder problem, difficulty to ignore to rise rapidly to cause, to lead to action divide shortage, scarcity deadlock, impasse making no progress attitude, way of thinking to prevent or stop angry reaction, dispute, attack conflict to influence or persuade unlawful way of getting money change, deviation sudden attack or raid discussions prevent from being successful relations to exceed to cut to cause to compete to determine to be invalid a solemn promise strike to marry to consider
5
Stories in the News
UNDERSTANDING HEADLINES
Idioms and Puns in Headlines English newspaper headlines are full of idioms and puns. Unfortunately, a complete list of them would fill a book, so it is not possible to list all of them here. You can usually understand the idioms in headlines, however, by reading the story that follows. Here are a few examples: Government in hot water again The idiom “in hot water” means “in trouble.” Dressed to the nines for her 99th The idiom “dressed to the nines” means very chic, in her best clothes. Calgary armour-maker has hammed out unusual niche This is a pun or play on words. The expression “hammer out” has two meanings: hammering out the metal to make armour and gaining an advantage in that market by long effort. The buzz on mosquitos: they’re picky This is also a pun or play on words. The word “buzz” means “information” and it also resembles the sound a mosquito makes; the word “picky” means “choosy” and also reminds us of what a mosquito does to us.
As you read the newspaper, you may want to keep a list of idioms and puns, along with their meanings / double meanings, and try to use them in sentences of your own.
6
