Breaking News English
Free, Ready-to-Print EFL/ESL Lesson Plans on Current Events / English News Lessons. -- As The News Breaks, Teach It --

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/ 

What is Breaking News English?

This free site contains a variety of English lessons based on current event or news articles written in simple English. If you select a specific one from the recent news articles, it leads you to the next site where you can find a marvelous volume of teaching resources for acquiring 4 skills.

-       printable lesson plans

-       materials for listening using MP3 sound files

-       materials for reading including text jumble/quiz/gap filling/multiple choice/role play/discussion/writing exercises/homework

-       reinforcement practices of grammar, spell, and words

It is also notable that MP3 audio files provide both of British and American versions. You can just open this link and specify a genre and download those free teaching materials.

 

Why do teachers use this site and what are the benefits to use it for language teaching?

Firstly, Breaking News English is a teacher friendly site because it provides us a wealth of English language resources with a variety of sample lessons, which are useful for experienced teachers or novices, and also, ideal for students learning English as a second language.  

 

Secondary, any technical skills are not required to use this tool, which might be better for technophobic teachers.

 

Thirdly, in addition to the course materials, you can provide real world, realia, into the class, which will enhance students’ interests and memories deeply. For instance, one of its recent articles, ‘U.S. town bans small bottles of water’ dated the 4^th January, 2013, makes learners’ situation more real and may invite heated debates on current environmental issues which they are currently facing in a real world. In this way, you can make classroom activities to be more real with using the materials of Breaking News English.

 

Fourthly, a combination of visual and audio effects will deepen students’ understanding more in learning English. 

 

Finally, the engagement on a computer in a pair or group would promote their collaboration works since the cyclic processes of 1)reading - 2)share the ideas - 3)re-reading - 4)re-construction the idea would trigger their schemata.

Limitations:

-       Since each story is written based on a newspaper article, most of the materials are for pre-intermediate or above even though they have been re-written in easier English than the original ones.

-       This is a text based resources except listening parts.  If video or visual images were added to those materials, it would arouse students’ interesting and motivation more powerfully in language learning.