layout 1 (page 1) news part 1.pdf · 2009-04-07 · lesson 3 / level 1 / pairs pictures in the news...

An intermediate-level English-second-language (ESL)teacher’s guide that introduces

the use of newspaper photographs in ESL instruction

PICTURESIN THE NEWS

www.montrealgazette.com/digital

Pictures in the News

INDEX

ii Preface

1 Feelings

2 Ballooning

3 Same and Different

4 Describing a Picture

5 What’s My Line?

6 Things People Do

7 Action!

8 Just Friends?

9 Missing

10 Yes! No! Maybe . . .

11 Mix and Match

12 What’s the Story?

13 One More Statistic

14 Nothing but the Facts

15 Dream Vacation

16 What Do You Think?

17 Puzzled?

18 What Price Progress?

LESSON/PAGE ACTIVITY

Pictures in the News is an intermediate-level English-second-language (ESL) teacher’sguide that introduces the use of newspaper photographs in ESL instruction.

It is adapted from the Gazette-in-Education guide of the same name written byMichèle Langlois and P. Charles Brown. The current version was updated and adapted for online use by Ellen Laughlin, with design by Laleah Tanguay.

i


PREFACE

Virtually all English-second-language (ESL) teachers are aware of the value of thenewspaper as an authentic English-languageteaching tool. Most use newspapers in the classroom from time to time, but may hesitate to do so on a regular basis because theyfear their students will have difficulty coping with“newspaper language.”

In order to gently introduce ESL students to theregular use of the newspaper as a tool to practiceand improve their second-language skills, theactivities in this manual are all designed aroundphotographs found in the newspaper.

Students are encouraged to complete the activities using photographs they themselvesselect from the current newspaper. While pictures pre-selected by the teacher have theirvalue – and many teachers keep a file of interesting photos for use at appropriate times –allowing students to choose their own picturesincreases motivation and meaning. It also meansthat an activity can be repeated if appropriate,using different photographs. In most cases, stu-dents can select pictures from whichever part ofthe newspaper interests them most.

The activities can be completed using either the print version or the digital version of The Gazette. The digital edition contains every-thing in the printed Gazette, with the addedbenefit of a “Photo Gallery”, where students canview all the pictures included in the day’s news-paper simply by clicking on the appropriate iconat the bottom of the page. On-line subscribers also have access to otherCanwest newspapers across the country.

Students will often be asked to clip or print outthe picture(s) they have chosen.

As a departure from the strict reading-compre-hension activities that have often accompaniednewspaper work in the ESL classroom, this seriesof activities focuses on listening and speaking,with less emphasis given to reading and writing.

Designed for intermediate-level ESL students, theactivities are all interactive, aimed at improvingaural/oral skills. Each lesson helps teach or practice one or more of the following globalobjectives:

• Inferring meaning• Finding global information• Locating specific information• Looking for details• Comparing information• Restating • Questioning• Asserting • DiscussingThe activities are in order from Level 1 to Level 3,with Level 3 being the most difficult.

Before your students begin the activities, ensurethat they are familiar with the general formatand content of the newspaper. You may want togive them time to browse, exploring the varioussections and features and, if using the digital version, familiarizing themselves with the specialnavigation features.

ii

Objectives:Functional:• Describe the physical characteristics of people• Express a personal message using information given

by several pictures• Express an opinion or formulate hypotheses about

a given topic• Describe eventsGrammatical: • Third person singular • Simple present tense • Adverbs of manner

Follow-up:• Write a few sentences about the reasons or events that led

the various people to feel that way. Be creative.

• Read your paragraph or retell the story you wrote to yourpartner or group.

1. With your class, BRAINSTORM vocabulary related to emotions.

2. With a partner, CHOOSE six newspaper photographs of people showing different emotions.

3. LOOK at the pictures with your partner. HOW do you think each person feels? WHY do you think each person feels this way?

4. What do YOU look like when you feel thesame way?

1

LESSON 1 / LEVEL 1 / PAIRS


FEELINGS

LESSON 2 / LEVEL 1 / INDIVIDUALS OR PAIRS


2

Objectives:Functional:• Express an opinion or formulate

hypotheses about a given topic

1. With a partner, CHOOSE four interesting newspaper photographs.

2. For each, in a “balloon”, WRITE the words or thoughts expressed bythe person or animal. You may be funny if you wish, but try to belogical and realistic.

3. Join another pair or small group to SHARE your “balloons” and VOTE on the best one.

4. DISPLAY the winning pictures (one for each group) and have thewhole class vote on the best one.

BALLOONING



3

1. With your class, BRAINSTORM vocabulary relating to size, shapeand position.

2. With a partner, CHOOSE two newspaper photographs that aresimilar but not identical (for example, two buildings, two fashionmodels, etc.)

3. LOOK at the pictures. MAKE A LIST of everything that is the samein both pictures, and another list of everything that is different.

Objectives:Functional:• Describe the physical characteristics of people,

animals, objects or places

Grammatical:• Present tenses• Affirmative and negative statements• Adjectives relating to shape, size and position

SAME AND DIFFERENT

Objectives:Functional:• Extrapolate information from certain

predetermined words or expressions• Describe the physical characteristics of

people, animals, objects, places• Ask questions related to one or several

discrete items of information• Answer one or more questions related to

one or more discrete items of information

Grammatical: • there is, there are• articles, numerals• adverbs of place• adverbial phrases of place• spatial references

Student A: Work with a partner.1. CHOOSE an interesting picture from the newspaper.

Don’t show it to your partner.2. LOOK at the picture and DESCRIBE to your partner

the position of everything you see in it (people,objects, animals, vegetation, etc.). Your partner willdraw what you describe on a blank page.

3. Use the following expressions: there is and there are,at the bottom, in the middle, at the top, on the right,on the left, to the right, to the left, above, below,beside, behind, etc.

4. When your partner’s drawing is finished, LISTEN tothe description of it and tell your partner whetherthe drawing is correct. If necessary, repeat informa-tion needed to correct the drawing.

Student B:1. Your partner will describe a picture to

you. LISTEN carefully and DRAW thepeople, objects, animals, vegetation, etc.where you think they are supposed to be.(Don’t worry if you can’t draw very well.You can always write the words instead.)

2. When you are finished, CHECK BACKwith your partner, explaining whatyou’ve drawn and where. If it is necessaryfor you to make changes, your partnerwill repeat the information. Use theexpressions there is and there are, at thebottom, in the middle, at the top, on theright, on the left, to the right, to the left,above, below, beside, behind, etc.

4



DESCRIBING A PICTURE

Follow-up:Choose a newspaperphotograph and write a short paragraphdescribing the picture.

Alternate Activity:1. Student A gets a picture and answers the questions

posed by Student B.2. Student B gets a blank page and asks questions in

order to find out what the picture represents. 3. As Student B gets the information, he/she draws

picture.

LESSON 5 / LEVEL 1 / PAIRS OR SMALL GROUPS


5

Part One1. With your class, BRAINSTORM a list of occupations

or careers.

2. With a partner or small group, CHOOSE five news-paper photographs of individuals. Each pictureshould include a clue to what the individual does for a living – for example, a doctor with a stetho-scope, a TV reporter with a microphone, etc.

3. EXCHANGE pictures with another pair or group.

4. With your partner or group, LOOK at the new pic-tures you have received. Decide what each persondoes for a living. What clues helped you make yourdecision?

Objectives:Functional:• Express an opinion or formulate hypotheses about a given topic• Describe the physical characteristics pertaining to people

Grammatical: • Simple present tense• Structures and phrases related to description of physical characteristics

Note:You may want to split thisactivity into two sessions.

Follow-up:• Following Part Two, check the newspaper to find out what

each person actually does for a living.

• Do you know people who hold unusual jobs? Tell yourgroup about the people and their respective occupations.

• Assume the identity of one of the individuals pictured andpresent yourself to the class as that person. Other studentswill “interview” you. You must answer as if you were theperson whose identity you have assumed.

• Hold a discussion on the dangers of stereotyping.

Part Two1. Now CHOOSE three other newspaper

photographs of individuals. It should notbe obvious from these pictures what eachperson does for a living.

2. EXCHANGE pictures with another pair or group.

3. With your partner or group, LOOK at thenew pictures you have received. Decidewhat you think each person does for a living. Try to be as imaginative as possible.What physical characteristics do these people have that influenced your decision?

WHAT’S MY LINE?

Objectives:Functional:• Describe the physical characteristics pertaining

to people, animals, objects or places

Grammatical:• Present continuous• Descriptive adjectives• Expressions of time and place

Follow-up:Write a brief paragraphdescribing each picture.

THINGS PEOPLE DO1. CHOOSE five newspaper photographs showing one or more

individuals engaged in an activity.

2. LOOK at the pictures. With a partner:

a. DESCRIBE the activity.

b. SAY what equipment is needed.

c. DISCUSS the physical requirements expected of the participants.

LESSON 6 / LEVEL 1 / INDIVIDUALS OR PAIRS


6

7

Objectives:Functional:• Extrapolate information from pictures• Express an opinion or formulate hypotheses

about a given topic

Grammatical• Past tense• Present continuous tense

Follow-up:• Write down some of the ideas discussed.

• Share your work with the class.

• Show the pictures to friends and acquaintances to get new answersto the same questions and report your findings to the class orgroup.

• Compare your ideas about the pictures with the information aboutwhat is actually happening (contained in the cutline, headlineand/or news story).

1. CHOOSE three newspaper photographs showing some kind of action. Do not look at the cutline (the description under the photo), the headline ornews story that goes along with the picture.

2. LOOK at the pictures. With a partner, discuss what you think:

a. is going on

b. happened before the picture was taken



ACTION!

LESSON 8 / LEVEL 1-2 / GROUPS


8

Part One1. ELECT a secretary who

will take notes.

2. FIND OUT:a. how many people in

the group own petsb. which onesc. if anyone knows

people who ownunusual pets

d. and which ones

3. GIVE the reasons whypeople own pets.

Part Two1. CHOOSE three newspaper photo-

graphs showing people and pets.

2. LOOK at the pictures and discussyour FEELINGS about them.

3. Together, CHOOSE a favourite picture.

Part Three1. The secretary of each group will

REPORT the information gatheredfrom his/her group to another groupor to the class.

Objectives:Functional:• Summarize briefly essential information

provided by several people• Ask a questions pertaining to one or several

discrete items of information• Answer one or more questions pertaining

to several discrete items of information• Secretary: State the main idea of a message

conveyed by another person

Grammatical: • Adverbial clauses with “because” to give

reason

Alternate Activity:Follow the same procedure as above. Then,ask students to give your opinion on the useof animals in research, and how animals helpmankind.

Follow-up:Put your feelings in writing.

JUST FRIENDS?G

AZ

ETTE

FIL

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OTO

layout 1 (page 1) news part 1.pdf · 2009-04-07 · lesson 3 / level 1 / pairs pictures in the news...

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