檳城留臺同學會 會訊 2011 | Page 10

D) E) Give our students a few minutes to scan their newspapers before we start our activities in class. This will enable them to read about things that interest them and their attention is less likely to drift from our planned activities Only one set of newspapers is given to a group of students in the classroom. Make sure that the group should not be more than 5 students. They can later exchange the features of articles they read with one another. Suggested Ways to Adopt Newspapers It is important that teachers or lecturers should be able to use newspapers in the correct way. First of all, they must not try to cover the whole set of newspapers each day. They must select just one or two features for a lesson which they think is / are suitable. Each time they use the newspaper, they have to select articles which emphasize different characteristics. This is to avoid students from getting bored in the classroom. Another important thing to bear in mind is when they pick any article from the newspaper; they have to ensure that it suits the level of students in the classroom. This is particularly essential in terms of the level of language structure and vocabulary used in some articles. It cannot be denied that newspapers cannot replace textbooks. It must be stressed that the newspaper can be used as an alternative language activity when the class is dull. In a study conducted by Smith (1975) on the role of newspapers in motivating students to learn a language, he reveals that the use of newspapers is something supplementary to be used in the classroom to enhance knowledge and understanding of the students. Therefore the use of newspapers is increasingly viewed crucial to be a useful learning resource. Suggested Activities Used in the Classroom Activities which emanate from a newspaper must have a purpose or theme before they are used in the classroom. For example, the variety of features that the daily newspapers include can provide much insight into the society to which students can adapt and they can therefore gain knowledge of various cultures, customs, beliefs and others (Blatchford, 1976). By exploring with the help of language activities, teachers/ lecturers should be aware that the texts chosen must be completely authentic. The articles and reports thus inevitably contain some challenging vocabulary but they are mostly written in a direct and accessible style (Walker, 1994) The following are some language activities which range from comprehension and vocabulary to roleplays, matching exercises, jumbled cartoons and learning of grammar. 1) Locating Information of Importance to You Students are asked to find information such as compound nouns, idiomatic expressions, metaphors and pairs of antonyms or synonyms in the newspaper articles. This activity is usually held in groups to test the students’ understanding of words or expressions. To motivate the students to learn the language faster, points may be awarded to those who can come up with the correct answers. This will further sustain their interest in reading. This type of activity can be used to reinforce what the teacher has taught the students in the classroom and make the lesson more interesting . 2) Matching Headlines with News Some short but interesting articles are extracted from the newspapers and headlines are removed from them. Students in the classroom are asked to match the headlines with the articles. It is important for teachers/lecturers to select those short articles which require the students to use some language skills to do the matching. Some content-based articles can be used in the classroom to suit the need and interest of the students. It is important to note that the chosen article should suit the level of students in the classroom. The following are 4 short news stories which should have a two-word headline – a word from Group A followed by a word from Group B. Study the news stories and matches the appropriate headline. 1. 2. 3. 4. Group A Hotel Flat Racial Double 1. 2. 3. 4. Group B Accord Trouble Raid Blast A) A John Major lookalike, who tricked a nine-year old girl of RM 2000, was being sought by police B) Black and white leaders in South Africa agreed a blueprint for power-sharing talks. C) At least 3 people were killed and 20 injured when an explosion believed to have been caused by gas tore through a hotel at a ski resort in the Bavarian Alps. D) Police are hunting the killer of John Smith, 24, whose body was found at a flat near the city centre. 3) Learning of Passive Structures There are several points about the use of passive structures by using the headlines in the newspapers. This is very important for the students to be aware of. In a passive structure an agent (doer) may be unknown, unimportant or already mentioned therefore does not appear. Students could be asked to identify the agent of the action; first by guessing, then by reading the text or extract of the pertinent article. Students can then select examples of such structures in headlines and present them to other students asking them to identify agents for the action. Alternative answers can be provided, allowing students to discuss and justify the possible answers as in the following example: ? Israelis condemned over bomb suicide 9