Ideas From Readers
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Here is another in our Great Ideas from Readersseries.
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Teacher: Leslie F. Ryan
Location/school: Prague, Czech Republic, Leslie Street School
Grade or Level of Students: Adult English Language Learners, on Level B2 or higher according to the Common European Framework
Lesson Idea: Leslie created a reading/speaking lesson with a focus on vocabulary, anchored by a Times article on population change.
Times Resources: Mr. Ryan primarily used “Population Study Finds Change in the Suburbs,” but extended the lesson with “The Rise and Fall of the G.D.P.”
Why We Chose It: Many teachers believe Times resources are too difficult for their students, whether those students are native speakers or English language learners.
Mr. Ryan’s lesson is a step-by-step for engaging students with challenging content and helping them understand and apply it to their own lives and communities. As he writes, “If your tasks are set at the right level, there is no reason why you cannot use material such as this.”
Procedures, in Mr. Ryan’s Own Words:
Choosing a Times Article for English Language Learners:
If you want your class to enjoy an article from The New York Times, and it doesn’t matter which section of the newspaper you take it from, you must ask yourself these questions:
- Is the article appropriate for your student’s level of English and for their interests?
- What words should be pre-taught in order to aid comprehension?
- How will I engage the class? What visuals could I use to help me engage them?
- What activities should I do before reading the article?
- What activities should I create to ensure comprehension of the article as students read it?
- How will my students interact throughout the session?
- What follow-up activities can I do to allow my students to demonstrate their comprehension of the article and to put into practice that which they learned?
- What discussion questions can be asked to apply the knowledge and language in an original fashion?
- What can be assigned for homework?
