Edmonton Weekly Newscasts Lesson Plan November 2, 2015

Newscasts are current news stories read at a slower pace than you might hear on the radio. These are prepared by CBC news editor Don Bell.

Objectives: ● To develop listening skills ● To increase vocabulary ● To increase awareness of grammatical structures and functional language ● To increase knowledge of current events ● To provide a user-friendly, self-study tool for learners, as well as an ESL classroom resource for instructors

Contents: Three news stories are featured in each weekly lesson plan. Each lesson contains vocabulary and listening comprehension activities. At the end of each lesson, you will find a complete transcript and an answer key. This lesson plan is aimed towards learners at an intermediate language level (i.e. Canadian Language Benchmarks 4-5 or equivalent).

Learning English with CBC is a joint project with CBC Calgary, CBC Edmonton, and the Government of Alberta. Lesson Plan prepared by Kathleen Hall and Deidre Lake, Communication4Integration Inc.

1 NEWS STORY 1 JUSTIN TRUDEAU WILL NOT MOVE INTO 24 SUSSEX DRIVE

Photo Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-24-sussex-1.3289102

GENERAL WARM-UP ACTIVITY Where does the leader of your old country live? Describe a typical house from your country. How are houses similar or different in Canada? What kind of house do you live in now?

LISTENING ACTIVITY 1: LISTENING FOR SPECIFIC VOCABULARY Before you listen to the news story, look at the words/expressions below. Listen carefully for these words in the newscast. Make a checkmark when you hear the word or expression (Note: you will hear one word twice):

Word /Expression

traditional grounds residence storey serve until further notice

LISTENING ACTIVITY 2: LISTENING FOR COMPREHENSION. Listen to the news story again. Listen for overall comprehension. See the questions below to assist you.

1. Where does the Prime Minister of Canada usually live?

2. Why won’t the Trudeau family live there?

3. Where will the Trudeau family live instead?

4. When was Rideau Hall built?

5. How long will the Prime Minister’s family live in Rideau Hall?

(See the answer key for answers)

VOCABULARY ACTIVITY 1 Now that you have heard how these words and expressions are used in the news story, choose the best synonyms or definitions for these terms as they are used in the story.

Answer Word/Expression Synonyms/Definitions traditional A. old-style B. out-of-date C. customary, time-honoured grounds A. sediments B. estate, lands C. reason, bases residence A. house, home B. university or college dormitory C. the official house of an government or official figure storey A. floor, level B. untruth, falsehood C. report account serve A. help, aid B. act, function C. supply, provide until further A. indefinitely, open-ended notice B. forever, for life C. without letting up

(See the answer key for answers)

3 LANGUAGE FOCUS: TYPES OF CANADIAN HOMES 24 Sussex Drive is a 34-room mansion. There are many more typical homes where most Canadians live. These are categorized according to how many levels they contain as low- rise, mid-rise and high-rise. • Examples of low-rise homes are: townhouses, semi-detached, detached, single storey, and two storey houses. • Condominiums, apartment towers, and office towers are examples of high-rise buildings Mid-rise are in between low and high-rise. • Many department stores and apartment buildings are mid-rise.

LANGUAGE FOCUS: ACTIVITY 1 Look at the definitions of homes found in Canada. Match the definition to the picture provided. An example is done for you.

2. Mansion a very large, expensive, impressive house.

1. 2 1.

2. Castle a large building fortified against attack with thick walls, battlements, towers, and in many cases a moat. There are more than 60 castles in 1. 2. Canada. Many of them are hotels such as the Banff Springs Hotel, and the Hotel

Macdonald in Edmonton.

Mid-rise apartment house is intermediate in height between a low- rise and a high-rise building with a number of residential suites. 3.

A two- storey house has 2 levels above grade [the ground].

4 2. High-rise Apartments are large buildings containing a number of residential suites. 1. 5.

1. A Bungalow is a low house with no upper floor.

2. A Duplex is a house divided into two residents, with a separate entrance for 1. 7. each.

Semi-detached houses are built side-by- side and share a “party” wall.

Townhouses, are usually identical houses that share side walls.

Detached houses are separate and free- standing. 10.

A Ranch Style home is a single level home that is long in the front, but not deep. There are also some homes with 11. an L or U-Shape.

5 A farm house is attached to a farm, especially the main house in which the farmer lives. 12.

Rural Ranch House is the home of a rancher attached to a large acreage especially in western Canada, where cattle, horses, etc. are raised. 13.

(See the answer key for answers)

LANGUAGE FOCUS: ACTIVITY 2 Which of these types of home best describes where you live? Complete the following sentences, using the home-types from the table above.

1. I live in a______.

2. Most of the homes in my neighborhood are______.

3. I prefer to live a/ an______, because______.

NEWS STORY 2 PROCESSED MEATS ARE DANGEROUS ACCORDING TO THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

Photo Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/meat-cancer-world-health-organization-1.3288355

GENERAL WARM-UP ACTIVITY Are you careful about what you eat? Do you eat healthy food, or a lot of junk food?

VOCABULARY BUILDING ACTIVITY 1: CREATING AWARENESS Look at the words and phrases below. Circle the ones you do not know. processed contributes category asbestos data consumed protested classification involves lifestyle environmental

Before you listen to the news story, look at the words/expressions below and their meanings. These will help you to understand the listening more easily.

WORD MEANING processed preserved by smoking, curing or salting, or chemical additives contributes to adds to category group, type, kind asbestos a dangerous mineral used in fire-resistant and insulating materials data information consumed eaten, ate protested complained, objected, disputed classification category involves includes, contains lifestyle daily life , routine, way of life, environmental caused by a person's surroundings

VOCABULARY BUILDING ACTIVITY 2: CREATING AWARENESS Use the new vocabulary from the table to complete the sentences below:

1. The story ______several new Canadian families. 2. A generous donour ______the scholarship fund every year. 3. Food is often ______to keep it useful for a longer time. 4. They have been collecting ______for their study. 5. She is very fit, and has a healthy ______. 6. Many older homes have been insolated with ______. 7. Darwin made a ______of species of animals. He put each one in a ______. 8. ______factors contribute to learning. 9. He ______52 hotdogs to win the contest. 10. The students ______the tuition hike.

(See the answer key for answers)

LISTENING ACTIVITY 1: LISTENING FOR COMPREHENSION. Listen to News Story 2. First, listen for overall comprehension.

LISTENING ACTIVITY 2: LISTENING FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION Listen to the story again. Put a checkmark the box next to what each group said. An example is done for you.

Statement World Health Meat Industry Organization (WHO) Processed meats raise the risk of cancers.

Lifestyle and environment are important factors. They do not have enough data Cancer isn't caused by a specific food

(See the answer key for answers)

Listening Activity 3: Listening for specific purposes Listen again. This time fill in the blanks below with what you hear.

According to the World Health Organization, hot dogs, bacon, cold cuts and other ______meats raise the risk of colon, stomach and other cancers. Red meat probably ______to the disease, too.

The WHO's cancer agency has put ______meats in the same danger ______as smoking or ______though that doesn't mean salami is as bad as cigarettes.

The agency said it did not have enough ______to define how much ______meat is too dangerous, but said the risk increases with the amount ______.

The meat industry ______the ______, arguing that cancer isn't caused by a specific food but that it also involves ______and ______factors.

(See the answer key for answers)

Discussion Questions: What do you think are the leading causes of serious illnesses such as heart-disease and cancer? Do you believe a type of food could be as harmful as smoking? What else is harmful?

9 NEWS STORY 3 WHALE WATCHING EXCURSION ENDS WITH 6 PEOPLE DEAD

Photo Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/tofino-whale-watching-accident- investigation-1.3291530

GENERAL WARM-UP ACTIVITY Look at the picture from News Story 3. What do you think has happened? Have you ever been involved in a disaster?

VOCABULARY BUILDING ACTIVITY 1: CREATING AWARENESS

Look at the words and phrases below. Circle the ones you do not know.

overturned Investigators preliminary evidence vessel tilting lopsided rescued hailing the efforts centre of gravity

VOCABULARY BUILDING ACTIVITY 2: CREATING AWARENESS Look at the words and phrases in the box below. They are paired with sentences that use synonyms or phrases with the same meaning. Based on the context clues from the sentences, try to understand the meanings of the new vocabulary.

WORDS AND CONTEXT SENTENCES WITH SYNONYMS, OR PHRASES WITH PHRASES THE SAME MEANING overturned The car turned over in the ditch. investigators Detectives examined the crime scene. preliminary The earliest ideas evidence Investigators found proof at he the scene. vessel The boat has 89 people onboard. tilting The tree was leaning to one side. centre of gravity He is short, so his weight is evenly spread, and all sides are balanced. lopsided The scales were uneven rescued They saved the child from the well. hailing the efforts The mayor was praising the actions of the heroes.

VOCABULARY BUILDING ACTIVITY 3 Now complete the following sentences with vocabulary from the left side of the box above.

1. There are too many decorations on one side of the tree. It is ______.

2. The firefighters ______the family from the burning house.

3. The United Nations is ______of the peacekeepers.

4. The ______examined all of the ______.

5. The ______set sail from the ports at dawn.

(See the answer key for answers)

LISTENING ACTIVITY 1: LISTENING FOR COMPREHENSION Listen to News Story 3. First, listen for overall comprehension.

LISTENING ACTIVITY 2: LISTENING FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION Listen again. What do following numbers refer to? An example is done for you.

6 ______5 ______1 Australian______24______3 ______20______

(See the answer key for answers)

LANGUAGE FOCUS: USING PREPOSITIONS There are out 100 prepositions in the English language. Prepositions are words that connect nouns and pronouns with where, when, or why the rest of the sentence happens. Prepositions can also help to describe a noun or pronoun. (for example “The man 'with' the red suit and white beard…”). Examples of Prepositions from Newscast 3:

after by from of off on

The preposition over is also used to make the verb overturned.

The other most common prepositions are:

in as over without

to into between before

for like out under

with through against around

at after during among

about Source: http://www.wordfrequency.info/

English-language prepositions provide difficulty for other-language speakers because English-language speakers do not emphasize prepositions in sentences because prepositions are structure words, not content words such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs, which are pronounced clearly.

LANGUAGE FOCUS ACTIVITY 1 Look at the following sentences from News Story 3. Complete each sentence with the missing preposition. (You can listen again).

1. Six people are dead ______a whale watching boat overturned ______the coast of Vancouver Island.

2. Five people were ______Britain and one was ______Australia.

3. Investigators say preliminary evidence shows most ______the 24 passengers and three crew members were ______the upper left deck ______the 20-metre vessel when a large wave hit the boat ______the right side.

4. Investigators say the boat's centre ______gravity was affected ______the lopsided passenger weight.

(See the answer key for answers)

LANGUAGE FOCUS ACTIVITY 2 Now use appropriate prepositions to complete the ideas in News Story 1:

1. Justin Trudeau will not move ______the residence ______24 Sussex Drive.

2. It is ______need of repair.

3. The family will live ______Rideau Cottage ______the grounds ______Rideau Hall.

4. Rideau Cottage was built ______1867 to serve ______a home ______the secretary ______the governor general.

5. The Trudeau family will live there ______further notice.

(See the answer key for answers)

13 TRANSCRIPTS OF WEEKLY NEWSCASTS WEEKLY NEWS STORIES TIME Introduction Hi. This is Don Bell. You’re listening to Learning English with 0:00 CBC for the week of November 2nd. Newscast 1 Justin Trudeau will not move into the traditional prime 0:11 minister's residence at 24 Sussex Drive as it is in need of Justin Trudeau repair. will not move into 24 Sussex Instead, the new prime minister and his family will live in Drive Rideau Cottage on the grounds of Rideau Hall, the Governor General's residence.

The cottage is actually a two-storey brick home built in 1867 to serve as a home for the secretary to the governor general.

The Trudeau family will live there until further notice. Newscast 2 According to the World Health Organization, hot dogs, 0:59 bacon, cold cuts, and other processed meats raise the risk of Processed colon, stomach, and other cancers. Red meat probably meats are contributes to the disease, too. dangerous according to The WHO's cancer agency has put processed meats in the the World same danger category as smoking or asbestos. However, Health that doesn't mean salami is as bad as cigarettes. Organization The agency said it did not have enough data to define what amount of processed meat is too dangerous, but said the risk increases with the amount consumed.

The meat industry protested the classification, arguing that cancer isn't caused by a specific food but that it also involves lifestyle and environmental factors.

14 Newscast 3 Six people are dead after a whale watching boat overturned 2:08 off the coast of Vancouver Island. Whale watching Five people were from Britain and one was from Australia. excursion ends Investigators say preliminary evidence shows most of the 24 with 6 people passengers and three crew members were on the upper left dead deck of the 20-metre vessel when a large wave hit the boat on the right side -- tilting and then rolling the ship.

Investigators say the boat's centre of gravity was affected by the lopsided passenger weight.

British Columbia's premier is hailing the efforts of a First Nation whose members rescued passengers and crew from the capsized boat.

ANSWER KEY FOR NEWS STORY 1:

LISTENING ACTIVITY 2: LISTENING FOR SPECIFIC COMPREHENSION

1. Where does the Prime Minister of Canada usually live? 24 Sussex Drive

2. Why won’t the Trudeau family live there? It is in need of repair

3. Where will the Trudeau family live instead? Rideau Hall

4. When was Rideau Hall built? 1867

5. How long will the Prime Minister’s family live in Rideau Hall? Until further notice

VOCABULARY ACTIVITY 1 Answer Word/Expression Synonyms/Definitions C traditional A. old-style B. out-of-date C. customary, time-honoured B grounds A. sediments B. estate, lands C. reason ,bases C residence A. house, home B. university or college dormitory C. the official house of an government or official figure A storey A. floor, level B. Untruth, falsehood C. report account B serve A. help ,aid B. act, function C. supply ,provide A until further A. indefinitely, open-ended notice B. forever, for life C. without letting up

LANGUAGE FOCUS: ACTIVITY 1 4. Mansion a very large, expensive, impressive house.

3. 2 1.

16 4. Castle a large building fortified against attack with thick walls, battlements, towers, and in many cases a moat. There are more than 60 castles in 3. 12 2. Canada. Many of them are hotels such as the Banff Springs Hotel, and the Hotel

Macdonald in Edmonton.

Mid-rise apartment house is intermediate in height between a low- rise and a high-rise building with a 3 number of residential suites. 3.

A two- storey house has 2 levels above grade [the ground].

1 4.

4. High-rise Apartments are large buildings containing a number of residential suites. 3. 6 5.

2. A Bungalow is a low house with no upper floor.

7 6.

4. A Duplex is a house divided into two residents, with a separate entrance for 3. 8 7. each.

17 Semi-detached houses are built side-by- side and share a “party” wall.

5 8.

Townhouses, are usually identical houses that share side walls.

10 9.

Detached houses are separate and free- standing. 11 10.

A Ranch Style home is a single level home that is long in the front, but not 9 deep. There are also some homes with 11. an L or U-Shape.

A farm house is attached to a farm, especially the main house in which the farmer lives. 4 12.

Rural Ranch House is the home of a rancher attached to a large acreage especially in western Canada, where 12 cattle, horses, etc. are raised. 13.

ANSWER KEY FOR NEWS STORY 2:

VOCABULARY BUILDING ACTIVITY 2: CREATING AWARENESS

1. The story involves several New Canadian families. 2. A generous donour contributes to the scholarship fund every year. 3. Food is often processed to keep it useful for a longer time. 4. They have been collecting data for their study. 5. She is very fit, and has a healthy lifestyle. 6. Many older homes have been insolated with asbestos. 7. Darwin made a classification of species of animals. He put each one in a category. 8. Environmental factors contribute to learning. 9. He consumed 52 hotdogs to win the contest. 10. The students protested the tuition hike.

LISTENING ACTIVITY 2: LISTENING FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION

World Health Organization Meat industry (WHO) Processed meats raise the risk of cancers.

Lifestyle and environment are important

Factors. They do not have enough data

Cancer isn't caused by a specific food

LISTENING ACTIVITY 3: LISTENING FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES

According to the World Health Organization, hot dogs, bacon, cold cuts and other processed meats raise the risk of colon, stomach and other cancers. Red meat probably contributes to the disease, too.

The WHO's cancer agency has put processed meats in the same danger category as smoking or asbestos though that doesn't mean salami is as bad as cigarettes.

The agency said it did not have enough data to define how much processed meat is too dangerous, but said the risk increases with the amount consumed.

The meat industry protested the classification, arguing that cancer isn't caused by a specific food but that it also involves lifestyle and environmental factors.

ANSWER KEY FOR NEWS STORY 3:

VOCABULARY BUILDING ACTIVITY 3

1. There are too many decorations on one side of the tree. It is lopsided.

2. The firefighters rescued the family from the burning house.

3. The United Nations is hailing the efforts of the peacekeepers.

4. The investigators examined all of the evidence.

5. The vessel set sail from the ports at dawn.

LISTENING ACTIVITY 2: LISTENING FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION

6 people died 5 passengers from Britain 1 Australian 24 passengers on the ship 3 crew 20 metre vessel

LANGUAGE FOCUS ACTIVITY 1

1. Six people are dead after a whale watching boat overturned off the coast of Vancouver Island. 2. Five people were from Britain and one was from Australia. 3. Investigators say preliminary evidence shows most of the 24 passengers and three crew members were on the upper left deck of the 20-metre vessel when a large wave hit the boat on the right side. 4. Investigators say the boat's centre of gravity was affected by the lopsided passenger weight.

LANGUAGE FOCUS ACTIVITY 1

1. Justin Trudeau will not move into the residence at 24 Sussex Drive 2. It is in need of repair. 3. The family will live in Rideau Cottage, on the grounds of Rideau Hall 4. Rideau Cottage was built in 1867 to serve as a home for the secretary to the governor general. 5. The Trudeau family will live there until further notice.