www.alberta.ca www.cbc.ca/edmonton/eal/ Learning English with CBC Objectives of the newscast
‐ to develop listening skills at the CLB 4 level
‐ to increase vocabulary among learners
‐ to provide a self‐study tool as well as an ESL classroom resource
‐ to increase knowledge of news stories
Weekly News Newscast for Sept 9th‐ 2011
Outline
CLB competencies: Get the gist, details, key words and expressions as required. Infer contextual and situational details. Listening
Identify specific factual details in a listening task. Language skills: Identify the correct definitions for difficult vocabulary items. Build vocabulary through using word definitions to identify correct Vocabulary synonyms. Identify vocabulary items though context. Language Using contextual clues to identify vocabulary items. Activities: Choosing the correct answer to complete statements about a news story. Choosing the correct word groups to match vocabulary items.
Identifying true and false statements about a news story. Matching vocabulary words from a news story to their correct definitions. Answering questions about facts, details, and inferences in a news story.
News story #1 Before you listen to the first news story, complete this vocabulary activity. It will help you to understand the listening more easily.
Vocabulary Use one of the vocabulary words below to complete the sentences. The first one is done for you. Answers are on the last page.
off-season crashed assistant tragedy coach several private recently retired
1. I am thinking of putting my son on a different sports team because he doesn’t like his coach. 2. I have ______finished university. Now I am looking for a job. 3. Sept. 11th is a ______that the world will not forget. 4. If I am ever rich, I will buy a ______beach that only my friends and family can use. 5. I met a ______figure skater yesterday. She went to the Olympics in the 1980s! 6. Many athletes live in their hometowns during the ______. 7. If you are looking for a job, I know my boss needs a new ______. 8. ______people stopped by my office to wish me a happy birthday. 9. The car ______into a tree but luckily nobody was hurt.
Now listen to the first news story from the audio file. Listening activity: Multiple choice Choose the best answer to complete the sentences. The first one is done for you. Answers are on the last page.
1. This crash was ______a) the first tragedy for ice-hockey this summer. b) not the first tragedy in ice-hockey this summer. 2. The crash killed ______a) almost everyone on the team. b) everyone on the team. 3. Twenty-seven ______a)people in total were killed in the crash. b) players were killed in the crash. 4. McCrimmon played hockey for years for with a) the Detroit Redwings. ______b) many different teams. 5. Boogaard, Rypien, and Belak were ______a) killed in the plane crash. b) found dead this summer.
News story #2
Before you listen to the second news story, complete this vocabulary activity. It will help you to understand the listening more easily.
Vocabulary The words below are from the second news story. Choose the group of words in the box below that best matches those words. The first one is done for you. Answers are on the last page. Answer Word Related words d 1) superstar a) schedule plan projection 2) recovery b) head injury trauma headache 3) concussion c) emotionally psychologically spiritually 4) timeline d) idol famous person celebrity 5) status e) pronounced classified pinpointed 6) mentally f) one after the other adjacent continuous 7) back-to-back g) healing mending improvement 8) diagnosed h) condition state situation Now listen to the second news story from the audio file.
Listening Activity: True/False
Decide whether the statements below are true or false. Write your answer in the blanks.
The first one is done for you. Answers are on the last page. 1. False Sidney Crosby’s condition is not improving. 2. ____ The doctors are not sure when Crosby will be able to play again. 3. ____ Crosby might retire from hockey. 4. ____ Crosby was hurt while playing hockey. 5. ____ Doctors are not sure what is wrong with Crosby. News story #3 Before you listen to the third news story, complete this vocabulary activity. It will help you to understand the listening more easily.
Vocabulary Match the words with their definitions. The first one is done for you. Answers are on the last page.
Answer Word Definition b 1. shooting a) a person who is elected to work for local government 2. band council b) causing a bullet to leave from a gun 3. a bylaw c) group of people who govern a reserve* 4. rights d) people who break rules and cause problems 5. undesirable e) tolerate 6. councillor f) not liked or wanted 7. put up with g) things that people are legally allowed to do or have 8. trouble-makers h) a law that only applies to one city or community
* reserve: an area of land in Canada where aboriginal people live
Now listen to the third news story from the audio file
Listening Activity: Short Answer Read and answer the questions below. The first one is done for you. Answers are on the last page.
1) How old was Chelsea when she died? 23 years old 2) How did she die? ______3) What would the bylaw allow the band to do? ______4) What happened to Chelsea’s nephew in July? ______5) According to Coucillor Kirik Buffalo, what is the community saying? ______
Appendix
Transcripts of Weekly news stories
SEPT 9TH WEEKLY NEWS STORIES TIME
Introduction Hi, this is Don Bell. You’re listening to Learning English with CBC news for 0:00 September 9th. Story 1 A difficult off-season for ice-hockey had another tragedy on Wednesday when 0:10 a private jet crashed, killing all but one member of a professional hockey team -- including its Canadian coach. In all, 43 people died, including 27 players of the well-known Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team and coach Brad McCrimmon. McCrimmon was most recently an assistant coach with the Detroit Red Wings, and played for years in the NHL for several teams. Also among the dead were several players who had played in the National Hockey League. The plane crash comes after a difficult summer for the National Hockey League when three players were found dead: Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien and the recently retired Wade Belak. Story 2 Hockey superstar Sidney Crosby is making progress in his recovery from a 1:15 concussion but doctors say there is no timeline for his return to action. The Pittsburgh Penguin captain and two concussion experts held a news conference Wednesday to talk about his health status. Dr. Michael Collins said Crosby's recovery is coming along but is not there yet. He also said that before Crosby goes back to playing, the doctors are going to make sure he's 100 percent recovered. Crosby said it's been a "tough road" but he feels good mentally and never thought about retiring. The 24 year old Crosby was hit on the head in back-to-back games in early January before doctors diagnosed him with the concussion. Story 3 Two days after the shooting death of 23-year-old Chelsea 2:15 Yellowbird, the band council at the Samson Cree First Nation has decided to look at a bylaw that would let them remove housing rights from “undesirable" people on the reserve. Yellowbird died in the house next door to the home where her five-year-old nephew Ethan Yellowbird was shot to death in his bed in July. Samson Cree councillor Kirk Buffalo says the community is saying they don't want to put up with trouble-makers anymore.
Answer keys
News story 1
Vocabulary: 1) coach 2) recently 3) tragedy 4) private 5) retired 6) off-season 7) assistant 8) Several 9) crashed
Listening: 1) b 2) a 3) b 4) b 5) b
News Story 2
Vocabulary: 1) d 2) g 3) b 4) a 5) h 6) c 7) f 8) e
Listening: 1) False 2) True 3) False 4) True 5) False
News Story 3
Vocabulary: 1) b 2) c 3) h 4) g 5) f 6) a 7) e 8) d
Listening: 1) 23 years old 2) She was shot. 3) It would allow the band to remove housing rights from people who cause problems on the reserve. 4) He was also shot. 5) The community is saying that they don’t want to put up with troublemakers.