The Media: Learning Page

BS01890_.jpg (1915 bytes)

"What media event from your lifetime affected you the most?"

The media includes newspapers, magazines, TV, and--of course--the Internet. We've created this page about the media to help you practice your English. There are quizzes to test your English skills, a discussion forum where you can share your ideas, games and activities, and links to other web sites about the media. Come on, stay with the times.

Dis

Discussion

There's a lot happening in the world. Stop by PartyLand's discussion forum on The News & Current Events to ask questions, share your opinion, or just see what other ESL students and teachers have to say. If you're not sure what to say, try answering one of these questions:

What do you think was the biggest media event of the 1990s?

How do you stay up to date with the news?

Click here to see what other ESL students and teachers are saying.

Back to Top

bear.jpg (3592 bytes)

Can you recognize this famous person? Do you know why she is an important media figure? To find out, click here.

agq

Activities & Games

Interactive WWW Activity: Princess Diana--Practice your vocabuary, reading, and writing as you participate in this interactive lesson on the death of Princess Diana.

Matching Activity: TV--What Type of Show Is It?--How well do you know North American TV shows? See if you can match these popular shows with the type of show each is.

Scrambled Sentences: The Nightly News--Can you unscramble these ten sentences from the nightly news? Warning: This one's difficult!

Matching Activity: Newspaper Headlines--Can you match each of these ten headlines to the section of the newspaper where you'd find them?

Internet Worksheet: CNN Interactive This worksheet will help you use a great web site called CNN Interactive. You can print the worksheet, or you can work directly on your computer.

News on the WWW--This Internet scavenger hunt will introduce you to the newspaper USA Today On-line, teach you one way to find newspapers on the WWW, and involve you in learning about current events at CNN Interactive. You can work on this activity directly from your computer, or you can print the page before visiting each web site.

BRAIN.GIF (15367 bytes)

Quizzes

Practice your TOEFL skills by taking an interactive quiz!

Big News Events from the 1990s
(difficult, TOEFLesque)

Back to Top

Reading

Check out this hot link for a guide to newspapers from around the world.

lion.jpg (4013 bytes)

About.com:
World Newspapers

Headline English

Newspaper headlines look different from regular English sentences because headline writers don't want to use too many words. Headlines often leave out grammatical structures like articles and auxiliary verbs. They use simple forms of verbs to describe something that has happened. They use infinitive forms to describe something that is going to happen. Headlines also use abbrieviations and idioms.

Click on one of the following actual newspaper headlines to see how it translates into ordinary English.

Arizona voters click into history

Close aide to Iranian president shot

Boomers to retire where they work

Search Cool Stuff for books, videos, and CDs about animals.

Back to Top

scene.gif.gif (11950 bytes) The Scene: Web Links

'Want to learn more about what's happening in the world? Check out these cool sites. Some are for English speakers, while others help you practice your English through interactive quizzes and games.

USA Today On-line--This extensive web site is home to the newspaper USA Today. Find out what's happening in the United States and around the world.

The New York Times on the Web--For coverage of "all the news that's fit to print," visit the New York Times web site.

The Realguide-At this site for English speakers, you can listen to news braodcasts from around the world.

Listening to the News--An advice sheet for ESL students on listening to the news, from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Quiz: Newspaper Headlines--This is a quiz on newspaper headlines, brought to you by the Internet TESOL Journal.