Newsweek Lesson – Reading and Vocabulary

Today you and your group are going to read an article in Newsweek. First, take a few minutes to look through this week’s edition of the magazine. Then, with your group, decide on which article you are going to read. You can choose any feature article. Preview the article first to be certain that it is an article you’re interested in reading. Look at the pictures, read the captions and subject headings, and skim the first few paragraphs.

Read the article. Do NOT use a dictionary. As you read, do two things:

1. Circle any key words you do not know.
2. Take notes in the margins. If you can’t understand something, write a question about it.

Once you have finished reading, get together with your group again. Ask your group for help with the questions you wrote in the margins. Ask your group for help with vocabulary. Have your group leader take notes as you discuss the following:

1. What is the main idea of the article?
2. What are some of the important supporting details?
3. Identify the who, what, when, where, and how of the the article.
4. Did anything about the article surprise you?
5. What is your opinion on this topic?

Finally, your group should elect a spokesperson. This person is going to provide a brief oral summary of the article to the rest of the class. During this informal presentation, the other groups are expected to ask questions and generate class discussion on the topic.

FOR HOMEWORK:

Choose five of the words you circled in your article. On a clean sheet of paper (or in your vocabulary notebooks) do the following: write the word, its part of speech, and a definition in English. Then copy the sentence or phrase in which the word appears (from the Newsweek article). Next, write your own original sentence using this word.

Choose another article from Newsweek. Sit in the sun or curl up in bed and read!