2b: Information

Media & News
Media & News

Online Resources

Canadian Immigrant Magazine
This is a great free resource for both teachers and learners. It offers information on settlement in BC, culture, education, money and business, etc. It also has a very good collection of immigrant stories, in which Canadian immigrants discuss a wide variety of topics about life in Canada. Lesson plans can be created by teachers on the many different articles.

CBC
This site offers Canadian and international headlines, articles, wireless services, email digests, and live internet radio.

Learning English with the CBC
This site is designed to help ESL learners develop their speaking, reading and listening skills. CBC Ottawa and CBC Archives, along with the Applied Linguistics Department at Carleton University, have developed lesson plans that are both entertaining and informative. The web pages include vocabulary, comprehension questions, and audio and video clips about Canadian culture and history. Lessons range from beginner to advanced levels.

CBC Manitoba EAL
Here you will find English as an Additional Language (EAL) lessons which are based on CBC Manitoba radio stories broadcast on CBC Radio One. The lessons are designed for intermediate-level learners, but there are tips on how to adapt them on the teacher’s page. Each lesson has a classroom version and a self-study version. All of the lessons are available on the website.

Center for Media Literacy
This American website is an excellent resource for teachers seeking guidance on how to teach critical thinking and media literacy. A free PDF of their 2003 book Literacy for the 21st Century is available on the site, with ample teaching resources for purchase.

Global News
Global News Online offers Canadians from coast to coast news and information, from breaking news in the community to deep engaging content that puts complex world issues in perspective.

BBC Learning English
This site is designed to help ESL learners develop their media literacy skills. There are news stories, recipes, words of the day, audio and video segments, quizzes, and tutorials to guide learners through stories in the news.

Incorporating Critical Thinking Skills Development into ESL/EFL Courses
Written by Andy Halvorsen, this site offers an accessible summary of key approaches to teaching critical thinking to ESL learners. He describes critical thinking as the product of two key skills: examining an issue from multiple perspectives and considering our own relationship to an issue. He offers three techniques for teaching critical thinking: Debate, Media Analysis, and Problem Solving.

Maclean’s
A national weekly current affairs magazine, Maclean’s enlightens, engages, and entertains readers with strong investigative reporting and exclusive stories from leading journalists in the fields of international affairs, social issues, national politics, business, and culture.

The Globe and Mail
The site includes articles, video, features, top-rated comments, and poll results. To ensure that the content is relevant, use the search engine in the website.

The Province
An online source of news on British Columbia, BC, Canada, and around the world.

Vancouver Sun
An online source of news on British Columbia, BC, Canada, and around the world.

Print Resources

Teaching Reading Skills In a Foreign Language. Nuttall, C. Oxford: Macmillan. (2005).
This seminal work presents strategies for teaching reading skills using authentic materials. Nuttall’s approach involves enabling learners to enjoy reading unfamiliar authentic texts independently and at appropriate speed with adequate understanding. She explores these ideas and gives a wealth of strategies for teaching reading skills using authentic content. Teachers will find pages 30 – 39 particularly useful.

Listening in the Language Classroom. Field, J. London & NY: Cambridge University Press. (2009).
This is an excellent general resource for novice and experienced teachers who want to learn current practices in the teaching of listening. Although the rather scholarly overview may not appeal, more hands-on teachers will appreciate the tips on selecting and leveling listening tasks using authentic materials and the specific, practical ideas and techniques for teaching listening.