Breaking News English!

What is Breaking News English?

Breaking News? English? What it is all about? It is all about learning English in a fun and informative way! This is because Breaking News English is a website where you are able to learn something interesting and recent on a daily basis. It makes use of breaking news as the contents of a lesson and offers you various activities about the news on the same day the news break. What is more interesting and attractive for your students other than a lesson on something current and up-to-date? Breaking News English! All lessons offered by this website cover pre-intermediate and intermediate levels which can be done in classroom or independently. And it is free!

How it works?

It is very easy! First of all, go to the website Breaking News English and choose a topic (news title) on the list! For example "World's children care most about education" and select any activity that you want to do! Have fun and gain knowledge about current news and issues! You can also listen to the news recording if you choose to do the listening activities.

This website also offers complete lesson plans and activities that can be carried out in classrooms for example warm- up, pre-reading, while-reading and post-reading activities.

Breaking News English in ELT:

Advantages:

1) This website is specially designed for English language teaching and learning. It offers 26 pages printable activities and handouts for each of the lesson plan and they are free. Besides, there is a new lesson for every two days. So, this website is ideal for a very busy teacher! You can just take the ideas, print the activities, adapt if it is needed and teach your students!

2) Although the lessons offered by this website only cover pre-intermediate and intermediate level, you can always modify the lesson to meet the level of your students. 

3) This website promotes learners autonomy as your students can do all the activities provided at their own free times. Perhaps, you can do one or two activities together with your students in class to familiarize them with the website. 

4) The fact that this lesson is based on the breaking news which is current and up-to-date, it allows your students to enhance their knowledge with recent issues. This in turn, may help them to develop useful points for their writing course.

5) Most of the online activities helps students to improve their listening skill as some activities require them to listen to a recording before answering the questions.

6) Students may also improve their spelling skills and enrich their vocabulary through the activities provided in this websites. 

Disadvantages:

1) Students might cheat while doing the online activities as they can listen to the recording more than one in each activity that required listening.

2) No internet connection.

Storybird (Artfull Storytelling)

What is Storybird?

Storybird is another interesting tool shared by Russell recently. It is a tool that allows you to express your imagination through a very creative way. From your Storybirds, you can turn them into short story books, play cards or greeting cards. They can be printed and shared among your friends. It is a great tool to encourage storytelling among students because it is colourful and full of pictures! Furthermore, it is free!

How it works?

First of all you need to sign up to this website. Having an account of your own allows you to save and publish your master piece. Storybird reverse the process of story telling by starting with the image and "unlocking" the story inside. You can choose you artist or a theme, get inspired and start to write your imagination into the canvas! 

Here is a video of a complete tutorial on how to use Storybird:

   

And below is an example of a finished Storybird:

Storybird in ELT:Advantages:1) A fun and exciting way to encourage storytelling among your students because they can express their creativity and imagination like a professional story book author.2) Storybird also offers a different approach to get your students engage in creating their own story by choosing a theme or pictures to get them started. It promotes a reversed process of story telling by starting with the image and "unlocking" the story inside. 3) This tool also promotes the sense of ownership and motivation. As your students create their own story, publish and share them, they may feel like a real author and feel motivated.4) You can also get the students to narrate their stories after they finished and share with the whole classroom. through this, speaking and pronunciation skills can be practiced.Disadvantages:1) Students may get carried away and fails to finish their Storybird (if assigned by teacher)2) No internet connection.

Lyrics Training

What is Lyrics Training?

Have you ever heard about Lyrics Training before? You would be glad because you found this website like I do! This is because learning foreign languages is never been so fun until Russell introduced a cool website called Lyrics Training!

So what it is? Lyrics Training is a website where you can learn foreign languages (currently offers English, Spanish, French, Italian, German and Dutch) in an exciting way! it would be perfect tool for your students to learn English language because this website allows the,m to improve their English through their favorite music and songs! Learning English does not have to be dry and full of boring memorization anymore because with Lyrics Training, your students can sing along while doing something useful. The most important part is, this website is free and no registration is required!

How it works?

First of all, go to Lyrics Training website. Secondly, choose any song that you like and select one of the three mastery levels; beginner, intermediate or expert. As the video begins to play, the songs lyrics appear underneath with several blank spaces fro you to fill in the missing words while the song is sung. If you don's know the word, the video stops playing until you can come up with the correct word. It keeps track of the time you take to fill the blanks and the score is given based in the time taken. Click the "Give Up!" button to see words that elude you. You can sing along while you fill in the missing words!

Lyrics Training in ELT:

Advantages:

1) Lyrics Training allows your students to practice English in a fun way because they can listen and sing to their favorite songs while doing something useful. For example, practice listening and spelling. They can also enrich their vocabulary and practice typing at the same time. 

2) It is user-friendly because it has three difficulty levels; beginner, intermediate and expert. This may help your students to choose the level according to their ability (English language proficiency), typing speed and familiarity with the song. 

3) The way this tool works can help to reduce the anxiety level in learning English especially for the lower level students as there is no pressure while filling in the missing words. This is because, the music stops when they get stumped and they can always replay and listen to the songs again in order to get the correct words.

4) It encourage healthy competition between the students as this tool also allow the users to keep track and save their scores. However, in order to enable this, your students have to register and have their own account.

5) You can also create learners autonomy among your students  and encourage them to use this tool at their own time.

Disadvantages:

1) Sometimes, the lyrics cannot be understood despite being replay several times. This may lead to frustration to the students. 

2)Some students may prefer other ways to learn English rather than through songs and music. Lack of interest in music or singing may be a burden for them if you decide to use this tool in your classroom. 

Intervue

What is Intervue?

Intervue is another tool that shared by Russell recently. Basically, Intervue is a tool where you can use to make a quick video response to anyone or to gather short video interview from anyone online. A webcam is an essential equipment that you need to have in order to operate this tool. Intervue enable you to make the process of gathering opinions from students easier as you no longer need paper or worksheets. All you have to do is set the questions you wish to ask and post it online on you Intervue account and obtain the responses via webcam. Interview for a lesson purpose can also be done through this tool and the most important thing is, it is free! 

How it works?

So how to use Intervue? It is easy and quick and free too! All you need to do is click Intervue and sign up for your own account. You need to provide your email and create a password. The same procedure applies to your students. 

Now you have your own Intevue account and you can start making your own short interview video or set up you own  questions to be answered by your students. You can also view and commet on your students' video responses and interview. 

Intervue in ELT:

Advantages:

1) The main advantage for using Intervue in your language classroom is that it allows your students to practice speaking privately because the recording can only be listened by you and your students. This will encourage your students to practice speaking with confidence especially those who are lack of self confidence to speak in front of their classmates. This in turn will motivate them to practice speaking more.

2) Intervue also allows you to keep record of the video responses that you gathered from you students. You can monitor the progress of your students in any lesson especially speaking lesson by using this tool.

Disadvantages:

1) Intervue has limited recording time which is only 60 seconds. It is a disdvantage for low level students where more time is needed for them to speak promptly.

In conlusion, Intervue provides you a useful way to encourage your students to speak. Guidlines and practice should be prepared by teachers to allows students to speak in Intervue especially for the low level students to speak within the time limit.