The online website of National Public Radio (NPR) provides archives of news articles, some of which are accompanied by their radio versions. Although this website is not specifically designed for educators, ESL teachers will greatly benefit from ths site in that it provides authentic reading and listening materials.
Especially, "This I Believe" essays are ample authentic resources for all language skills, namely, listening, writing, speaking, reading, and even pronunciation. Originally, there was a radio program of the same name in the 1950s, and some people revived the program by collecting short essays on personal beliefs and featuring some of them on NPR from 2005-2009. The website has an archieve of the essays both from the 1950s and from the recent. They provide both written and listening formats of each essay. These essays are so widely used for educational purpose around the world that the site provides several tips on how to use the essays For Educators. It provides sample curricula for middle, high, college, and adult learners as well as the brochure and poster containing tips on writing one's own This I Believe essay, all in PDF files, which are just amazing.
I got to know this site from Dr. McGregor's pronunciation class.
I love the This I Believe essays, Eunjeong! You are right, these are probably one of the best authentic materials available. As I heard some of the speeches, I realized that the enunciation and pronunciation of most of the speakers is so clear which makes it easier for learners to understand. This is certainly a very helpful resource that offers multiple options on how it can be used in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteDefinitly agree with Shilpa. Listening to some of hte most powerful and most popular people reflect on real-world issues is not only contextually sound, it also provides a nice introduction for students to discuss current trends throughout the world. Yo-Yo Ma's speech, for instance, is something a lot of students could relate to content-wise, but having that coupled with an activity in the classroom makes this resource so much more valuable (and cheap!).
ReplyDeleteI am glad that both of you like the essays. Yes, they are indeed wonderful resources and free. I feel like I've got treasure-troves for my future teaching. :)
ReplyDeleteWhen I have tutored English students in the past, I have always suggested that they listen to NPR because the English is so vibrant with interesting vocabulary and deep meaning. Having the transcipt available is also useful to students because they replay and reread the excerpts so that they can laern new vocabulary. "This I believe" articles are also more conversational than ordinary newspaper articles because of the topic being discussed, so the subject matter will help them more with speaking language. The for educators page is also invaluable for teachers because it gives them ideas about how to use the material. Great site, Eunjeong.
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