(NOTE: This is now my regularly updated “regular” list of current events sites. I no longer publish an annual list)
One way to encourage our ESL/EFL students and others to become active citizens in the world is to help them become aware of important news events. Current news can also be a source of high-interest reading, speaking, listening, and writing material, and provide opportunities to stimulate higher-order thinking.
A first step in this process is to provide them with accessible information. This list offers my choices for the top News/Current Events Websites for English Language Learners
Here are my choices:
English Club provides a monthly text and audio summary of four news stories, including online cloze (fill-in-the-gap) exercises.
Breaking News English has been providing text and audio of the top news stories a few times each week for quite awhile. In addition, it has excellent lesson plans and follow-up activities that can be printed-out.
News English Lessons, a sister site of of Breaking News English that appears to have even more accessible resources for ELL’s.
Number six is the CBBC Newsround. This is sort of a version of BBC News designed for younger people. The lay-out, writing, and choice of stories is very inviting.
The BBC Learning English site is attractively designed and has images and audio support for text.
Learning English Voice Of America>
News in Levels provides several different “levels” of the same news article and provides audio support for the text. The site is clearly focused on ELLs, with the “lowest” level an image annotated with vocabulary words, which also has audio support. Unfortunately, the site doesn’t have interactive activities that students can do, but I guess you can’t have everything…
Newsela Provides “Leveled” News Articles & Quizzes
50 Ways to Teach With Current Events is from The New York Times Learning Network.
Three Teacher-Tested Ways to Encourage Your Students to Follow Current Events This School Year is from The New York Times Learning Network.
Al Jazeera Has Great Audio Reading Of Text Feature On Its News Site
Voice of America Learning English has a daily one minute video giving top news in a very accessible format. They call it “VOA60,’ and you can find it on its YouTube channel. Here’s an example:
Practice English with News does what it says it does.
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Thank you so much. I just checked out your #1 choice…perfect. I’m a technology teacher, and was assigned an ELD class this year. This resource looks like a fantastic way for my students to access current events in an understandable way. The BBC website doesn’t look like it’s meant for younger students (which they get insulted about), but there is a ton of support with the boldfaced words and the audio. I’ll be using it.
Thanks Larry – I’m honored to have two in the top 10! Still a lot to do though to get higher. Must focus on more interactive activities for students.
Thanks Larry, this is a great help to practice English!
To help with your speaking, it’s always best to practice with native speakers. I recommend trying a language exchange. You should check out http://www.languageforexchange.com