Learning English with CBC Edmonton Weekly newscast January 27th 2012 Lessons prepared by Jennifer Foote & Justine Light Objectives of the weekly newscast lesson to develop listening skills at the CLB 4 level to increase vocabulary among learners to increase knowledge of news stories to provide a self study tool, as well as, an ESL classroom resource www.alberta.ca www.cbc.ca/edmonton/eal/
News story #1 Before you listen to the first news story, complete this vocabulary activity. It will help you to understand the listening more easily. Use one of the vocabulary words below to complete the sentences. The first one is done for you. Answers are on the last page. confirmed arrest attack surveillance relieved beaten jaw facial reconstructive surgery 1. My best friend saw the attack in the park and called the police. 2. I chewed the gum for so long my started to hurt. 3. My daughter just the number of guests we will have for the wedding. 4. A man was in the parking lot of a bar last night but nobody saw who did it. 5. I hope they the man who stole my car. 6. I was that the test was cancelled, because I hadn t studied. 7. You can tell a lot about people s feelings by their expressions. 8. We need to have better in the school to prevent stealing. 9. I am going to need, because I broke my arm in so many different places. Extra definitions to help you understand the reading: Attorney General: the elected person who acts as the main lawyer for a government Now listen to the first news story from the audio file. Listening Activity: Short Answer Read and answer the questions below. The first one is done for you. Answers are on the last page. 1. Who confirmed that there had been an arrest? The Attorney General 2. Where is Sheila Nabb now? 3. Why did Kathy Carmichael fly to Mexico? 4. Where was Sheila Nabb when she was found? 5. What kind of surgery does Sheila Nabb need?
News story #2 Before you listen to the second news story, complete this vocabulary activity. It will help you to understand the listening more easily. Read the definitions below, then put the sentences in the correct order. Words and Definitions collided: hit something with a lot of force atmosphere: the air that surrounds the Earth reroute: plan to travel somewhere on a different path spectacular: amazing, wonderful satellite: something sent into space by people that then circles around the Earth Extra definitions to help you understand the reading: solar radiation : energy from the sun 1. collided The cars on ice the. The cars collided on the ice. 2. lot There is atmosphere a of in the pollution. 3. bus highway had to reroute the They the because was closed. 4. I movie the Titanic spectacular was thought. 5. sometimes satellites you see in sky the night can. Now listen to the second news story from the audio file Listening Activity: True/False Decide whether the statements below are true or false. Write your answer in the blanks. The first one is done for you. Answers are on the last page. 1. False The solar storm was the largest sun storm ever recorded. 2. Some flights were changed because of the solar storm. 3. Radiation storms are dangerous for people. 4. Some types of radio are affected by solar storms. 5. Only people in the arctic could see the northern lights.
News story #3 Before you listen to the third news story, complete this vocabulary activity. It will help you to understand the listening more easily. Match the words with their definitions. The first one is done for you. Answers are on the last page. Answer Word Definition h 1. plains a) a name for babies of some types of animals such as bison and cows 2. bison b) came from someone or something from long ago 3. to roam c) being very close to 4. calves d) when something stops existing forever (e.g., a kind of animal or plant) 5. descended e) family relations who lived long before we were born 6. a herd f) a place that is kept safe for wild animals and plants 7. brink of g) to travel/move around without a destination in mind 8. extinction h) flat land that has grass but very few trees 9. ancestors i) large animals that used to be common in North America (also known as buffalo) 10. a reserve j) a group of animals that live and move together Extra definitions to help you understand the reading: Great Plains: a large flat section of land the covers a large part of Canada and the United States. Now listen to the third news story from the audio file. Listening activity: Multiple choice Choose the best answer to complete the sentences. The first one is done for you. Answers are on the last page. 1. The calves are going to a) Montana. b) Edmonton. 2. The Great Plains a) have millions of Bison. b) used to have millions of bison. 3. The calves at Elk Island a) are descended from Canadian bison. b) are descended from American bison. 4. The last wild herd of Bison were a) shipped to Alberta. b) shipped to America. 5. Elk Island has a) helped bison become extinct. b) helped stop bison from becoming extinct.
Appendix Transcripts of Weekly news stories Introduction Story 1 Story 2 Story 3 JANUARY 27TH WEEKLY NEWS STORIES Hi, this is Don Bell. You re listening to Learning English with CBC news for January 27th. The Attorney General for the state of Sinaloa, in Mexico, has confirmed that an arrest has been made in the attack on Canadian tourist Sheila Nabb. They confirm that it was the man seen in a surveillance video and also say that he is a Mexican national. Sheila Nabb is now back in Canada. Nabb's uncle, Robert Prosser says the 37 year old was flown back to Calgary Thursday night. Her sister Kathy Carmichael flew down to Mexico to be by Nabb's side for the flight home. Prosser says the family is relieved. Nabb was found badly beaten in the elevator at a five star hotel last weekend. Her family says every bone in her face was broken and her jaw is wired shut. They say she will need major facial reconstructive surgery. On Tuesday, the largest sun storm in a decade sent solar radiation to earth. The radiation collided with the Earth's atmosphere causing airlines to reroute flights and sky watchers to look for spectacular light displays. Delta Air Lines said it had changed flight routes for journeys between Asia and the United States, which cross the pole, to avoid problems caused by the radiation storm. Air Canada also changed the routes of some planes flying to Asia. The storm was the largest since October of 2003. The U.S. space agency says radiation storms do not hurt humans on Earth but they can affect satellites and shortwave radio. The very strong storm meant that people in Scotland and the southern United States could see the beautiful "Northern Lights" display which is usually only seen in the Arctic at this time of year. 70 plains bison from east of Edmonton are going home to roam the ranges of Montana. It's a homecoming because these calves from Elk Island national park are descended from bison from the U.S. At one time, there were millions of bison roaming the Great Plains. But at the beginning of the last century, there were fewer than 200 plains bison in the world. In 1907, 410 bison, the last wild herd, were shipped to Alberta from Montana. Elk Island has become a refuge bringing bison back from the brink of extinction. Now, these calves are on their way back to a place their ancestors once called home, the American Plains Reserve. TIME 0:00 0:10 1:12 2:23
Answer keys News story 1 1. My best friend saw the attack in the park and called the police. 2. I chewed the gum for so long my jaw started to hurt. 3. My daughter just confirmed the number of guests we will have for the wedding. 4. A man was beaten in the parking lot of a bar last night but nobody saw who did it. 5. I hope they arrest the man who stole my car. 6. I was relieved that the test was cancelled, because I hadn t studied. 7. You can tell a lot about people s feelings by their facial expressions. 8. We need to have better surveillance in the school to prevent bullying. 9. I am going to need reconstructive surgery, because I broke my bone in so many different places. Listening 1. Who confirmed that there had been an arrest? The Attorney General 2. Where is Sheila now? She is back in Canada 3. Why did Kathy Carmichael fly to Mexico? To be with her sister on the flight home. 4. Where was Sheila when she was found? She was in the elevator of a hotel. 5. What kind of surgery does Sheila need? She need facial reconstructive surgery News story 2 1. The cars collided on the ice. 2. There is a lot of pollution in the atmosphere. 3. They had to reroute the bus because the highway was closed. 4. I thought the movie Titanic was spectacular. 5. Sometimes you can see satellites in the night sky. Listening 1. False 2. True
3. False 4. True 5. False News story 3 Answer Word Definition h 1) plains a) a name for babies of some types of animals such as bison and cows i 2) bison b) came from someone or something from long ago g 3) to roam c) being very close to a 4) calves d) when something stops existing forever (e.g., a kind of animal or plant) b 5) descended e) family relations who lived long before we were born j 6) a herd f) a place that is kept safe for wild animals and plants c 7) brink of g) to travel without a destination in mind d 8) extinction h) flat land that has grass but very few trees e 9) ancestors i) large animals that used to be common in North America (also known as buffalo) f 10) a reserve j) a group of animals that live and move together Listening 1. a 2. b 3. b 4. a 5. b