USING CURRENT EVENTS ON VOICE OF AMERICA’S NEWS WORDS TO IMPROVE VOCABULARY AND DEVELOP LANGUAGE SKILLS FOR THE STUDENTS OF CLASS 11a4 AT TO HIEN THANH HIGH SCHOOL IN THANH HOA CITY

SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO THANH HÓATRƯỜNG THPT QUAN SƠN 2 USING English- LANGUAGE SHORT FILMS To develop listening and speaking skills for the students of class 11A1 atQuan Son 2 high scho

SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO THANH HÓA

TRƯỜNG THPT QUAN SƠN 2

USING English- LANGUAGE SHORT FILMS

To develop listening and speaking skills for the students of class 11A1

atQuan Son 2 high school in Quan Son, Thanh Hoa

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TABLE OF CONTENT

PART

SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO THANH HÓA

TRƯỜNG THPT TÔ HIẾN THÀNH

SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM

USING CURRENT EVENTS ON VOICE OF AMERICA’S NEWS WORDS TO IMPROVE VOCABULARY AND DEVELOP LANGUAGE SKILLS FOR THE STUDENTS OF CLASS 11A4 AT TO HIEN THANH HIGH SCHOOL

IN THANH HOA CITY

Người thực hiện: Lª ThÞ Hµ Chức vụ: Giáo viên

SKKN thuộc lĩnh vực: Ngoại Ngữ

THANH HÓA NĂM 2021

I: INTRODUCTION……… 1

1.1 Rational……… 1

1.2 Aims of the study……… 2

1.3 Subjects of the study………2

1.4 Methods of the study……… 2

PART II: CONTENT… ……… 3

2.1 Literature review……… 3

2.1.1 Current events 2.1.2 Voice of America's News Words ……… 4

2.1.2.1 Voice of America……… ……… 4

2.1.2.2 VOA- Learning English………4

2.1.2.3 News Words- VOA Learning English……… 5

2.2 The reality of the students's vocabulary and language skills in the study of English at To Hien Thanh High School……… ……….6

2.3 The produce of using current events on Voice of America's News Words to improve vocabulary and language skills for the students of class 11A4 at To Hien Thanh High School in Thanh Hoa city……….……… 7

2.3.1 Time and Measurement……… ……….7

2.3.2 The ways of using Voice of America's News Words videos in English language classrooms ……….8

2.3.2.1.Preparation Stage……….……… 8

2.3.2.2 Presentation Stage……….8

2.3.2.3 Production Stage……… 9

2.3.3 Some suggestions in News Words videos selection……….9

2.3.4 Some illustrating examples for using current events on Voice of America's News Words to improve vocabulary and language skills for the students of class 11A4 ……….9

2.3.2.1 News Words: Coronavirus……… 10

2.3.2.2 News Words: Participate……….13

2.4 Results and Findings……….…16

PART III: CONCLUSION 3.1 Conclusion……….……… 18

3.2 Suggestions……… 19 REFERENCES

APPENDIX

DANH MỤC CÁC SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM ĐƯỢC XẾP LOẠI CẤP SỞ GD& ĐT THANH HOÁ

(LIST OF THE EXPERIENCED INITIATIVES RANKED C BY THANH HOA EDUCATION AND TRANING DEPARTMENT)

(An attached CD with Voice of America’s News Words videos used in the

PART I: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale

Nowadays, with the development of science and technology people ingeneral and students in particular are surrounded by information from severalsources and reaching information becomes more and more important English isthe language of the international business, technology, science, travel and theability to communicate in English can be kind of a linguistic power WhileEnglish language is widely used for communication, the competence in English

is considered as an added potential

Current events are said to be extremely important in today’s world with so

many changes happening across the global It is more important than ever that allstudents are aware of what is happening both in their own country and beyond.Using current events will probably attract their attention, then improve theirEnglish vocabulary and develop their language skills Moreover, current eventsare often captured on the news

Voice of America’ News Words is a news videos series which is not only

engaging but also authentic; it offers important events happening in the worldnow and real use of living language Through these news videos, teachers canbring the world into the classrooms and bring language learning alive Forstudents, news videos bring back a lot of vocabulary and meanwhile languageskills are also developed

The four basic English language skills consist of listening, speaking, reading

and writing skill However, it can be said that vocabulary, listening and speakingare really necessary for effective communication in any language throughout theworld The ability to speak in English fluently internationalizes the outlook ofthe people in comparison to other languages used for communication

There is a fact that learners of a new language face exciting challenges indeveloping their abilities to speak, listen, read and write

Generally speaking, students often feel nervous or shy when they try to speakEnglish They even struggle to understand what someone is saying to themdespite years of study They are embarrassed about their pronunciation orworried that they speak too slowly Despite the fact that they have vocabularyand grammar, it is difficult for them to actually to use their English to speak.Besides, there are more and more innotivate approaches helping students inimproving the students’ English vocabulary and developing speaking andlistening skills

For high school students, “News Words” videos (Voice of America Resource) are both easy to listen and short to remember Teachers can bring

news happening all around the world into the classrooms and bring languagelearning alive through the news

Therefore, there are a large range of benefits teachers have for using currentevents through news in English language classrooms This makes it one of the

best and most motivating resources in the classroom, regardless of the age orbackground of the students.

For these above reasons, I would like to choose the topic:

“USING CURRENT EVENTS ON VOICE OF AMERICA’S NEWS WORDS TO IMPROVE VOCABULARY AND DEVELOP LANGUAGE

SKILLS FOR THE STUDENTS OF CLASS 11A4 AT TO HIEN THANH HIGH SCHOOL IN THANH HOA CITY” in the hope of motivating the

students of class 11A4 at To Hien Thanh High school in studying English ingeneral and improving their English vocabulary as well as developing their

language skills though Voice of America’s News Worlds videos on VOA

Learning English I also expect that news on this site as authentic materials arepossible to increase the students’ interest in the study of English at school andhelp them use their knowledge in their daily lives

It is hoped that both students and other teachers will find some usefulreference for their learning and teaching in this study

1.2 Aims of the study

The study is aimed to help the students:

- Learn English words or phrases used in real situations, then improvevocabulary and catch authentic languages

- Become familiar with English sounds, their pronunciation and intonationpatterns as well as recognize the sounds they hear, imitate them and then developtheir language skills as well

- Create an enjoyable asmophere

- Increase the students’ interest in the study of English

1.3 Subjects of the study

The study is carried out with 47 students of the class 11A4 who have beenlearning English for 5 years even 7 years( 4 years at lower secondary school,more than one year at high school and even 2 years at primary school) Thesestudents study at To Hien Thanh High School in Thanh Hoa city

Among 47 students who take part in the study, many of them are not good atEnglish, they only remember and speak some simple words or sentences.However, they have mobile phones which can be connected by wifi or 3Geveryday

1.4 Methods of the study

In order to achieve the above aims, the teacher uses “News Words” videos on Voice of America as authentic materials not only to improve the

students’ vocabulary but also develop their language skills in the study ofEnglish as a second language Students will have time to watch these videos andstudy vocabulary After listening news in a period of time, they will graduallyimprove their vocabulary and develop their English skills, copy or imitate thepronunciation and enjoy learning English more

In this study, theory study, observation, data collection, analysis,

In other words, current events are defined as events in the presentconcerning important people, places, things or ideas

Current events are often captured in the news and the world media is oftenused in talking about current events News is a report of current events ,information, people or things and often recorded in print, radio, tgelevision oronline while media is the industry and people that produce news and masscommunication content

2.1.1.2 Benefits of using current events in English language classrooms

* Linguistic benefits

The use of current events in English language classrooms has numerousadvantages The benefits of using current events in English classes are obviouslylinguistic, since they help students to distinguish different phonemes and stressparterns and favour the unconscious acquisition of otherwise difficult issues such

as pronunciation and intonation; they build language ability in listening, reading,writing, speaking skills and vocabulary They also offer endless topics thatconnect to all areas of a cirriculum and grammatical structures therefore easilyabsorbed in their mind; and they introduce lexical items in context, whichfacilitates the correct use of such items in their future utterances

* Psychological benefits

Psychological benenits like motivation, social participation, confidencebuilding or memory development also deserve being mentioned as an importantpart of the learning process They also can be achieved from the use of currentevents on news in English language classrooms

Current events keep students aware of events happening locally, nationallyand internationally, promote critical thinking and inspire students to becomeactive in their communities

Because of their linguistic and psychological benefits, current events canalso be an extremely useful tool for English classes They contain authenticlanguage, are easily abtainable, provide vocabulary, grammar and culturesaspects and are current for students They provide enjoyable speaking, listening,vocabulary and language practive both in and out of classroom Therefore,

current events on news are considered as a regular part of the classroomactivities.

2.1.1.3 Where to access current events

In today’s world, social media has actually become a really great way tolearn about current events because with mobile phones or in smart phonespeople are in places where news or interesting things happen

Current events are on/in:

2.1.2 Voice of America’s News Words

2.1.2.1 Voice of America( https://www.voanews.com/ )

According to Wikipedia, Voice of America (VOA) is an American

international broadcaster funded by the United States Congress It is the largestand oldest U.S funded international broadcaster VOA produces digital, TV, andradio content in 47 languages which it distributes to affiliate stations around theglobe It is primarily viewed by foreign audiences, so VOA programming has aninfluence on public opinion abroad regarding the United States and its people

VOA was established in 1942 to provide comprehensive information andnews to audiences worldwide It is accessible online from mobile phones, socialmedia, satellite, cable, FM/MW Radio

VOA- Learning English began in 1959 It has grown to include not justnews but also educational teaching tools as well It is read by English languagelearners, teachers, publishers and anyone interested in the news Content drawnfrom world of news, business, science, life, popular culture, etc Texts, MP3,videos and photos are free to the public

2.1.2.3 News Words- VOA Learning English

“News Words” are videos: + one minute long on VOA Learning English

+ introduce a new vocabulary word in the news + show the word in context

( https://www.youtube.com/user/voalearningenglish)

Videos make learning exciting and easy One way to really enhancelanguage development in the classrooms or at home is the use of knowledge andimages/photos together

One of the great benefits of using news videos is that it helps studentsunderstand where the words are in the sentences When listening, even ifstudents guess one word or phrase in a sentence, understanding that one wordhelps us piece together the rest of the sentence Do not need to understand foreverything When listening with videos, students only concentrate on the wordand the context it is shown

When students have a chance to use their vocabuary and language skillsthemselves, it makes that connection to the language even stronger If thestudents are not yet familiar with the word given, try to introduce the vocabularywith pictures, objects, or flashcards When using flashcards, introduce the card,say the word together and then have the students make a sentence for that word.The teacher migh need to help them but do it together Make sure that wordsselected are not too complicated because there may not be time to explain them.Keep the words given simple and easy to remember

2.2 The reality of the students’ English vocabulary and language skills in

the study of English at To Hien Thanh High School.

Although students who are in grade 11 have been learning English for 5years or even 8 years(3 years in primary schools), they still feel that English is avery difficult subject, especially the listening and speaking skills Many students

do not receive sufficient exposure at home They have many difficulties inrecognizing sounds, understanding English sentences as well as using English tocommunicate with others because of the lack of knowledge on sentence pattern,grammar knowledge, poor vocabulary and even wrong pronunciation

Additionally, the students who study at To Hien Thanh High School inThanh Hoa city do not have much opportunities to use English outsideclassrooms Thus, with 3 periods at school, they find it difficult to rememberEnglish words, the pronunciation as well as the usages Those are the reasonswhy their English are not good, even there are many students who do not knowanything about English

For these students, learning English as a foreign language is a really boringand uninteresting task Students used to work on grammar exercises on their ownand learn enormous lists of vocabulary by heart, which lacked anycommunicative sense All this turned this subject into something horrible andboring to tears

Besides, it is not difficult to meet foreingers living and working in ThanhHoa city They mainly use English to communicate with local people However,many students can not communicate in English, even they can not hear andunderstand what the foreigners are saying as well as how to reply

Therefore, motivating students, improving their vocabulary and developingtheir language skills are really necessary and important in their English learningand in their daily lives as well.

2.3 The produre of using current events onVoice of America’s News Words

to improve vocabulary and develop language skills for the students of class 11A4 at To Hien Thanh High School in Thanh Hoa city.

2.3.1.Time and Measurement

2.3.1.1.Time

The study is carried out at the beginning of English lessons This warm- uplast 5 minutes, the students of class 11A4 have four English lessons per week atclass but using” News Words” videos as warm-up activites are applied twice aweek with one video- one word Every video is repeated three times Studentswatch again at home( videos are up on the group of the class on Facebook or onYoutube)

The study lasts nearly 2 months ( from March 8th 2021 to April 30th 2021)

In this study, there are 7 News Words videos

2.3.1.2 Measurement

Assessment of the students’s vocabulary and language skills in the study

of English is based on their language development and motivation they have.Their language development here is mainly about oral language Oral languagemust focus on a student’s ability to interpret a conveying meaning for authenticpurpose in interactive context Giving students a mark for speaking ischallenging job Evaluating speaking is difficult as there are many things to payattention at the same time One possible solution for this is to pay attention onone or two aspects at a time For an example a particular speaking activity ortask the teacher can focus on marking the vocabulary they used and theirpronunciation Then, the teacher can pay attention to intonation and linkingsounds

In this study, I myself evaluate the students’ vocabulary and languageskills through the definition of the word given on “News Words” videos, theirunderstanding about the word and the news, as well as their speaking skills.Moreover, my observation about their improvement compared to their level atthe beginning to see whether the students are able to listen and recognize soundsbetter, minimize errors, use new words and phrases that they learnt when theyspeak, speak confidently, speak clearly or organize ideas

Table 1: Measurement scale

Level Competencies

Level 1 Students can listen or speak some words from the news on the

videos Level 2 Students can listen or speak approximately 1/2 of the words

from the definition of the word, the sentence does not providethe full meaning

Level 3 Students can listen or speak more than ½ of the words from the

definition of the word, the meaning of the sentence is almostthere

Level 4 Students can listen and understand the definition of the word,

with some mistakes in pronunciation The meaning of thesentence is apprehended

Level 5 Students can listen, understand the news, give a complete

definition of the word and use the word in other situations

Moreover, I also have discussion with my students and my colleagesworking with me at To Hien Thanh High School on using current events on

News Words videos series on VOA Learing English and evaluate it.

2.3.2 The ways to use Voice of America’s News Words videos on English language classrooms.

For students in class 11A4, the teacher choose words that are veryfamiliar, realistic and easy to understand to help them listen and understandeasily They understand mostly from what they listen, that is to say, throughhearing or situations rather than from explanation

Some principles on using News Words videos on VOA Learning Engish

are to improve the students’ English vocabulary and develop their languageskills

This proceduce is divided into three stages: + Preparation

+ Presentation

+ Production

2.3.2.1 Preparation stage ( Teacher’s preparation before the lesson)

- Step 1: Select vocabulary word on “ News Words”

It can be said that students are interested in a lot of current events topicssuch as world politics, the global economy, local news, science and technology,local or global education stories, art and entertainment, ect However, the teacherselects vocabulary words that are familiar in their study or lives

- Step 2: Prepare activities for vocabulary words.

- Step 3: Design follow-up activities at home for students

Make sure that vocabulary words are not too complicated because theremay not be time to listen and understand Keep the news simple and easy tounderstand

2.3.2.2 Presentation stage

Step 1: Teacher’s Presentation

- Activity 1: First of all, students are asked to write vocabulary word in thecentre of the board

- Activity 2: The teacher elicits the meaning of vocabulary word from studentsand guide them to what they are going to listen

- Activity 3: The teacher plays the video After listening to the news the firsttime, they are asked to speak whatever they listened( focusing mainly on thedefinition of the vocabulary word and its example on the news)

- Activity 4: Students listen again

Step 2: Students’ Presentation

Ater step 1, the students are told to give the definition of the word, its examplecorrectly and fluently and give some more words or information related to thenews

2.3.2.3 Production stage (At home/ Outside class)

Students are asked to:

- Create a list of vocabulary from current events they listened from the News Words video.

- Put students in groups of four and have them find a news article that use thisvocabulary word

- Have each group create a short presentation using this word

The representatives of two or three groups will be chosen to speak in front

of the class at the beginning of the next English lesson.( Using peer and teacherfeedback)

2.3.3 Some suggestions in News Words videos selection

Basing on current events happening in today’s world and the content of units

in English 11 textbook and the students’knowledge, I recommand some currentevents topics such as:

- COVID 19: Coronavirus, pandemic, infodemic

- World politics: Presidental, Senate…

- The global economy: Domestic…

- Local news: Taboo, Symbol…

- Science and technology: Phenomenon, Unique,Sustainable

- Local and global educational stories: Talent,

- Art and entertainment: Participate, Journey, Caravan…

- Others: Essential, Lucrative, Disappointed…

“News Words” series on VOA Learning English offer abundance of excellent

vocabulary word, so it is not difficult for teachers to select vocabulary words thatare suitable for the students

2.3.4 Some illustrating examples for using Voice of America’s News Words to improve vocabulary and develop language skills for the students of class 11A4

Here are two illustrating examples and I have included 4 differentexamples in Appendix The steps and activites I have proposed for the twoexamples chosen can equally be appiled to any News Words videos in appendix

2.3.4.1 News Words: Coronavirus

* Preparation stage:

- Step 1: News Words: Coronavirus

Transcript:

Welcome to the Voice of America’s News Words

In December 2019, health experts became aware of a fast- spreading virus in Wuhan, China.

CORONAVIRUS

The coronavirus may have started in a market that sold wild animals It has spread to six continents causing more than 3,000 deaths This disease has been named COVID- 19

A coronavirus belongs to a large family of viruses It enters the body through the nose and mouth and passes into the lungs, causing illness.

In humans, coronaviruses are usually spread by drops of fluid put into the air from an infected person

- Step 2: Activities for vocabulary words

+ Activity 1: First of all, students writes CORONAVIRUS in the centre of theboard

+ Activity 2: The teacher elicits the word from students and guides them to what

Coronavirus

- Word analysis - Wordform

- Definition - word related

+ Activity 3: The teacher plays the video After listening to the news the firsttime, they are asked to speak whatever they listened( focusing mainly on thedefinition of the vocabulary word and its example on the news)

A coronavirus belongs to a large family of viruses It enters the body through the nose and mouth and passes into the lungs, causing illness.

In humans, coronaviruses are usually spread by drops of fluid put into the air from an infected person

+ Activity 4: Students listen again

Step 3: Follow-up activities at home for students

Students are asked to:

- Create a list of vocabulary from News Words: Coronavirus they listen.

- Put students in groups of four and have them find a news article that use

Step 1: Teacher’s Presentation

- Activity 1: First of all, have students write vocabulary word in the centre of theboard

- Activity 2: Elicit vocabulary word from students and guide them to what theylisten

corona+ virus Noun

a disease pandemic/ outbreak infectious disease transmission

Coronavirus

Coronavirus

Coronavirus