In/Out Reporting

In this activity, students listen to a news report or watch a short video segment to report to other students.

Preparation

Select two short podcasts or video segments on current events or a topic of interest to your students.

Procedure

1. Divide the students into two groups. 2. Instruct one of the groups to leave the classroom and compile a list of general wh- questions to ask the students who will remain in class about the listening selection. 3. Play the listening selection to the students in class. 4. The IN-group should take notes while listening to facilitate the reporting. 5. Bring the OUT-group back into the classroom and pair them up with the ones who remained. 6. The OUT-group asks the list of wh- questions; the IN-group reports on what they listened to/watched. 7. Play the segment again so students can compare the report they were given with the actual piece of news. 8. Switch groups and play the second listening/video segment.

Variations

1. Students create questions to ask for additional information and further clarification, to be submitted to a news site. 2. Students write paragraphs on the issue to submit to a newspaper or blog. 3. Students research and provide a follow-up report on the story/ news report. 4. Students compare/contrast the issue being reported to previous events or similar events in other countries.

When to Use It

• To practice reported speech • To review question/answer format • To prompt conversation/discussion • To introduce current events • To listen for general ideas as well as detailed information

Level

Skills

Practice

Materials

Current news video segment, podcast, or recorded radio segment

Preparation Time

15 minutes

Activity Time

15–35 minutes

Possible Resources

Voice of America (VOA) www.voanews.com National Public Radio (NPR) www.npr.org News broadcasts