• Deal with two or three items initially; increase the number of news items gradually.
• Learners become adept at listening and identifying the main idea over a period of time. Consequently, they will feel more confident when asked to write the main idea as they listen to the news.
• Encourage discussion, personal feedback, differing viewpoints and suggestions.

Follow up:

• Learners are responsible for watching the news at home and sharing with their peers.
• Create spelling lists composed of words that learners will encounter.
• Write the main idea of news items on the board leaving key words blank. Learners fill in the blanks during the last class of the day.

3. Viewing a video relating to territorial/national/international news: Use the procedures above. Supplement viewing with a writing activity (#2).
4. Reading, writing and responding. Instructor and/or learners (individually or in groups) select and photocopy a news item from a local newspaper. Learners take turns reading aloud. Put new vocabulary words on flip chart paper. Discuss the 5Ws + How. Supplement this activity with handouts.

• Sentences: a handout that requires the learner to write answers to the 5W’s in sentences; to write their reaction to the article.
• Paragraph writing: The learners will write/type two paragraphs: one describing the news item; the second will state their reaction to the article (#4, #5). Print a hard copy, attach a news item, and post on the bulletin board.