In order to be comfortable reading and writing, one must read and write. Use whatever is of interest to the learner. There are great sources of printed material out in the world, what we have to figure out is how to use them.

In this section we will demonstrate how to use such printed material as: newspapers, magazines, flyers, and even song lyrics in your lesson plans. Please note that the actual exercises will be directed to the learner, while the notes will be directed to you, the instructor or tutor.

Newspapers

Newspapers give us a wealth of information. Because they include stories on a variety of topics, there will surely be something of interest to participants in a literacy program. The obvious choice for teaching reading and writing skills is the stories themselves. But the newspaper has many other useful tools. Try using the flyers, the classified ads, pictures, sports stats, letters to the editor, the horoscopes, or even the obituaries. One of these is sure to pique the interest of a literacy learner. Just make sure the newspapers are current. In the next few pages, we will give you tips on how to use each section of the newspaper and some sample exercises you may want to try or modify.

Please note: some of the activities in this chapter are adapted from Newsable: Adult Basic Literacy Experience, written by Ruth Cairns, M.A. and Harvey Robson, M.Ed. This resource is available through the National Adult Literacy Database (NALD).

Stories

Newspaper stories are useful because they are written on a variety of topics, they vary in length, they sometimes come with pictures and always come with a headline making it easier to figure out what the story is about. Also, newspaper stories are written for approximately a Grade 8 to a Grade 9 reading level. You may have to adapt, or rewrite a story in plain language, but for the most part, any level of learner can get some learning from a newspaper story.