STORIES
IN THE NEWS
Stories in the News
is an intermediate-level
English-second-language (ESL)
teacher’s guide that introduces
the use of newspaper articles
in ESL instruction.
www.montrealgazette.com/digital
Pictures in the News
INDEX
PAGE
1 Preface
2 Glossary of Useful Terms
UNDERSTANDING HEADLINES
3 How Newspaper Headlines are Written
4 Different Types of Newspaper Headlines
5 Headline Vocabulary
6 Idioms and Puns in Headlines
LESSONS
7 Understanding Headlines
8 What’s the Headline?
9 Matching Stories
10 Finding the Facts
11 Sequencing
12 True or False?
13 Compare & Contrast
14 Total Recall
15 Editorial Cartoons
16 Letters to the Editor
17 Columns
18 Help!
19 Cause and Effect
20 A Question of Character
21 Job Skills
Stories in the News is an intermediate-level English-second-language (ESL) teacher’s guide
that introduces the use of newspaper articles in ESL instruction.
It is adapted from the Gazette-in-Education guide of the same name written by Michèle
Langlois and P. Charles Brown. The current version was updated and adapted for online use
in 2008 by Ellen Laughlin, with design by Laleah Tanguay.
Stories in the News
Preface
The original version of this manual focused on
In order to introduce ESL students to the use
of the newspaper as a tool to practice and
improve their second-language skills, the
pre-selected newspaper texts. In this version,
students are encouraged to select their own
activities in this manual are all designed around articles from the current newspaper. The teacher
newspaper stories. may wish to keep a file of interesting news stories
The lessons focus on the four basic skills: about relevant topics, and may want to practice
listening, speaking, reading and writing. some of these activities as a group with pre-
Designed for intermediate-level students, the selected articles and questions. However, allow-
activities are interactive and aim at improving ing students to choose their own news stories –
comprehension and production skills. Each from whichever section interests them most –
activity helps teach or practice one or more of increases motivation and meaning, and
the following global objectives: consequently enhances learning. It also means
that an activity can be repeated, if appropriate,
• Inferring meaning using different articles.
• Finding global information
• Locating specific information Before your students begin the activities, ensure
• Looking for details that they are familiar with the general format
• Comparing information and content of the newspaper. You may want to
• Restating give them time to browse, exploring the various
• Questioning sections and features of the newspaper and, if
• Asserting using the digital version, make sure they are
• Discussing familiar with the special navigation tools.
The bar at the top of each page indicates the You may also want to emphasize that newspaper
lesson number, the level (with level 3 being the stories are generally written in a way that helps
most difficult) and the suggested strategy – ESL students to understand them – i.e. the
i.e. whether the students should work inverted pyramid style. (See diagram on page
individually, in pairs or in groups. 10.) The headline summarizes the story, while
the most important details (the 5Ws, or the
The activities can be completed using either the who, what, when, where and why of the story)
print version or the digital version of The Gazette. are usually found in the first few paragraphs
The digital edition contains everything in the (the lead). This means that your students can get
printed Gazette, as well as extra features, the main idea of the story from the headline and
summaries, archives, search capability and oral the lead, with the rest of the article providing
reading of each article. The latter can be supporting details.
particularly helpful for ESL students, who can use
this feature to read and listen to an article at the
same time. Online subscribers also have access to
other Canwest newspapers across the country.
1
Stories in the News
Glossary of Useful Terms
Byline The name of the writer, usually appearing
above a news or feature story
Column Specialized or personal writing, by the same writer,
and appearing on a regular basis; expresses the view
of the columnist
Cutline Information under or beside a photograph
or illustration; also known as a caption
Dateline Also known as a placeline; the place from
which a story is sent (originally included the date
the story was written)
Editorial An article (essay) written to express the
opinion of the newspaper’s editorial board
Feature A story written to provide the human angle
or an in-depth analysis of an issue or event
Headline The title of a story, usually printed in large type
above the story
Lead 1. The main story in a newspaper
2. The introductory sentences or paragraph(s)
of a news story, giving the main facts
2
Stories in the News
UNDERSTANDING HEADLINES
How Newspaper Headlines
are Written
1. Headlines are almost always in the 6. The infinitive is used to refer to the
Simple Present Tense. future.
Example: Example:
Earthquake rocks Japan Murderer to get 10 year jail term
2. The Simple Present Tense is used to 7. In headlines, articles and conjunctions
describe something happening in the are often omitted
present or in the past. Examples:
Examples: Fire guts apartment building
Woman kills husband Hostages, terrorist killed in attack on
Storm leaves 5000 homes without power plane
3. The Simple Present Tense is used to 8. In passive constructions, the auxiliary is
describe both something happening omitted and only the past participle is
now, and something that happens used.
repeatedly. Example:
Example: Tenants surprised by robber
President’s visit tests the mood of
9. A series of nouns used as adjectives is
the public
often blocked together without any
4. The Present Continuous / Progressive verbs or conjunctions.
is sometimes used, mostly to give Example:
the meaning of something that is Middle East peace hope
developing. The auxiliary (is / are) is
10. Acronyms and abbreviations are often
omitted.
used in headlines.
Example:
Traffic chaos getting worse Examples:
UNICEF needs donations year-round
5. The auxiliaries is / are / were or has / Mormons put date on the Net
have / had are often omitted.
Examples:
Policeman awarded medal
Plant given 10 days to clean up
3
Stories in the News
UNDERSTANDING HEADLINES
Different Types of
Newspaper Headlines
1. Straight headlines 4. Headlines that contain a quotation
Straight headlines simply tell you the main What people say can be as important as
topic of the story. what they do, so it is not surprising to find
They are the most common type of a quote as a headline.
headline and are the easiest to understand. Example:
Example: “We owe our lives to the pilot”
Fire creates chaos A quotation is another way a newspaper
2. Headlines that ask a question can begin a story with an unproven
Most question headlines are not really statement:
typical questions at all. Example:
They are statements followed by a College students ‘invasion’
question mark.
Questions marks are used when: 5. Double headlines
a. The headline reports a future possibility Double headlines are two-part headlines for
the same story.
Example:
They are often used for major events.
Taxes to rise again?
Examples:
b. There is some doubt about the truth
Deadline hijacking frightens passengers
or accuracy of the story.
“I really thought this was it!”
Example:
Police allowed jailbreak?
3. Feature headlines
Not all newspaper stories report major
events. Some stories are unusual, others are
amusing. Headlines for such stories try to
be as clever as possible to catch the reader’s
interest. It is often necessary to read the
story to understand the headline.
Example:
‘Down in the mouth’ news for dentists
4
Stories in the News
UNDERSTANDING HEADLINES
Headline Vocabulary
Below are words often found in newspaper headlines. The definitions are those most common
in headlines; some of the words also have other meanings (e.g. ink, row)
Accord agreement Gunman man with gun Rage to burn out of control
Aid help Gut to destroy completely by fire Raid attack, robbery
Air to make known Halt stop Rap accusation, charge, criticize
Assail to criticize strongly Haul large quantity of stolen goods Riddle mystery
Axe to cut, destroy, dismiss from job Head lead, direct Rock to shock, to surprise
Back to support Head off prevent Row quarrel, dispute, disagreement
Balk to refuse to accept Held retained Rule decide
Ban to prohibit Heist theft Rule out dismiss as a possibility
Bar to exclude, prohibit, not allow Hold to arrest Sack dismiss from a job
Bid attempt, offer Hit affect badly Scare public alarm
Blast explosion; to criticize Ink to sign Set decide; ready
Blaze fire Jobless unemployed, without work Slay to kill or murder
Blow injury, disappointment Key very important, essential Snag problem, difficulty
Boost help, incentive Kick off to begin Snub to ignore
Cite to mention Lash out criticize, accuse Soar to rise rapidly
Claim to declare to be true; ask Launch to begin Spark to cause, to lead to action
for, take Line position; demand Split divide
Clash dispute, fight, battle, Link connection Squeeze shortage, scarcity
disagreement Loom expected in the near future Stalemate deadlock, impasse
Cool uninterested, unfriendly Loot stolen money or goods Stall making no progress
Coup revolution, change of Man representative Stance attitude, way of thinking
government Nab to capture Stem to prevent or stop
Curb limit, restrain, control Net total; capture Storm angry reaction, dispute, attack
Cut reduction Nod approval Strife conflict
Deadlock no agreement Ordeal painful experience Sway to influence or persuade
Deal agreement Office government position Swindle unlawful way of getting money
Drive campaign, effort Opt choose, decide Switch change, deviation
Due expected Oust take power away from, Swoop sudden attack or raid
Ease to reduce or loosen remove from office Talks discussions
Envoy diplomat Output production Thwart prevent from being successful
Eve the day before Pact agreement Ties relations
Eye to watch with interest Pay wages, salary Top to exceed
Exit to leave Plea request for help; statement Trim to cut
Fault to find in the wrong of guilt or innocence Trigger to cause
Fear a dread of or that; have Pledge promise Vie to compete
uneasy anticipation of Plunge steep fall Void to determine to be invalid
Feud dispute, strong disagreement Poised ready for action Vow a solemn promise
Foe opponent, enemy Poll public opinion survey Walkout strike
Foil to prevent from happening Post position Wed to marry
Gems jewels Probe investigation Weigh to consider
Go-ahead approval Prompt to cause
Grip to take hold of Quit leave, resign
5
Stories in the News
UNDERSTANDING HEADLINES
Idioms and Puns in Headlines
English newspaper headlines are full of idioms and puns.
Unfortunately, a complete list of them would fill a book,
so it is not possible to list all of them here. You can usually
understand the idioms in headlines, however, by reading the
story that follows.
Here are a few examples:
Government in hot water again
The idiom “in hot water” means “in trouble.”
Dressed to the nines for her 99th
The idiom “dressed to the nines” means very chic,
in her best clothes.
Calgary armour-maker has hammed out unusual niche
This is a pun or play on words. The expression “hammer out”
has two meanings: hammering out the metal to make armour
and gaining an advantage in that market by long effort.
The buzz on mosquitos: they’re picky
This is also a pun or play on words. The word “buzz” means
“information” and it also resembles the sound a mosquito
makes; the word “picky” means “choosy” and also reminds
us of what a mosquito does to us.
As you read the newspaper, you may
want to keep a list of idioms and puns,
along with their meanings / double
meanings, and try to use them in
sentences of your own.
