Build your vocabulary while reading the news

Reading has and will probably always be one of the best ways to develop and broaden your vocabulary. By reading more you get more exposure to new words in context and develop the skill of learning what the words mean from their context.

Today's activity use a website which can help you speed up that process and also provide your with interesting reading materials at a level which is appropriate for you.

Task:

Go to http://knowble.eu/ and click to sign up.

Choose a username

Then click on 'Start knowble'. You can then register on the site. Once you have registered, you are given a short test with 40 test questions. This helps to find your level so that the site offers you texts at the appropriate level.

When you have finished the test, Knowble will find texts for you and sort them into five categories.

• World
• Business
• Entertainment
• Sport
• Science

Just click on the heading that interests you most.

Then select an article. You will then see the article with words highlighted. You can get a definition and example pronunciation of the words by placing the cur or over the highlighted word. You can also select a support language to get translation and see examples of the word used in other contexts.

On the right side of the screen you also have a drag and drop activity using some of the words from the text, so you can check your understanding of the words before or after you read.

Knowble also creates a profile for you so you can revise the articles you have read and go back and check the words you have learned each time you log in.

Knowble is a great way to support the development of your reading skills and vocabulary learning. If you use the site regularly your reading and vocabulary are sure to improve.

Related links for teachers:

• My learning technology reading list
• My collection of tools for learners
• My Facebook page
• Picture phrases
• Personalised flashcards
• Animating vocabulary
• Exploiting Image Sequences

Best

Nik Peachey

Quick Reading Activity

Reading in a foreign language can often seem a bit boring and time consuming, but it is a key way to improve your vocabulary and understanding of grammar and word order.

In today's activity I'd like to show that reading doesn't have to be dull and that you can improve your English using just a short daily activity, that will also help you learn more about the world and keep in touch with the news.

This activity uses a part of The BBC News website called In Pictures. The site shows you interesting pictures that have a sentence about each one describing what is happening. Most of the pictures are in sequences, so you can read about a topic or just select pictures of the day each day. Reading in this way is quick, you have wonderful images to help you understand the text and you can still develop your vocabulary.

Task:

Go to the BBC In Pictures feature find an image that looks interesting. There are a few to choose from or you could just click on the image sequence from the previous day. Here is the sequence from 15th April In Pictures

Once you click on the image it should take you to the start of the sequence. Read the descriptive sentence, make a note of any new words, then go to the next image.

Here are a few sequences you might find interesting;

• Life in a squat looks at how people in the UK who can't afford rent live.
• Kora maker looks at the life of a man who makes musical instruments
• Women's lives in northern Iraq looks at Women's lives in northern Iraq!
• Easter worldwide shows how Easter was celebrated in different countries

If you enjoy taking photographs and would like to see your own photographs on the BBC website, there is some information here about where to send them: Your Portfolio In Focus

I hope you enjoyed this activity and the images. Try to come back to the site every day just for a few minutes and read about the pictures. This will help your English develop and also keep you informed about the world so that you are a better conversationalist. If you like pictures and images, here are some more image based activities.

Related links for teachers:

• Exploiting Travel Images
• Art Photography as a Basis for Language Activities
• Darwin and Evolution
• Create Image Books
• Create a Flickr Montage
• Great Time Line Tool
• Create a YouTube Carousel
• Interactive presentations
• A Picture's worth
• Picture phrases

Best

Nik Peachey

1 Minute Listening Activity

This is a simple 1 minute listening activity that you can do everyday to improve your listening skills. The activity is based around understanding a short BBC news broadcast.


Task:

• Got to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/
• At the top of the page you'll see a small text which says Watch ONE-MINUTE WORLD NEWS
• Click on it and chose the type of media player for your computer
• Watch the news broadcast and try to decide how many seperate stories are being reported
• Watch a second time a make notes of as many facts as you can about each story.

If there's a story that interests you find that story on the site and try to find out more details.

I hope you enjoy this activity. Come back tomorrow for more EFL ESL activities to improve your English.

Best

Nik Peachey

Related links for teachers:

• Becoming a citizen journalist
• Update on the Education Clip Library