Digital news stories for second languague learning

Author: marcia

Created: 2016-05-28 12:47pm

Edited: 2016-06-10 02:26pm

Keywords: second language learning, digital storytelling, collaborative learning, debate

Description:

This design helps students to improve their aural skills, comprehension skills, and their pronunciation and speaking skills through exposure to listening to news podcasts, TV broadcasts, radio broadcasts, and reading news articles in the target language.

Students adopt the role of a news reporter and work individually to research current news events using online news websites in the target language. Students write a script and create a 2-3 minute voice and image multimedia presentation in the target language to report the facts and their opinion to spark discussion and debate. The news story is then embedded on the student’s blog and students discuss the news story online in small groups. Students are required to provide a written response stating whether they agree or disagree in 50-100 words in the target language on at least two of their group member’s news stories for each news story task.

This design is suitable for intermediate to advanced second language learners.

Intended Learning Outcomes:

an understanding of culture and current news events in the target language
research, negotiation, critical thinking, and multimedia literacy skills
reading, writing, listening and speaking skills in the target language

Resources		Tasks		Supports
Resource Images/photos found by students Sample introductory story (ongoing) (storytelling 'how to' tutorial video) (storyboard template) (blog 'how to' video & guidance) (sample news story presentation)	→	Task 1 Practice multimedia introductory storytelling presentation Peer review comments x 2 ↓	←	Support (ongoing) (web 2.0 blog) (web 2.0 stortelling account) (computer and microphone/headset) (internet connection) (student helpdesk support) (group collaboration) (discussion forum) (task guidance) (teacher feedback)
Resource Reading resources: web links to online news sites and online magazines in the target language provided by teacher (ongoing, as above)	→	Task 2 Reading activity: Culture and society news story* Peer review comments x 2* ↓	←	Support (ongoing) + rubric
Resource Listening resources: web links to broadcasts of radio and TV in the target language provided by teacher (ongoing, as above)	→	Task 3 Listening activity: Political news story* Peer review comments x 2* ↓	←	Support (ongoing) + rubric
Resource Listening/reading: news resources found by students (ongoing, as above)	→	Task 4 Listening/reading activity: news story on theme of choice* Peer review comments x 2* ↓	←	Support (ongoing) + rubric
Resource News story artifacts produced by students Sample reflection report	→	Task 5 Reflection report*	←	Support task guidance rubric email teacher discussion forum

Additional information

All of the resources and supports needed should be prepared prior to the commencement of the subject.

This learning design is suitable for intermediate to advanced second language learners. The learning design is scalable to run with cohorts of 25 to several hundred. The news story tasks require a minimum of 3 students to be effective.

Online collaboration is required for this learning design (this design is not suitable for face-to-face collaboration). Students need to be provided with the opportunity and space to work individually at their own pace to research, reflect and provide a thoughtful news story and response in the target language). Groups of four to six students should be established prior to implementing the group peer review tasks.

The learning design is suitable for a distance or blended learning environment.

Assessable items*:

1. Culture and society news story
2. Political news story
3. News story on theme of choice
4. Reflection report (400 words)
5. Peer review comments (2 posts for each news story)