Learning English With VOA voaspecialenglish.com

Integrating Special English and
Other Voice of America Resources
Into EFL Classrooms
Voice of America
 Voice of America is the largest U.S. International
Broadcaster with 43 language services and a
worldwide audience of more than 134 million
 News and information programs are broadcast on
radio, television, mobile sites and the Internet
 Hundreds of affiliate stations around the world
carry VOA programs, which are also broadcast on
shortwave and satellite
US International Broadcasting





Voice of America
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Radio Free Asia
Radio Sawa / Alhurra TV
Radio and TV Martí (Cuba)
VOA Learning English
 Free multimedia products to help people around
the world learn English
 Available on radio and satellite TV and on
Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and iTunes
 Daily programs in slower-speed Special English
Special English
 Special English is a daily news and information
service for intermediate and upper-beginner ELLs
 One-third slower than regular VOA English
 Stories about world events, education, health,
science, business, US history, entertainment and
many other topics
 Use keywords to search thousands of archived
stories and find material for all ages and interests
Special English



Read, listen and learn with texts, MP3s and PDFs at
learningenglish.voanews.com (same as
voaspecialenglish.com)
Texts, audio files and videos are in the public domain and
can be freely republished
Interactive activities (home page and Classroom section)
for skills like taking a taxi and ordering coffee
Special English
 Audio files are 4, 5, 15 and 30 minutes long
 Use for reading and listening comprehension,
echoing and shadowing, vocabulary building, skills
practice, writing instruction, group work
 Subscribe to podcasts and RSS feeds
 Get stories by e-mail: go to our website and
subscribe to our weekly newsletter
VOA Learning English
VOA Learning English
Practical Application
Theme: Choose a weekly story based on themes and curriculum. February is Black History
Month so a story that touches on diversity can personalize the reading and relate it to their
own experience.
Pre-Reading/Listening/Brainstorming/Speaking: Use a KWL chart (Know/What to
Know/What I Learned) before reading or listening to the text. This generate student
interest and activates their knowledge of the topic. Complete the chart after listening.
Reading /Vocabulary: Students read the story (or parts of it) before listening and come up
with questions to ask. As a class or in small groups, preview vocabulary and define words
as needed.
Jigsaw reading: Students use the text to do a jigsaw reading activity.
Writing: Students summarize the story after reading and listening AND/OR, as a class,
choose a theme related to the story (e.g., Animals in my life; My favorite explorer) and
write a paragraph or short essay individually, with a partner, or in a small group to present
to the class. Peer editing and/or illustrations can be used to activate learners
Your Turn!
Theme: Choose a weekly story based on themes and curriculum. February is Black History Month so a
story that touches on diversity can personalize the reading and relate it to their own experience.
Pre-Reading/Listening/Brainstorming/Speaking: Use a KWL chart
(Know/What to Know/What I Learned) before reading or listening
to the text. This generates student interest and activates their
knowledge of the topic. Complete the chart after listening.
Reading /Vocabulary: Students read the story (or parts of it) before listening and come up with
questions to ask. As a class or in small groups, preview vocabulary and define words as needed.
Jigsaw reading: Students use the text to do a jigsaw reading activity.
Writing: Students summarize the story after reading and listening AND/OR, as a class, choose a theme
related to the story (e.g., Animals in my life; My favorite explorer) and write a paragraph or short essay
individually, with a partner, or in a small group to present to the class. Peer editing and/or illustrations
can be used to activate learners
KWL Chart
K = What we know
W = What we want to know L = What we learned
VOA Learning English
VOA Learning English
Double-click on any word …
… to get the definition
Weekly Words in the News Quiz
Use Keywords to Search
Captioned Videos on YouTube
youtube.com/voalearningenglish
Captioned Videos on YouTube
youtube.com/voalearningenglish
Practical Application
Brainstorm: Discuss the topic of the clip before watching to generate student
knowledge and interest
Debates: Use the topic of the YouTube segment to generate a debate. As a class,
come up with two sides of the argument, then assign debate teams to prepare a
presentation.
Listening/Reading: After brainstorming about the topic, listen to the clip without
the text (found below the clip)
Vocabulary: Choose vocabulary words from the transcript and have students write
sentences using these and then integrate them into their writing.
Writing: Students summarize the story or present their views on the
topic/argument, and then share with peers and the class.
Your Turn!
Brainstorm: Discuss the topic of the clip before watching to
generate student knowledge and interest
Debates: Use the topic of the YouTube segment to generate a debate. As a class, come up
with two sides of the argument, then assign debate teams to prepare a presentation.
Listening/Reading: After brainstorming about the topic, listen to the clip without the text
(found below the clip)
Vocabulary: Choose vocabulary words from the transcript and have students write
sentences using these and then integrate them into their writing.
Writing: Students summarize the story or present their views on the topic/argument, and
then share with peers and the class.
Brainstorm:
What Politicians Can Learn
from High School Debaters
Captioned Videos on YouTube
youtube.com/voalearningenglish
 Over 1,000 videos (3-4 minutes) in Special English
on many different topics, including technology,
agriculture, health, education and economics
 Chosen by YouTube for the YouTube EDU Channel
VOA Learning English on LinkedIn
linkedin.com/in/voalearningenglish
VOA Learning English on Facebook
facebook.com/voalearningenglish
VOA Learning English on Twitter
twitter.com/voalearnenglish
Audio/Video Podcasts on iTunes
Practical Application
Listening/self study: Use podcasts as the basis for weekly assignments for self
study in a learning center/computer lab or mobile / online learning.
Speaking/Presentations: Students volunteer to choose a podcast topic related
to a relevant theme, listen to it, and report back to the class, doing a classroom
presentation. This can be done using the buddy system.
Listening/Translation: Students listen to a story in English and translate a gist of
it into their native language (or vice versa). This can be the basis for a classroom
presentation as well.
Vocabulary: Students use their downloaded (or hard copy) VOA Word Book to
create a vocabulary learning journal, comparing notes with a peer
Your Turn!
Listening/self study: Use podcasts as the basis for weekly assignments for self study in a
learning center/computer lab or mobile / online learning.
Speaking/Presentations: Students volunteer to choose a
podcast topic related to a relevant theme, listen to it, and
report back to the class, doing a classroom presentation.
This can be done using the buddy system.
Listening/Translation: Students listen to a story in English and translate a gist of it into
their native language (or vice versa). This can be the basis for a classroom presentation as
well.
Vocabulary: Students use their downloaded (or hard copy) VOA Word Book to create a
vocabulary learning journal, comparing notes with a peer
The Classroom
Partnership With TOEFL
 ETS (Educational Testing Service) recognizes
Special English reading/listening materials and
other VOA programs as good practice aids
Other VOA Resources for ELLs
Other VOA Resources for ELLs
Other VOA Resources for ELLs
Other VOA Resources for ELLs
Other VOA Resources for ELLs
Other VOA Resources for ELLs
goEnglish.me
Listen on Radio
 Find frequencies: bit.ly/nDCljh
Watch on Satellite TV
 Satellite schedule: 1.usa.gov/WE15JD
Contact
Continue the discussion & find today’s resources at:
http://shapingenglish.ning.com
Avi Arditti
aarditti@voanews.com
Thanks for listening!