Talk About the News Using Past Simple: A Grammar in Context Lesson

Students revise/learn how to form and use past simple, and put this grammar point into practice by writing about the news. 

This lesson is a continuation of 2017 News and Words of the News: Speaking, Listening and Writing Activities.

You will find a downloadable jpeg document at the end of this post.

TALK ABOUT THE NEWS

using past simple

1. Complete the following chart:

She announced	They didn’t go	Did he decide?
Le passé simple ou prétérit se forme de cette façon: Affirmatif: …………………………+..........................+........................(sauf pour…………………………....) Négatif:  …………………………+..........................+............................+....................... Interrogatif: …………………………+..........................+............................
Il s’utilise pour: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

2. Translate the following expressions of time:

Il y a trois jours Il y a une semaine Il y a 20 ans Hier / avant-hier

En juin dernier Mardi dernier / Jeudi dernier L’année dernière La semaine dernière

En 2009 / en mars Le 20 janvier 2017 pendant les élections Mercredi à 8.00 du matin

3. Practice exercise. Translate the following sentences:

1. Le président a fait un discours.

2. L’ouragan n’a pas frappé le nord des Etats-Unis.

3. Volkswagen a menti sur les émissions de gaz de ses voitures diesel.

4. Brad Pitt n’est pas mort en 2016.

5. Trump s’est retiré des accords de Paris sur le changement climatique.

6. Il y a eu plusieurs attentats.

7. Les attentats ont tué beaucoup de gens.

4. Transform the sentences from exercise 3 into questions.

See also more grammar lessons:

TEDx Talk Listening, Grammar and Pronunciation Skills Lesson: How to Introduce Yourself, Present Perfect Progressive, Since and For

Cécile Sohier 

2017 News quiz

Students learn and practice current affairs vocabulary through a vocabulary quiz about 2017 news.

You can also try the General Tractor Vocabulary Quiz 

and the Tractor Transmission: Mechanics Vocabulary Quiz

as well as the Tractor Features Vocabulary Quiz 

Find out how to create your own quiz on this post: Create a Quiz with Google Forms: Vocabulary, Writing and Reading Activity

Cécile Sohier 

2017 News and Words of the News: Speaking, Listening and Writing Activities

Students learn to talk about the news, and practise their speaking, listening and writing skills.

The goal here is to give students the tools to confidently comment on the current affairs and news. Besides, their end-of-program exam being a listening task a strong emphasis will be put on listening activities.

This lesson includes:

1. an introductory activity about 2017 News (Slideshow of pictures)

2. a vocabulary recap (words of the news and linking words)

3. a writing activity (words of the news and linking words)

4. listening activities: the BBC One Minute News or DW 3 minute report

1. 2017 News recap (Slideshow)

2017 News (Slideshow)

We discuss the different events as I show them the pictures. 

Then I show them again and they have to try to memorize the events.

Finally, they work in groups to remember the events and write one sentence/picture.(it can be done as a competition between groups).

This activity was suggested by a colleague of mine. I did it this year with the students and it worked really well.

2. Vocabulary recap.

Vocabulary recap worksheet

I chose to use it as a vocabulary recap activity but this worksheet can also be provided to the student to help them do the 2017 News recap activity.

Linking words Wordsearch

I put together a list of very common linking words that they ought to know by heart. The word search is to help them memorize them.

3. A writing activity (words of the news and linking words)

This exercise is exercise 2 on Vocabulary recap worksheet. The aim is to encourage the students to reuse the vocabulary and the linking words to write a fully structured paragraph on 2017 events.

4. Listening activities

These are a couple of listenings on current affairs that can be done on a regular basis in class or as homework. The videos are short 1 minute for the BBC and 3 minutes for the DW.

We listened to each of them and compared the news (and accents).

BBC One Minute World News 

DW Top Stories in 90 Seconds 




This set of activities can be followed by a revision of past simple, a work on fake news and a quiz on 2017 News. Alternatively, students could also be asked to create a quiz of their own on 2017 News.

See the posts below:

Talk About the News Using Past Simple: A Grammar in Context Lesson

Create a Quiz with Google Forms: Vocabulary, Writing and Reading Activity

2017 News quiz

Fake News (coming soon)

Cécile Sohier