Learning English with CBC - Edmonton Weekly newscast February 15th 2013 - Lesson

Oct 1, 2026

Weekly CBC Edmonton newscast lesson for English learners, prepared by Barbara Edmondson and Justine Light. The material targets CLB 4 listening development through vocabulary building, comprehension practice, and discussion. Three news stories are supported with pre-listening vocabulary activities, including ordering definitions, true/false listening checks, short-answer questions, and word-definition matching. Guidance emphasizes self-study and classroom use at the individual-lesson level.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

News story #1

Vocabulary activity

Listening activity: True/False

Discussion question

News story #2

Vocabulary

Listening activity: Short Answer

Discussion question

News story #3

Vocabulary matching

Learning English with CBC Edmonton Weekly newscast February 15th 2013 Lessons prepared by Barbara Edmondson & Justine Light Objectives of t he weekly newscast lesson ‐ to develop listening skills at the CLB 4 level ‐ to increase vocabulary among learners ‐ to increase knowledge of news stories ‐ to provide a self‐study tool, as well as, an ESL classroom resource [www.alberta.ca](www.alberta.ca) [http://www.cbc.ca/edmonton/learning‐english/](http://www.cbc.ca/edmonton/learning‐english/) © CBC 2013 Permission is granted reproduction of these pages for educational purposes only. 1 For more information on copyright please see [http://www.cbc.ca/permissions/](http://www.cbc.ca/permissions/) News story \#1 Before you listen to the first news story, complete this vocabulary activity. It will help you to understand the listening more easily. Vocabulary ‐ Read the definitions below, and then put the sentences in the correct order. Answers are in the appendix. | Words and Definitions | | --- | | drown – to die under water, to kill someone by putting them under water too long | | charged – to be accused of a crime | | originally – in the first place; to have the origins/beginnings somewhere | | spokesperson – person that speaks for another person or group | | destroyed (adjective)– very upset or extremely sad | Extra definitions to help you understand the reading: First degree murder – when someone intended to kill another person, not an accident 1. from save life drowning. There people to at guards pools are There are life guards at . 2. The money. for the thief was stealing charged 3. I Brazil. from live originally in am I now, but Canada [4. media. police The talked](4. media. police The talked) spokesperson to the police the for 5. was pet destroyed. When she her died Now listen to the first news story from the audio file. Listening Activity: True/False Decide whether the statements below are true or false. Write your answer in the blanks. Answers are in the appendix. 1. Police believe Omar Jajoy accidently drowned in his apartment. 2. On Tuesday the seven year old boy died in south Edmonton. 3. His neighbour is charged with first degree murder. 4. The seven year old lived with his parents and younger sister. 5. The family is destroyed. 6. Omar was a polite boy that always stayed with his older sister. 7. Omar’s family is originally from Colombia. Discussion Question Parenting can be stressful. What can parents do if they are feeling stressed or are not able to cope? © CBC 2013 Permission is granted reproduction of these pages for educational purposes only. 2 For more information on copyright please see [http://www.cbc.ca/permissions/](http://www.cbc.ca/permissions/) News story \#2 Before you listen to the second news story, complete this vocabulary activity. It will help you to understand the listening more easily. Vocabulary Use one of the vocabulary words below to complete the sentences. Answers are in the appendix. Pope (leader of the Catholic Church) resign (to quit one’s job) announced (to say aloud) cardinals (high ranking priests) expected (predicted) make clear (explain) advisers (people giving advice) Latin (an ancient language) Vatican (the Pope’s home) Extra definitions to help you understand the reading: dropped the bombshell – to announce shocking news step down – to resign; to quit one’s job 1. The is located in Vatican City, which is an independent state in Rome. 2. Roman Catholics look to the for guidance. 3. The are responsible for electing a new Pope, when the position is empty. 4. was spoken in ancient Rome, but is now used only by the Catholic Church. 5. The Prime Minister often asks his for help in difficult situations. 6. It is important to your decision so the others will not be confused. 7. It is to get colder this week. 8. The results of the vote will be to the public next week.

FAQs

What is the main learning objective for this weekly newscast lesson?

The lesson focuses on developing listening skills at the CLB 4 level while expanding vocabulary and knowledge of news stories.

What kinds of pre-listening vocabulary tasks are included?

Each news story includes a vocabulary section, such as ordering sentences by definition, filling blanks using given word lists, and matching words with definitions.

How do learners check understanding while listening?

News story #1 uses True/False statements, and News story #2 uses Short Answer questions based on what is heard.

Oct 1, 2026

Uploaded by Emma Wilson