Good news for reading

NEA Today, Jan 2000 by Komendant, Erik

A Texas teacher uses the Internet, cable TV, and newspapers to improve the reading skills of her middle school students.

Inspiration:

Unsatisfied with textbooks and traditional teaching methods, Wanda Zamorano went looking for a way to engage her middle school students' interests and boost their reading skills. At a meeting held by her NEA state affiliate, she learned about the daily cable TV program "CNN Newsroom"-and the puzzle pieces began to fall into place.

Zamorano's seventh through ninth graders now improve their reading through a combination of cable TV, copies of USA Today, and online news sources.

"'CNN Newsroom' covers the day's headline news stories from around the world," she says. "My students are completely engaged in learning about current events."

Since Zamorano began integrating news sources into her classes, her students have consistently received the highest rating on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills both in content and literature reading.

"By providing my students with the tools of television, the newspaper, and the Internet, I empower them to improve reading skills in a multimedia world," Zamorano says.

Lesson:

Every Tuesday Zamorano's home VCR is set to tape "CNN Newsroom", a commercial-free program geared for educational use that airs from 4:30 to 5 a.m. ET When she gets to school, Zamorano visits the "CNN Newsroom" Web site and downloads lesson plans and discussion questions built around the day's top stories.

"'CNN Newsroom's' Web site is wonderful because it puts teachers in the driver's seat, without them having to reinvent the wheel," she says.

Zamorano scours the videotape for one or two short segments that fit with the reading concept she's teaching-the 10th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, for example, was a great way to illustrate cause and effect.

After her students view the segments, they pick up USA Today to read related articles.

"Do they comprehend what they're reading better after watching a segment on 'CNN Classroom'?" asks Zamorano. "You bet!"

Students also use the classroom's one PowerMac to read additional articles and in-depth information on the "CNN Newsroom" and USA Today Web sites.

"Reading articles on the Internet gives students different perspectives on the story and challenges them to think critically," Zamorano explains.

Besides improving reading skills, students gain a foothold in history, journalism, math, science, and other core subjects. When the world's population hit 6 billion, for example, Zamorano used news coverage to discuss the impact of population growth on food, housing, health care, and education.

Click:

Building a lesson around the day's headlines might sound hectic, but Zamorano insists it's easy, thanks to the wealth of resources for educators on "CNN Newsroom's" and USA Today's Web sites. Plus, she enjoys being kept on her toes.

"I have no idea what's going to be in the news next Tuesday," Zamorano sums up. "When you've taught for 30 years, you like that element of freshness."

To learn more about CNN Newsroom, call 800/344-6219 or go to www.turnerlearning.com. USA Today is available online at www.usatoday.com.

Who:

Wanda Zamorano, reading teacher,

Bedford junior High School, Bedford, Texas

E-mail:

zamoranw@heb.isd.tenet.edu