Objective:  To enable students to write a summary
Skills:     Reading-Writing-Listening
Level:      Mixed
Content:    Local news, foreign news, business, sports
Time:       50 minutes
Preparation:
            Hardware:  one computer per group of students
            Software:  a standard word-processor
            Knowledge: teacher and students--basic word-
                       processing
Procedure:
Pre-computer work:

            1. Divide students into groups of three.  Have them
               read three stories from newspapers provided in
               the Self-Access Learning Center.
            2. Have them discuss and choose the most interesting
               story.
            3. Ask them to write a summary of the selected story.
            4. Tell them to copy the headline and make up two
               other headlines.

Computer-work:
            1. Have students type the summary of the news story
               and the three headlines.
            2. Tell them to save the text and print it.

Post-computer work:
            1. Have them read their summary of the news item to
               their friends.
            2. Then tell them to read the three headlines before
               asking their friends to choose the correct one.
 
Evaluation: 10 points
 
 
 

                                NEWS
 

          ---------------------------------------------------------------------
          Instructions:  In groups of three, type the summary
                         of the news story you have chosen and
                         three headlines.  You may follow the
                         guidelines given below:
          --------------------------------------------------------------------
 

           Writing headlines :

                1.  Omit articles e.g. Monkey bites girl

                2.  Use the present simple to refer to past
                    events e.g. Fire breaks out

                3.  Use the infinitive with "to" to express
                    the future e.g. Diana to marry Charles

            Writing the summary:

                1.  The present perfect tense often occurs in
                    the summary if the news event itself is
                    more important than the time of the event
                    e.g.

                       The President  has been shot .

                2.  The past simple tense is often used when
                    details are given e.g.

                         It  happened  when he was about to leave
                            his residence.
 
 

   Example:
 

                    KHAOSAI  KNOCKS OUT KIM
 

            Khaosai Galaxy knocked out Kim Yong-Kang of South
      Korea on September 29, 1990 at Suphan Buri Stadium.  The
      victim  collapsed like a house of cards in the  sixth
      round after the champion hit  the challenger with
      his left hook.  Khaosai thus recorded his 15th successive
      defence of his World Boxing Association junior bantam-
      weight title.
 

            ---------------------------------------------------
            Now type the summary and the three
            headlines on your computer.
            ---------------------------------------------------
 
 

            ------------------------------------------------------
            Have you edited your summary and the
            headlines?  If not, do it now.  If so,
            save the text.
            -----------------------------------------------------