What can you do as a parent?
Step 1: Cut out interesting news articles and read them together with your child
For a start, you could ignite your child's interest in the current affairs by cutting out interesting newspaper articles and reading them together with your child. For example, you could cut out news articles on how sleep deprivation could affect one's concentration or how the design of certain dinner plates with ridges can trick the mind into seeing a small portion as big and hence help cut obesity.
In fact, many issues mentioned in the news are potential topics for Oral examinations and General Paper (A level subject).
Step 2: Use news articles as authentic resources to share opinions on current affairs
Elicit your child's responses and opinions on the topic or issue mentioned in the news article. Share your insight or opinion with your child too. You can even start a mini family debate if there are both pros and cons on the topic.
Step 3: Use news articles as authentic resources to develop cloze passage skills
You could use correction tape to blank out certain words in the newspaper article for your child to fill up.
Step 4: Use news articles as authentic resources to develop vocabulary
You could get your child to highlight new words that he does not know and look up the dictionary for the meaning of the new words.
There are many free resources on the Internet.
