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How to Learn English with the Latest CNN News (Listening and Reading)
The Cable News Network (CNN), a news outlet that launched in 1980, is an incredible resource that many overlook on their journey to English fluency.
It offers a ton of free resources, from TV shows and news programs to articles and tweets, that will teach you a lot about current events, as well as American culture.
We have gathered the seven best CNN resources you can use to learn English.
Contents
- Why Learn English with CNN?
- How to Transform CNN into an English Learning Tool
- The 7 Best CNN Resources for English Learners
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
Why Learn English with CNN?
Gain experience reading and listening to English.
CNN offers news shows and articles. So, by using CNN to learn English, you will be exposed to written and spoken English. This will help you gain practice in both aspects of the English language.
You will stay up-to-date with current events.
Not only will you improve your English fluency, but you will also know what is happening in the news.
This will help if you want a career in journalism.
Have you thought about a career in English-language journalism? If so, you should be familiar with the terms and phrases that are used in this field. Even if you want to be a journalist in your native language, knowing English news terms will still help a lot—whether you are covering international news or networking with English-speaking media professionals.
How to Transform CNN into an English Learning Tool
Be an active participant.
When you are using CNN to learn English, it is important to be an active viewer and reader. That means you should take notes when you are watching CNN clips or reading articles. Pause or rewind the news program to make sure you understood everything. Reread articles until you start recognizing difficult words.
You can watch several CNN video clips on FluentU, a website and app that’s collected a hand-picked selection of authentic English videos. All the videos here have interactive subtitles so that you can see the definition and pronunciation of each word, along with its usage in other videos.
FluentU will keep you actively engaged with the content by making it easy to keep up. It also encourages learning by pairing each video with a quiz. You can also save any word as a flashcard and study it with personalized exercises (including speaking opportunities on the iOS and Android apps).
Besides news clips, the program also has music videos, movie clips, inspirational talks and other native English content. These are organized by difficulty, topic and format so when you’re ready to branch out from news, you can find plenty of engaging content to learn with on FluentU.
Watch and read more than once (and take notes).
It has been shown that repetition helps with language learning. So, record CNN shows and watch them a few times. Read the same article over and over. The repetition will help expand your vocabulary. Also, do not forget to take notes of any words you do not recognize. If you cannot use context clues to understand these words, do not be afraid to pause and look up their definitions.
Be patient with yourself.
No matter what, it is essential to be patient with yourself. Learning a new language takes time. So keep watching CNN shows and reading news articles. Do not get upset if you do not understand what they are saying right away. Be patient and persistent. Over time, you will start to improve your English fluency.
The 7 Best CNN Resources for English Learners
Now you know how and why to use CNN to improve your English fluency. But where should you begin? CNN is a large news network with many different news outlets.
Do not panic. We have gathered the essential CNN resources for English language learners. Start with these resources as you try to expand your English fluency.
1. “CNN 10”
CNN 10 is a short, 10-minute news show. Episodes are released every Monday through Friday as a video or podcast. Often, this show is used in classrooms as a quick overview of the day’s headlines.
CNN 10 is a great resource for language learners because it provides quick and concise news updates. You can easily find time for daily English listening practice by watching the video every morning or downloading the CNN 10 podcast to your phone.
2. “Anderson Cooper 360”
This is a nightly news show hosted by Anderson Cooper. Cooper investigates and reports relevant and unbiased news stories. This show mostly covers politics and often includes interviews.
Watching “Anderson Cooper 360” can be helpful for language learners. Cooper tends to talk quickly but has a clear, standard accent—so it is great if you want to practice understanding native American English speakers.
Along the way, you will learn more about America’s political system. Many people also enjoy Anderson Cooper’s subtle (not dramatic/obvious) humor, so you might enjoy the jokes provided throughout the show.
3. “United Shades of America”
“United Shades of America” offers a look at America’s subcultures (groups with shared interests, ideas and customs). It is a documentary series that explores the challenges faced by different groups of people across the U.S.
This show airs on Sunday evenings in the U.S. and is hosted by comedian W. Kamau Bell.
Language learners can use this show to practice their English listening skills. Also, it provides a break from watching and reading the same news over and over. This show can help you learn more about the culture of the U.S. and challenges faced by people all across America.
4. CNN Newsletters
CNN also offers e-mail newsletters so you can stay current with the news. You can select how many and what types of articles you want to be alerted about. Newsletter topics include politics, medical news, pop culture and more.
Simply select one that looks interesting to you from the link above and enter your email to be notified of new and relevant articles.
CNN newsletters let you practice reading English with articles you find informative or interesting.
5. CNN Apps
CNN offers a few different apps. You can download the CNN app to your smartphone to browse articles on the go. This is the perfect option for some daily CNN reading on your commute to work.
Also, if you allow notifications from the app, you will receive CNN news updates for some quick reading practice throughout the day.
If you own an Amazon Echo, you can use the CNN app for this device. You can ask your Echo about the latest news and you will hear an update from CNN. This is another simple way to practice listening to and understanding English as you go about your day.
6. CNN Twitter
If you have a Twitter account, consider following CNN. The CNN Twitter feed shows short news updates. Their tweets generally use simple English and they include pictures that add helpful context.
CNN’s Twitter also provides links to longer articles and videos.
You can sign up for notifications from CNN’s Twitter account. Like with the CNN app, this will allow you to get brief English language practice throughout the day.
7. CNN Instagram
If you have an Instagram account, you have another great opportunity to access CNN news. In addition to their main news account (linked above), you can also follow the CNN Travel, Style, Business or Politics Instagram accounts. That means you can learn with an account that matches your interests instead of just reading news headlines.
Like with Twitter, Instagram can be a great resource for language learners because it incorporates images with the text. You can use the image for context clues as you try to understand the English caption, which is usually quite a bit longer than a typical tweet.
So what are you waiting for? Download the CNN app, click “follow” on social media and start tuning in to some CNN shows. CNN offers many great resources to help you improve your English fluency.
