Using Videos in Classroom

The speech made by President-Elect Barack Obama in Chicago serves as a great material for English teaching and learning. It can be integrated into English course to practice four skills through careful planning. For instance, the lesson can be divided into three phases. Before watching the video, students are given several questions regarding presidential election campaign to think about, or discuss about. Also, students can be given a vocabulary list with some key words which will be heard in the video. When they are watching the video, they may be required to do a part of dictation or listening comprehension. After watching the video, the teacher may ask students questions to check their understanding and hold a class discussion. A transcript of the speech may be passed around for students' better understanding. For take home assginment, students can be asked to do some research about historical references Obama made in the speech such as the Dust Bowl, the New Deal, the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham and etc.
Also, this video can be used to teach students how to make a public speech. It's also a great example for writing.