| In recent years, some English teachers in secondary schools have begun to teach English newspapers as a supplement to the teaching of reading. English newspaper reading has become one of the focuses of English classroom teaching research. The trend has been reinforced in the newly promulgated Junior High School English Curriculum Criterion. As is required in the Curriculum Criterion, junior students should be capable of reading English newspapers or magazines after graduation. Although strenuous efforts have been made by some researchers (including teachers) and students, how to improve the English learning of junior students through English newspaper reading is yet to explored.The aim of the present thesis is to explore and apply English newspapers to the teaching of reading in junior schools and to verify its effectiveness and feasibility. The experiment was carried out among ninety-seven students in junior two from a private school in Shanghai. Forty-eight students in the experimental class were involved in reading English newspapers during one year's instructive intervention, and forty-nine students in the control class used the traditional reading materials. Three means were used in the research:the pre-test and the post-test, questionnaires and interviews. The findings are as follows:1) The reading abilities of the experimental class have evidently improved after the experiment.2) English newspaper reading has contributed to the improvement of the junior students'writing abilities.3) The classroom activities during English newspaper reading have a positive effect on the junior students'spoken English.4) The organic integration of text reading and newspaper reading can improve the reading instruction method.It is hoped that this thesis will offer a teaching method to enhance the English learning of junior students through English newspaper reading and encourage more teachers to apply English newspapers to their own classroom teaching practice.
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