TEACHERS who are keen to use newspapers to teach the Chinese language will get some help on how to do it from a new guidebook.

The book, entitled What's New? - Newspaper In Education Guidebook, provides a systematic approach to using newspapers as a teaching tool in the classroom. Comprising three volumes, the book comes with lesson plans, worksheets, activity cards and an instructional CD-ROM.

It is jointly published by Lianhe Zaobao's student publication zbComma, the Ministry of Education's (MOE) curriculum planning and development division and the Singapore Centre for Chinese Language.

Senior Minister of State for National Development and Education Grace Fu, who launched the guidebook at Victoria School yesterday, acknowledged it was tough to get students to read the Chinese papers but emphasised the importance of cultivating this reading habit.

One way might be to combine the reading with fun activities, she added.

It is a formula being used by The Straits Times' own Little Red Dot magazine for primary school pupils.

Teachers and students from six secondary schools tested out the Chinese guidebook and liked it.

Said Darryl Sim, 13, a Secondary 1 student at Victoria School: 'We were taught how to read effectively to get the main points.'

Added Chinese language teacher Loh Mew Chew from Northbrooks Secondary: 'In the past, students used to fear reading papers and having to submit assignments thereafter. Now, they look forward to the lessons because of the many interesting activities.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times.