I found BBC - Podcasts - World News For Schools a good resource for ESL teaching. This podcast select the hotest news from everyday BBC news that are suitable to the level of students between age 11 -14. I listened to the most recent episode, which is the piece of news on April 28th, 2011. It is about the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton, and the public voices towards this marriage. The host's pronounciation is clear and accurate. The piece of news also includes several short interviews, which are very authentic.
I think this kind of NEWS could be a good listening practise for ESL students. The students take down notes about the piece of news, trying to capture the main idea, as well as some of the details of it. It could also be uesd as a intensive listening material for students to try to write down as much as they hear. After listening, students could exchange ideas about the piece of news. The authentic short interviews increase the difficulty in listening, but they prepare students with the various accents in real seetings.
