What's+on+TV?

(A guide for parents and students).
 * Let's watch TV** or 'How to improve your reading, writing and communication skills and your exam results!'

Wide reading in English ([|proper books], newspapers and quality magazines) will improve your writing and your exam results in all subjects. It will also help you to understand your self and the world better and can help to make you a better person. Reading in Punjabi and other languages will help too.

But, watching TV or listening to the radio can be a big help too. **It all depends on what you watch and what you read.**


 * You choose to watch** or read what you enjoy and are already interested in. But if you **only** watch what you already know, or just what your friends watch or read, you will limit your horizons and understanding instead of expanding them and not learn so many new things.

Homework and learning at school can be hard work and sometimes you need to take a break - but you don't have to stop learning.

Whatever the reasons, British TV and radio, led by the BBC and other innovative channels, are amongst the best in the world. (As anybody who has endured American, Norwegian or Spanish TV can tell you - though **they** may be better for local programmes as we don't have proper local TV in Britain).

There are dozens of outstanding TV programmes on every day - too many to watch - and that's just on the main 'freeview' channels. You **don't** have to subscribe to any pay channels to watch, enjoy and still learn by watching TV any day.

You can watch too much TV. (Nobody should be watching more than a couple or three hours a day - and a lot less if you're in Years 10-12 and have homework, coursework and exams to prepare for). But even if you do watch that much (15 hours a week?), perhaps a third or half or more (**5-10 hours per week**) could be **improving your education**, understanding and **vocabulary**.

Try watching the BBC, ITV or Channel 4 News for half an hour per day or listening to the BBC News on Radio 4 or the BBC World-service. Look out for the Drama, Poetry, Science, Geography, History, Wildlife and Nature, Politics and Current Affairs and Business programmes on the main 'terrestrial' channels (1-5), especially the BBC. (These are regular adult programmes, suitable for younger audiences if shown before 9 pm, but there are also education programmes and Y11-13 may find some BBC/Open University (OU) programmes of interest).

Younger students (Y7-9) may prefer to watch the 'Kids' news and current affairs programmes (eg. Newsround) but you have to grow up whilst you're still at school so move on in Y9-11! Apart from BBC1 News, ITN and Channel 4 News, it can also be worth watching World News (BBC4), Euronews and CNN.

The BBC Radio World Service has news and fascinating cultural, political and current affairs items from around the world 24 hours a day.

Some recent or long-running TV programmes to look out for, often with associated web-sites, are given below. BUT, before you settle down to watch, remember that getting out and about, going for a bike ride, walk or swim or joining a sports club or team can also boost your exam results. Exercise and fresh air and a healthy diet all help to improve circulation and refresh your brain for your best performance and this applies especially when you are in the middle of revising for exams!