Listening

Listening for the Main Idea

The purpose of this type of listening is to train students to grasp the main points or general information presented in the audio. Students often get stuck on a detail, a word or phrase they don’t understand and fail to see the bigger picture. So, this is a great exercise for this type of student.


Example:

Instructions: Listen to Blake, Jin and Gabriela. Check the topics they mention(Click here to download the audio).

_____ Canadian food   _____Jin´s relative       _______ population of Canada  

                    

_____ size of Canada         _____buses from Toronto to Vancouver

Listening for Detail

     Here, the purpose is to train students to grasp specific information, details that are relevant, important or necessary. The goal is to help students obtain the detailed information they may need like hours, dates, names, etc…

Example:

Instructions: Answer the questions according to the following information about camera phones(Click here to download ther aduio)

1. When did cellular or cell phones appear?

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

 

2. What are some functions cell phones offer to people nowadays?

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

3. When did camera phones appear?

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

4. Why does a professional photographer say about camera phones?

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

Listening for a Sequence

    Quite often, students receive instructions in English, information they will need to act on or orders they will need to follow. It is vital that they get the order right, that they understand the sequence correctly and what each step entails.

Example:

Instructions: Number each sentence of the conversation you are about to listens(Click here to download ther aduio)

___________	I´d like to visit the Palace of Fine Arts-they say it´s a really beautiful building.
___________	Sure, if we aren´t too tired.  It sounds like an awful lot for one day.  Maybe we should leave the dancing for tomorrow.
___________	And how about visiting the Golden Gate Park in the afternoon?
___________	Yeah, that´s a good idea.  There are some really nice restaurants in Chinatown.  We can take a cable car from the downtown area.
___________	OK, sounds good to me. And in the evening I´d like to go to Fisherman´s Wharf for some great seafood.
___________	So, what would you like to do?
___________	We can see the Golden Gate Bridge and walk around the Japanese Tea Gardens.
___________	Then we can go dancing.
___________	That sounds like fun.  I love Chinese food and we can do some shopping.
___________	Ok, but not another museum.
___________	Yeah, me too.  How about going there in the morning and then walking around downtown.  How about going to Chinatown for lunch?

 

Help kids having fun with reading topics they are interested in...

PLAY PICTURES BOOK CHARADES

Get silly with reading—a new twist on the old fashioned game of charades will inspire your first grader to look at her favorite books in a whole new light. Put the whole family's skills to the test with this fun activity that will keep everyone guessing from beginning to end!

What You Need:

• 5 picture books your child knows well
• Appropriate props (optional)

What You Do:

1. Select five of your first grader's favorite picture books.
2. Read three of the books you selected.
3. Say, "Now I'm going to act out one of these books."
4. Act out the storyline for one of the three books you read. You may communicate through gestures, actions, sounds, and props, but no words.
5. Ask, "Can you guess which book it is?"
6. Allow your child to guess. Offer hints if necessary.
7. Read the remaining two books together.
8. Place the four books that have not been acted out in front of your child. Say, "Pick one of these books, but don't tell me which one it is. Act it out and see if I can guess the right book."
9. Allow your first grader to act out the book while you try to guess which one it is.

The first time you play Picture Book Charades, you may want to form teams with you and your first grader on one team and another adult or older child on the opposing team. SEE THIS LINK READING ACTIVITIES