BBC Skillswise English: Listening Skills & Strategies

Details

Activity Description

In this unit on types of listening, students learn how to be a good listener, the different types of listening, strategies for listening to and remembering instructions, how to use non-verbal clues to aid listening comprehension, and how to ask for repetition and/or clarification to ensure comprehension. This unit is divided into 3 levels (titled Entry 1 & 2, Entry 3, and Level 1) and downloadable/printable fact sheets and worksheets are provided for each lesson and level. An online and printable quiz is provided for each level as well.

Preparation

1. Review the materials contained in each level (under "Start learning") and select the levels that are appropriate for your students.
2. Review and print the video transcript(s), fact sheets and worksheets for those levels.
3. Be sure to check that your students can access the quizzes from their computers (Java script must be enabled and Flash must be installed).
4. Download and print quiz questions if the online quiz is not accessible.

How-To

1. Introduce the topic: Types of listening. Ask students to identify different situations in which they listen. Ask: "Is the way we listen always the same or does it change depending on our purpose for listening?"
2. Show this one-minute video [www], have students identify the three types of listening mentioned in the video (listening for pleasure, listening for information, and listening in conversations), and discuss how these types of listening differ. You may want to provide the transcript for your students to help them understand the British English.
3. Distribute copies of the fact sheets for the level you are teaching. Select the "View as popout" icon to display each fact sheet using the projector as you explain the information.
4. Have students work on the worksheets in pairs or small groups and review the answers as a class.
5. When you have completed a level, direct students to the online quiz (or provide printed copies if online quizzes are not accessible).
   Entry 1 & 2 [www]
   Entry 3 [www]
   Level 1 [www]
6. Have students show you their scores upon completion of the quiz.

Teacher Tips

• This is a resource of the BBC and uses British English. Preview to make sure your students can understand and be prepared to explain differences in spelling and vocabulary.
• You may want to print transcripts (when available) for the videos.

More Ways

This site offers short videos, fact sheets, worksheets and accompanying games and quizzes for a variety of levels on other listening and speaking topics including listening for specifics/details, communication skills, formal & informal speaking, and giving presentations. The same materials are also provided for a variety of topics related to reading, writing, spelling, word grammar, and sentence grammar.

Program Areas

• ESL: English as a Second Language

Levels

• Intermediate Low
• Intermediate High
• Advanced

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