Ohio Standards Connections:

Communication: Oral and Visual – 8th grade

#1.  Apply active listening strategies (e.g., monitoring message for clarity, selecting and organizing essential information, noting cues such as changes in pace.

 

#4.  Identify the speaker’s choice of language and delivery styles (e.g., repetition, appeal to emotion, eye contact) and how they contribute to meaning.

Lesson Summary:

The purpose of these lessons is to review and demonstrate effective listening skills and techniques. 


Estimated Duration:

 4 – 45 minute lessons over a four week period

 

 

 

Commentary:

This is the first of a three part unit.  The first part consists of four lessons.

 

 

 


Pre-Assessment:

Oral Language Activity

Students work in pairs and each are given identical pictures.  One partner marks ten X’s on the picture, and then describes to the other partner the position of the X’s.  As each position is described the partner places the marks on the second paper.  After the partners check the paper, the roles are reversed, and the same procedure is followed.

 

Scoring Guidelines:

Students receive one point for each mark placed correctly.

 

 

Post-Assessment:

Oral Language Activity

Students complete a listening activity individually.  Give each student a blank sheet of paper.  Orally the students are given ten directions that instruct them to fold or mark the paper.

 

Scoring Guidelines:

Students receive one point for each correct fold or mark.

 


Instructional Procedures:

Lesson #1

  Introduction

     Today we are going to do a fun activity with a partner.  When we have finished we will talk about it.  Partner up and I will explain the activity.

  Pre Assessment

      Complete the Oral Language Activity. Collect Activity when completed.

  Teach

1.      Discuss purpose of activity – how well do you listen. 

2.      Review with the students the three pieces of the entire unit – Listening, Note Taking, and Interviewing, and the culminating activity, a presentation at the Closing Ceremonies for our building.

3.      Show Power Point presentation illustrating the various settings for listening – music, classroom, parents, etc. Discuss the settings after viewing the presentation emphasizing that the purpose for listening changes as the setting changes.

4.      (Alternate Activity for #3) Why do you listen – what is the purpose of listening?  Have students generate a list of the purposes of listening, recording the list on chart paper or a transparency.  The list should include the following:

a.       For enjoyment or entertainment

b.      To gain information

c.       To understand information or an explanation

d.      To evaluate or form an opinion

                

Lesson #2

  Teach

1.      Review purposes of listening from Lesson #1. Share this week’s objective - techniques for listening for information

2.      Listening for Details – review basic 5W-How questions – Who, What, When, Where, Why, How and relate the questions to listening.  Have students list the 5W-How questions on notebook a paper to be used as a worksheet for the following activity.

  Activity

Students will view a tape of an interview with Margaret Peterson Haddix .  While listening to the interview the students will complete the answers to the 5W-How questions.  Following the completion of the worksheet the answers will be discussed.

 

Lesson #3

 Teach

Listening Critically – you cannot remember every word a speaker says, but when you listen critically you can find the most important parts of the speaker’s message. Discuss the following critical listening topics: main idea, significant details, distinguishing between fact and opinion, and drawing conclusions.

 Activity

1.      Distribute a worksheet that lists the following topics: speaker’s purpose, main points, support for main points, strengths, and weaknesses.

2.      View previously videotaped interview of Angelina Jolie or another contemporary celebrity.

3.      Students complete the worksheet.  Following the completion of the worksheet the answers will be discussed.

 

Lesson #4

  Post Assessment

          Complete the Oral Language Activity.  Collect Activity when completed – compare results with Pre Test results

  Teach

          Review of the lessons on listening.

 


Differentiated Instructional Support

1.      2 – 3 teachers are involved in each lesson to work with students individually to meet their individual needs

2.      Activities throughout unit incorporates various learning styles

 


Extension

1.      General list of types of learning

2.      Randomly announce a student’s name during morning announcements and have that student come to the office to be rewarded with a candy bar for good listening

3.      Directly correlate listening lessons to school and community activities

 


Homework Options and Home Connections

Students were encouraged to attend activities with speakers and share their experiences at school. (During our lesson, Margaret Peterson Haddix conducted a “Meet the Author Evening” for our city library’s Visiting Author Program.)

 


Interdisciplinary Connections

  1. Listening is a vital part of every classroom in every discipline
  2. Share lesson plans with all teachers to enable them to incorporate the content and procedure into the individual classrooms.
  3. Update teachers during team meeting on the progress of the unit highlighting the important topics and keep words.


Materials and Resources:

For teachers

1.      Elements of Writing. 8th grade Teacher’s Edition Kinneavy James, and Warriner, John E. Holt Rinehart and Winston 1998 pp 871 – 875

2.      Video taped interviews

3.      VCR

 

For students

1.      Paper

2.      Pencils

3.      Worksheet for lesson #3

 

 


Key Vocabulary

     Listening, purpose, fact and opinion, interview

 


Technology Connections

     Power Point presentations

     Video/audio clips

    


Research Connections

     Learning Styles

 


General Tips

 


Attachments