(PAGES 1-8) Attention! Developing listening and speaking skills

8/3/2019 (PAGES 1-8) Attention! Developing listening and speaking skills

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Gloria Rolton


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Introduction 4

Listening skills checklist 6

Speaking skills checklist 7

Getting started: introduce active listening skills 8

Listening units

1 Listening for pleasure using novels 102 Listening for pleasure using poetry and picture books 13

3 Listening for pleasure using short stories 15

4 Listening to reports and speeches 18

5 Listening to current affairs and news bulletins 20

6 Listening to and exploring new ideas 22

7 Listening to instructions 24

8 Following instructions 26

9 Following directions 28

10 Persuasive language: bias 30

11 Persuasive language: fact and opinion 32

12 Persuasive language: advertising 35

Speaking units

13 Discussion 37

14 Hypotheticals 39

15 Class meetings 41

16 Making announcements 43

17 Introducing and thanking visitors 45

18 Readers theatre 47

19 Preparing for an interview 49

20 Conducting interviews 51

21 Oral report 53

22 Persuasive language: argument 55

23 Introduction to debating 57

Appendix 60


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4 Attention! Developing listening and speaking skills

Speaking and listening skills are essential to all learning and should not be seen as

separate subject areas. However, some processes and skills need to be taught separately

to ensure that students learn and communicate effectively. This resource supportsteachers to identify, introduce and practise these processes and skills with students.

ListeningBecause much of the information students receive in the primary years of schooling is

delivered orally, children need to be taught that listening is an active, not a passive,

operation. The promotion of active listening skills should be incorporated into everyday

classroom practice. Students who become active listeners will be advantaged in all

curriculum areas.

It is important teachers model active listening. Whether interacting with an individual

or the whole class, students should be aware that the teacher regards what they say asimportant.

Some of the listening activities include the study of novels, poetry, picture books and

short stories. The selected titles are readily available to schools. Teachers read the text

aloud and then introduce an activity that is designed to gauge students understanding

of what they have heard.

Other listening activities aim to help students develop critical listening skills. Students

will be required to:

listen, analyse and interpret what is presented orally

infer meanings that are not directly stated

examine and assess the value of information supplied.

SpeakingThe speaking activities support students to:

share information students share ideas and information through informal

class discussions and more structured class meetings

deliver information students learn how to deliver information when making

announcements, introducing or thanking a visiting speaker and preparing

oral reports

elicit information students learn how to frame open-ended questions

and conduct interviews.

Strategies for learningThis resource utilises activities or approaches that are commonly used in primary school

classrooms. The following strategies may be used by teachers to introduce, assess,

extend or consolidate a skill.

Role-play uses drama to raise students awareness of different points of view.

It encourages students to go beyond imagining how another person might feel

or act. It asks that they become that person; thinking their thoughts, acting as

they would act and speaking as they would speak.

Brainstorming is a simple but powerful method of generating a number of

ideas to arrive at a more creative solution to given problems. Students willreadily engage in brainstorming sessions when their ideas are accepted

Introduction


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Introduction 5

without criticism and they can build on the ideas of others. After the initial

brainstorm, students may work together to evaluate the suggestions and find

the ones that best fit their problem.

PMI is a valuable strategy to use in classroom discussions. Participants are

provided with a situation/idea/suggestion and asked to consider all the positive

outcomes, all the minus outcomes and those outcomes that are neither positive

nor negative, merely interesting. This activity can help students overcome

tunnel vision and encourage them to be open to new ideas.

Readers theatre is a group presentation in which students read from a set

script. Readers theatre differs from a play as there is not a stage or any props,

costumes or actors. The individual characters and the narrator face the

audience and are identified by labels. Readers theatre helps students build

skill and confidence in oral reading and presentation.

Y charts are graphic organisers that students use to record new ideas. Students

imagine or visualise a new situation and then record how it looks, sounds and

feels on a Y chart.

AssessmentSuccessful speaking and listening skills rely on students having an understanding of

what they are doing and why they are doing it, and an awareness of improvements

in their performance. The use of simple self-assessment checklists allows students to

identify areas of improvement and areas needing further work. (See the checklists on

pp 6 and 7.)


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To begin1 Explain that an oral report usually includes:

an introduction that states the subject of the report

several points with information to support them

a conclusion that sums up or restates the introduction.

2 Explain that you will read a short report and when you finish, students must identify the

subject of the report and the main points and key words that support the point. Explain

that key words are single words, not phrases or part sentences.3 Read aloud Being Left-handed (p 60) in a normal speaking speed.

4 When you have finished, ask students to identify the subject. Write this on the board.

5 Students then determine the main points and several key words associated with each.

Record these on the board.

6 When all points have been addressed, individual students use the recorded information to

summarise the report.

Going furtherOver the next few days, repeat the previous activity, using Invented Words (p 60) and Who

Discovered Australia? (pp 61) for further practise.

Extending the focus1 Distribute activity sheet 7 (p 19).

2 Read The First Men on the Moon (p 61) aloud while students take notes.

3 Students then write a paragraph from their notes, summarising the report.

4 Discuss how much of the information in their summary was from their notes and how

much from remembering the oral text. This should show that writing up notes soon after

hearing a report improves the quality of the summary.

UNIT 4

Listening toreports and

speeches

students will understandthe common structureadopted in reports ortalks, and take notesfrom an oral report based

on this structure


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Attention! Developing listening and speaking skills Gloria Rolton 2006 19

1 Use this page for note taking.2 Write only two to four key words for each idea. Key words are those that are essential to understanding the idea.3 Do not use sentences or parts of sentences, only single words.4 Do not be concerned about correct spelling, especially peoples names. Errors can be corrected when you prepare a final

draft of your work.

Subject:

First main point:

Key words:

Second main point:

Key words:

Third main point:

Key words:

Fourth main point:

Key words:

Use the key words to write a brief summary of what the report was about.

ActivitySheet 7


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?

?

Findfactsbyasking:

To begin1 Explain that when gathering information, five Ws and an Hare basic to finding facts.

2 Record these on the board as shown, making sure the ovals are large enough to hold

additional text.

3 Advise students that information for each of the headings may not be present each time,

and that the information may be presented in any order.

4 Read Typhoon Hits Japan aloud (p 62).

5 Students then suggest words that will answer who, when, where, why, what and how

about the article. Record these words on the board in the appropriate oval.

6 When most of the relevant facts have been recorded, individual students attempt an oral

summary, using the words suggested.

Going further1 Revise the method used to find facts described in the previous activity.

2 Read Cane Toads to Hit Sydney(p 62) aloud.

3 Students suggest words to match each heading. Record these on the board.

4 Individual students use the recorded words to produce a short oral report on the topic.

Extending the focus1 Distribute activity sheet 8 (p 21).

2 Read Smuggling Australias Wildlife (p 63) aloud while students record key words in the

appropriate place on their sheet.

3 Students then use their notes to write a short summary of the article.

4 Follow up with discussion time to identify any difficulties students encountered.5 Students can use the same activity sheet to take notes from current affairs on television

or radio.

UNIT 5

Listening tocurrent affairs

and newsbulletins

students will learnhow to identify andrecord facts

WHO

WHY

WHERE

HOW

WHAT

WHEN


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Attention! Developing listening and speaking skills Gloria Rolton 2006 21

Use this sheet to record information from a news report or current affairs program. Write a short paragraph to summarise whatyou heard. Remember: there may not be information to record for each heading.

Subject:

Who:

What:

Where:

When:

Why:

How:

Summary

ActivitySheet 8

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