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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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18 Attention! Developing listening and speaking skills
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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20 Attention! Developing listening and speaking skills
?
?
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