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Building Listening Carefully Skills


Primary teachers’ guide

Building Listening Carefully for

Primary Children

Introduction Page 4

Keep it simple: How can we develop primary children’s ability to listen carefully Page 6

Measure it: What are your students’ current capabilities? Page 9

Start early: Why start with your youngest students? Page 10

Pitch it right: Differentiated activities to get started Page 11

Keep practising: In your classroom, your curriculum and across school Page 26

Bring it to life: How to link to the real world? Page 28

Other useful resources Page 29

We are very grateful to the Commercial Education Trust and the Worshipful Company of

World Traders for their support of this project.


Introduction

Enabling Enterprise was set up by a team of teachers in 2009 with an apparently simple

mission: To ensure that all students develop the enterprise skills, experiences of work and

aspirations to succeed.

We felt that there was a gap in our education system. The academic knowledge and

competencies our students were developing were essential. But just as essential was the

wider set of skills and attitudes that would unlock their potential to learn, and one day enable

them to achieve employment, be successful entrepreneurs or to excel in higher education.

The skills we focus on

Enabling Enterprise focuses on building eight enterprise skills which have been shown to

most effectively unlock learning:

In this guide we focus on developing our primary students’ ability to listen carefully.

How to get the most out of this guide

This guide has been developed to support teachers in their classrooms. We’ve included

some of the academic and pedagogical background as to why it is important to teach

children how to listen carefully. There are tools to help you assess your class in relation to

this skill, and then some activity ideas to support you to focus on the development of this skill

in your classroom.


The Principles for

teaching skills

At Enabling Enterprise, we’ve identified six

key principles which underpin any effective

teaching of skills – whether in relation to

developing your children’s ability to listen

carefully or any other. These are:

(1) Keep it simple: Have clarity about what you are trying to

achieve – what do you mean by listening carefully? Do the

children know what you mean?

(2) Measure it: Understand your students’ current strengths and

weaknesses in terms of listening carefully before you get

started.

(3) Start early and keep going: It doesn’t matter whether your

students are in Year 1 or Year 6 –being able to listen carefully

will be an essential skill both in and out of school.

(4) Pitch it right: Providing opportunities through a variety of

activities will help the students at different levels to make

progress.

(5) Keep practising: There are ways that you can continue to

support your students to listen carefully, whatever they are

doing.

(6) Bring it to life: You can reinforce the need to listen carefully

in all situations by making links to the real world.

This booklet helps to bring to life how you

can support your students to become better

listeners by looking at each of these areas

in turn – with practical ideas for how to

make it a reality in school.


Principle 1:

Keep it simple

So, what do we mean by ‘Listening Carefully’?

The first challenge with the teaching of all of the enterprise

skills, including those linked to listening, is to be clear about

what is actually being developed.

It needs to be made clear that, listening is not the same as hearing. Hearing refers to the

sounds that you hear, whereas listening requires more than that; it requires focus.’ This is

often referred to as ‘active listening’.

Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen, has been quoted as saying, “The most basic and powerful way to

connect to another person is to listen. Just listen. Perhaps the most important thing we ever

give each other is our attention.”

Indeed, The Collins English Dictionary defines listening as,

1. the act of concentrating on hearing something

2. the act of paying attention

Active listening thankfully is a skill that can be taught and developed and as many would

agree that listening is key to all effective communication, whether at home for example, at

school or in the workplace - it is certainly one we should provide opportunities for our

children to master.

How does it develop?

Many successful individuals, leaders and entrepreneurs credit their success to effective

listening skills. Richard Branson for example, frequently quotes listening as one of the main

factors behind the success of his business empire. There are many pitfalls if a person or

persons are not listening carefully: they can misunderstand a message, miss out on key

information that may lead to a misconception being learned (or even endanger themselves

or others). Relationships can certainly suffer as a result!

The updated Teachers’ Standards, set by the Department for Education in 2013 maintained

the focus that, ‘all teachers should take responsibility for promoting high standards of

speaking and listening skills regardless of the subject they teach.’ For the youngest children

in primary school then, it is about them being able to hear, focus on and follow simple

instructions. As they mature and become more skilled, they can share stories or information

they have heard. The focus turns to being able to comprehend what is being heard in

greater depth. Towards the end of primary school, the ‘good listener’ will begin to identify

language used to persuade and engage an audience. They may also be able to respond,

summarising the main points and be working towards recognising strategies to listen even

more effectively whatever the situation.


What does ‘Listening Carefully’ look like?

Being able to ‘listen carefully’ is clearly valued as a positive behaviour and one teachers worldwide encourage in their classrooms. Good listening is obviously linked to more effective learning in the classroom. The National Deaf Children’s Society (2016) has collated research that shows that improving the ‘listening environment’ and supporting children to listen carefully will, ‘improve learning and retention of information for all children’. Listening carefully isn’t just about being able to take on board information or follow the instructions – it is about building relationships, developing empathy, sharing and enjoyment. In the workplace, listening carefully is valued – many companies provide skills training in this area for their employees. The BBC for example, provides training for adults via their ‘Skillswise’ (2016) website to support the development of the ability to listen carefully in the workplace. Good listening skills, it is reported, can lead to: better customer satisfaction, greater productivity with fewer mistakes (including workplace accidents) and increased sharing of information that in turn can lead to more creative and innovative work. There is a general consensus that a ‘good listener’ will:

Look at the speaker and show positive body language (for example, leaning in slightly, nodding or smiling appropriately, including subtle mirroring)

Manage distractions (not fiddle, fidget or fuss)

Be patient – wait to speak when it is appropriate And also agreement that a ‘poor listener’ will:

Only listen to what they perceive to have a particular relevance to them – sometimes called ‘selective listening or hearing’

Be thinking of something to say rather than actively listening and therefore interrupting the speaker - finishing other people’s sentences for example and talking over the speaker

Make Assumptions – based on preconceived ideas, bias, stereotyping and previous experiences of the speaker and therefore not actively engage in listening

Most people would agree ‘listening’ is a crucial aspect of a child’s learning journey and we recognise that from upon entry to school, children are expected to listen to and absorb vast amounts of information - instructions, notices, curriculum content and teacher or peer feedback for example. However, while ‘good listening’ is almost universally encouraged in classrooms, it is often expected without ever actually being taught. You can probably think of at least one child, or indeed a whole group of children in your class who struggle to listen. As a result they may face barriers to their learning, obstacles in their relationships and potentially suffer from reduced self-esteem. Frustration can prevail for both the child (and the teacher), impacting negatively upon behaviour and happiness in the classroom. Alan Peat, on his ‘Ideas That Work’ website (2016), talks of ‘active listening as an important life skill that pupils can use beyond the classroom.’ We believe that teachers must go beyond the DfE’s requirement to ‘promote’ listening, to actively teaching children how to listen - by planning for and providing opportunities for their students to develop active listening skills. This can, in part, be done by making it explicit what we mean by the request ‘listen’ and by all adults in school being seen as good a role model when it comes to listening. Certainly, in the primary years we need to support children to gain an understanding of why ‘listening carefully’ is so important – not just in the classroom, but outside of school too - and for their futures.


How is ‘Listening Carefully’ built?

Target

for: Student Descriptor Teacher Explanation

Pre-

Year 1

I can listen to others for a short

time.

Students listen with enjoyment and respond

appropriately to stories. They can listen to and

follow simple instructions from the teacher.

Year 1

I can listen to other people,

follow instructions and tell you

what I heard.

Students use sustained concentration in order to

follow instructions, ask for help to clarify

understanding and relay elements of the talk or

story.

Year 2

I can listen to other people,

follow instructions and tell you

what I heard.

Students are able to listen to peers and ask

relevant questions based on what they heard.

Year 3 I can listen to discussion in

class and share my opinion.

Students are able to follow class discussion and

express opinions. Students begin to identify

presentational features used to communicate.

Year 4 I can listen, remember and write

down the key points of a talk.

Students are able to listen to a speaker and

remember key points and make notes. Students

begin to understand how talk varies with context

(EG: Instructions, stories, advertising).

Year 5

I understand how people use

language to try to persuade

others.

Students begin to identify language used to

persuade and engage an audience (EG: rhetorical

questions, varied vocabulary etc.)

Year 6

I can take notes when others

are talking to summarise the

key points of a talk.

Students can listen to and respond to a talk,

summarising the main points and making notes.

Year 7

I can analyse how a speaker

uses language and gesture to

engage the audience.

Students can analyse how speakers engage the

audience through language and gesture.

The development of the ability to listen carefully extends well beyond Years 1- 6, until older

students are:

Ultimately, by the time they leave school students should be able to listen, capture

key information and also to evaluate the speaker and their intentions.


Principle 2: Measure it

Where to begin? As teachers, if we were to approach the teaching of any academic topic, or basic literacy and

numeracy we would always start by understanding the existing needs of our students.

When teaching the enterprise skills, we often fall into the trap of measuring the number of

activities, rather than the progress that the students have actually made.

With regards listening carefully, it is important to consider each child before you begin - how

well they actively listen to you the teacher or another adult, a partner, a small group or

indeed as a member of a larger group or audience.


Principle 3:

Start early and keep going

How young is too young?

In the 2009 Independent Review of the Primary Curriculum, known as ‘The Rose

Report’ it was highlighted that, ‘communication skills, including listening skills, are

hugely important in their own right and central to children’s intellectual, social and

emotional development’.

Garforth (2009) talks of having heard concerns from teachers and heads of schools

that an ‘increasing number of children were entering their reception classes without

adequate attention, listening and language skills to access the National Curriculum’.

Such concerns amongst school leaders and teachers are not uncommon –

regardless, for example, of socio-economic or cultural background barriers to

learning can already be in place upon entry to school. In the classroom, obviously we

need to work together support and empower our children to overcome these barriers

whatever they may be.

Garforth was prompted to create her ‘Attention and Listening in the Early Years’ or

‘Listen with Lucy’, a training programme for early years practitioners that impacts on

attention and listening skills in children under the age of four. It highlights the need

to break the skill of listening down into constituent parts, teaching the children the

basics of good listening, such as to: ‘look at who is talking’, ‘think about the words

you are hearing’, ‘be quiet’ and ‘sit still’ when appropriate. Requirements that for

some children will never have been made explicit before. Such a clear and

consistent approach in the early years setting, reinforced throughout Key Stage 1

and developed further in Key Stage 2 through exposure to planned activities, good

role modelling and positive feedback will undoubtedly support our children to

become better able to listen carefully in different contexts and crucially able to

understand why listening carefully is such an important skill to develop further as

they move on through their school careers and beyond.

Indeed, in the workplace, many employers understand and appreciate the

importance of further developing employee listening skills to their fullest. Listening is

a key component in establishing effective working relationships between employee

groups and between management and staff. Well-developed listening skills impact

both employee and customer relationships, just as they do all relationships –

whether at home, in school or at work.

The Dalai Lama sums it up beautifully, ‘When you talk you are only repeating what

you already know but when you listen you may learn something new.’


Principle 4:

Pitch it right

Putting it into Practice

Ideas for your classroom: Years 1 and 2

Target for: Student Descriptor

Pre-Year 1 I can listen to others for a short time.

Year 1 I can listen to other people, follow instructions and tell you what I heard.

Year 2 I can listen to other students and ask questions about what I heard.

Year 2

Better I can listen to discussion in class and share my opinion.

Year 2 Best I can listen, remember and write down the key points of a talk.

Children in Key Stage 1 need to be shown what it looks like to be listening carefully

and why it is important. They need to be given opportunities to listen to a partner,

and in a small group and encouraged to respond by asking questions or expressing

an opinion. Such opportunities to listen and talk to each other will enhance their

ability to communicate confidently.

Tips for all Activities

The recommended team size for all activities for KS1 is small, starting with a

partner and increasing to 3 or 4 children maximum by the end of Year 2.

It is worth considering the space the team will be working in. A smaller table

for example facilitates conversations more readily.

Teachers should be mindful that all children will benefit from a classroom

environment that supports ‘listening carefully’ – for children with any form of

hearing loss it is vital. Individual Education Plans should be followed and that

hearing loss expert guidance must be acted upon. The National Deaf

Children’s Society has resources for both parents and schools on their

ndcs.org.uk website.

http://www.ndcs.org.uk/


Activity 1:

What could it be? Length of exercise: 10-15 minutes

Materials: Clips of everyday things, animals, instruments etc. For example, from:

www.bbc.co.uk/learning/schoolradio/subjects/english/stimulussoundscollection

Brief Description: This game encourages careful listening to distinguish between different

sounds. Teams to listen to short clip played by the teacher and to then discuss what it was

they heard before offering their agreed suggestion.

Instruction:

Teams of 2 or 3.

Teacher to play the selected audio clip.

Encourage children to listen carefully before discussing what it might be with their

team.

Teacher play the clip again (there are wide selection of sounds: animal, weather,

transport etc.) and then take suggestions from 2 or 3 teams before sharing the

correct answer.

Ask those who get correct answer how they did it – emphasise they are actively

listening – not making other noise, talking or fiddling etc.

Ask successful teams to model to the other teams how they sit, look or behave as

they listen carefully.

Encouraging the skill development:

Skill Descriptor Activity to support in development

Pre-Year 1

I can listen to others for a short time.

Direct children to each take a moment to listen to the ideas of their team.

Year 1

I can listen to other people, follow instructions and tell you what I heard.

Guide children to discuss as a team what they think they have heard and share this with an adult.

Year 2

I can listen to other students and ask questions about what I heard.

Prompt children to ask each other questions about what they have heard to help them decide on an answer.

Year 2 Better

I can listen to discussion in class and share my opinion.

Encourage children to listen to other ideas, and respond by sharing what they think they heard with the rest of the class.

Year 2 Best

I can listen, remember and write down the key points of a talk.

Give a member of the team the responsibility of writing down the different ideas about what they have heard before deciding on an answer.

Key Stage 1

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learning/schoolradio/subjects/english/stimulussoundscollection


Activity 2:

Simon says… Length of exercise: 15 minutes

Materials: None needed other than space to play

Brief Description: The classic game! Can be used as a physical warm up or activity to start a

P.E. lesson or as an alternative activity or brain break in any lesson.

Instruction:

Encourage the children to spread out to have a space

Emphasise they should look at the person (in the first instance the teacher or adult)

giving the instructions.

Teacher to explain that they will give instructions – but it is only when the words

‘Simon says…’ are used should the children follow the instruction.

Give children some examples and an opportunity to practice.

Anyone reacting to the instruction that does not begin, ‘Simon says…’ has to sit down

and is out.

After a few goes – allow all children to join back in. Encourage successful children to

give ‘Top Tips’ to others before you play a few more times together as a class or give

a child(ren) the opportunity to give instructions to encourage the group to listen not

just to the teacher, but each other as well. Could play in small groups.



Pre-Year 1


Praise children who are able to listen carefully to the speaker

Year 1


Children could repeat the instructions as they carry them out.

Year 2


Praise children who are able to listen and respond to other children during the class reflection.

Year 2 Better


In the reflection, encourage children to discuss what they liked about the game and what they found challenging.

Year 2 Best


As a follow up activity, children can write basic instructions for the game based on their experience of playing.


Activity 3:

Listen to the List Relay Length of exercise: 15 minutes

Materials: White board and pen per team. Pictures of the list items may support some

children or groups (who would also need a copy of the pictures in their team)

Brief Description: This fun activity encourages the children to concentrate on what they are

listening to in order to remember it and recall to share the information too.

Instruction:

Children sitting at one end of the space in their teams of 3 – 4 max. Teacher a short

distance away with a ‘list’ of items (could be linked to a learning theme)

The first child in each team comes out to the teacher to ‘listen’ as 2-4 items from the

‘list’ are quietly shared (and pictures shown if appropriate to the group)

The child returns to their team and recalls the items to their ‘listening’ team mates–

scribe to write down (or select the pictures)

Team member takes it in turns to go to ‘listen’ and report back to their ‘listening

team’.

After every child has taken a turn – ask the teams to count up the number of correct

items (or pictures) on their ‘listen to list’. Teams to reflect on how listening is easier

when you concentrate on what is being said.

Later on in the day – ask the children if they remember any items from the ‘listen to

list’ – if they can – use this as an opportunity to emphasise, when you listen carefully

you are able to remember information more easily and that makes learning easier

too!



Pre-Year 1


Model listening strategies to help them listen carefully and remember the items.

Year 1


Praise children who are supporting their team to listen carefully to the items.

Year 2 I can listen to other students and ask questions about what I heard.

Encourage students in the ‘listening team’ to ask questions to help remind the ‘listener’ of what they have heard.

Year 2 Better


Reflect on what they found challenging in the class and encourage children to share ‘top tips’ on how to improve

Year 2 Best


Ask children to take it in turns to write down the items they have heard.

Key Stage 1


Activity 4

Story Circle Length of exercise: 15 minutes

Materials: Access to an audio story and speakers. A speaking object – maybe a play

microphone or a class mascot for support. There are some great podcasts to be found on

BBC iPlayer schools radio. Have a look at

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schoolradio/subjects/english

Brief description: This is a lovely activity to introduce the children to a new story. It

encourages engaged active listening and also emphasises the need to share and speak out.

Instruction:

Have the children sitting in a circle and explain that the challenge will be for the

whole class to retell the story they are about to listen to. Everyone will be challenged

to contribute to the retelling.

Play the audio version of the story – opt for a story of an appropriate length for your

particular class.

Teacher begins retelling the story whilst holding the speaking object. This is passed

on to the child on their right to continue the story.

Encourage every child to participate – even if just one sentence added so that by the

time the speaking object has passed round the circle the retelling is complete.

Emphasis how we should turn to look at the speaker to show we are listening

respectfully and not talk over them, or interrupt. Praise and reward those children

who are showing that they are listening carefully to the story, the teacher and each

other.



Pre-Year 1


Encourage students to follow where the speaking object is going next so they can focus on who they will listen to.

Year 1


Encourage children to reflect on what a good listener does, and how you can tell someone is listening to you.

Year 2


Praise children who are able to listen to the person before them and continue on from what the previous person has said.

Year 2 Better


Praise children who have shown they have listened carefully to the person before them and responded accordingly.

Year 2 Best


Children can write or create a picture story map of the story they retold together.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schoolradio/subjects/english


Activity 5:

Thinking Questions Length of exercise: 15 minutes

Materials: An audio story maybe as used in Activity 4 – to be shared with the class. There

are some great podcasts to be found on bbc iplayer schools radio, including The Tales of

Beatrix Potter to be found at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01w6h21

Brief description: The children are encouraged to listen to a short story and then generate

questions based on what they have heard.

Instruction:

Teams of 3-4 maximum around small tables.

Let the children listen to the story they are now familiar with (you may want to break it

up into 3-4 minute sections by pausing) and then model how listening made you want

to ask questions.

Teacher to demonstrate a couple of questions they would like to ask about what they

heard in the first few minutes of the story.

Then play next part of the story for the children to ‘listen’ to.

Pause the story again and highlight those children who are showing that they are

listening carefully (what are they doing?) and give them an opportunity to talk in their

teams – what questions would they like to ask about the story? Teacher to note

them on a flip chart.

Play the final part of the story and let the children talk for a short time in their teams

about it.



Pre-Year 1


Praise children who are showing they are listening carefully and encourage them to tell you what they are doing to show they are listening.

Year 1


Encourage children to recap different sections of the story before the questions begin.

Year 2


Praise children for asking a question that has not been asked before by another child in the class.

Year 2 Better


Encourage children to attempt to answer questions that other children have asked.

Year 2 Best


Appoint some ‘notetakers’ to write down the answers to the questions.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01w6h21


Ideas for you classroom:

Years 3 and 4

Target

for:

Pre-Year 3 I can listen to other students and ask questions about what I heard.

Year 3 I can listen to discussion in class and share my opinion.

Year 4 I can listen, remember and write down the key points of a talk.

Year 4 Better

I understand how people use language to try to persuade others.

Year 4 Best

I can take notes when others are talking to summarise the key points of a talk.

As children move through into Key Stage 2 we need to provide opportunities for

them to follow and participate in a class discussion and know that they need to

actively be listening in order to do this.


Activity 6:

Turn it into Challenge

Length of exercise: 30 minutes

Materials: Depends – see instructions below.

Brief Description: Encouraging imaginative thinking as well as listening skills – this activity

expects the children to listen carefully to something and turn it into something else!

Instruction:

Arrange the children so they are working in pairs or teams of three. Verbally give

each team a joke or fact (linked for e.g. to a Science or History topic they are learning

about).

Challenge each small team to take that verbal joke or fact and create something new.

For example, they could create a picture to illustrate it, a model to demonstrate it, a

freeze frame, a role play etc. depending on the materials or resources you have

made available to them.

Give the children 5 minutes to have a team meeting to make sure they all heard the

verbal joke or fact, and to decide on what they are turning it into. They will then have

a time limit of 15 minutes to create.

Each team to share with another team what they had listened to, what they decided

to turn it into and how they went about it. The teacher should emphasise that within

each team, members had to listen to each other in order to complete the challenge.

Encouraging the Skill Development:


Pre-Year 3


Praise children for asking each other if they have heard and understood the joke or fact.

Year 3 I can listen to discussion in class and share my opinion.

Encourage each person in the pair or small group to share their creative ideas with their team during the team meeting.

Year 4


Appoint a notetaker to record the ideas their team comes up with during the team meeting.

Year 4 Better


In the reflection, discuss how the teams decided which idea to go with after the team meeting, and how you can use language to persuade others.

Year 4 Best


Ask teams to take notes when the other team is sharing and feedback what information they have heard.

Key Stage 2


Activity 7:

Listen to how I say it…


Materials: Example sentences or phrases (see below) to share with the class on cards or

screen

Brief Description: This short warm up activity can be used to begin to highlight how talk

varies with context and asks what affect this can have on the listener.

Instructions:

Children to sit in circle. Teacher to share a variety of sentences or phrases on cards

or screen e.g. ‘It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all here today.’ ‘Buy today

and get one free – you don’t want to miss out on this amazing offer!’ ‘And slowly,

ever so slowly the mysterious figure turned and glided away, never to be seen again.’

When might they hear this? What type of talk is it?

Choose one of the sentences or phrases and model saying it in a particular way (e.g.

bored). Ask the children to say it to a partner in another particular way (e.g. grumpy,

eager, angrily, enthusiastically). Challenge the listener to guess the ‘mood’ of the

speaker.

Illicit a conversation about how it’s not just what you say but how you say it that can

make a difference to the people listening. Challenge the class to identify a ‘top tip’ to

make your listener want to keep listening!



Pre-Year 3


Encourage children to ask their partners how they knew the sentence or phrase represented the mood they chose. Praise children for pointing out punctuation etc.

Year 3


In the reflection, discuss why we might change our voices depending on the mood.

Year 4


As a follow on activity, children can write down top tips for understanding what voice to use when you see certain punctuation.

Year 4 Better


Praise children who can identify how the speaker has changed their voice

Year 4 Best


Ask children to write down the mood their partner is modelling and how they changed their voice to match the mood.


Activity 8:

News Report Quiz– did you hear 5W’s?


Materials: Audio news report for e.g. from http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround (if you prefer, you

can hide the screen so they do not see visuals), white boards or scrap paper and pens for

notes

Brief Description: This competitive team activity builds on learning about news reports and

encourages teams to listen carefully to the short clips and respond to the 5W’s (who, what,

where, when and why) of the news report)

Instructions:

Teams of up to 4 or 5 children

Teacher to play a short audio of a topical, suitable news report and teams to listen.

Give them 2 minutes to then note down the ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘where’, ‘when’ and ‘why’.

Stressing the need to actively listen and remember key points.

Organise as a quiz and play another 2-3 round– award points for correct answers.



Pre-Year 3


Ask children to come up with their own questions to ask their team about the news report for bonus points.

Year 3


Choose a news report which could be used for a class debate and allow children to argue for or against an issue.

Year 4


Praise children who can correctly identify all five elements of the news article.

Year 4 Better


As a class, create a mind map of all the persuasive language and techniques used in the news report. To extend children, have them think of ways to make the report more persuasive.

Year 4 Best


As a follow on activity, children can turn the ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘where’, ‘when’ and ‘why’ into a newspaper article.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround


Activity 9:

I think…because… Length of exercise: 30 minutes

Materials: 2 pieces of contrasting music and a speaking object per team of 4 or 5

Brief Description: This is a great whole class and smaller team circle time activity to

encourage listening to each other’s responses to the stimulus and making reference to what

has been heard when contributing to group discussion.

Instructions:

Sitting in a circle, children to listen to the first piece of music as a stimulus.

Holding the speaking object, model a detailed response to the music e.g. ‘I think this

is a really good piece of music because I liked the drama when the cymbals crashed

together. It made me jump because I wasn’t expecting it. It made me think of heavy

rainfall, a storm because it sounded like thunder.’

Pass the speaking object onto a child and encourage them to give an ‘I

think…because’ contribution. Praise the detail then take back the speaking object

and add another ‘I think…because…’ making reference to what the child had said.

Explain this is how you can show you have listened carefully to someone.

Pass the speaking object around for a few more examples before breaking into

smaller teams to listen to the second contrasting piece of music.

Teams to manage their own ‘I think…because…’ circles using a speaking object.

Teams to nominate their ‘Star Listener’ who showed great listening and also listened

carefully to their groups responses. Can the children explain how they could tell?



Pre-Year 3


When working in their smaller teams, praise children who ask questions about the music and their teammates opinions.

Year 3


In the reflection, encourage a member of the team to feedback their team’s opinions.

Year 4


Ask children to write down the different reasons why others in their class liked or disliked the music.

Year 4 Better


Split the class into two groups. The first group are those who preferred the first piece of music; the second group are those who preferred the last piece of music. Challenge the children to persuade the other group that the music they like is better.

Year 4 Best


Encourage children to note down all the adjectives and descriptive phrases used to describe the music and turn this into a piece of descriptive writing.


As children move into Upper Key Stage 2, they should be encouraged to respond,

express opinions and recall information for use later. They should also begin to

recognise that speakers or presenters can use different strategies to engage their

audience and how they can support those listening to them to ‘listen carefully’.

Target for: Student Descriptor

Pre Year 5 I can listen, remember and write down the key points of a talk.

Year 5 I understand how people use language to try to persuade others.

Year 6 I can take notes when others are talking to summarise the key points of a talk.

Year 6 Better

I can analyse how a speaker uses language and gesture to engage the audience.

Year 6 Best I can tell you the strategies I use to listen effectively.


Activity 10:

Teacher on the Spot


Materials: Prepared presentation by the teacher linked to a learning topic or more general

about a hobby or interest

Brief Description: This is a great ‘getting to know you’ type activity with a new class with the

teacher presenting first and been open to questions from the class

Instructions: The teacher takes the ‘Spotlight’ and speaks for 2-3 minutes on a topic of their choice

with the class demonstrating ‘careful listening’.

Another adult helper or prepped child could be an observer, making a note of those

who showed good listening by looking at the speaker, nodding, not speaking over

them etc. Award additional Listening Carefully points to them.

When the teacher has completed their short presentation, teams of 3-4 hold a

meeting to decide on 4 or 5 questions they would like to ask the teacher on the

content of the presentation. Teams then decide to rank the questions as they might

not get to ask all of them.

Teacher fields questions from teams in turn. Teams can lose a point if they ask a

question that has already been asked.

Encourage teams to not only listen to the teacher but to each other too.



Pre-Year 5


Prior to the task, appoint a notetaker and discuss how they might summarise the ‘Spotlight’ information carefully. Create a success criteria for successful notetaking.

Year 5


Pick a topic which might be controversial and use the ‘Spotlight’ talk to persuade them. A notetaker can highlight any persuasive strategies you used.

Year 6


Praise the successful notetaking of students when choosing which questions to ask and the ranking of the questions.

Year 6 Better


Students could make a note of all gestures used during the ‘Spotlight’ talk and discuss why they were used and how they contributed to the presentation.

Year 6 Best

I can tell you the strategies I use to listen effectively.

The observer can share how they could tell someone was listening carefully. Then as a class, you could create a success criteria for careful listening.


Activity 11:

Missing Lyrics? Length of exercise: 20 minutes

Materials: Access to popular songs and volume control

Brief Description: This is a fun music based activity to play as individuals or in teams.

Instructions:

Ask the class in advance to suggest 5 or 6 songs that they know reasonably well –

from a school play, assemblies, music lesson the charts or other so that you can get

access to them.

Play part of the first song encouraging the teams to listen carefully to the lyrics and

when you turn the music down, challenge a particular team to continue singing along

in time before you turn the volume up again.

Award points for having sung the correct words and also for keeping in time.

Play different songs for each team or different parts of the song.

Encourage the students to recognise listening isn’t just hearing – listening is about

engaging with the sound waves entering your ears.

Challenge the students to find out more about hearing and listening as an extension

activity.



Pre-Year 5


When the volume is turned down, pause the music and encourage the students to write down the missing words.

Year 5


Analyse the language used in a song and discuss the artist’s choice of words. How have they used language to make the song more engaging?

Year 6


During the class discussion, encourage children to take notes and create a list of the differences between ‘hearing’ and ‘listening’.

Year 6 Better


As a class, discuss why music lyrics are often easier to listen to and remember than a bulk of text. Discuss how you could transfer the strategies used in music to a presentation.

Year 6 Best


Ask the children to role play listening effectively and another scenario where they are not listening so carefully. Discuss as a class what they noticed.


Activity 12:

Word Tennis


Materials: Non needed

Brief Description: A classroom classic word association game that can be played as

individuals or in teams.

Instructions:

Split the class or group into two opposing teams standing or sitting opposite each

other as if on either side of a net.

Teacher to ‘lob in’ a word to start the game off (this can be linked to a learning topic)

Teams need to listen carefully to the word and one team calls out an associated word

The opposition then have to respond with an associated word.

Agree how you will select which team member ‘returns the volley’ – e.g. hands up or

take in turns down the line.

When a word is repeated, or there is hesitation – score appropriately.

Highlight the need to ‘listen in carefully’ and remember what has been said.



Pre-Year 5


Praise students who are able to respond quickly with an associated word.

Year 5


As a follow on activity, watch a debate and identify how each speaker uses language to respond and persuade their opponent and the audience.

Year 6


In the reflection, discuss different strategies the students used to listen and respond. As a follow on activity, students can write a set of instructions to play the game, including some top tip strategies.

Year 6 Better


As a follow on activity, the students can plan a debate where they will have to listen, respond and persuade the audience. Prior to this, students can create a success criteria for persuasive language and gestures.

Year 6 Best


Discuss as a class how you can make sure you are listening carefully to what is being said, so that you are prepared in case your name is called.


Principle 5:

Keep Practising

Tips for building children’s ability to listen carefully in the

classroom:

Verbal feedback explicitly about listening– use framework to support and use of

rewards or points to encourage and motivate

Assign a role for a team member to receive instructions and then take back to their

team for different tasks and/or in different lessons. Ask them to repeat back or share

with others or make notes to support.

Support reflection on what they gain by listening carefully – e.g. instructions, support,

encouragement, increased confidence etc.

Model what a good listener does and discuss why this is needed.

Display showing children’s ideas for how to show a person you are listening.

Variation in voice levels or tone – model appropriately for different situations and how

they can ‘listen’.

Play ‘Listening Games’ in circle time for e.g. Chinese Whispers, ‘I went to market…’,

‘What sound is it?’ Use Sound sensors or loggers etc. Use of IT.

‘Sounds of Silence’ - listen for periods of 10 or 15 seconds then report to team what

each has heard (can make it a competition between teams).

Ask children to keep a ‘Listening Log’ for a short period of time and make written or

visual note of what they can hear at certain times in the day – discuss the everyday

sounds around them and how they make them feel. Share ‘favourite sounds’ in a

circle time.

Tips for linking the development of listening carefully to learning in

your curriculum

Give verbal instructions in bitesize chunks – sign post how many parts to these –

provide visual and kinaesthetic hooks to reinforce what they have heard.

Encourage children in upper KS2 to make notes in meetings e.g. School Council etc

so that they can listen and then report back to others.

Music related activities: follow a rhythm or sequence etc. games. Identify changes in

tempo, pitch etc.

Play film clips or music videos with no sound – discuss the impact of this.

Some great ‘Philosophy for Children’ opportunities associated with listening. E.g. ‘If

a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?’

Thoughtful discussions around ‘Do you only have a voice if people are listening?’ and

the importance of communication etc.

Also as a thought provoking pieces share clips of famous speeches e.g. Martin

Luther King, Winston Churchill and TED Talks clips including those by children and

young people e.g. Kid President


Discuss what would be the consequences if no one actually listened at key moments

in history

Tips for building opportunities for children to listen carefully

across your school

Be consistent in all lessons or classrooms – how we show we ‘listen’ in e.g. Maths is

the same as in Art, PE assembly etc. Do the staff have a shared expectation that

they too will not speak when someone else is speaking in the room or assembly etc.

Make it part of accepted or usual practice for children to be given responsibility to

take a verbal message to another classroom or person.

School Office ‘job’ for children to be trained to take messages to teachers and maybe

even answer the telephone during lunch break

Encourage ‘active listening’ to music in assemblies (‘Which instruments did you

hear?)

Awards for those children who ‘Listened Carefully’. Raise the profile of this skill –

make it explicit why everyone, of every age in all situations should try to develop their

ability to listen carefully.


Principle 6:

Bring it to life

Bringing in real world links

A challenge that we have all seen as teachers is how knowledge or skills developed

in the classroom, or in a particular subject or topic struggle to make the leap into new

situations.

One of the most effective ways we have found to combat this is to make explicit links

to the real world throughout.

Some of the great ways to do this are:

Visiting Employers: A key part of Enabling Enterprise programmes are taking

students out of their usual school setting and realising how the skills they are

using can be used in the rest of their lives. You can find lots of examples of

how to think about employer visits through our website at

enablingenterprise.org/news

Invite in Parents: It’s also great to bring visitors into school. This might mean

parents or others like governors or business partners of the school. Our

advice would be to give the students plenty of scope to listen to and ask

questions of the speaker. Share the children’s findings about how the visiting

speaker needs to ensure they listen carefully in their work and why.

Extended Projects: Finally, whilst we hope that the activities that we’ve shared

are useful as a starting point, we find that project-based learning is the most

effective way to build really rich, deep skills for the students. You can find

more examples and things to try on our website.


Conclusion and

further resources As adults, we all know it is highly desirable to

be able to listen carefully for a whole host of

reasons, in various situations for different ends

(but even adults don’t always manage to do it –

it is challenging). Yet we expect it of children

almost constantly in school.

Children may not know why they are been

required to ‘show they are listening’. They

might not even know what that instruction often

heard in the classroom means or why it is being

asked of them. We need to make it crystal

clear to our children from their early years what

‘listening carefully’ actually means! They need

to be provided, throughout the primary years,

with explicit teaching and learning opportunities

to see what a ‘good listener’ does and

countless experiences to practise active

listening.

It is important that teachers and children alike,

see that we can all get better at listening. The

skill of listening can be taught and developed.

By the time our children leave school and move

on to further education or employment it would

certainly make their lives easier if they were

fully equipped in this vital communication skill.

Worth taking a look at:

Independent Review of the Primary Curriculum: Final Report, Rose. J (2009)

Attention and Listening in the Early Years, Garforth. S (2009)

National Deaf Children Society – www.ndcs.org.uk

www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise

www.skillsyouneed.com

www.alanpeat.com

www.ted.com

http://www.ndcs.org.uk/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise

http://www.skillsyouneed.com/

http://www.alanpeat.com/

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