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Unit 1, Lesson 3: Active Listening

"A typical study points out that many of us spend 70

to 80 percent of our waking hours in some form of

communication. Of that time, we spend about 9

percent writing, 16 percent reading, 30 percent

speaking, and 45 percent listening. "

- University of Missouri, Extension

Level Objectives

Beginning Literacy

Consider how good listening body language affects the speaker and

improves communication.

Provide instructions clearly and offer feedback for clarification.

Develop active listening skills by paying close attention, asking

questions for clarification, and summarizing the speaker's words.

Level College Career Readiness Standards

A Reading Anchor 1: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly

and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when

writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

Ask and answer questions about key details in text (R1)

Reading Anchor 2: Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze

their development; summarize the key supporting details and idea.

Identify the main topic and retell key ideas or themes of a text. (R

2)

Reading Anchor 3: Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas

develop and interact over the course of a text

Describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or

pieces of information in a text. (R3)

Reading Foundation Anchor 3. Know and apply grade-level phonics and

word analysis skills in decoding words. (Phonics and Word Recognition)

Read common high-frequency words by sight (RF.3.j)

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Reading Foundation Anchor 4: Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency

to support comprehension. (Fluency)

Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding.

The purpose of this lesson is to emphasize the importance of good listening skills when

communicating at work, in the community, and with family and friends. Clear communication is

especially important in school and at work. Poor listening skills can lead to many

misunderstandings. Sometimes a speaker is not clear, or a listener is thinking about other things

while the speaker is talking.

In this lesson, you will practice active listening skills and learn to ask questions that clarify what

you just heard.

Listening Body Language Listening is a two-way process in which both the speaker and listener play a part.

Good listening skills are important in daily life and in the workplace. Listening means

paying close attention to your boss, coworkers, or customers by maintaining

eye contact,

not letting your thoughts stray, and

showing interest through supportive gestures and neutral or attentive facial

expressions.

Be aware that 60% of a speaker's perception of how well you listen and what you

think about what she is saying is communicated through body language. Distribute the

handout, Good Listening Body Language and discuss the body language associated

with listening closely to the speaker.

Good listening body language includes:

maintaining comfortable eye contact (not a fixed stare);

leaning the head slightly forward;

sitting or standing up straight;

nodding here and there in agreement;

smiling when appropriate or maintaining a neutral expression;

uncrossing arms and legs and keeping the body open; and

eliminating distracting mannerisms, like jangling keys, tapping fingers or shoes, or

twirling a pencil

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Listening body language activity

Pair your students up. (Tutor pairs up with student.) Distribute the

handout: Listening Body language: What Do You See?

Ask student pairs to study images 1-6.

Discuss: What is the listener's body language telling you? What

do you think is happening?

If your student/s don't know what you are asking, go over one image and think aloud as

you analyze the body language. Ask students their opinion. Then ask the group to share

their thoughts about the images. The discussion should be lively. Sometimes people will

disagree and come up with another interpretation. This is fine, as long as the group or

pair/s use the image as a jump off point for discussion and can defend their point of view.

Body language activities

1. For low level students with few to no independent reading skills

Teach students the following vocabulary words. Ask them to copy the 12

words on a separate index card for each word.

woman lady man couple listen smiling unhappy cross closely leans forward chin

Ask students to place the card with the descriptive words next to the

images that most suit the words in the Listening Body language: What

Do You See? handout. One image could have more than one or two cards.

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Student self-assessment on their listening skills

This activity is designed for students to reflect on how well they listen.

Distribute the handout, How Well Do You Listen? This is a short self-

assessment on how well the student thinks she listens. If students are unable

to read the text independently, read the phrases and choices to them.

Note: This self- assessment can be taken online as digital literacy practice.

Click her to enter the online form: http://goo.gl/forms/7XMZD3Fkmk

Key (Students do not have this.)

Excellent Listeners say yes to numbers 3, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12,

13, 14, and 15 as yes.

Poor listeners say yes to numbers 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, and 10.

As you read the key to the students, ask them to place an asterix next to the excellent listener

skills that they possess.

Tell students that most of us show a combination of these traits when listening. We can practice

becoming better listeners by concentrating on developing the good traits and reducing the poor

listening traits.

The best listeners, however, follow the procedures described in the handout,

Active Listening Tips. Distribute this handout and read it with students. Pair

them up and ask them to read the handout together, or ask them to read along

with you as you reread the tips. Discuss the tips in detail, and ask students to go

back to the text to find the answers.

Tell students that in the next activity they will practice active listening skills

with an activity designed for them to

listen actively as the listener.

speak clearly as the speaker.

In order to communicate effectively at work, good speaking skills are as important as listening

skills. This is especially important when working in teams or completing a project together,

whether installing an air conditioning unit, passing dining customer orders to the kitchen, or

creating a new display for a department store. Ask students how good speaking skills will help

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them in their own workplace (customer service, team work, communicating with the supervisor),

visiting the doctor’s office, or talking to their childrens’teacher.

Distribute the student handout, Speaking Tips.

Ask students to read the handout or read it together. Discuss vocabulary

words (“jargon” might be new, “emphasize” might be difficult to read) and

then …

Ask: “What are the differences and similarities that good speakers and

good listeners have?” Encourage students to go back to the text to find the

information.

Speaking tips

Face the listener

Slow down your speech and give the listener time to hear you

Speak loud enough to be heard

Pronounce each word clearly; do not mumble

Use short sentences and emphasize important words

Speak logically, so that if you are giving directions or instructions,

you do not leave out an important step

Use common English; do not use slang or jargon

Active Listening Role Play Activities

Say: “Role play is an excellent way for you to practice two skills – good speaking and listening

– that are expected of you in the workplace. We will next practice active listening as both

speaker and listener.

Note to the teacher: Preparations for a successful role play depend on thorough

preparations for the student beforehand. Be explicit in going over the instructions and

helping students to read and understand the scripts.

To help students learn their scripts, you might consider handing them out at the end of

class and asking them to review the scripts for homework. Students can listen to an audio

reading of the script to help them learn.

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The three handouts for the role play activity include:

Role Play Instructions

Activity A: Closing the Office (Reading Level 2).

Activity B: Duties of a Hotel Steward (Reading Level 4).

Note that the reading levels of the role plays are different largely because of the vocabulary

words. Both scripts are relatively easy to master. As with all successful reading strategies for

low-level learners, pre-teaching vocabulary is an important step.

For a group:

1. Divide the class in half. If there are only two people, the student and tutor, both will

take turns as a listener and speaker. (Note: the instructions are different for a single

tutor/student pair and are included below.)

2. Every student receives the first handout with the directions. Half the students will

receive role play A, the other half will receive role play B.

3. Ask the role play A students to sit together to study the text, and the role play B

students to sit together to study their text. The two groups should be out of earshot of

each other. Students can choose to listen to an audio of the role play, or read the script

alone or together.

4. The teacher will move among the groups, helping students with vocabulary and

understanding the script, answering any questions. Give them ample time to be able

to relate the content of the script to the listener.

5. Ask each group to learn the script as best as they can, making sure that neither group

knows what the other is about to say.

6. Then follow the directions in the handout.

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For a single tutor/student pair:

1. The tutor will distribute the Active Listening Tips handout and read it with the

student. She will then choose one of the role play handouts.

2. The tutor will model the active listening activity and begin as the speaker.

3. After Part One (the tutor’s part) has been completed, and the student has paraphrased

correctly what he heard, provide him with the instructions in the handout, You as

Speaker. This activity ensures that what you, the tutor, are about to hear is new to you

and that you can go through this exercise with your student with integrity.

You As Speaker

Think of your last weekend. What did you do? Think about your

entire day last Saturday or Sunday. Tell the listener about your

schedule, where you went, who you saw, what you did, which movie

you watched, what you saw on television, etc.

For example, you might say: I got up late Saturday morning, around 9 or so. I had a cup

of coffee but no breakfast. I did two loads of laundry, then I made tuna fish sandwiches

for the whole family. Then I went to the grocery store with my oldest daughter. We got

baking supplies for my son's birthday. We then went to Walmart to buy birthday

presents....etc, etc.

1. Speak for about 1 - 2 minutes.

2. When you are finished, allow your teacher to repeat what you said in her own

words.

3. Gently correct her if she recalled some wrong details.

4. Questions:

a. What did you observe about your teacher's body language as you spoke?

b.Discuss how your teacher felt as she listened and tried to remember all the

details.

c. Compare how you both felt as a speaker and as a listener.

Individual Practice: Listening activity

More advanced students might listen to one of these two 3 1/2 minute videos only once on their

own. The videos are on topics that they have probably not considered closely before.

Ask them to just listen to the audio and to be prepared to discuss the details of the video with the

group.

1) Circle of influence and change

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Steve Thoennes - Two Minute Talk 3:27 minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KYgkm83sqM

2) Killing the fear of public speaking

Chris Hattersley - Controlling Your Fears 3:27 minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhcDrCAMXVI

Discuss

How well did you remember the important points that the speaker made? How easy or

hard is it to follow the talk when the subject is new? What discussions before the video would

have helped you to understand the topic of the talk better? (Asking questions; confirming what

you heard; some background information, talking it out with the speaker?)

Practice active listening and filling out a time slip for Lesson 3

1. Before distributing blank time slips to your students (Weekly

Time Slip Form Practice), go over the steps they will be asked

to take to fill out the form. Tell students you are asking them to

practice listening. Encourage them ask questions to clarify

what you said.

2. Then distribute the Weekly Time Slip Form Practice.

3. Demonstrate to your student/s explicitly how to fill out the time slip. For each day of

the week, have them record either the hours spent in class or the hours practicing on

your own, or both. Or tell them to place 0 in the day that they did nothing.

4. Tell them that you will help them add the hours and minutes. If they can do the

addition on their own, have them add their own time.

5. Tell them to sign the form next to "Signature." They may print their name if they

cannot write in cursive.

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Extension Activity

Ask students to practice active listening either at work or with family members to develop or

perfect their active listening skills by asking friends or family members about a specific event

in their day (which stores they visited at the shopping mall, why they liked or disliked a t.v.

show or movie, or how a favorite football or baseball team won or lost).

1. In doing so, tell them to focus on active listening, eliminate other distractions, and to

concentrate on the speaker. Tell them not to try to actively listen and watch t.v. at the

same time, for example.

2. Point to the Active Listening Tips handout. Tell your students that the more they

practice, the better listeners they will become.

Ask: Does the attitude of the speaker change when they realize you are truly hearing their

words?

Discuss the anticipated results of being a good listener. (Less confusion, fewer

misunderstandings, ability to work in teams well, etc.)

Digital Literacy Practice

Via text message the teacher sends from one to three vocabulary words for the student to

learn. These words come from stories or articles that they have already read, but that they

have not yet learned.

The teacher also leaves a voice mail for each text message, pronouncing the words.

On his own, the student can practice listening to the words, reading the words,

pronouncing the words, and writing the words on index cards.

The student brings the index cards to class to demonstrate that the work has been done.

Example:

Action Text - Read Voicemail - Listen

& Pronounce

Index Card -

Write & Spell

Word benefits benefits benefits

Word listen listen listen

Word match match match

Note:

This exercise could be practiced with students who have cell phones. Since research shows that a

majority of adults, regardless of their income level, own cell phones, you can use this exercise to

help them practice using their phones for study at a time and place that is convenient for them.

Try to keep the texts and voicemails short, for many students are on a limited monthly plan.

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Conclusion of lesson three

Practicing active listening skills will help students at school, in the workplace, with their

children's teachers, and in other walks of life. Good listeners work well in teams and avoid many

miscommunications. In Lesson Four, you will consider communication styles with your students

and the language and behaviors that are acceptable in the workplace and in other settings.

Handout Teacher Notes for Lesson 3 Activities

1

2

3

4

5

6 & 7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

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Good Listening Body Language

Listening Body Language: What do you see?

Active Listening Tips

Speaking Tips

How Well Do You Listen? Checklist

Active Listening Role Play Instructions for teachers

Active Listening Activity: A

Instructions for Activity A

Reading for Activity A

Writing or Activity A

Active Listening Activity: B

Instructions for Activity B

Reading for Activity B

Writing for Activity B

You As Speaker

Weekly Time Slip Activity

Handout Student Handouts for Lesson 3 Activities

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

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Good Listening Body Language

Listening Body Language: What do you see?

Active Listening Tips

Speaking Tips

How Well Do You Listen? Checklist

Active Listening Activity: A

Instructions for Activity A

Reading for Activity A

Writing or Activity A

Active Listening Activity: B

Instructions for Activity B

Reading for Activity B

Writing or Activity B

You As Speaker

Weekly Time Slip Activity

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Unit 1, Lesson 3

Activities Handouts

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Good listening body language

maintain comfortable eye contact (not a fixed

stare);

lean head slightly forward;

sit or stand up straight;

nod here and there in agreement;

smile when appropriate or maintain a neutral expression;

uncross arms and legs and keep the body open; and

eliminate distracting mannerisms, like jangling keys, tapping

fingers or shoes, or twirling a pencil.

Vocabulary words

comfortable

slightly

straight

agreement

distracting

jangling

neutral

expression

uncross

eliminate

mannerisms

twirling

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Listening Body Language: What do you see? 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Image #1: kizzzbeth, Good Listener, Sept 24, 2011. Flickr image altered: cropped and black and white Image #2: Malamas Sotiriou, Watching the speaker, 2011. Flickr image altered: cropped Image #3: Flickr image altered: cropped and black and white Image #4: Joseph Kranak, Fatma, Arms Crossed, 2009. Flickr image altered: cropped and black and white. Image #5: Brett L, Marissa is a good listener, 2006. Flickr image altered: cropped and black and white Image #6: Danny., the listener, Mill Road, Cambridge UK, 2006. Flickr image altered to black and white

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How Well Do You Listen?

While someone is talking, I Yes No Some- times

1. plan what I will say

2. think about other things

3. pay attention

4. tap my foot or pencil impatiently

5. keep still

6. interrupt the speaker

7. listen without judging

8. take notes if needed

9. look around the room

10. check my cell phone as I listen

11. ask questions for understanding

12. summarize what I just heard

13. notice the speaker's feelings

14. try hard to hear and understand

15. face the speaker

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Active Listening Tips

How to be a good listener

1. Face the speaker

2. Look respectful or interested

3. Listen closely. Don't think of a reply as the speaker talks.

4. Be aware of your body language. Stand still. Lean slightly forward.

Keep your arms open.

5. Don't look away.

6. Nod at times to let the speaker know you are listening.

7. Wait for the speaker to finish, then respond.

8. Restate what the speaker said.

9. Ask questions if you are confused.

10. Practice good listening

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Speaking tips

Face the listener

Slow down your speech and give the listener time to hear you

Speak loud enough to be heard

Pronounce each word clearly; do not mumble

Use short sentences and emphasize important words

Speak logically, so that if you are giving directions or

instructions, you do not leave out an important step

Use common English; do not use slang or jargon

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Active Listening Role Play Instructions for Teachers

Objective: The purpose of this activity is to learn the importance of

active listening and recalling good information.

Materials

One copy of the activity for speaker A (Reading level 2* for lower level learners)

One copy of the activity for speaker B (Reading level 4* for more advanced learners)

Instructions for active listening for students

Active listening tips for students

Speaking tips

*About reading levels. The stories, while short and simply written, contain academic vocabulary.

The subject matter is also more complex than is at first evident. Encourage students to find

information from the text as much as possible.

Directions

Before the role play activity

Go over the vocabulary words for each role play

Ask students to read the words and discuss the definitions.

Part One: Ask students to study the script they have been given until they know it well

enough to read on their own or have memorized it. Note that each script comes with an

audio podcast.

Tip: You might assign the role play activity at the end of class, and ask students

to learn the script before the next class. Audios are available for all the role plays

and stories.

Pair students up. Student A with Student B. Place them in different sections of the

class, so that the listener can hear the speaker clearly.

1. Speaker: Instructs the listeners from memory or reads from the script.

2. Listener: Listens closely. After the speaker is finished, the listener retells the

instructions in his own words. They may ask questions to be clear they

understood the directions.

3. Speaker: Gently correct the listener if he got any facts wrong.

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4. The exercise is finished when the speaker and listener agree on what the

listener heard.

Part Two: Start the role play, 10 minutes

Part Three: Exchange roles of speaker and listener. 10 minutes

1. Now the listener takes on the role of the speaker.

2. Speaker: Speak for 1 or 2 minutes.

3. Listener: Listens closely. After the speaker is finished, the listener retells the

instructions in his own words. They may ask questions to be clear they

understood the directions.

4. Speaker: Gently correct the listener if he got any facts wrong.

5. The exercise is finished when the speaker and listener agree on what the

listener heard.

Conclusion: 10 minutes

Discuss as a group how you felt about this activity. What aspects of the activity made you

feel the way you did?

How do you think this activity relates to work or when talking to your child's teacher?

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Active Listening Activity: A Closing the Office

You are telling a coworker how to close the office.

Practice reading the script while listening to the

audio.

1. Hello, (name of listener). We start closing the office ten

2. minutes before 5 p.m.

3. First, turn the bathroom lights off.

4. Then check the kitchen. Turn the coffee maker off.

5. Turn the kitchen lights off.

6. Go to the main room. Check the computers and turn

7. them off.

8. Turn the desk lights off.

9. At the front door, straighten the door mat and turn the

10. "open" sign to "closed."

11. As you leave, lock the front door.

As you give the directions, speak slowly but clearly to the listener.

Vocabulary:

minutes

office

bathroom

kitchen

refrigerator

coffee

lights

computers

straighten

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Instructions for Activity A:

Your boss has asked you to tell a new employee how to

close the office. You are training him.

Speaker: Speak clearly as you describe the steps for closing

the office. Take your time.

Listener: Listen closely to the speaker. Wait until she is

finished. Ask questions if you did not remember all the

steps. Then, in your own words, tell the speaker how you

should close the office.

Speaker: If the listener remembered some steps wrong,

gently correct him. Tell him what he remembered correctly.

Then fill in the closing steps that he missed or got wrong. Go

through the steps again until the listener recalls the

information correctly.

Questions:

Speaker: What did you observe about the listener’s body

language as you spoke? What were the indications that he

was listening closely?

Listener: How did you feel as you listened? What did you do

to remember all the information?

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Reading for the beginning student

Ask students to read each sentence.

Turn computers in the main room off.

Straighten the door mat at the front door.

Turn the desk lights off.

Turn bathroom lights off.

Turn the "open" sign to "closed."

Lock the front door.

Turn coffee maker off in the kitchen.

Turn the kitchen lights off.

Ask students to cut the strips and place the steps for closing the office in the order that they heard

them.

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Writing for the more advanced student

Ask students to make a checklist for closing the office using their own words. Check the spelling

of the vocabulary words in a dictionary or online dictionary.

Checklist for Closing the Office

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Alternative assignment: Ask students to write a checklist of the steps they take to get

ready for class or work or shopping and leave their house or apartment secure. Or the steps they

take to go fishing, camping, or hunting.

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Active Listening Activity: B Duties of a Hotel Steward

You are telling a new worker his duties as a hotel

steward. Practice reading the script while listening to

the audio.

1. Hello, (name of listener). It's nice to meet you.

2. Your job is to clean and organize our kitchen.

3. Keep the dish machine clean and filled with water.

4. You should also polish the silverware.

5. Keep the kettles, skillets, pots, and pans clean for the

6. cooks.

7. Sometimes you will push a very heavy service cart.

8. We want you to work a regular schedule and be on time.

9. You should also speak English at work.

Vocabulary

organize

kitchen

silverware

machine

polish

service

kettles

skillets

schedule

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Instructions for Activity B:

You are the hotel manager. Your new employee will be the

hotel steward. You are describing his duties in the kitchen.

Speaker: Speak clearly as you describe the hotel steward's

duties. Take your time.

Listener: Listen closely to the speaker. Wait until he is

finished. Ask questions if you did not remember all the

duties. Then, in your own words, tell the speaker what your

new duties will be.

Speaker: If the listener remembered some duties wrong,

gently correct him. Tell him what he remembered correctly.

Then fill in the duties that he missed or got wrong. Go

through the duties again until the listener recalls his new

duties correctly.

Questions:

Speaker: What did you observe about the listener's body

language as you spoke? What were the indications that he

was listening closely?

Listener: How did you feel as you listened? What did you do

to remember all the information?

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Reading for the beginning student

Ask students to read each sentence alone. Help them if they hesitate.

Work a regular schedule.

Push a service cart.

Clean kettles, skillets, pots, and pans.

Be on time

Speak English

Keep the dish machine clean and filled with water.

Clean and organize the kitchen.

Polish the silverware.

Cut the strips. Place the duties in the order that you heard them. Check the list against the script.

Ask students to do this on their own. Help them if they encounter a difficulty.

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Writing for the more advanced student

Write a checklist for the duties of a hotel steward in order. After

writing, check the vocabulary words from the story.

Checklist for the duties of a hotel steward

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Alternative assignment: Ask students to write a checklist of their duties at work or

as a parent.

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You as Speaker

Think of your last weekend. What did you do? Think about

your entire day either last Saturday or Sunday. Tell the

listener about your schedule that day, where you went, who you saw, what

you did or ate, which movie you watched, what you saw on television, etc.

For example, you might say: I got up late Saturday morning,

around 9 or so. I had a cup of coffee but no breakfast. I did two

loads of laundry, then I made tuna fish sandwiches for the

whole family. Then I went grocery store with my oldest

daughter. We got baking supplies for my son's birthday. We

then went to Walmart to buy birthday presents....etc, etc.

1. Speak for about 1 - 2 minutes.

2. When you are finished, allow your teacher to repeat what you said in her own words.

3. Gently correct her if she recalled some wrong details.

4. Questions:

a. What did you observe about your teacher's body language as you spoke?

b. Discuss how your teacher felt as she listened and tried to

remember all the detail.

c. Compare how you both felt as a speaker and as a listener.

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Weekly Time Slip Activity

Name: Weekly Time Slip 2016

Starting Date:

Day Job Time Start Time Stop Daily Hours

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Signature: Week Total

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Unit 1, Lesson 3

Assessment

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Unit 1, Lesson 3, Active Listening, Informal Assessment Student Name _______________________

Topic

Knowledge/Skills Gained

5 4 3 2 1

1. The student was able to interpret listening body language and

discuss thoughts on the topic in a team.

2. During role play, the student as speaker was able to gently

correct the listener if they did not hear the instructions correctly.

3. During role play, the student as listener was able to

summarize the instructions or ask questions for clarification.

4. The student learned new vocabulary words received via voice

mail and text message on a cell phone.

5. The student was able, after listening to instructions and after

explicit instruction, to fill in a time slip form.

Check one - 5: mastered the topic/skill; 4: good understanding of the topic/skill; 3: some understanding of the topic/some mastery pf the skill; 2:

gaps in understanding of the topic/unable to learn the skill adequately; 1: no mastery of the topic or skill.