Listening Skills Lesson Plan

Rationale: This lesson will help students to develop listening skills that will be useful in their future. Students need to learn the process of listening and how it is important in their lives.

Students Goals and Objectives:
� Use a variety of modes of communication to promote learning (8.2) Students will be reading, writing and speaking about the subject to build on their understanding. They will distinguish between words and phrases that help clarify communications and those that impede it.

� Create learning groups in which students learn to work collaboratively and independently (6.6) Students will be expected to work both by themselves and with their classmates.

� Use their understanding of students to create connections between the subject matter and student experiences (4.2). Students will relate their own experiences of listening to the lesson. They will practice giving clear oral instructions and will see the results by students that follow their instructions.

Teacher Goals and Objectives:
� Use a broad knowledge base to create interdisciplinary learning experiences (1.2) Students will be using the areas of language arts, math and drawing to develop an experience on listening skills.

� Model a commitment to lifelong learning students (1.3) Students will develop an understanding of why listening is so important in their life.

� Select instructional materials and resources based on their comprehensiveness, accuracy, ideas and concepts (2.3). The materials used to teach this lesson will be developmentally appropriate and will explain clearly about listening

� Design instruction that meets the current cognitive, social and personal needs of their students (3.2). The instruction used will be appropriate for the needs of the students and will help in their comprehension of listening. It is hands-on to keep them actively engaged.

� Design instruction that accommodates individual differences (4.1). The project is well developed for all students, regardless of time needed or ability.

� Make appropriate accommodations for students who have learning differences (4.4) The project is well developed for all students, regardless of time needed or ability.

� Design lessons that extend beyond factual recall and challenge students to develop higher cognitive skills (5.1) Students will use higher-order thinking to develop their listening skills. They will have to assess the directions of others as well as develop their own picture.

� Use tasks that engage students in exploration, discovery and hands-on activities (5.5). The model lesson will keep the students actively engaged by using hands-on materials.

� Communicate clear expectations for achievement that allow students to take responsibility for their own learning (6.7). Students will know what they are being assessed on for successful achievement.

� Emphasize oral and written communication though the instructional use of discussion, listening and responding to the ideas of others and group interaction (8.4). Students will be using a variety of modes of communication during the duration of the lesson.

Instructional Materials and Resources:
âÂ?¢ Blank paper- 6-7 sheets per child- 8″ by 11″ cut in quarters
� Markers or other writing utensils
� Picture cards

Learner Factors: This lesson incorporates Gardner’s Eight Intelligences. The subject matter will be discussed orally for those who leave from interpersonal and social methods. The demonstration will be hands on for those who do best with bodily and kinesthetic learning. The demonstration will also give those that do best introspectively a chance to express themselves using the creation of their art that they use. Worksheets will be provided for those children that feel they better express themselves on paper, as well as the use of discussion for those who are verbal and linguistic learners.
Students will be able to relate the concepts of listening and hearing to their past experiences and everyday life. This will make the topic more real-life.

This lesson will also do well for different levels of learners. Adequate time and attention will be given with the project and discussion. Help will be offered, at any time, to any students requiring it. Students will get the opportunity to work together and independently to maximize the opportunity to learn.

Environmental Factors: Students will work both collaboratively and by themselves. No significant changes will be needed for this lesson, but possibly the arrangement of students’ desks. This is so that they cannot view the drawings previously to their use.

Instructional Sequence:
Motivation: In order to complete this lesson, the teacher and students will explore the similarities and differences between listening and hearing. They will relate both to their past experiences and everyday life. The discussion will also include how a person can tell if someone is listening to them or hearing them. The steps of the listening process, receiving, attending and assigning meaning will be explained at the level of the students. Students will be allowed to express their own thoughts and ideas on these concepts.

Teacher Modeling: The teacher will explain the purpose of this activity before it begins, so that the students have an understanding why listening skills are important. The teacher will give each student a writing utensil and blank paper. Then the teacher will read the instructions, as seen below, aloud and provide a typed copy to each student so that they can follow along. The teacher asks each student to following the directions as carefully as possible and draw their interpretation of what the teacher says. No questions are allowed during this process.

Instructions:
1. Draw a short line.
2. Draw another line touching the first line you drew.
3. Put your writing utensil at the other end of the second line and draw a circle.

When the students are finished, the teacher will have the students compare their work. They will discuss the differences and similarities among the pictures presented. The teacher will ask the students what questions they wanted to ask, but hadn’t been allowed to. As an example, “How long should the line be?”

Then the students will discuss what words and phrases could have been used to help them draw more accurately. Then the teacher gives the students new paper and tells them to follow the following directions. They are once again, read aloud. A copy is provided for students to follow along visually.

Instruction:
1. Starting in the middle of your paper, draw a horizontal line about 2 inches long.

2. Place your writing utensil on the place where the horizontal line begins, on the left. From that point, draw a vertical line. The line should be about 1 inch long.

3. Starting where the second line ends, draw a backwards “C”. The tips of the backwards “C” should be about once inch apart.

Once again, the students get to compare and contrast their pictures. The discussion will be centered around how clear, specific language and following directions helped to complete this exercise. Listening was required in order for the students to get the desired picture, the number five.

Guided Activity: The teacher and students will make lists of words that are clear and words that are not. The teacher then passes out more paper, and allows each student to take a mystery picture from the stack of pictures. The students do not show each other the pictures and take turns giving verbal instructions for drawing their picture. The class follows directions without asking questions. Each time that the drawing is complete, the students compare their results with the sample mystery pictures. Then the group explains what words helped them or did not help them from that particular exercise and how listening is vital to getting the picture correct.

Independent Activity: The students will also be offered the chance to draw their own mystery picture and give the class directions. This is a good exploration of creativity and actively engaging students in the activity.

Closure: When the activity is complete, students will discuss how listening is vital. The differences and similarities of listening and hearing will be examined once again. The discussion will also be directed to clear communication and the results of unclear communication and what words fall in each category. Students will be provided an opportunity to write clearly what they have learned about the topic.

Assessment Activities:
Students will be actively engaged in-group discussion before and after the lesson. The teacher will examine their understanding both using oral and written means. Their participation in the lesson and within the group will also be recognized. Listening is not a visible process, but students can make their listening more apparent by talking, drawing and writing about how they listen. The steps of the listening process, receiving, attending and assigning meaning will be explained at the level of the students. Questions that will be asked during the course of this lesson include: “How is listening and hearing similar? Different?” and “Examine the pictures of those students next to you. What do you notice?”