Grade 7

English
 MELC:
Use listening strategies based
on purpose, familiarity with the
topical levels of difficulty of
short texts listened to
Thought to Ponder
READINGS
 READINGS

Listening strategies are techniques

or activities that contribute directly
to the comprehension and recall of
listening input.
 Listening strategies
are classified into 2:

1. Top-down strategies
are listener-based; the listener
taps into background knowledge
of the topic, the situation or
context, the type of text, and the
language.
 Listening strategies
are classified into 2:

Top-down strategies
 Listening for the main idea
 Predicting
 Drawing inferences
 Summarizing
 Listening strategies
are classified into 2:

2. Bottom-up strategies
are text based; the listener relies
on the language in the message,
that is, the combination of sounds,
words, and grammar that creates
meaning.
 Listening strategies
are classified into 2:

Bottom-up strategies
 Listening for specific details
 Recognizing word order
patterns
Over lunch, your friend tells you
a story about a recent holiday,
which was a disaster. You listen
with interest and butt in at
appropriate moments, maybe to
express surprise or sympathy.
 That evening, another friend
calls to invite you to a party at
her house the following
Saturday. As you’ve never
been to her house before, she
gives you directions. You listen
carefully and make notes.
 Before listening
1. Connect
strategies
Help yourself better understand a listening
assignment by thinking of things you
already know about a topic.

Say to yourself things like, “This lecture

about animal communication makes me
think about how my dog lets me know that
he needs to go outside. He runs to get a
sock and brings it to me.”
 Before listening
2. Predict
strategies
Make guesses about what you may learn as
you listen. Guessing helps your brain focus on
the assignment. It doesn’t matter if your
guesses are right or wrong.
For instance, if the topic is a space mission to
Mars, you might guess, “I bet it takes six
months to get to Mars and it’s probably really
cold. I don’t think people can survive on Mars.”
 Before listening
strategies
3. Talk About New Words

If there are difficult/unfamiliar words, you

can use a dictionary or you can talk about
them with a friend or use a free audio
dictionary such as
http://www.dictionary.com.
 During listening
strategies
4. Listen for Answers

As you listen, be listening for answers to

questions you have. To identify questions
to ask, preview activities you need to
complete after you listen or turn the title of
an assignment into a question.
 During listening
5. Take Notes
strategies
Write notes that help you remember ideas.
Outlining and layering information is always a
good idea, but try other imaginative ways of taking
notes: Use connected circles and shapes, create a
chart, or draw a map. Use abbreviations and
symbols that help you keep up with the speaker’s
rate of speech. Speakers also convey ideas in
nonverbal ways. Pay attention to intonation, and if
applicable, facial expressions, to take notes on a
speaker’s opinions and outlooks.
 During listening
strategies
6. Re-listen/Find a Fix
When you get bored or when ideas are hard, you
need to find a way to get back on track. The best
way to fix things is to re-listen. You don’t have to
wait until the end to re-listen. Sometimes a quick
backtracking and re-listening to a line or two can
quickly clear up confusion. This is especially
important at the beginning of an audio assignment.
If you can’t re-listen, shift to a different listening
strategy that helps you regain your focus.
 After listening
strategies
7. Respond
What do you agree and disagree with?
What parts do you like best? What parts
are confusing? Use symbols, such an
exclamation mark (!) before an idea you
like or an “X” next to something you
disagree with, that help you quickly write
your reactions so you won’t forget them.
 After listening
strategies
8. Summarize
Read your lecture notes several times
before and after class all week. In your
head, summarize what the assignment was
about and test yourself on your notes.
Occasionally, you will be asked to write a
formal summary.
 After listening
strategies
9. Extend
Read and listen to other sources for more
information about the topic. Learning more
information makes a topic more meaningful
and interesting, especially if you share
these ideas with others.
 Exercise 1
Directions: Identify whether the following
statements are true or false.
1. Listening activities aid comprehension.

2. Taking down notes is essential in a

listening activity.
3. Difficult words need not to be simplified
for better understanding.
4. Information can be more meaningful if one
reads and listens to other credible sources.
 Exercise 2
BL- before listening, DL- during listening,
AL- after listening
1. Guess about what you may learn from the
material .
2. Listen for answers to the questions that
you have.
3. Think of things you already know about
the topic.
4. Re-listen to clear up confusions.
5. Respond to the listening material by
agreeing or disagreeing.
 Exercise 3
1. I guess that the lecture would talk about what
dogs and cats are trying to say to their owners.
2. I abbreviated words that were repeated
often in the lecture: abdomen, arbitrariness,
and sounds.
3. I have a dog and I know a lot about what
my dog is trying to communicate to our
family. He always stares at us when he
eats.
 Exercise 3
4. I did not completely understand the
characteristics of dogs so I wrote down
questions I could ask.

5. I liked the part about how dogs clean

themselves. I couldn’t believe that part!
PERFORMANCE
TASK 1
COMPLETING
A
LISTENING
LOG