Using Listening as a Pre-Reading Activity

Purpose:  to build listening and reading comprehension skills and familiarize students with a text before reading it themselves

Prep time:  10-15 minutes

Materials:  white board and marker for a class, paper and pencil for one to one; copies of the story

Prep: select a level-appropriate story and decide how to present any unfamiliar vocabulary

Procedure:

I do it (T = teacher or tutor):

1. T pre-teaches key vocabulary and finds out what, if anything, students know about the topic of the story.  Create context as needed.
2. T reads the story out loud to the student(s).

We do it:

1. T reads the story again, one sentence at a time.  At the end of each sentence, students pick one key word from the sentence and T writes it on the board.
2. With the list of words on the board as a prompt, the students retell the story, one sentence at a time, as a group.

You do it:

1. T gives students a copy of the story and they read it two times silently.
2. Without looking at the story, students retell it with partners. Students may refer to the key words on the board.
3. Variation: Students rewrite the story without looking at the text, but may refer to the list of words on the board.