We are excited to share a free download to a new instructional toolkit. The toolkit contains sample strategy lessons focusing on two of the eight listening comprehension skills that are assessed via Listenwise quizzes (understanding vocabulary and identifying main idea). These strategy lessons have been developed by Dr. Michael Opitz, co-author of Listen Hear! […]
We can’t believe the school year is ending, but here are some awesome story highlights by student request. Not all these stories were published this past year, but these were stories that students this year mentioned as their favorites…Enjoy! Afghanistan’s Romeo and Juliet The story of “Romeo and Juliet” is a fictional Shakespearean tragedy about […]
Do you have news overload? Do you need to take a break? Here are interesting stories that you can listen to with students that don’t contain current events. Find stories that feature kindness, giving, equity, social good in communities, and more. Kids are doing great things. Listen to how these students became environmental activists […]
We have been writing all summer and fall to bring new lessons to you. Here are a few that have been added recently. Take a look! Language and Writing In the 17th century, people were determined to overcome communications barriers between the people of the world by creating a universal language. Listen to learn about […]
Listenwise is a flexible resource and can be used to meet many different goals for your students. Listening advances oral language skills and literacy through a wide range of activities and we describe a few in this blog. Our next blog will have additional ideas about using Listenwise to enhance engagement and critical thinking about […]
Interaction, oral language, speaking practice, cooperative learning, discussion groups–there are many ways to have students practice speaking and listening using academic language. Practice is necessary for students to develop into people who can articulate their thoughts and communicate effectively. And for English learners, speaking practice is critical. Research shows that oral proficiency won’t increase without […]
Not only is podcasting fun to do, but podcasting supports important 21st century skills for communication, critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration. Your students will love podcasting as a medium to express themselves, share problem-solving ideas and personal perspectives in story form. A recent article in The Atlantic says that “podcasters act as storytellers rather than […]
Do kids even enjoy podcasts? Lindsay Patterson wrote in Current that “kids are far from passive listeners. Podcasts are a perfect medium to engage children’s natural curiosity, engagement and delight.” Molly Bloom, a producer of a kids podcast called Brains On! seems to think so as well… “There are a lot of kids who love Radiolab. […]
Listening is key to all effective communication. To improve students’ listening skills, we need to be able to gather data on their performance, target specific areas of need, and then provide personalized instruction and targeted practice. At Listenwise, we support teachers by providing instructional support in 21st century skills – particularly listening. In order to […]
Today’s guest post is republished from June 22, 2016. Today’s post is written by Scott Petri, a High School History Teacher in California. Follow him on twitter @scottmpetri. Thirty-two years ago, Donald E. Powers wrote Considerations for Developing Measures of Speaking & Listening. It was published by the College Board, which expresses how important these measures are […]
