ACTIVE LISTENING
GRADE 7
Objective: Students will be able to demonstrate the
ability to engage in active listening as a way to be
kind.
Kindness Definition: Kindness is an intrinsic quality of
the heart expressed through an act of benevolence
reflecting care and good will for self and others.
Kindness Concepts: Respect, Self-Discipline
LESSON ACTIVITIES
LESSON MATERIALS
What Does Listening Mean to You?
Activity, p. 3
•
RAK Journals
Sounds Like Activity, p. 4
•
•
Before class, record 10 to 15 sounds on your
phone or computer. Make a list of the sounds
that you record so that you can keep track.
Record each sound twice, with a period of silence
between each recording. This period of silence
will give you a chance to stop the recording.
The sounds can be simple like a car horn honking
or more difficult like a garbage disposal. Some
examples: alarm clock, computer keyboard,
popcorn popping, washing machine agitating,
toilet flushing, someone eating a potato chip,
a telephone ringing, a pencil sharpener, a lawn
mower, etc. Make sure that the sounds get more
and more difficult, yet are relevant for students.
Paper and pencil
Active Listening Role-Play and Paired
Exercise Activity, pp. 5-7
•
Active Listening Skills sheet, cut apart before class
Home Extension Activity, pp. 8-9
•
Take home activity, one sheet for each student
(15 minutes)
(15 to 20 minutes)
(30 minutes)
(time varies)
QUESTIONS? CONTACT: [email protected]
© The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation | www.RandomActsofKindness.org
Page 1 of 11
ACTIVE LISTENING
LESSON NOTES
• The activities in this lesson focus on a central theme and connect to different curriculum areas.
Lesson activities use a variety of modalities to address different learning styles and build on each
other.
• Each activity includes evaluation questions to help determine how well students have internalized
the lesson objective. You can discuss the questions as a class, have students work with a partner or
a small group, or have students write responses in their RAK journal.
• The activities also incorporate key Kindness Concepts, which can be introduced before teaching the
lesson or as the concepts are discussed in the lesson. Consider displaying the Kindness Concept
Posters during the unit. See the RAK Teacher Guide for information about using Kindness Concepts
to create a healthy classroom environment and help students develop pro-social behaviors.
• Each activity includes tips for how to adapt the curriculum to meet the needs of diverse learners.
• RAK also has developed Focusing Strategies and Problem-Solving Strategies to help students better
regulate their emotions, think through challenging situations, and build healthy relationships, friendships and community. See the RAK Teacher Guide for more information about incorporating those
strategies into the lesson.
• Revisiting the topics or questions raised during discussions regularly will expand student understanding of the concepts. Scripted explanations are provided, but feel free to use language that
feels natural for you.
• The home extension activity may be sent home at any point during the unit.
• The Common Core and Colorado P-12 Academic Standards met in this lesson are listed after the
activity title. Key is provided on page 10.
SUGGESTED INTRODUCTION TO UNIT
Teacher says: “For the next few days, we are going to talk about how we listen carefully. With a partner
talk about what it means to listen actively to others.” Allow time for students to share with their partner.
You can also use this time to introduce the key Kindness Concepts (respect, self-discipline) and create
community definitions for these concepts or share the definitions listed below. Consider using the Kindness Concept Posters for respect and self-discipline as a way to reinforce learning.
VOCABULARY WORDS FOR UNIT
Respect: Treating yourself and others the way you want to be treated; Honoring the rights of others.
Self-Discipline: Controlling one’s actions and words for the benefit of self and others.
© The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation | Active Listening, Grade 7
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ACTIVITY
WHAT DOES LISTENING MEAN TO YOU? ACTIVITY (15 minutes)
STANDARDS MET
LESSON MATERIALS
•
•
RAK Journals
Kindness Concept Posters: Respect, Self-Discipline
Common Core: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.7.1
Colorado: Comprehensive Health S.3, GLE.1, EO.a;
Reading, Writing and Communicating S.1, GLE.2, EO.b
DESCRIPTION
1. Before class, write the following quotes and questions on the board:
• “Most of the successful people I’ve known are the ones who do more listening than talking.”
– Bernard Baruch, American businessman and philanthropist
• “Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you’d have preferred to talk.”
– Doug Larson, newspaper columnist
• What do these quotes mean to you?
• Do you think you listen to others well? Why or why not?
• Describe what makes someone a good listener.
• Do you think that listening can help you communicate better? Why or why not?
2. Teacher says: “We are going to be talking today about what it means to listen. Let’s start by
reading the quotes out loud as a class, write your own responses to those quotes in your RAK
journal, and then we will discuss as a class.”
3. Ask for a volunteer or two to read the quotes out loud. Then allow time for students to write their
responses to the quotes in their RAK journal.
4. After they write, discuss the questions written on the board as a class.
EVALUATION
Discuss the following questions: “Do you notice a difference when you are listening well in school?
In your friendships? In your family? How?”
TIPS FOR DIVERSE LEARNERS
Students might benefit from:
1. Turning and talking to a partner to answer the questions.
2. Being encouraged to draw a picture of what a good listening is like, labeling the picture descriptively (i.e. eyes that look at the speaker, standing still, a mind thinking about what the other
person is saying, etc.)
3. Using their drawings, notes, Kindness Concept Posters, etc. as a visual aid for the journal writing.
© The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation | Active Listening, Grade 7
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ACTIVITY
SOUNDS LIKE ACTIVITY (15 to 20 minutes)
STANDARDS MET
LESSON MATERIALS
•
•
•
Before class, record 10 to 15 sounds on your
phone or computer. Make a list of the sounds that
you record so that you can keep track. Record
each sound twice, with a period of silence between
each recording. This period of silence will give you
a chance to stop the recording. The sounds can
be simple like a car horn honking or more difficult
like a garbage disposal. Some examples: alarm
clock, computer keyboard, popcorn popping,
washing machine agitating, toilet flushing, someone
eating a potato chip, a telephone ringing, a pencil
sharpener, a lawn mower, etc. Make sure that the
sounds get more and more difficult yet are relevant
for students.
Paper and pencil
Kindness Concept Posters: Respect, Self-Discipline
Common Core: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.7.1
Colorado: Comprehensive Health S.3, GLE.1, EO.a;
Reading, Writing and Communicating S.1, GLE.2, EO.b
DESCRIPTION
1. Divide the class into groups of two or three students, and hand each group a piece of paper.
2. Then explain: “I will be playing a recording of different sounds. Each sound will be repeated twice. I will
play the sound once and give your group a few seconds to discuss what you think it is. I will play the
sound a second time and want you to write down your group’s answer. The sounds will get more and
more difficult to recognize. Write your answers in the order that you hear them. We will discuss later.”
3. Play about 1/3 of the sounds at a time and then ask the students to identify the sounds.
4. Then ask the following questions:
1) Did you find it easy or difficult to recognize the sounds? Why?
2) Did you get better at listening to the sounds with practice?
3) How does this apply to our conversations with others? If we listen carefully, do you think we can actually become better listeners? Why or why not?
EVALUATION
Discuss: “What do you think it means to actively listen?”
TIPS FOR DIVERSE LEARNERS
Students might benefit from:
1. Being allowed to guess and record the answers in their home language and then use a translation
program to translate for accuracy. Then ask: “If you are learning a second language it can be easier to
listen in your first language. What can you do to help it become easier to listen in a second language?”
2. Listening to the sounds through headphones, particularly if they have hearing or sensory processing
issues.
© The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation | Active Listening, Grade 7
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ACTIVITY
ACTIVE LISTENING SKILLS (30 minutes)
LESSON MATERIALS
•
•
Active Listening Skills sheet (p. 7), cut apart
before class
Kindness Concept Posters: Respect, Self-Discipline
STANDARDS MET
Common Core: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.4; CCSS.ELALiteracy.SL.7.1; CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.7.1 Colorado:
Comprehensive Health S.3, GLE.1, EO.a; Reading, Writing
and Communicating S.1, GLE.2, EO.b
DESCRIPTION
1. Teacher says: “I want you to think about a favorite activity or hobby. Write down at least three
reasons why you enjoy that activity in your RAK journal.”
2. Allow time for students to describe their favorite activity or hobby.
3. Explain: “Now we are going to do five role-plays. We will need five volunteers to share their
favorite activity and five other volunteers to be listeners.” Choose five pairs of volunteers, five
talkers and five listeners. Give each pair one of the five skills listed on the Active Listening
Skills worksheet, but tell them not to let anyone see the piece of paper.
4. Say: “We are going to talk about five different ways we can improve our listening skills. I am
going to ask for one volunteer to describe their favorite activity or hobby and the other person
to model the opposite of each listening skill written on the piece of paper. The rest of the class
will try to guess what skill is not being modeled.”
5. Ask for the first two volunteers to come forward. Tell one student to talk about the favorite
activity they wrote about and the other student to demonstrate the opposite of the first listening
skill written on the slip of paper. Then ask: “What skill do you think this listener needed?” After
students identify the skill, write the skill on the board. Have those two students sit down, and
ask two other volunteers to come forward. Repeat the exercise for each listening skill.
6. The skills are:
• Look at the person who is speaking
• Concentrate on what is being said
• Respond by nodding or answering questions
• Ask questions if you do not understand or need more information
• Drop all other distractions or activities
7. Divide students into pairs.
8. Then say: “Now we are each going to practice these skills. Each partner should take a turn
sharing a favorite activity with a partner for up to 1 minute. The listener should try to practice
the five skills listed on the poster sheet. The speaker should try to summarize information, give
concise details and make eye contact.”
9. Allow time for each partner to share. At one minute say “Switch!” so that each student has a
turn.
© The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation | Active Listening, Grade 7
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ACTIVITY
10.After the activity, ask the following questions:
1) Were you better at listening carefully or speaking clearly?
2) What did you do to be a good listener? (Asked questions. Repeated what the speaker says.
Made eye contact.)
3) How did you communicate clearly? (Made eye contact. Summarized information. Gave
concise details.)
4) Did the talker have to listen sometimes? Did the listener have to talk sometimes? Why is this
important?
5) Did taking notes help you listen better?
6) What if you had been texting or surfing the Internet when your partner was talking to you. Do
you think you would have been able to listen as carefully?
7) What did you learn from your partner about how to listen carefully?
EVALUATION
Discuss: “From doing this activity, what did you discover you could do to listen more actively?”
TIPS FOR DIVERSE LEARNERS
Students might benefit from:
1. Seeing the five Active Listening Skills with images from the Home Extension Activity posted.
2. Adding illustrations to the Active Listening Skills posters.
3. Having a copy of the Active Listening Skills with the illustrations translated into their home language to practice at home.
© The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation | Active Listening, Grade 7
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ACTIVITY
ACTIVE LISTENING SKILLS
Directions: Cut apart the listening skills before class and hand to the listener in each role-play.
Look at the person who is speaking
Concentrate on what is being said
Respond by nodding or answering questions
Ask questions if you do not understand or need more information
Drop all other distractions or activities
© The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation | Active Listening, Grade 7
Page 7 of 11
ACTIVITY
HOME EXTENSION ACTIVITY (time varies)
MATERIALS
1. Take home activity (p. 9), one sheet for each student
DESCRIPTION
1. Hand out the Home Extension Activity with return date marked on the sheet.
2. Have students chose an event to attend with their parents, guardian, or a trusted adult.
Examples include a lecture or speech at the local library or university, a concert, a religious
event or a meeting, but feel free to find any event that is of interest.
3. Explain to students that they should practice the five active listening skills when they attend the
event and should take notes to ensure that they are listening well.
4. Have students report back to the class about what they learned at the lecture, speech or a
concert that they attended and whether the listening techniques made a difference.
© The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation | Active Listening, Grade 7
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ACTIVE LISTENING:
HOME EXTENSION ACTIVITY
Name: __________________________________ Please return by: ___________
BACKGROUND
As part of the Random Acts of Kindness program, we have been talking about listening actively.
Here are the five active listening skills we learned:
• Look at the person who is speaking
• Concentrate on what is being said
• Respond by nodding or answering questions
• Ask questions if you do not understand or need more information
• Drop all other distractions or activity
AT HOME ACTIVITY
Chose an event to attend with your parents, a guardian, or a trusted adult. Examples include a lecture or speech at the local library or university, a concert, a religious event or a meeting, but feel
free to find any event that is of interest. Take notes to ensure that you are listening well. You will
give an oral presentation to the class about what you learned at the lecture, speech or a concert
and whether the listening techniques helped you listen more effectively.
© The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation | Active Listening, Grade 7
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STANDARDS KEY
ACADEMIC SUBJECT KEY
Mathematics
Comprehensive Health
Social Studies
Reading, Writing and
Communicating
Visual Arts
Science
Drama and Theatre Arts
COMMON CORE STANDARDS
(www.corestandards.org)
1. Writing
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development,
organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
2. Speaking & Listening
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.7.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one,
in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on
others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
3. Language
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.7.1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar
and usage when writing or speaking.
COLORADO P-12 ACADEMIC STANDARDS
http://www.cde.state.co.us/standardsandinstruction/coloradostandards-academicstandards
1. Comprehensive Health
• Standard 3: Emotional and Social Wellness in Health
Grade Level Expectation (GLE): 1. Demonstrate effective communication skills to express feelings
appropriately
Evidence Outcome (EO): Students can:
a. Demonstrate the ability to engage in active listening
2. Reading, Writing and Communicating
• Standard 1: Oral Expression and Listening
Grade Level Expectation (GLE): 2. Small and large group discussions rely on active listening and
the effective contributions of all participants
Evidence Outcome (EO): Students can:
b. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacherled) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and
expressing their own clearly
© The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation | Active Listening, Grade 7
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STANDARDS KEY
OTHER STANDARDS MET
1. 21st Century Skills (www.p21.org)
• Learning and Innovation Skills
a. Critical Thinking – Reason effectively, make judgments and decisions, solve problems
b. Communicate clearly and collaborate with others
c. Creativity and Innovation – Think creatively and work creatively with others
• Life and Career Skills
a. Social and Cross-Cultural Skills – Interact effectively with others
b. Productivity and Accountability – Manage projects and produce results
c. Responsibility – Be responsible to others
2. Social and Emotional Standards (www.casel.org)
• Self-awareness
• Social Awareness
• Self-management
QUESTIONS? CONTACT: [email protected]
© The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation | www.RandomActsofKindness.org
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