TEACHER’S GUIDE:
LISTENING SKILLS
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
• Students will learn the importance of being a good listener in everyday situations, building
and maintaining healthy relationships, and being good students.
• Students will learn strategies for being active listeners (e.g., having patience, making eye
contact, asking relevant questions that require more than a yes/no answer, and minimizing
distractions).
Estimated Viewing Time: Completing the entire episode will take approximately 12-16
minutes. A breakdown of time by segment follows:
• WATCH:
• TRY:
• APPLY:
5-6 minutes
3-5 minutes
3-5 minutes
SYNOPSIS OF THE WATCH SEGMENT
Nermal is playing video games when Arlene, who is in a rush to get to an appointment, asks
him to listen for the timer and take the cookies out of the oven. Nermal pretends to be listening
but stays focused on his video game without really paying attention to what Arlene asks him
to do. As the timer rings, Odie walks in to find Nermal still playing his video game. Nermal is
very excited about his cool moves, but then Odie smells something burning. The fire alarm
gets Nermal’s attention, and he runs in to find that the cookies have been burnt. Garfield walks
by and decides that Professor G needs to take action. He and Dr. Nova call Nermal on the
hotline. Nermal doesn’t remember being asked to take the cookies out when the timer went
off, though Odie indicates that Arlene did tell him to do so. Nermal just remembers Arlene
saying something about something! Dr. Nova and Professor G then explain that listening is
more than just hearing and give Nermal some tips on how to become a good listener based on
the mnemonic H.E.A.R. (have patience, eye contact, ask questions, remove distractions). When
Arlene returns from her appointment to find that the cookies have been burnt, she tells Nermal
that now he won’t have any cookies for his party that afternoon. Dr. Nova notes that there are
consequences when you don’t listen.
BUILD BACKGROUND
Point to your ears and ask students what they use their ears for. You should get back several
responses that use the words “hearing” and “listening.”
SAY:
Many of you said that we hear and listen with our ears, but actually hearing and listening aren’t the
same thing. Listening includes more of your body than just your ears—it includes your brain and your
eyes as well! Although you don’t have to learn how to hear, you do have to learn how to listen.
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INTRODUCE VOCABULARY
Write and discuss the definition of each keyword. Pause after each definition to answer
questions and provide examples. Use each keyword in a sample sentence to show students
how each is used in context.
listen
listener
pay attention to what you hear
skill
to get the meaning of something
pay attention
someone who pays attention while hearing
develop
a task you have practiced so you can do it well
understand
patience
respect
conversation
eye contact
focusing on something without being distracted
make a skill grow, usually by practicing
ability to wait without being concerned about the time
to treat someone with honor and esteem
a talk between two or more persons, with each having a turn to speak
involved
looking directly at someone’s eyes
distractions
the results of an action
questioning
being interested in something
consequences
asking questions, usually ones that don’t have a yes or no answer
focusing
concentrate on
things that take your attention away from something you need to
paying attention by getting rid of or ignoring distractions
SAY:
Now, we’re going to complete an interactive lesson containing characters from Garfield and Friends.
The lesson will help us learn more about listening skills.
GUIDE THE VIEWING OF LISTENING SKILLS
After students complete the interactive lesson, have them join the rest of the class in a circle or
another seating arrangement conducive to an informal class discussion.
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TRY Answer Key
Match up the situations that Arlene and Nermal talk about with the part of H.E.A.R. that they
should use.
1. I want Arlene to know I’m listening without saying anything! What part of HEAR can I use?
Eye contact
2. I’m going to listen to a lecture about collecting crystal unicorns. It’ll be a long meeting.
What part of HEAR can I use?
Have patience
3. I want to listen to Arlene, but I don’t pay attention well while I’m watching TV
(obviously!). What part of HEAR should I use?
Remove distractions
4. Sometimes at school, I don’t always understand what the teacher is saying. What part of
HEAR can help me get the most out of my lessons?
Ask questions
5. When someone is giving me a long list of instructions, what part of HEAR should I use?
Have patience
6. My friend was telling me how to do a math problem, but I was busy texting another
friend. What part of HEAR should I have used?
Remove distractions
7. I’m not always sure what Nermal means when he talks about video games. What part of
HEAR should I use?
Ask questions
8. I want my friend at the comic book store to know that I’m listening just by looking at me!
What part of HEAR can I use?
Eye contact
APPLY Answer Key
Place the right part of HEAR in the blank space in the following sentence, and then choose the
best answer to the question that follows.
1. There are times when being a good listener requires talking. Sometimes you have to
____________. Make sure they can’t be answered with just a yes or a no, and stick to the subject!
Ask questions
2. Select the questions you could ask someone to get to know them better. Make sure it’s not
a yes or no question!
A, C, D
3. You can become a better listener just by looking carefully at what surrounds you.
_______________ so that you can stay focused on listening.
Remove distractions
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4. What are some ways to remove distractions so you can listen better?
A, C, D
5. Your hearing isn’t the only sense you should use while listening. Make _________ with the
person who’s speaking, to let them know you’re paying attention.
Eye contact
6. What are three situations in which eye contact may be helpful?
A, B, C
7. Sometimes the friend or teacher you’re listening to might take a while to give you all the
information you need. In this situation, you should try to __________, because being a
good friend and student also means being a good listener.
Have patience
8. How can having patience help you to be a better listener?
B, C, D
MONITOR COMPREHENSION
Begin a class discussion by asking students what they thought about the story on Listening Skills.
ASK:
What were some of the clues that Nermal wasn’t really listening to Arlene at the beginning of the story?
(he was watching the TV and playing his game, he called her Garfield, he replied without
really answering her questions)
What happened because Nermal didn’t pay attention to what Arlene was saying? (the cookies got
burnt)
What finally got Nermal’s attention? (the fire alarm went off)
When Professor G and Dr. Nova talked to Nermal about listening, how did they help Nermal remember
all the steps to good listening? (they used “H.E.A.R.” to remind him of “have patience,” “eye
contact,” “ask questions,” and “remove distractions”)
What were the consequences for Nermal because he didn’t listen? (his cookies got burnt, but Garfield
saved the day by bringing in some cookies he had made)
SAY:
Listening is a skill you need to work on by practicing often. You want to make sure you are a good
listener so you can be a good friend, do well in school, and practice your ability to be patient.
CONSOLIDATE LEARNING
Ask students to get into small groups (3-5 students) and create their own skit about good
listening skills. Let them create a scenario and demonstrate what to do to be a good listener in
that situation. Then, have them share their skit with the other groups.
EVALUATE
Conclude the activity by asking students to share any of their questions or comments.
Encourage them to continue the conversation at home with their parents or caregivers.
Administer the Listening Skills Quiz to assess whether students have met the learning
objectives for the lesson. After evaluating the results of the assessment, you may wish to go
over any learning objectives that students did not grasp.
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QUIZ ANSWER KEY
1. true
2. false
3. true
4. false
5. false
6. d
7. c
8. a
9. open - possible answers: she can be patient, she can ask questions for more information,
she can make eye contact
10. open – possible answers: he can ask questions to get more information, he can make sure
he has removed distractions (maybe turned off his computer or cell phone), he can be
patient
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QUIZ:
LISTENING SKILLS
NAME
DATE
TRUE OR FALSE
Read each sentence carefully. In the space provided, mark a T for true or an F for false next to
each statement.
_______ 1. Listening is not the same thing as hearing.
_______ 2. When listening to someone, it’s best not to look at them.
_______ 3. Turning off the TV while listening can help you be a better listener.
_______ 4. Asking questions when someone is talking with you just interrupts them.
_______ 5. You need to use only your ears when you are listening.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
Answer each question with the best response.
6.
Being a good listener means that you are:
a. helping your friendships grow
b. practicing how to be patient
c. becoming a better learner
d. all of the above
7.
When someone tells you something you don’t understand, you should:
a. ignore what they said
b. start writing down what you think they said
c. ask questions to get more information or information in a different way
d. find a way to talk about something else
8.
Removing distractions when listening means that you:
a. put away or turn off anything that keeps you from listening
b. close your eyes
c. don’t interrupt with questions
d. think about other things while the other person is talking
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NAME
DATE
SHORT ANSWER
Answer each question the best you can.
9. Lisa has a problem, so she spends a long time talking with her friend Tameka about it.
How can Tameka be a good listener for her friend?
10. Mr. Mallory is giving students instructions on their next social studies project. How can
Jimmy make sure he gets all the information he needs?
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