Understanding and Applying the Listening Strategy of Prediction

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 3

Understanding and Applying the Listening Strategy of Prediction

Grade 9

pre vocational education - 3M

high vocational education - 3H

pre university education - 3V

Learning Objectives

• Understand the concept of the listening strategy of prediction
• Formulate WH-questions to predict what will be discussed in a listening exercise
• Utilize the listening strategy of prediction in practice

Understanding the concept

Let's start with two questions to show you what is meant by prediction. 

Imagine you've just turned on your TV. You see a man in a suit standing in front of a large map with the symbols of a sun, clouds and thunder. What do you imagine he is about to tell you?

1. the News
2. The outcome of a survey
3. The weather
4. The programma of the day

You are on your way to school and a yellow van with ANWB on it, stops near a parked car. What do you think has happened?

1. nothing, the van can't find a parking spot
2. the man of the parked car needs help to start his car again
3. The parked car is going to be towed away for incorrect parking
4. The owner of the parked car is going to get a parking ticket

Importance of listening

It should not be difficult to realise the importance of listening when we consider that it occupies about 45 per cent of the time adults spend in communication. This is significantly more than speaking, which accounts for 30 per cent, and reading and writing, which make up 16 per cent and nine per cent respectively.

Predicting

Depending on the context – a news report, a university lecture, an exchange in a supermarket – you can often predict the kind of words and style of language the speaker will use. 

Our knowledge of the world helps us anticipate the kind of information we are likely to hear. Moreover, when we predict the topic of a talk or a conversation, all the related vocabulary stored in our brains is 'activated' to help us better understand what we're listening to.

What are WH-Questions?

 Formulating WH-Questions

• WH-questions: Used to seek information
• Begin with words like what, who, where, when, why, which, and how
• It gives you also information what to really listen to. 

TIP

If you are taking a listening test, skim through the questions first and try to predict what kind of information you need to listen out for. 

A question beginning 'How many..?', for example, will probably require you to listen for a specific number or quantity of something.

Practical Application

• We are going to watch and listen to a video about a church built on the top of a cliff!
• First I am going to show you only the first 30 seconds of the clip. 

What do you predict?

I am going to show you some questions.

You haven't heard anything yet but what do you think, using just common knowledge and no input yet. 

write your answers on a piece of paper

What do you predict?

True or False:

1. Abuna Yemata Guh is the only church built in the rocks in the Tigray Region in Ethiopia.

2. From the bottom of the cliff, there is only one path that leads to the church.

3. It was built more than 500 years ago.

What do you predict?

True or False:

4. People say Father Yemata chose this location for the church to test the faith of the churchgoers

5. The church was discovered 47 years ago by the priest

6. Visitors must take off their shoes at the top of the cliff, before entering the church.

7.The most dangerous point of the climb is just before the entrance to the church.

What do you predict?

You have now written down your predicitions by answering the questions with True/ False. 

You have used especially your common knowledge. 

give your answers to your neighbour. 

What do you predict?

1. we are now going to watch the whole video

2. we are going to answer the questions again

3. your neighbour is going to check how many answers were already correct before watching the video. 

What did you predict?

Now you have seen and listened to the video. 

let's answer the questions

At the end - how much did you predict correctly ?

(neighbour check)

Abuna Yemata Guh is the only church built in the rocks in the Tigray Region in Ethiopia.

1. true
2. false

From the bottom of the cliff, there is only one path that leads to the church.

1. true
2. false

It was built more than 500 years ago.

1. true
2. false

People say Father Yemata chose this location for the chruch to test the faith of the churchgoers

1. true
2. false

The church was discovered 47 years ago by the priest.

1. true
2. false

Visitors must take off their shoes at the top of the cliff, before entering the church.

1. true
2. false

The most dangerous point of the climb is just before the entrance to the church.

1. true
2. false

What did you predict?

Tell me :

How many answers were already correct before even seeing the video?

Practise Book

Ex. 3 & 4 pg 11  (3H)

Ex. 9 & 10 pg 14 (3V)

Let's do this !

Summary

• Listening strategy of prediction: Predicting what you will hear
• WH-questions: Seek information, start with what, who, where, when, why, which, how
• read the questions and use common knowledge

What did you learn about prediction and listening?

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Here, students enter two things they would like to know more about. This not only increases involvement, but also gives them more ownership.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.

What did you predict?

what kind of questions have you written down?

what do you think we are going to listen to?