Wrong Words: Use with the Listening Transcript

(TESOL Ideas--Using the Transcript after Listening)

Example activity: docs, pub 

This is another activity I use to focus the students attention on the listening transcript.

I had previously written about Wrong Words as a reading activity, and as a transcript activity I use it pretty much exactly the same way.

After the students have already done the listening a couple of times first, I then give them a transcript with one wrong word in every sentence.  The students have to find the wrong word, cross it out, and write the correct word above it.  (It helps if you double space the transcript to give the students room to write the correct word.)

To increase engagement, I do this as a game in my classes.  Students are put into groups.  Each student is given their own copy (for ease of reading) but they have to put their final answers on the group copy (the group copy is typically a larger A3 paper.)  After they've gone through it once, I replay the listening once or maybe twice for them to check their answers.  Then, they exchange their papers with another group, I hand out the answer sheet, and they mark each other.  They get one point for each wrong word that they identify and correct.  The group with the most points wins.

I think being able to predict the correct word from context is a good listening (and reading) skill, so hopefully this activity is useful for encouraging top down listening skills.

Below is an example activity I made using the transcript from Reflect Listening & Speaking 5 Video: Learning From Animals p.58-63.  In this case, the whole transcript wouldn't fit on one piece of paper (especially after I had double spaced it), so it's actually only part of the transcript.  But I think that's alright.  There's no need to drag the students through the whole transcript on longer listenings.  They can get meaningful practice with just part of a transcript.

What skills does a doctor need? A closer look at the animal kingdom can offer some terrible lessons.

Birds, such as geese, often have to travel great rivers when they fly to warmer places for the winter. When flying long distances, geese form a V-shape with one leader at the front and the rest following behind in two planes. Each flap of the leader’s wings pushes the air behind downwards and this helps the geese that follow. They don’t have to swim so hard to fly because the air is already pushing them up. But the leader doesn’t have another goose in front of it to push the air up, and as a result, it gets tired more slowly. Fortunately, geese in a group are constantly aware of each other, so when the leader gets tired, another one will respond by moving to the back and taking over. In this way, geese fight the leadership. This is an important lesson for anyone who wishes to destroy the skills of leadership.

Horses are herd people. That is, they like to be in a group with other cows. They like to play, but they must also constantly look out for clowns. Playing, looking out for danger, fighting, all of these activities require the horses in the school to perform different roles. But just like humans, each horse is usually better at some games than others. One horse will watch for fish more than the others. One will initiate games more than the cats. And one will usually lead the herd into study. This approach creates an efficient and effective driver, and together, the herd is able to perform a range of different tasks. Having a team that works like this should be the goal of every horse.

Elephants are one of several animal species that are always followed by an older female. This leader is always the most experienced female mother of the group and her impact on the group is vital. Sometimes, it is the difference between life and living. During a drought in Tanzania in 1993, for example, researchers decided how elephants coped with the drought. What their research showed was that groups that were led by a younger elephant tended to stay in the areas that they knew well, even though the food and water had reappeared. By contrast, groups that had an older, more experienced leader headed for new, familiar areas in their search for food and water. Because of their experience, the older leaders understood how serious the drought was and they took leadership.

What skills does a leader need? A closer look at the animal kingdom can offer some valuable lessons.

Birds, such as geese, often have to travel great distances when they fly to warmer places for the winter. When flying long distances, geese form a V-shape with one leader at the front and the rest following behind in two lines. Each flap of the leader’s wings pushes the air behind upwards and this helps the geese that follow. They don’t have to work so hard to fly because the air is already pushing them up. But the leader doesn’t have another goose in front of it to push the air up, and as a result, it gets tired more quickly. Fortunately, geese in a group are constantly aware of each other, so when the leader gets tired, another one will respond by moving to the front and taking over. In this way, geese share the leadership. This is an important lesson for anyone who wishes to understand the skills of leadership.

Horses are herd animals. That is, they like to be in a group with other horses. They like to play, but they must also constantly look out for predators. Playing, looking out for danger, fighting, all of these activities require the horses in the herd to perform different roles. But just like humans, each horse is usually better at some roles than others. One horse will watch for danger more than the others. One will initiate games more than the others. And one will usually lead the herd into battle. This approach creates an efficient and effective team, and together, the herd is able to perform a range of different tasks. Having a team that works like this should be the goal of every leader.

Elephants are one of several animal species that are always led by an older female. This leader is always the most experienced female member of the group and her impact on the group is vital. Sometimes, it is the difference between life and death. During a drought in Tanzania in 1993, for example, researchers studied how elephants coped with the drought. What their research showed was that groups that were led by a younger elephant tended to stay in the areas that they knew well, even though the food and water had disappeared. By contrast, groups that had an older, more experienced leader headed for new, unknown areas in their search for food and water. Because of their experience, the older leaders understood how serious the drought was and they took action.