Paraphrase Sentence Grab for Listening

(TESOL Ideas--Activities That Can Be Used With Any Listening Text)

Sample: docs, pub

This is an extension on the Word Grab for Listening activity that I posted yesterday. And in fact in the few classes that I've used this activity in, I always use it after they've done the Word Grab activity first. (e.g. "You guys remember the word grab activity that we did yesterday?  Well, this is the same idea, but it's a sentence grab?)

The idea is basically the same as Word Grab, but the students have to grab full sentences.  Except, the sentences are paraphrased, so the students have to listen and comprehend the ideas, not just listen for matching words.   

I think this activity is particularly useful for exam preparation, since exams such as the IELTS  typically require students to listen for paraphrases.

As with the Word Grab activity, in my class I paused the audio after each key sentence.  (I made a little cheat sheet for myself with all the key sentences written out in order.)  When the students heard the audio paused, they would grab whatever paraphrased sentence matched the sentence they had just heard.

I would do brief classroom feedback after each sentence.  As feedback, I would read out the sentence from the audio again, slowly, and emphasize the parts that were paraphrased--briefly clarifying anything if necessary.

Then, we would restart the audio, and on to the next sentence.

I imagine it would also be possible to run this game as my co-worker ran Word Grab--that is, play the audio all the way through without pausing.  Students grab what sentences they can recognize.  After the game is done, the transcript is given out, and students match the remaining sentences on their table to their place in the transcript.

My students found this difficult at first, but they quickly got into it after a few examples.  Student engagement was high.

The sample activity linked to above is from Reflect Listening & Speaking 5 Listening: Why is that Funny p.82-85

To sum up, we have studied four possible explanations of why humor exists	I’d like to tell you a short story with a humorous ending
It doesn’t make any sense to fire a bullet into someone just to make sure they’re not alive	I believe my companion is not alive
slapstick is humorous because we know that the person is okay, but it looks like they are in danger.	One example is somebody colliding with a street lamp because they are not paying attention
To summarize, the problem with the incongruity theory is that it is too basic.	If you have a place that is all sand and no water, you wouldn’t expect to see a ship there.
You think that you will see high quality paintings at an art show.	In other words, because it doesn’t make any sense, we find it funny to put the two things together.

answers

I have a joke for you	I’d like to tell you a short story with a humorous ending
I think my friend is dead	I believe my companion is not alive
Take the person who isn’t looking and walks into a streetlight.	One example is somebody colliding with a street lamp because they are not paying attention.
A boat in the middle of the desert is incongruous.	If you have a place that is all sand and no water, you wouldn’t expect to see a ship there.
To put it another way, the connection is humorous because it’s ridiculous.	In other words, because it doesn’t make any sense, we find it funny to put the two things together.
When you go to an art gallery, for example, you expect to see real art.	You think that you will see high quality paintings at an art show.
In short, incongruity theory just seems too simple.	To summarize, the problem with the incongruity theory is that it is too basic.
So, slapstick humor is funny because someone’s safety seems to be threatened, but we know that actually they are OK.	slapstick is humorous because we know that the person is okay, but it looks like they are in danger.
It’s ridiculous to shoot someone just to prove that they’re dead.	It doesn’t make any sense to fire a bullet into someone just to make sure they’re not alive
In conclusion, these are the four main theories of humor that seek to explain why we find something funny.	To sum up, we have studied four possible explanations of why humor exists