Grade Three

Listening Objectives (Grade 3)

By the end of grade 3, most students listen without interrupting and respond appropriately to a range of oral communications. They listen for details, including instructions. Most grade 3 students can retell, paraphrase, and explain what a speaker said. They connect and relate prior experiences, insights, and ideas to those of a speaker, and they respond to questions with appropriate elaboration. They distinguish between the speaker's opinions and verifiable facts. They identify simple poetic effects in language (e.g., rhymes, repeated sounds, instances of onomatopoeia). They can listen attentively and courteously to each other in discussions and to guest speakers. They show respect for the ideas, language, and communication styles of others and give sensitive and thoughtful responses.

Foundational Objective: Listen to a range of grade-level appropriate texts in a variety of situations for a variety of purposes.

participate in shared, guided, and independent listening experiences
listen attentively to a range of texts for pleasure and information including traditional oral stories/tales/legends, chapter books, contemporary stories, nonfiction, and poems
listen attentively and courteously to each other and to guest speakers
listen to and follow three-step oral directions
listen to discussions and ask questions to clarify meaning
consider others' ideas and observations to discover and explore personal understanding
give sensitive and thoughtful responses

Foundational Objective: Learn about and practise the skills and strategies of effective listeners.

Before Listening:

predict what text may be about
consider and build upon relevant prior knowledge and experiences
formulate relevant questions to focus information/inquiry needs
review qualities of a good listener
identify and set purpose for listening

During Listening:

demonstrate appropriate listening behaviours (e.g., show enjoyment and appreciation)
listen without interrupting
connect new ideas, information, and experiences to own and others' ideas and experiences
use the language cueing systems in oral text to construct meaning (e.g., pauses, emphasis, inflection)
identify the main ideas and important details
make and confirm predictions and inferences
identify characters, plot, and setting
recognize cause and effect relationships
draw conclusions
recognize the difference between an opinion and a verifiable fact
distinguish between reality and fantasy
identify words that form mental images and create mood in oral texts
recognize the distinguishing features of a variety of forms of texts (e.g., stories, poetry, plays, news reports)
identify the sequence of events in a variety of oral texts, the time and place in which they occur, and the roles of main characters
identify examples of repeated sound and poetic effects that contribute to enjoyment
respond to humour in a variety of oral texts
record facts and ideas using a listening guide
ask questions to clarify information and develop new understanding
expand vocabulary and concept knowledge through listening

After Listening:

recall details, summarize major events or ideas, share conclusions
paraphrase and summarize what is heard
retell key events and recall main ideas
connect portrayals of individuals or situations in oral texts to personal experiences
explain own point of view and others' points of view
compare various oral texts
discuss ideas from oral texts from various cultures and communities

Foundational Objective: Assess personal strengths and set goals for future growth.

identify personal accomplishments and set goals for improvement of own listening skills and strategies

Assessment Techniques for Listening (Grade 3)

The purpose of assessment is to improve students' learning and the quality of instruction by diagnosing strengths and needs, assessing students' progress against defined objectives, and reviewing the effectiveness of teaching methods and approaches. Diagnostic techniques, such as the following, help teachers clarify each student's phase of language development and the needs of the students in their respective phases of language learning. The results of these assessments help the teacher choose appropriate activities. The page numbers following each technique refer to sample assessment forms provided in this curriculum guide.

Sample assessment techniques include:

developmental checklists and observation notes (p. 115-116)
anecdotal records
informal listening inventories
story retellings (p. 118-119)
informational text retelling (p. 120)
self-assessment (p. 121).

Instructional Suggestions for Listening (Grade 3)

It is important to choose instructional activities based upon students' needs and interests. The following list provides some initial ideas. Sample instructional activities include:

model and discuss active listening behaviours
provide listening guides to support students in understanding various oral texts
help students determine main ideas and supporting details in oral texts
help students assess the evidence presented for making arguments and forming opinions
provide opportunities for students to reflect upon their listening behaviours, skills, and strategies
support students in setting realistic goals to improve their listening skills and strategies
use activities such as:
- mini-lessons
- directed listening-thinking
- listen-think-pair-share
- listen and visualize
- listen-sketch-draw
- paraphrasing
- question the author
- help students listen to each other in small groups and whole class activities
- LAPS
- guided listening
- listening centre
- listening games.