Listening is a skill that needs to be practiced. The document provides strategies to improve listening abilities, such as listening for key words, summarizing the main ideas being discussed, and drawing pictures to illustrate what is being said rather than allowing one's mind to wander to unrelated thoughts. These techniques can be applied when listening to teachers, videos, or other instructional materials to better retain the important information.

1. STRATEGIES TO MAKE YOU A BETTER LISTENER

2. Listening is Easy.
 You might be thinking to
yourself: “I already know how
to listen.”
 Ask yourself this: How often
do I think about something
else while my teacher is
talking?
Listening is Hard.

3. How often do you find it hard to listen to your teacher talking?

4. Listening Strategies
 Listen for key words
 Summarize the main idea of what you hear
 Draw a picture about what you’re hearing (this is
not the same thing as doodling!).

5. Listen for key words

6. Summarize the main idea

7. Illustrate what you hear

8. Let’s Practice
Fill out your listening guide while watching the video below.
Video available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMtb7vpmeW0