AboutMarsha Cunningham Expertise My expertise is in 1st-3rd grade, I specialize in beginning
reading and writing, but I teach drawing and painting first to help students gain confidence.
I also use jigsaw puzzle strategy to teach concentration as a subject and enlist parents to keep their children away from scary movies,among other things,which cause nightmares, sleep deprivation and low test scores!
Experience I have taught K-3 for 24 years, given in-service to parents and teachers and presented at reading conferences. To see my children's art work and examples of improved test scores go to www.artsimprovingacademics.org
Question How can I teach my 2nd grade students listening skill ?
Answer Dear Maysoon,
I would start with the most simple exercises; these are the ones I used, starting on the first day of school.
1. Folding paper into 16 squares and numbering neatly. Go slowly, step by step, but don't wait for anyone. Tell them before you begin that if they get lost just try to keep up,doing their best, because you will do it over again in a few minutes.
2. Demonstrate on the board how to write the numbers in the top left of each square and circle each neatly. Show them how it looks if the numbers and /or the circles, are too small, too big, or sloppy.
3. Demonstrate how to get a small neat name at the top between the number one and two, and the date between the three and four. Teach and explain the short date for a math paper, 11-11-07
4. Let the children who achieved the goal do something else like color or read quietly, while you repeat the lesson to the others. Warn the first group that if they make a sound, or bother anyone, that they will need to join your group and do the exercise over again.
5. When the second group has finished, whither they did the exercise correctly or not, get the class back together and play another game with the same paper, like this:
Find square number 9 and draw a cat, NEXT! Find square number 14 and draw a house. Warn them that they will only have 10 seconds to do each drawing so they have to think fast and move on when you say NEXT!
The next day, expand the exercise to numbering the back of the paper and repeat the same drawing game. This is Math/Art/Listening all combined. They will have fun turning the paper from side to side and trying to get a good picture into each square. Keep the drawing part simple enough so that they don't get frustrated. They can color it later while you help anyone really struggling because of some problem.
Another effective tool is to do step-by-step drawings using shapes and demonstrated on the board.
I do a wagon and horse out of shapes which the children love. I start with circles for the wheels, then divide them into parts=fractions, the rectangle wagon on top of the wheels, divided into 4ths or 3rds, more fractions,...I just made it up one day when I needed something to teach them listening! And, wow, did they ever listen after that. I had them trace all of the pencil lines in the drawing with crayon and then hung them up on the wall. For homework they had to teach it to other members of their family and then report to the class on the next day. My question to all of them was, "And were you able to get your family to listen and follow your directions?" to drive the point home.
I repeated this drawing exercise over several times, as their skills so improved that I wanted them to see the difference that listening, combined with practice will make. I talked a lot about the results that come with practice, which you can only get if you listen. And I finished every little lesson with these words:"And THAT'S why you came to school today!
I hope this helps, let me know,
If this is too simple for your students, as they can already do this perfectly even without listening, step the exercise up to something more challenging for them. My experience was that even 3rd graders needed help with this.
