Stanford

EFS 693B - STANFORD UNIVERSITY
Listening and Communication

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EFS 693B

Notes: Week 5

 

CLASS OBJECTIVES

 

0. Lunesta:  http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7113065002106695432#; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vRDEyYR68A Happy fun ball: http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/happy-fun-ball/229058/
 

I. Listening to news
    A. Why? keep track of current events, learn about developments in areas of interest, get more acquainted with US culture...
    B. What?
        -   Use stories on new or familiar topics to practice getting meaning
        -   Use stories on familiar topics for processing practice (dictation, accent practice, etc.) and building vocabulary

        -   Continuing stories start out new but become familiar (e.g., Chilean miners)
    C. How?
        -   Use the web, TV,  radio for current breaking news

        -   Focus on online resources for study
        -   Get stories with transcripts, captions, and/or supporting readings if possible

 

II. Opening : Groundhog Day

    - Discussion

    - Dictation

 

III. A note on the intensive<-->extensive listening continuum. Extensive listening refers to listening to a lot of material but not trying to get all the details and every word--this is what you do when you listen to a live lecture or go to a movie: the goal is primarily listening for meaning, with any other development (like new vocabulary) occurring incidentally. Intensive listening involves going over a piece of material multiple times and often mining it for other purposes, such as for dictation to build vocabulary and grammar. besides the extensive listening you do for academic purposes or pleasure, when doing activities for this class, a combination of semi-intensive and intensive listening (http://elt-wiki.cw.idm.fr/elt-wiki/index.php/Intensive_listening) is best. In semi-intensive listening, you don't necessarily try to get everything, but you interact more than you would in real life. For example, doing pre-listening, listening once with an occasional pause, and then listening a second time with the captions on, pausing and writing down a few key words of interest would be an example of semi-intensive listening. If you continued listening another time or two and then did a dictation, that would make it intensive. In a medium length clip, it is quite reasonable to do the majority of it semi intensively and a small part intensively. In a longer one (e.g., a TV show, full lecture, or movie) different parts might be done extensively (listened to just once), semi-intensively, and intensively.

 

IV.  Discuss your project with other students in the class (bring notes to help you remember)
       1) What material are you using?
       2) Why did you pick that? What are your objectives?
       3) Give an example of an effective procedure you're using. Why do you think it's effective?
       4) What is the most useful thing you've learned so far from the project?
       5) What is your main problem in doing the project?

       

V. Introduction to watching movies: Groundhog Day. See www.eslnotes.com/movies/html/groundhog-day.html for a synopsis and vocabulary list with definitions. Note we will be watching this scene by scene over the next few weeks.

 

VI. Some additional links to explore

    - www.ted.com (Technology, Entertainment, Design): e.g., http://www.ted.com/talks/kevin_kelly_on_how_technology_evolves.html This has subtitles and a transcript.

     - www.englishbaby.com: a free English language learning website with multiple new audio and video lessons each week. The language is relatively authentic and conversational, with a lot of idioms and slang that are defined for you. Join the free version to explore the site.

 

 

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Homework: Unless otherwise stated (e.g., the independent project) you should complete this material in time to discuss it in the following class. Be sure to bring notes if requested.
 
1) Spend at least 30-45 minutes exploring each of the two sites in VI above. Make a few notes and come prepared to discuss your impressions in the next class.

 

2) Continue working on your independent project. Remember to incorporate any suggestions made in the individual meetings or in my written feedback to you. Plan to do some combination of 3-6 sessions for a total of at least three hours. As before, try to have a mixture of objectives that includes not only comprehension, but also building language knowledge and improving processing. Be sure you are doing something about isolating new vocabulary, learning it, and then reviewing it over the next few days. Get the report form here

 


 

Last modified: April 27, 2011, by Phil Hubbard