Listening to Analyze: Strategies, Clarifying Questions and Evidence from Oral Texts

Remember from Grade 8

In Grade 8 you listened for claims and evidence, judged evidence such as statistics, expert statements and anecdotes, noticed non-verbal clues like emphasis and tone, and asked for clarification. In Grade 9 you will hear more long oral texts: teachers explaining new concepts, guest speakers, documentaries and podcasts. You need a plan for listening, a way to take notes you can actually use, and the skill of using what you heard as evidence in your own response.

Let's start with a podcast

Here is part of a script from an invented local podcast, The Riverside Report. Read it aloud, or have someone read it to you, and listen as if you can't see the words.

"Today's question: should Riverside plant 500 new trees along Main Street? The first reason is shade. Last July, the town measured sidewalk temperatures: in full sun the pavement reached 48 degrees Celsius, but under the three old maples by the library it was 31. [pause] The second reason, and this is the big one, is stormwater. Tree roots and the soil around them soak up rain that would otherwise rush into storm drains. Now, some business owners worry that roots will crack the sidewalks. That's a fair concern. The town says it will use larger planting pits so roots have room to grow down instead of up. So, to sum up: more shade, less flooding, and a plan for the sidewalks."

What were the two reasons? Which one did the host say mattered most? How did you know? (The words "this is the big one" and the pause before it are clues.)

A listening plan: before, during and after

Before listening: know your purpose (Will you be tested? Are you deciding something? Are you responding in a discussion?). Preview the title or topic and predict what the main points might be. Set up a notes page.

During listening: listen for signal phrases that show structure. Note the claims and the evidence for each. Pay attention to how things are said: emphasis, pauses, tone, and any slides or gestures. Mark anything confusing with a ? instead of stopping.

After listening: summarize in one or two sentences. Go back to your ? marks and ask clarifying questions if you can. Check whether the evidence was strong enough. Then respond: agree, disagree or add, using what you heard as support.

Split-page notes

When you listen, you can't write everything. Split-page notes help you separate big ideas from details:

• Left column (narrow): main ideas and signal words: the topic, Reason 1, Reason 2, Concern.
• Right column (wide): details and evidence for each idea: numbers, examples, short quotations. For podcasts and videos, add the time (for example 1:15) so you can find it again.
• Bottom strip: after listening, a one- or two-sentence summary and any questions.

Use abbreviations and arrows (→ for leads to, vs for compared with). Notes are for you; they don't need full sentences.

Seeking clarification

If something isn't clear, ask. A good clarifying question is specific:

• Vague: "I didn't get it."
• Specific: "When you said 'larger planting pits,' do you mean deeper holes, or wider spaces in the sidewalk?"
• Specific: "Was the 31 degrees measured on the same day as the 48 degrees?"

In a recording you can't ask, so write the question down and look for the answer in another source or ask your teacher. In a live talk, wait for the question period or a natural pause.

Using oral evidence in your response

Often you must respond to what you heard: in a discussion, a reflection or a short written answer. Good evidence from an oral text is:

• Relevant: it supports the exact point you are making, not just the general topic.
• Accurate: it's what the speaker actually said, not what you remember vaguely. Check your notes.
• Attributed: you say who said it: "According to the host of The Riverside Report..."

A simple pattern is Point, Evidence, Explain: make your point, give the evidence, then explain how the evidence supports the point.