Listening_Activities_University_Students.pdf

Listening for Uni students

1. Listening Component Activities for
University Students
1. Spot the Fact or Opinion
Objective:
Improve critical listening skills by distinguishing between facts and opinions.
Instructions:
• Play a short podcast or TED Talk (3–5 minutes).
• Ask students to listen and jot down statements they hear.
• After listening, students categorize each statement as a 'Fact' or 'Opinion'.
• Discuss answers in small groups, then as a class.
• Optional: Turn the activity into a quiz using Kahoot or Quizziz.
2. Jigsaw Listening
Objective:
Foster collaboration and deeper understanding through shared listening.
Instructions:
• Divide students into groups of 4–5.
• Assign each group a different section of an audio/video clip.
• Groups listen to their assigned segment and summarize the main points.
• Groups regroup and share summaries to piece together the whole story or lecture.
• Class reflects on how the different parts form a complete narrative.
3. Dictogloss
Objective:
Improve grammar, listening accuracy, and paraphrasing skills.

2. Instructions:
• Read or play a short academic passage twice.
• First time: students just listen.
• Second time: they take brief notes.
• In pairs or small groups, students reconstruct the original passage.
• Compare reconstructions with the original text to discuss grammar and vocabulary.
4. Listening for Purpose
Objective:
Help students listen with intention and recognize communication styles.
Instructions:
• Play clips with different communicative purposes (informative, persuasive, entertaining).
• Students identify the purpose, tone, main idea, and supporting arguments.
• Use examples from YouTube, news sites, or academic lectures.
• Discuss as a class and provide feedback on interpretation accuracy.
5. Role Play After Listening
Objective:
Boost retention and encourage practical use of language.
Instructions:
• Play a customer service call, interview, or conversation.
• In pairs, students recreate the dialogue with improvisation.
• Focus on capturing tone, vocabulary, and overall content.
• Optional: Swap roles or create alternative endings to the conversation.
6. Number Dictation / Info Gap Listening
Objective:
Practice extracting specific details such as numbers, dates, and names.

3. Instructions:
• Provide students with a worksheet containing missing data.
• Play an audio clip with relevant details (booking info, schedules, etc.).
• Students fill in the blanks as they listen.
• Review answers as a class, replaying if needed.
7. Silent Viewing, Then Listening
Objective:
Encourage prediction, inference, and verification.
Instructions:
• Play a muted video clip (e.g., sitcom scene or documentary snippet).
• Ask students to guess what is happening and what is being said.
• Then play the clip with sound.
• Students compare their predictions with the actual audio.
• Discuss the differences and what cues led to correct/incorrect guesses.