Suggestions for increasing "listening" skills (Stanford results in!)

[profmom]

This is the 2nd year that ds (3rd grade) has had a low score on the "Listening" portion of the Stanford. This year we read history aloud, but I didn't always ask for narrations. We also read science aloud (less consistently) and he dictated narration on this. Is consistent narration what I need to do to increase his listening skills? (If so, please elaborate -- I don't think I've been doing a good job at this.) Any other ideas?? :bigear:

Editing to say that I need to help him to focus more in general, which is probably related. Any suggestions?? This has been a challenge!

[Marie in Oh]

we have worked on it and they have improved. One thing is to always ask them questions about what you read to them. If they know the questions are coming, they listen better. They then train their ear to always listen to what is being read to them. Also, I always do the test prep books and we concentrate heavily in that area. One child improved from 47th to 67th and one improved from the 70's to the 90's.

[profmom]

Thanks, Marie! Which test prep books do you use for listening skills?

[Marie in Oh]

they have all the sections of the test. Lots of practice so they are used to the format. You can get them at Rainbow resource.

[Sharon H in IL]

My boys retain stuff a lot better when they're busy with their hands while listening. Play dough, Legos, coloring a page of something related to the reading, or tracing.

When my oldest was younger, he wouldn't do conventional narrations. He just wouldn't tell me things, because he knew I already knew it. Why say something useless? He just refused.

Then someone on the old board shared how her son did Lego dioramas of some aspect of the read-aloud. Eureka! DS would listen intently, then begin building a scene out of his Legos that illustrated something in the story. He explained it to me aloud, I took a digital picture of his creation, and sometimes printed out a paper copy of the photo to add to his school notebook.

Maybe your children would enjoy painting a picture or building a scene from other materials. Ears + Hands = Brain!

[MyThreeSons]

I was going to say something similar!

I once heard Joyce Herzog say that asking young boys to sit still and pay attention was asking the impossible -- that it takes all of their attention to sit still. I have been less than consistent with requiring narration or even asking comprehension questions after read alouds, but my guys have always had very high scores in the listening portion of the Stanford test.

[Suzannah]

I can't say for certain that this is the reason, but my kids score very well in listening and we are an avid audiobook family. DD has some vision issues and is just getting to a point where can read on her own for entertainment. But all three kiddos listen to books on CD at night in bed, in the car, during meals (we listen to some old time radios shows as a family)...you name it. Most school reading assignments are read by sight, because I think it's important to see the words, and go slowly enough to digest the information. (DS scores very well in spelling I think since he reads so much.) But I think listening to audio books for fun, either individually or as a family is a great help to listening skills. Dication might be too, now that I think of it.

Blessings!