Chapter 4

1. List the four types of listening and explain when each might be used.
The four types of listening are:
Discriminative: students distinguish among sounds
Aesthetic: students listen for pleasure or enjoyment
Efferent: students listen to understand messages
Critical: students evaluate messages

2. How do students use the listening strategy getting clues from the speaker?
Speakers use both visual and verbal clues to convey their messages and direct their listeners’
attention. Visual clues include gesturing, writing or underlining important information on
board, and changing facial expressions. Verbal clues include pausing, raising or lowering the
voice, slowing down speech to stress key points, and repeating important information.

3. Why is it better to use interactive read-aloud than to simply read aloud?

When you read aloud you aren’t engaging the students, and students become passive with the
reading. Interactive read-aloud they activate students’ background knowledge before they
begin to read. They model listening strategies and fluent oral reading as they read aloud, and
they engage students during reading.

4. How does talk, especially in small groups, promote learning?

Talk promotes higher level thinking and teachers take students’ ideas seriously, and students
are validated as thinkers. The conversations can support students’ use of interpreting and other
comprehension strategies.

5. Why do teachers use grand conversations to talk about stories, but use another type
of discussion to talk about nonfiction books?
The students are able to dig into the story and deepen their comprehension. Students can talk
about books they’re reading in literature focus units and literature circles. They give
opportunities for students to talk, and gives a sense of community in the class.

6. Think about “The Hare and the Tortoise” folktale, and ask a question about the story
representing each of the three levels of questions.
Level 1: Who won the race the tortoise and the hare?
Level 2: Why did the author write this story?
Level 3: What did this story teach us, that we can use in our everyday lives?

7. When do teachers have students participate in the hot seat activity?

Each student assumes a persona of a character from a story or biography they’re reading. They
have students ask the person in the hot seat questions on their character to deepen their
thinking.
 8. Why should teachers teach students to take notes?
Students are more active listeners when they take notes to help them remember the big ideas
while they listen to an oral presentation. Teachers introduce note taking by demonstrating the
procedure.

Chapter Analysis:
Listening and talking are the most commonly used language arts. It is oral language that is more
effective and the types of listening that are important to incorporate. The four types are:
discriminative, aesthetic, efferent, and critical. There are various activities that you can use to
get students to practice these listening and talking skills such as hot seat or interviews. The
chapter focused on how we can incorporate these skills in the classroom and create that better
understanding for our students.