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Current Location: Home arrow Onestopclil arrow Secondary arrow English across the curriculum arrow Topic-based listening lessons

Topic-based listening lessons

Worksheets on a range of hot topics - all with listening material!

These topic-based listening lessons on an eclectic range of subjects are designed to introduce content-based learning into the EFL classroom.

Each illustrated worksheet contains up to an hour’s worth of material, graded according to language level and based around one or two listening tracks. Pre-listening warmers engage students’ interest and prepare them for the listening ahead.

Teacher’s notes provide step-by-step guidance through the lesson as well as ideas for follow-up activities and a full tapescript.

In this subsection

  • Environment - natural disasters (1Mb)

    Print material

    Students unjumble words to reveal four natural disasters before listening to information on hurricanes and floods. Comprehension questions focus on the what, why, where and when. A follow-up activity asks students to match vocabulary such as ‘drown’, ‘evaporate’, disrupt’ and ‘blow down’ to their definitions.

  • Environment - natural disasters - listening exercise - floods (902k)

    Audio graphic

    Second listening exercise to accompany the worksheet on natural disasters. MP3 file.

  • Environment - natural disasters - listening exercise - hurricanes (1Mb)

    Audio graphic

    Listening exercise to accompany the worksheet on natural disasters. MP3 file.

  • Environment - the food chain (2Mb)

    Print material The Staff Room

    Provides an ideal introduction to the concept of food chains. Students complete a food chain diagram then listen to a clear explanation of each link in the chain from producers to third-level consumers. The listening also includes a clear explanation of why food chains are important. A gap-fill consolidates key vocabulary such as: ‘carnivores’, ‘herbivores’, ‘consume’, ‘destroy’ and ‘produce’. A fun group speaking activity asks students to describe a food chain word to their friends without using that word.

  • Environment - the food chain - listening exercise (2Mb)

    Audio graphic The Staff Room

    Listening exercise to accompany the worksheet on the food chain. MP3 file.

  • Places - teens chat - history (2Mb)

    Print material The Staff Room

    Teenagers Anna and Ben chat about an internet history quiz and ask each other quiz questions about history. Students listen to the dialogue then complete a gap-fill, label a world map, match sentences to places on the map and complete a vocabulary exercise on words such as ‘ancient’, ‘ruin’, ‘temple’ and ‘invaders’.

  • Places - teens chat - history - listening exercise (901k)

    Audio graphic The Staff Room

    Listening exercise to accompany the worksheet on teens chatting about history. MP3 file.

  • Consumer hot topics - obesity (822k)

    Print material The Staff Room

    Students listen to a consumer report on obesity and what we can do to combat it. They complete a chart and gap-fill on calorie intake vs. output and listen again to focus on key vocabulary. A follow-up activity asks students to describe the symptoms and solutions for an obesity-related problem.

  • Consumer hot topics - obesity - listening exercise - part I (1Mb)

    Audio graphic The Staff Room

    Listening exercise to accompany the worksheet on obesity. MP3 file.

  • Consumer hot topics - obesity - listening exercise - part II (1Mb)

    Audio graphic The Staff Room

    Second listening exercise to accompany the worksheet on obesity. MP3 file.

  • Travel and tourism: journey of Kimbea, the wildebeest (861k)

    Print material The Staff Room

    Students listen to a radio documentary on the migratory journey of Kimbea, a wildebeest who travels 2,000 miles from the Serengeti Plains in East Africa to the Masai Mara. They match sentences from the documentary to the month they refer to. A vocabulary exercise concentrates on words such as ‘migrate’, ‘plain’, track’ and ‘survive’.

  • Travel and tourism: journey of Kimbea, the wildebeest - listening exercise (2Mb)

    Audio graphic The Staff Room

    Listening exercise to accompany the worksheet on Kimbea the wildebeest.

  • Animals - Feet Talk! (1Mb)

    Print material The Staff Room

    Feet are fascinating but what are the differences between human feet and bird feet? Students match feet photos to the names of birds before listening to a description of the feet of woodpeckers, ducks, ostriches and how their feet are suited to their behaviour. A gap-fill consolidates vocabulary encountered. A follow-up activity asks students to filter the words they hear according to whether they are adjectives, verbs or nouns.

  • Animals - Feet Talk! - listening exercise (1Mb)

    Audio graphic The Staff Room

    Listening exercise to accompany the worksheet on animal feet. MP3 file.

  • Consumer hot topics - problem-solving (679k)

    Print material The Staff Room

    Students listen to tips for helping someone with an eating disorder, depression or stress. They answer true/false questions and interview their partner on leading a healthy lifestyle.

  • Consumer hot topics - problem-solving - listening exercise (2Mb)

    Audio graphic The Staff Room

    Listening exercise to accompany the worksheet on problem-solving. MP3 file.

  • Sports - two sides of a sport (767k)

    Print material The Staff Room

    What are the positive and negative aspects of sport? Students listen to an overview of the good and bad aspects of practising a sport. A true/false exercise and gap-fill teaches words such as ‘fan’, ‘train’, ‘cheat’, ‘team’ and ‘winner’. A follow-up debate activity gets students to formulate and present their own opinions to classmates.

  • Sports - two sides of a sport - listening exercise (2Mb)

    Audio graphic The Staff Room

    Listening exercise to accompany the worksheet on the two sides of sport. MP3 file.