B. Foundations of Language · Foundations: Speaking, Listening, Words and Fluency

Listening Strategies for Podcasts, Presentations and Guest Speakers

B1.2 A1.1 A1.2 A3.2About 45 minutes

Learning goals

I can choose listening strategies before, during and after listening to longer oral texts like podcasts, presentations and interviews.
I can take Cornell notes and use them to review.
I can identify a speaker's main idea, evidence, facts and opinions.
I can notice how voice, music, images and body language add meaning.
I can seek clarification and give a relevant response that fits the situation.

Words to know

oral text
Any message that is spoken: a talk, podcast, interview, announcement, news report or story.

Cornell notes
A note-taking page with a cue column, a notes column and a summary box.

main idea
The most important point the speaker wants you to understand or believe.

evidence
Facts, examples, numbers or expert words that support a point.

fact
A statement that can be checked and proven true or false.

opinion
A statement of what someone believes or feels; it can be supported, but not proven.

credible
Believable and trustworthy, for example because the speaker has knowledge or experience.

Remember from Grade 6

In Grade 6 you built a toolkit: before listening (set a purpose, predict), during (two-column notes, signal words, watching non-verbal information) and after (summarize, ask clarifying questions, respond). In Grade 7, the oral texts get longer and more complex: podcasts, documentaries, presentations and guest speakers. You'll take Cornell notes, separate facts from opinions, judge whether a speaker is credible, and reflect on which strategies work best for you.

Let's start with a question

Have you ever listened to a 20-minute podcast or a guest speaker, enjoyed it, and then realized afterwards that you couldn't explain the main point?

That happens to everyone. Long oral texts have many ideas, and you can't scroll back up. Strong listeners don't try to remember everything. They listen for the main idea and the evidence, and they use a note system that does some of the remembering for them.

When	Grade 7 strategies
Before	Set your purpose (What do I need from this?). Check who the speaker is and why they might know about the topic. Skim the title or description. Write 2 or 3 questions you hope will be answered.
During	Take Cornell notes. Listen for the main idea and the evidence for it. Mark what sounds like opinion with an O. Notice tone, music, sound effects, images and gestures. Write a ? beside anything confusing.
After	Write a 2- or 3-sentence summary. Turn your ? marks into clarifying questions. Check: Were my before-questions answered? Decide how to respond. Reflect: Which strategy helped most?

Choose the strategies that fit your purpose. You don't need all of them every time.

Cornell notes

Cornell notes split a page into three parts:

Notes column (right, during listening): key words and short phrases, not full sentences. Use abbreviations and arrows (→ means leads to).
Cue column (left, right after listening): a key word or a question for each chunk of notes, like Why are bees in trouble?
Summary box (bottom, after): the main idea in 2 or 3 sentences, in your own words.

To study later, cover the notes column, read each question in the cue column, and try to answer it out loud.

A Cornell notes page: a cue column on the left, a wide notes column on the right, and a summary box across the bottom.

Facts, opinions and credibility

Speakers mix facts (can be checked) with opinions (beliefs). Both are normal, but you need to know which is which.

Fact: "The town planted 300 trees last spring." You could check the town's records.
Opinion: "Planting trees is the best thing a town can do." Words like best, should, worst, amazing are clues.

Also ask: Is the speaker credible? A forest scientist talking about trees, or a farmer talking about her farm, has knowledge or experience. A celebrity selling a product might not. Credible speakers usually explain where their facts come from.

Facts can be checked; opinions are beliefs. Words like best and should are clues that you're hearing an opinion.

Listening to more than words

In podcasts and videos, meaning also comes from non-verbal information:

Tone of voice: serious, excited, worried or joking.
Music: slow, sad music can make you feel sympathy; upbeat music can make a topic feel fun.
Sound effects and pauses: a pause before a fact makes it feel important.
Images, slides and gestures in a video or presentation.

Ask yourself: What feeling is this creating, and is the feeling supported by the facts?

When a guest shares stories and teachings

Sometimes a guest, such as an Elder or Knowledge Keeper from a First Nations, Métis or Inuit community, visits a class to share stories or teachings. Your teacher will explain the protocols the guest's community follows; for example, some guests ask that their words not be recorded. Listen fully, without interrupting. In some stories, the lesson is not stated directly: the listener is trusted to think about the meaning. Afterwards, thank the guest and follow your teacher's guidance about asking questions.

Worked example

Let's take Cornell notes on a podcast

Here is part of a (made-up) school podcast called Green Streets:

"Our schoolyard gets really hot in June. [pause] Last year, the Grade 8s measured the temperature of the blacktop at noon: it was much hotter than the grass under the maple trees. So we think the school should plant more trees. Trees give shade, and they're also just the most beautiful thing on any playground. Ms. Patel, our science teacher, helped us plan where trees could go." [cheerful music]

Purpose (before): I want to know what the podcast wants us to do and why.
Notes column: schoolyard hot in June · Gr 8 measured: blacktop much hotter than grass under trees · wants more trees → shade · trees 'most beautiful' (O) · science teacher helped plan.
Fact or opinion: The measurement is a fact (it can be checked). Most beautiful thing is an opinion (clue word: most beautiful), so I mark it O.
Credibility: The students measured the temperature, and a science teacher helped. That makes the main claim more believable.
Non-verbal: the pause makes the hot schoolyard feel important; the cheerful music makes planting trees feel positive.
Cue column: What did the Grade 8s find? · What do they want? · Which part is opinion?
Summary box: The podcast argues that the school should plant more trees for shade. Its main evidence is a temperature measurement showing the blacktop was much hotter than shaded grass. One reason (beauty) is an opinion.

Main idea: the school should plant more trees for shade. Evidence: the students' temperature measurement. Opinion: trees are the most beautiful thing on a playground.

Just for fun

Fun fact: Cornell notes are named after Cornell University, where education professor Walter Pauk developed the system in the 1950s. About seventy years later, they still work, and they never need charging.

Seek clarification the smart way

Name what you didn't understand and where: "Near the start, you said the blacktop was much hotter. How much hotter was it?" If you can't ask the speaker (a podcast), look for a reliable source to check, or ask your teacher.

Reflect on your strategies

After a long listening task, ask yourself: Which strategy helped me most? Which didn't? Maybe abbreviations helped, but you missed the main idea because you wrote too much. Next time, change one thing.

A relevant response fits the context

After a guest speaker: thank them, then ask a question that shows you listened ("You said... Could you tell us more about...?").
After a classmate's presentation: specific feedback on content and delivery.
After a podcast or documentary: discuss it, compare it with another source, or write a short reflection that agrees, qualifies or questions its main idea.

Hands-on activity

Cornell notes at home

You need: a sheet of paper, a ruler, a pencil, and a short podcast, news report or documentary clip (about 5 minutes) chosen with a grown-up.

Draw a Cornell page: a line down the page about 6 cm from the left, and a line across about 5 cm from the bottom.
Before: write the title and your purpose. Write two questions you hope it will answer.
During: take notes in the right column. Mark opinions with O and confusing parts with ?.
After: fill the cue column with questions, and write a 2- or 3-sentence summary.
Cover the notes column and quiz yourself with the cue questions. Then explain the clip to a family member using only your summary.
Reflect: Which strategy helped most?

What to look for: notes in short phrases (not full sentences), at least one fact and one opinion identified correctly, and a summary that names the main idea.

Your turn

Name the three parts of a Cornell notes page.

Fact or opinion? "The library is open until 8 p.m. on Thursdays."

Fact or opinion? "Thursday is the best night to visit the library."

Name one strategy you could use before listening to a guest speaker.

In a podcast about a flood, sad, slow music plays. What might the music be doing?

Turn this into a clear clarifying question: "I didn't get the part about the numbers."

Why is a forest scientist more credible than a random celebrity on the topic of tree diseases?

More practice: warm-up

When do you fill in the summary box?

What could O mean in your notes?

Give one abbreviation you could use in notes.

True or false: You should write every word the speaker says.

What does credible mean?

More practice: on your own

Why is it useful to write questions in the cue column?

A speaker says, "Studies show kids need more sleep," but never says which studies. What should a good listener do?

Sort into fact (F) or opinion (O): (a) Ottawa is the capital of Canada. (b) Ottawa is the most exciting city in Canada. (c) The Rideau Canal can be used as a skating rink in winter.

You listened to a presentation on wetlands. Write a relevant response for the presenter.

Explain why listening to a podcast can be harder than reading the same information.

Challenge

A documentary about a new park uses happy music and shows smiling families, but gives no facts about the cost. Analyze how the non-verbal information affects listeners, and what question a critical listener should ask.

Write a 2-sentence Cornell summary for this talk: "Composting cuts the garbage our school sends to the landfill. Last year our class composted fruit and vegetable scraps and our garbage bags went from five a week to three. We think every class should compost."

You took notes on a 10-minute presentation, but your summary didn't match the speaker's main point. Reflect: what might have gone wrong, and what will you change?

Check your understanding

Quiz

Which part of Cornell notes do you use to quiz yourself?

Which is an opinion?

What makes a speaker more credible?

Which is the best clarifying question?

When do you usually write the summary in Cornell notes?

A podcast plays tense music before a story about a storm. What is the music mainly doing?

For parents and teachers

Big idea (B1.2, A1.1, A1.2, A3.2): Grade 7 students select and use listening strategies before, during and after listening to understand longer oral texts, seek clarification and develop a relevant response. This lesson adds Cornell notes, fact and opinion, speaker credibility, reflecting on strategies (metacognition) and respectful listening to guests who share stories and teachings.

How to help at home:

Listen to a short podcast or news report together in the car or kitchen. Afterwards, each person says the main idea in one sentence.
Ask "Is that a fact or an opinion?" about ads and announcements you hear.
Pause a video and ask what the music or images are making you feel.

Common difficulties:

Writing too much. Challenge your child to use no more than five words per note line.
Mixing up strong opinions with facts. Ask, "Could you check that? How?"
Forgetting the 'after' step. The summary and cue questions are where most of the learning happens.