Listening: understanding a school announcement
In listening tasks you rarely understand every word. The skill is deciding which words matter.
Part of your national curriculum
- Listening: Detect and understand the main points and gist of spoken passages, discerning between fact and opinion
Lesson overview
What you'll learn in this lesson
Detect and understand the main points and gist of spoken passages, discerning between fact and opinion
Key learning points
- • Listen for signposts
- • Fact or opinion
- • Handling unknown words
This lesson at a glance
- 20 minutes
- 19 parts to scroll through
- 4 quick checks
- Marked quiz at the end
- Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses
Words to know
Scroll down — the lesson carries on below
Watch & discover
Part 1 of 19
Visual introductionPicture this
Listening: understanding a school announcement
In listening tasks you rarely understand every word. The skill is deciding which words matter.
In a nutshell
Detect and understand the main points and gist of spoken passages, discerning between fact and opinion
Learning cycle
Part 2 of 19
Learning cycle 1 of 2
Part 1 · Listen for signposts
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 3 of 19
Learn
Listen for signposts
Numbers, times, days and names carry most of the information. Words like pero, sin embargo and en cambio signal that an opinion is about to change direction — miss them and you can answer the opposite of what was said.
Reset break
Part 4 of 19
Pause
That's sitting 1 of 5 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Explore the idea
Part 5 of 19
Learn
Fact or opinion
Facts come with times, places and figures: la excursión es el viernes. Opinions come with creo que, en mi opinión, me parece, pienso que. Questions often ask specifically for one or the other.
Quick check
Part 6 of 19
Quick check
Part 7 of 19
Reset break
Part 8 of 19
Pause
That's sitting 2 of 5 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Learning cycle
Part 9 of 19
Learning cycle 2 of 2
Part 2 · Handling unknown words
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 10 of 19
Learn
Handling unknown words
Do not stop on a word you do not know — the sentence continues without you. Cognates help: excursión, historia, música, importante. Note the shape of what you missed and move on.
Quick check
Part 11 of 19
Reset break
Part 12 of 19
Pause
That's sitting 3 of 5 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Quick check
Part 13 of 19
Explore the idea
Part 14 of 19
Worked example
Worked example: a transcript
'Atención: la excursión al museo es el viernes a las nueve. Cuesta cinco euros. Creo que va a ser muy interesante, aunque el viaje es largo.' Facts: Friday, nine o'clock, five euros, museum. Opinion: 'creo que va a ser muy interesante'. The 'aunque' clause qualifies the opinion without cancelling it.
Challenge round
Part 15 of 19
Game · Sort it
Which of these are true?
Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.
True
Not true
Reset break
Part 16 of 19
Pause
That's sitting 4 of 5 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Challenge round
Part 17 of 19
Game · Recall cards
Which statement is an opinion rather than a fact?
Card 1 of 4
Mastery quiz
Part 18 of 19
Marked quiz
End of lesson quiz: Listening: understanding a school announcement
4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.
1. Which statement is an opinion rather than a fact?
2. Which phrase introduces an opinion?
3. 'Je trouve que c'est intéressant' expresses...
4. Getting the 'gist' of a passage means...
Lesson round-up
Part 19 of 19
Lesson round-up
Ready when you are
Quiz score
Not sat
Games
Not played
Points this lesson
0
Best run
0 in a row
Luna: 0 out of 4 on the practice checks. Only if you feel up to it — one more?
Ask LunaPart 1 of 19 · Watch & discover
How this is going
- Not looked at yet
Detect and understand the main points and gist of spoken passages, discerning between fact and opinion