During our #Langchat session last Thursday night, participants batted around a number of excellent authentic language listening resources and ideas for using authentic audio in the classroom. Here are some of our favorites!

Audio Resources

Pandora Radio Latin channels. Great songs for in class use! (@srapontarelli)
@ZJonesSpanish has organized resources by topic (@espanolbartlett)

Musicuentos Blog Post: Finding Authentic Audio Sources (@SECottrell) #langchat

Spanish listening option: call (720) 865-8500 choose option 5. Some weeks more comprehensible than others. (@SenorG)
Compagnie Creole Youtube Channel (@MmeNero)
Mis Cositas Youtube Channel (@placido)
AudioLingua (English, German, Spanish, French) (@srapontarelli)
Tunein Online Radio Stations (All Languages)(@ouiouicestlavie)
Audioboo Online Radio Stations (All Languages)(@ouiouicestlavie)
7 Jours Sur Le Planete Television Channel (French)(@ouiouicestlavie)
Graphic Organizers from Houghton Mifflin (English, Spanish)(@tiesamgraf)
Lyrics Training Online Video Channel (All Languages)(@ouiouicestlavie)
Cody’s Cuentos, classic children’s stories. (Spanish)(@GlastonburyFL)
KeepVid Downloading and Sharing software for videos. (All Languages)(@CoLeeSensei)
SchoolTube: Voici un petit sapin (French)(@AudreyMisiano)
SchoolTube: Cancion de la rutina diaria (Spanish)(@AudreyMisiano)
Annenberg Japanese Listening Activities Video (Japanese)(@tmsau1)
Nulu online language learning software. (Spanish)(@sraoconnor)
Approaching a Listening Text – University of Texas: Foreign Language Teaching Methods (All Languages)(@Catherineku1972)
El Internado, Spanish television series. (Spanish)(@sraoconnor)
BBC Mundo Freak, free authentic Spanish listening resources. (Spanish)(@tiesamgraf)
@SECottrell’s Delicious audio tag. (Spanish)(@SECottrell)
Comptines French videos for elementary students. (French)(@dr_dmd)
News in Slow Spanish. (Spanish)(@mundaysa)
Proficiency Speaking Exercise Videos – University of Texas at Austin. (Spanish)(@cadamsf1)
Commentary on the textbook and movie Sol y Viento at The Spanish Dilletante (Spanish)(@Tecabrasileira)
Les Courts Metrages French videos. (French)(@MmeNero)
RTVE.es Spanish news online magazine. (Spanish)(@cforchini)
Radio France Internationale. (French)(@dr_dmd)
Spotify music service. (All Languages) (@micwalker)
@zachary_jones CLOZELINE audio activities. (@darcypippins)
Wordle. (All Languages)(@cforchini)
Ca bouge au Canada online television station. (French)(@MmeNero)
News in Slow French. (French)(@darcypippins)
ACTFL 2012 Proficiency Guidelines. (All Languages)(@tmsaue1)
Language and Culture Francaises online magazine. (French)(@msfrenchteach)
¿Quién fue Ana Frank? – Free authentic Spanish resources (Spanish)(@plazasantillana)

Authentic Listening Classroom Activity Ideas

@soccermom2013 Invite a Salvadoran refugee to talk about civil war experiences that pushed him to immigrate.

@cadamsf1 Invite Andean musicians to teach musical instruments, history, dance and culture of Peru.

@esantacruz13 Students should always create a question about what they are learning. And have classmates answer it.

@Tecabrasileira Try to use songs the Hispanics are into by either asking them what is popular or from reviewing the Latin Grammys.

@GlastonburyFL Have the high school students come teach the elementary students.

@srapontarelli Every year in our school we have International Idol. Students listen to songs all year and choose one and perform a skit.

@nosilaN
Have students listen to a video before watching so that they focus on listening. That way, when video is on, they will focus more on watching and critiquing.

@alenord If a video clip, watch without sound the first time. This helps students focus on visuals.

@alenord Students listen to audio then write follow up questions that they would ask for more info.

@MaestraVance If students feel overwhelmed by listening have them draw pictures as they hear words or phrases. It gives them a visual.

@Traciepod I do vocab for an intro, comp questions during, personal application questions afterwards.

@viajando_kj Once I took the English standards and built my questions around them. (What is this about/purpose? For whom? What else do you understand?)

@SECottrell
Once you leave your low-level thinking (cloze, vocab) ask students to use audio in an argument or opinion. When students can reference authentic resources to defend an opinion or argument, you’ve got real comprehension/assessment there!

@mcastroholland Use Spanish language commercials for short, high-interest video.

@msfrenchteach Make sure students do all the work with the recording, like with graphic organizers.

@Traciepod News is good because they hopefully have a background in it already.

Catherineku1972 #langchat 2/2 The teacher prepared an exercise at appropriate level using cognates, etc. Exposure to media+lang development.

@alenord Use Realplayer to download audio or video. Save onto your iPod. Connect to speakers directly.

@PreKlanguages Have older students do a puppet show for younger ones. It’s an incredible exercise for both, as it requires them to listen very carefully and interpret different accents.

@cforchini Simon says in the target language.

@srapontarelli I like to do some sort of summarizing and reflective piece with audio as well as objective questions.

@sonrisadelcampo Have students listen to a podcast with a list of specific information to listen for.

@ouiouicestlavie
An audio or visual experience should usually be combined with reading and writing. For example, students search for a house in Morocco online then choose a house. They could watch a video on interior design tips, then write a letter to an interior designer incorporating information from the clip.

@profesorM Students perform skits, while the rest of the class listens and fills in a graphic organizer.

@profesorM I play authentic songs, then have students do a CLOZE or rearrange the lyrics as they listen.

@CristinaZimmer4 My classroom always follows the same three steps: predict words, listen for those words, listen again for new words, discuss as group.
dr_dmd Have students draw what they understand.

@muchachitaMJ
Pre-listening activity: let students read the title of a video and the associated user comments underneath. Then have them predict the mood and main idea.
@SECottrell At very low levels, ask lots of yes/no questions with options.

@dr_dmd Graphic org idea: Create a time line – write an event on the line, listen again, add in more information each time students listen to audio again.
@tiesamgraf T charts are great for compare/contrast.

@ouiouicestlavie Connect themes of audio and students’ personal experience in pre-discussion using the target language. For example, when you use a video on sports, ask what characterizes that kind of clip?

@dr_dmd I like to suggest a 3 part graphic: A list of topics in one column, new words in another, questions in the last.

@dr_dmd Use graphic organizers during comprehensive input stage, then use similar ones for listening activities.

@profesorM My students make vokis and vocaroos for homework. Even though they’re not authentic, they make good listening components. #langchat

@ouiouicestlavie Having students put events in order as they listen or draw the ideas is a great way for them to quickly show comp rather than take notes.

@PreKlanguages I give parents activities to do at home with recorded conversations, from setting the table to taking a bath.

@MmeReichhoff Try watching a video without sound first and answer the questions ou/qui/quand/i etc..Then listen without video and answer questions. Compare!

@crwmsteach Organize movie viewing as listening and vocabulary review. For example, Chocolat after food or shopping, Les Choristes after music.

@CoLeeSensei I also have them tell me what the song is about by feel of the music – non-verbal listening is key, too.

@karacjacobs
Another great task- if using commercials as CLOZE listening activity, have students read the lines first, then again after completed act.

@CoLeeSensei
Students have an “I heard” checklist as they watch a drama episode. Try to make it only 4 or 5 per viewing to keep the ears ready to hear.

@Tecabrasileira Play audio sources several time and have students focus on different specific goals.

@SenorG Show concert poster while playing audio of a radio ad for the same show. Seeing and hearing produce authentic input.

@nosilaN When listening to songs, I show the video after we listened 2 or 3 times. It helps them comprehend a little more before needing English.

@CoLeeSensei We have a “song of the week.” It is always playing at the start and end of class in addition to their “working in the language” class time.

@CoLeeSensei Authentic audio also includes student-produced. Have students listen to what others in class, (for example, during a presentation) and check off what they heard.

@alenord I just have my students listen and take notes in English. Then we verify what they hear. They can listen as many times as they want to.

@GlastonburyFL I pre-teach key words. Then, every time students hear a key word they give a “silent applause.”

@CoLeeSensei Have students generate the words they think that they will hear!

@darcypippins Pull out difficult vocab from listening and circling it or PQA it. Get the reps before students listen. Visuals help too.

@dr_dmd For our novices and elem students, give a handout with pictures of many words in the resource. Then have them check off the ones they hear.

@tiesamgraf I have used Wordle and other Wordsplash ideas to prompt conversations and pre-listening tasks to get students engaged in the content/context.

@Tecabrasileira I play popular authentic Spanish listening resources while students enter the room.

@crwmsteach Preview the title like you would if reading literature. Have students pick out key words then the main concepts. Challenge advanced students with more detailed questions.