Listen and Draw, a fun listening comprehension activity

In 2013, I wrote a post about drawing to keep students engaged in listening. While I am further along in my journey with how I provide comprehensible input to my students, my students and I still enjoy a good “blind drawing” session once in a while and I have the perfect one to share with you!

Quick overview of process:

  1. Teacher describes an image — teacher walks around
  2. Students listen and draw the image (interpretive listening)
  3. Teacher projects the description
  4. Students read and update their image if needed (interpretive reading) — teacher walks around
  5. Teacher reveals the image
  6. Students go oooh and aaaah and I was right! (quick brain break)
  7. Repeat with the next image

Here is a Listen and Draw activity for Halloween. The first few images could be “warm-ups” with very short descriptions, the last three images are full scenes. Feel free to choose the scenes you like best and adapt to your students!

8 responses to “Listen and Draw, a fun listening comprehension activity”

  1. Lauren Tauchman Avatar

    Thank you so much, Cecile! I am always inspired by your posts.

  2. […] have done drawing listening activities with my students before, but I really like Cecile’s version including the reading as […]

  3. Nora Havelaar Avatar
    Nora Havelaar

    J’ai fait cette activité aujourd’hui avec mes élèves de dixième année et c’était un grand succès! Quelques uns se sont plaints que c’était trop difficile mais quand ils ont pu regarder le texte la plupart d’entre eux était capable de dessiner quelque chose. Merci beaucoup!

    1. Cecile Laine Avatar

      Merci, c’est toujours difficile de savoir exactement ce que les élèves peuvent comprendre. Parfois on “Shoot too high”. Ça m’arrive souvent aussi 🙂

  4. Kristy Parsons-McClain Avatar
    Kristy Parsons-McClain

    Merci, Cécile! Mes élèves de 7th-8th grade ont vraiment aimé cette activité! C’est une très bonne idée.

    1. Cecile Laine Avatar

      De rien! Glad they liked it.

  5. […] Skeleton Listen and Draw […]

  6. […] Listen and Draw. Describe something and students draw it. […]

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