A Good Listener Is a Good Speaker: Three Multisensory Activities

Before pupils can speak well they have to listen well, and listening is a habit that has to be built. The article opens with short routines that settle a class for listening - a chant with gestures for younger pupils, a body-percussion rhythm for older ones.

It then describes three activities: a memory chain in which each speaker repeats what the last one said and adds their own; a game built around hidden objects that make sounds; and a number game. Each comes with variations for different ages and levels, including a version of the chain for large classes.

1. Build a listening routine that tells the class it is time to focus - the same chant or rhythm every time.
2. The chain game: each pupil repeats the previous sentence and adds a new one. In a large class, play in groups and have one member report the chain to the class.
3. The vocabulary chain: every pupil gets a cue card - "When you hear ..., you say ..." - so even shy pupils have one clear turn.
4. The secret-object game: pupils listen to hidden objects that make sounds, ask questions about them and draw what they think they are.

Listening gets the least time in most Sri Lankan classrooms and carries marks in every examination paper. These activities give it a place without recordings or a speaker: the listening material is the class itself, and a few everyday objects that make a sound.

The vocabulary chain is especially useful with the shy pupil who never volunteers: the card tells them exactly when to speak and exactly what to say.