ESL Listening

ESL Listening – UFO Sightings

by eslwriter on June 6, 2011

Do you believe in UFOs?

This ESL listening lesson explores the idea of aliens and their travels to Earth.

ESL Listening Lessons

The listening lesson begins with a video from History.com called, UFO Sightings: Kenneth Arnold.

First, download the listening worksheet here: ufo-sightings. Check the vocabulary words and phrases. Then watch and listen to the video.

Listening Comprehension Questions

Comprehension Questions

  1. In the video, what is ‘a sighting’?
  2. Describe Kenneth Arnold.
  3. In what US state does this story take place?
  4. How fast were the objects flying?
  5. What were the approximate dimensions of the flying objects?
  6. Did journalists believe Ken’s story?
  7. What nickname did the newspapers give to the flying objects?
  8. What happened to Ken after spotting the flying objects?
  9. The press called him, The man who started it all.  Started what?
  10. Summarize this story.

ESL Listening – Focus

by eslwriter on May 30, 2011

Here is a listening lesson with a video by Ari Kruger. It’s a story about how relationships between men and women start, become great and then fall apart.

Watch and listen to the video. Then answer the listening comprehension questions to help build your listening and writing skills.

Listening Comprehension

Here are the comprehension questions to improve your English listening skills. Download the lesson worksheet here: esl-listening-skills-questions.

  1. Where did they meet?
  2. What are the four steps that lead to two people falling in love?
  3. What did he notice about the girl?
  4. What happens when the guy wants to talk about the problem?
  5. Why did she leave him?
  6. When she leaves, what 3 things does the man do?
  7. Where do they meet again?
  8. What happens when they meet?
  9. Who is to blame for the breakup?
  10. Why does the title Focus mean?
  11. Why does the video director put some things out of focus?
  12. In the end, the narrator says, “You question your focus.” What does that mean?

ESL Listening – Sea of Trees

by eslwriter on April 27, 2011

This English video lesson is a strange story about a man in Japan. The man finds himself in Jukai, a forest near the base of Mt Fuji.

Listen to the Video

Watch and listen to the ESL video lesson.

Download the Worksheet

You can download the worksheet here: sea-listening-skills. The worksheet has four parts: vocabulary, comprehension questions, fill in the blanks and a speaking/writing section to help students make a summary of this strange story.

Friends Listening Lesson – Birth Mother

by eslwriter on April 18, 2011

This ESL listening lesson uses the Friends TV show called “Birth Mother.”  It’s the one where Chandler and Monica meet the woman who will give them her baby.

Listening Worksheet

This is the listening worksheet for the first part of the show: friends-birth-mother.

Here are the vocabulary and comprehension questions for part two of Friends- the Birth Mother: esl-friends-birth-2.

Here is the third vocabulary and listening comprehension worksheet for Friends Birth Mother episode: esl-listening-skills-worksheet.

ESL Listening – Eiffel Tower

by eslwriter on April 14, 2011

This ESL lesson uses a video from History.com to teach English students about the Eiffel Tower.

Eiffel Tower

Watch and listen to the video about the Eiffel Tower.

Listening Worksheet

Here are the listening questions for the Eiffel Tower video lesson. Read the questions below or download the worksheet: esl-eiffel-tower-worksheet.

Vocabulary

  • Bird’s eye view
  • Triumph
  • Skyscrapers
  • Vulgar
  • Architects
  • Rivets
  • Radio antenna
  • Landmark
  • Masterpiece

Questions

  1. What is the nickname of Paris?
  2. Why was the Eiffel Tower built?
  3. When did it open?
  4. How many people visited the tower when it first opened?
  5. Why was the tower special when it opened?
  6. Did the people of Paris like the tower when it first opened?
  7. How long did it take to build?
  8. How many metal parts are there?
  9. How many rivets are there?
  10. How much does it weigh?
  11. How much did it cost?
  12. What is the tower’s height?
  13. What was scheduled for 1909?
  14. How many annual visitors are there?
  15. How did the tower get its name?

ESL Listening – Machu Picchu

by eslwriter on April 12, 2011

This ESL video from National Geographic presents a short story about the tourist trade in Machu Picchu, a famous site in Peru.

Machu Picchu Video

Watch and listen to the video. Then answer the questions. Read the questions below or download the Machu-Picchu-worksheet.

Listening Questions

Vocabulary

  • ruins
  • misty
  • fog
  • hordes
  • terraces
  • capitalize
  • cramped
  • stalls
  • grandeur

Questions

  1. What is the nickname of this place?
  2. How high up in the Andes Mountains is it?
  3. What is special about this place?
  4. When was it built?
  5. Why is Machu Picchu important to Peru?
  6. Who visits this place?
  7. When was Machu Picchu rediscovered?
  8. What happens now every day?
  9. What do locals sell to tourists?
  10. How do local people capitalize on Machu Picchu’s popularity?
  11. Today, the nickname does not seem like a good name anymore. Why not?

ESL Listening – Columbus

April 7, 2011

This video from National Geographic is about the explorer Christopher Columbus. The questions for this ESL video lesson help to build listening skills by asking students to pay close attention to small words. These words are mostly numbers and dates. ESL Video Lesson Listen to and watch the video from [...]

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ESL Listening Lesson – Shark Attack

April 3, 2011

Sharks might be one of the scariest animals on the planet. They are also one of the most interesting animals. This ESL listening lesson uses a video from National Geographic to learn about sharks. The short video is a great classroom resource to teach students how to listen for numbers [...]

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