Our listening walk
A calm lesson that trains careful listening. Children walk together, stop, close their eyes and say what they hear. Back in the classroom they tick a sound map and draw their favourite sound.
At a glance
- From
- Level 0, Little Steps English: Week 21, Outdoors
- Grammar
- Let's go outside. Up the slide.
- Key language
- I hear... / a bird, a car, the wind, a voice, a door / loud, quiet / Listen.
- Children make
- A spoken "I hear a bird" and a ticked sound map.
- Class size
- Works with 10 to 50 children; pair and group steps say how to scale.
Objective
By the end of the lesson children can listen for and name at least four everyday sounds and say whether each is loud or quiet.
Success criteria for children
- I can listen carefully.
- I can say "I hear a bird."
- I can say if a sound is loud or quiet.
Timing: 30 minutes
| Minutes | Stage | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 5 | Quiet ears | Practise listening in the room: close eyes and name one sound. |
| 5 to 8 | Rules for the walk | Agree three simple rules: walk, stop when the bell rings, listen. |
| 8 to 18 | The listening walk | Walk in a line, stop four times and name the sounds heard at each stop. |
| 18 to 24 | Back in class: our sound map | Make a class list of sounds heard and sort them by loud and quiet. |
| 24 to 28 | Worksheet: tick the sounds | Tick each sound heard and draw your favourite. |
| 28 to 30 | Quiet goodbye | Leave in a whisper, with one hand on the head. |
Materials
- A quiet outdoor space, or a corridor if the weather is bad
- A small bell or a pair of sticks for the quiet signal
- Two pictures: a loud thing and a quiet thing
- One worksheet per child, a pencil and crayons
- Playground flashcards (free, linked from Week 21)
- Song: Let's go outside (free, linked from Week 21)
- Song: Playing in the playground (free, linked from Week 21)
Before the lesson: Walk the route first and note six sounds you are likely to hear. Check the route is safe and each child has an adult nearby. Follow your school's trip and supervision rules.
Step by step, with teacher talk
0 to 5 minQuiet ears
- Say "Listen." Children close their eyes for ten seconds. Ask "What can you hear?" and accept single words or a point.
- Show the two pictures: loud and quiet. Say a sound ("clap") and children choose loud or quiet.
"Close your eyes. Quiet ears. What do you hear? A voice. A door. Well listened."
- Is a clap loud or quiet? (Loud.) Is a whisper loud or quiet? (Quiet.)
5 to 8 minRules for the walk
- Say the rules and mime them: "Walk. Stop. Listen." Children copy the mimes.
- Practise stopping once in the room when you ring the bell.
8 to 18 minThe listening walk
- Walk slowly in a line with adults at the front and back. Ring the bell to stop at four places.
- At each stop say "Listen." After ten seconds ask "What do you hear?" and repeat the answers in a full sentence: "I hear a bird."
- Ask "Is it loud or quiet?" at each stop and let children show with their hands (big or small).
"Stop. Listen. What do you hear? A bird! I hear a bird. Is it loud? No, it's quiet."
- Can you see it or hear it? (Hear it.) Is it loud or quiet? (Child's answer.)
18 to 24 minBack in class: our sound map
- On the board draw two columns: loud and quiet. Children say a sound they heard and you draw a quick picture in the right column.
- Clap the syllables of each sound word with the class: "air-plane", "bird".
24 to 28 minWorksheet: tick the sounds
- Read each line aloud. Children tick the sounds they heard on the walk.
- Then they draw their favourite sound in the box.
28 to 30 minQuiet goodbye
- Say "Whisper goodbye." Children whisper "Goodbye" as they leave quietly.
Differentiation
Support
- Accept one-word answers and pointing. The aim is careful listening, not sentences.
- Take a smaller group on the walk with a clear route and one adult per six children.
- Use picture cards of likely sounds so the child can choose.
Stretch
- Ask "How many sounds can you hear?" and count on fingers.
- Ask "Where is the sound?" and use left, right, up, behind.
- Children write the first letter of the sound word under their drawing.
Listening script
Read it slowly in a quiet voice. Children shut their eyes and listen to the script as if they were on the walk.
Stop. Listen. Quiet ears.
I hear a bird. Tweet, tweet. It is quiet.
I hear a car. Brrm. It is loud.
I hear the wind. Shh, shh. It is quiet.
I hear a voice. Hello! Who is it? It is my friend.
Walk. Stop. Listen. What can you hear?
Questions
- What do we say before we listen?
- Which sound is loud in the script?
- Which sounds are quiet?
- Who says hello?
Printable worksheet
Prints on its own A4 page. Use Print the worksheet above, or print the whole plan and the worksheet starts on a new page. One copy per child, or one per pair to save paper.
My sound map
A grown-up reads each line. Tick the boxes for sounds you heard on the walk.
1. I heard...
| Yes | |
|---|---|
| 1. a bird | |
| 2. a car | |
| 3. the wind | |
| 4. a voice | |
| 5. a door | |
| 6. an aeroplane |
2. Draw your favourite sound.
3. Was it loud or quiet? Circle one.
LOUD QUIET
Answer key
Listening script questions
- Stop. Listen. (Quiet ears.)
- The car.
- The bird and the wind.
- A friend (a voice).
Worksheet
- 1: answers vary because the sounds differ from walk to walk. A tick means the child says they heard it.
- 2: any drawing connected to a sound they heard. Ask "What is the sound?"
- 3: either answer is correct, as long as it matches their drawing. Ask "Why?"
Exit ticket
At the door ask "What did you hear?" Each child says one sound. Tick: said a sound word, pointed, not yet.
Homework
Close your eyes at home for a minute with a grown-up and name three sounds. Tell them "I hear..." in English.
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- Level 0, Week 21: Outdoors (the curriculum week this plan comes from)
- All reading texts, dialogues, scripts, worksheets and answer keys on this page are original to Litlings and free to copy for classroom use.