Planet Earth 2 (listening comprehension bundle)

*** answer keys included

This bundle includes six listening comprehensions, one for each of the six episodes of the BBC series Planet Earth II. A writing journal, which consists of a descriptive writing task with its own evaluation grid, is included for each episode. These writing journals can be completed at school or as homework.

The formatting and answer key will make your life easier. Simply print and make copies.

I thoroughly enjoyed using this series in class as well as the writing journal because it provided the students with an opportunity to learn about their planet in all its glory. This bundle ends up being more than simple language learning as it also touches on geography, biology, ecology, … They will not remember everything presented during each episode, but I do believe that my students went to bed smarter on the days we watched an episode!!

The difficulty level of each listening comprehension progresses as the series advances. It is therefore perfect to assess the progression of a student's learning.

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Notes from my past experiences and my applied linguistics studies if this evaluation is intended for ESL/EFL learners:

* Linguistics and language acquisition studies show that active listening, such as completing a listening comprehension evaluation, benefits ESL learners much more than passive listening. It gives their listening a purpose and focuses students on trying to figure out the words and meaning.

* According to language learning studies, the use of authentic material (meant for first language) provides more benefits than adapted material.

* If possible, do not use subtitles when presenting a TV show or movie. My experience has shown me that students focus too much on reading the subtitles instead of trying to listen for understanding. Students may feel overwhelmed the first time but they will gain in confidence over time.

* If there is a possibility, try to have each student watch and answer the listening comprehension individually. Provide them with a time frame as to when they must have completed the evaluation and returned it to the teacher. This way you are certain to evaluate their listening skills and not their abilities to listen and write all at once. It also helps students with learning difficulties.