Listening Detectives Script

Introduction & Warm-up: Quick Check-in (5 minutes)

Teacher: "Welcome back, super listeners! Last time, we talked all about active listening and practiced showing our 'Active Ears.' Who can remind us of some of those key active listening behaviors? What did we practice?"

Teacher: "Excellent! We talked about eye contact, engaged body language, and asking clarifying questions. Has anyone tried using their 'Active Ears' outside of class since then? Maybe with a family member, a friend, or even when listening to a story? What happened?"

Introduce Listening Detectives (5 minutes)

Teacher: (Transition to Detective Slides - Slide 1: Listening Detectives: Solving Communication Mysteries!) "Fantastic! Today, we're going to take our active listening skills to the next level. We're going to become 'Listening Detectives!' Just like a detective carefully searches for clues to solve a mystery, we're going to use our active listening to discover and understand different points of view in communication."

(Advance to Detective Slides - Slide 2: Recall Your Active Ears!)

Teacher: "A good detective remembers their training! Briefly, what were those three active listening behaviors we focused on? (Pause for student responses: Eye contact, engaged body language, asking clarifying questions). Right! We'll be using all of those today to uncover some communication mysteries."

(Advance to Detective Slides - Slide 3: Being a Listening Detective)

Teacher: "When a detective hears a story, they don't just take one person's word for it. They listen to everyone involved to get the full picture. Our mission today is to listen carefully to understand different perspectives – how different people might see the same situation or problem. Why do you think understanding different perspectives is so important?"

Solve a Communication Mystery (15 minutes)

Teacher: (Advance to Detective Slides - Slide 4: Your Mission: Solve the Mystery!) "Alright, Listening Detectives, it's time for your mission! I'm going to divide you into small groups, and each group will receive a Mystery Scenario Card."

Divide students into groups and distribute Mystery Scenario Cards.

Teacher: "Your task is to:

1. Read your scenario aloud within your group.
2. Discuss the different people involved and what their perspective might be. How might each person feel? What might they be thinking?
3. Think about how active listening could help in this situation. How could the characters use eye contact, engaged body language, or clarifying questions to understand each other better?
4. You can even try briefly role-playing parts of the scenario, really focusing on showing active listening!
5. Finally, as a group, come up with a summary of the different perspectives and a proposed solution that shows you've truly understood everyone's side.

You'll have about 15 minutes for this. I'll be circulating to help out our detective teams. Any questions before you begin?"

(Circulate and support groups, prompting them to consider deeper understanding through active listening.)

Share & Reflect (5 minutes)

Teacher: (After 15 minutes, bring the class back together. Advance to Detective Slides - Slide 5: Sharing Our Discoveries) "Alright, detective teams, time to share your findings! Let's hear about your communication mysteries."

(Invite each group to briefly share their scenario, the different perspectives they identified, and their active listening-based solution.)

Teacher: (After all groups have shared, advance to Detective Slides - Slide 6: Reflect and Grow) "Excellent work, everyone! You truly applied your active listening skills to understand complex situations. Let's think about this:

• "What did you find challenging about trying to understand multiple perspectives in your scenarios?"
• "How did using active listening help you uncover those different viewpoints?"
• "Why is it so important in real life to try and understand everyone's side when there's a disagreement or misunderstanding?"

Teacher: "Remember, being a good listener means working to understand others, especially when they see things differently. Keep practicing your 'Listening Detective' skills to build stronger relationships and solve problems! Great job today, everyone!"

Mystery Scenario Cards

Instructions for your Group: Read each scenario carefully. Discuss the different people involved and what their perspective might be. How might each person feel? What might they be thinking? Use your active listening skills to understand each viewpoint. Then, work together to summarize the different perspectives and propose a solution that shows you've truly understood everyone's side.

Scenario 1: The Recess Race

Sarah and Alex both want to use the basketball court during recess. Sarah wants to play a game of 'Around the World' with her friends. Alex wants to organize a 3-on-3 game with his team for practice. They both believe they have the right to the court because they got there first, but at slightly different times, and they're starting to argue loudly.

• Sarah's Perspective:
  
  
  
• Alex's Perspective:
  
  
  
• How Active Listening Helps:
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Proposed Solution:
  
  
  
  
  
  

Scenario 2: The Borrowed Book

Maria lent her favorite fantasy book to Liam. When Liam returned it, there was a small tear on the cover and a few pages were dog-eared. Maria is upset because the book was special to her and she feels Liam wasn't careful. Liam says he was super careful with it and doesn't know how it happened, and that it's "just a book," which makes Maria even more upset.

• Maria's Perspective:
  
  
  
• Liam's Perspective:
  
  
  
• How Active Listening Helps:
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Proposed Solution:
  
  
  
  
  
  

Scenario 3: The Group Project Idea

During a group project, two students, Chloe and Ben, have very different ideas about how to present their findings. Chloe wants to create a detailed poster with lots of drawings, while Ben wants to make a short, dynamic video. They both think their idea is the best and are struggling to agree, leading to tension in the group.

• Chloe's Perspective:
  
  
  
• Ben's Perspective:
  
  
  
• How Active Listening Helps:
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Proposed Solution:
  
  
  
  
  
  

Active Ears Challenge Script

Introduction & Warm-up: Listening Bingo (5 minutes)

Teacher: "Good morning/afternoon everyone! Today, we're going to talk about something super important for how we connect with others and learn new things: active listening! Has anyone heard that term before? What do you think it means?"

Teacher: "That's right! It's not just hearing words, it's really understanding and showing you care. To kick us off, we're going to play a quick game called Listening Bingo!"

Distribute Listening Bingo boards to each student.

Teacher: "Here's how it works: I want you to walk around the room and find classmates who can check off a box on your bingo card. For example, if a box says, 'Someone who makes eye contact when you speak,' you'll talk to a classmate, observe if they do that, and if so, they can sign that box. Ask them a simple question to get them talking, like 'What's your favorite animal?' or 'What did you do last weekend?' We'll do this for about 3-4 minutes. Ready? Go!"

(After 3-4 minutes, bring the class back together.)

Teacher: "Alright, bring it back! What did you notice during that activity? Was it easy or hard to find people who showed they were listening?"

Model Active Listening Behaviors (10 minutes)

Teacher: (Transition to Listen Up Slides - Slide 2: What is Active Listening?) "Great observations! Now, let's really dive into what active listening looks like and sounds like. When you actively listen, you're sending clear signals to the person speaking that you're interested and that you understand them. It makes them feel valued!"

(Advance to Listen Up Slides - Slide 3: Eye Contact)

Teacher: "Our first active listening behavior is Eye Contact. When someone is talking, it's important to look at them. This shows you're focused and respectful. Now, I don't mean staring intensely! Just a natural, comfortable gaze. Can someone ask me a simple question, and I'll show you what good eye contact looks like... and maybe what not-so-good eye contact looks like?"

(Have a student ask a question. Teacher models good eye contact first, then perhaps looking around the room, down at the floor, etc. for bad examples.)

Teacher: "See the difference? How did it feel when I wasn't looking at you? How did it feel when I was?"

(Advance to Listen Up Slides - Slide 4: Body Language)

Teacher: "Next up is Body Language, or showing engagement. This means things like nodding your head when you understand, having an interested facial expression, or maybe even leaning in a little. These are non-verbal cues that say, 'I'm with you!' Let's try it again. Someone ask me another question, and I'll show you what engaged body language looks like."

(Have a student ask a question. Teacher models good body language, then perhaps slumping, looking bored, etc. for bad examples.)

Teacher: "What did you notice about my body when I was really listening? How did that make you feel?"

(Advance to Listen Up Slides - Slide 5: Ask Questions)

Teacher: "Finally, Asking Clarifying Questions. This is a powerful one! When you ask questions like, 'Can you tell me more about that?' or 'What did you mean when you said...?', it shows you're not just hearing, but you're trying to deeply understand. It also helps the speaker know you're engaged. Any brave volunteers want to ask me a question, and I'll show you how to ask a follow-up clarifying question?"

(Have a student ask a question, then teacher models asking a clarifying question.)

Teacher: "Why do you think asking questions is so helpful in listening?"

(Advance to Listen Up Slides - Slide 6: Why Does Active Listening Matter?)

Teacher: "So, why is all this important? Active listening helps us make stronger friendships, understand our lessons better in class, solve problems more easily, and most importantly, it shows respect to everyone we interact with."

Peer Interviews with Checklist (10 minutes)

Teacher: (Advance to Listen Up Slides - Slide 7: Your Turn! Peer Interviews) "Now it's your turn to practice! You'll work with a partner to conduct a short interview, and your goal is to show off your amazing active listening skills. Each pair will get a Listening Checklist."

Distribute the Listening Checklist to each student. Explain its purpose.

Teacher: "One partner will be the interviewer and the other the interviewee. The interviewer will ask questions (like 'What's your favorite thing to do on a rainy day?' or 'If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?') and the interviewee will practice active listening behaviors. The interviewer will use the Listening Checklist to observe and give helpful feedback to their partner.

After about 5 minutes, I'll say 'SWITCH,' and you'll trade roles. Remember to use your eye contact, body language, and ask clarifying questions! Any questions before we start?"

(Pair students up. Circulate and provide support and gentle reminders. After 5 minutes, instruct students to switch roles. After another 5 minutes, bring the class back.)

Reflection and Wrap-up (5 minutes)

Teacher: (Advance to Listen Up Slides - Slide 8: Reflect and Grow) "Alright, amazing job practicing your active ears! Let's reflect for a moment. Looking at your Listening Checklist and thinking about your experience:

• "What was challenging about trying to actively listen?"
• "What parts felt easy or natural for you?"
• "How did it feel when your partner was really, truly listening to you?"

Teacher: "Remember, active listening is a skill, and like any skill, it gets better with practice! The more you use your active ears in conversations with your friends, family, and even here in class, the better communicator you'll become. Keep practicing these valuable skills! You all have amazing active ears!"

Listening Bingo!

Instructions: Walk around the room and talk to your classmates. Ask them a question (e.g., "What's your favorite food?" or "What did you do this past weekend?"). Observe their listening behaviors during your conversation. If a classmate demonstrates a behavior listed on your bingo card, they can sign that square! Try to get a BINGO (five in a row, column, or diagonally)!

Listening Checklist: Peer Interview

Student Name (Interviewee): _________________________
Observer Name (Interviewer): _________________________

Instructions for Observer: As your partner is actively listening during the interview, use this checklist to observe their behaviors. Place a checkmark next to each behavior you notice. At the end, provide constructive feedback based on your observations.

Active Listening Behaviors Observed

1. Eye Contact

• Consistently Makes Eye Contact: My partner consistently looked at me when I was speaking, showing they were focused and engaged.
• Sometimes Makes Eye Contact: My partner made eye contact sometimes, but also looked away frequently.
• Rarely Makes Eye Contact: My partner rarely looked at me when I was speaking.

2. Body Language (Nodding & Engagement)

• Engaged Body Language: My partner nodded, leaned in slightly, or had a thoughtful expression, showing they were interested and following along.
• Neutral Body Language: My partner's body language was mostly neutral, not showing strong signs of engagement or disengagement.
• Disengaged Body Language: My partner appeared distracted, fidgeted, or showed little non-verbal signs of interest.

3. Asking Clarifying Questions

• Asks Thoughtful Questions: My partner asked clarifying questions (e.g., "Can you tell me more?" or "What did you mean by...?") that showed they wanted to understand deeply.
• Asks Few Questions: My partner asked one or two clarifying questions, but could have asked more to show deeper understanding.
• Does Not Ask Questions: My partner did not ask any clarifying questions.

Feedback for Your Partner

Two things your partner did well with active listening:

One suggestion for how your partner could improve their active listening: