Cover lesson · RE · Year 7 · Beginner

Why be kind? Listening for key points in three talks

LNF: Literacy → Listening → Listening to understand

Name: Class: Date:

Cover teacher: you need no subject knowledge

Print: this sheet, one per pupil. Print the stimulus sheet “Why be kind? Three talks to read aloud” once for you to read from, plus one copy between two pupils for Step 6 only. No computers are needed.

Run: 4 min Step 1, listening tips · 18 min Step 2: for each talk, read it aloud once while pupils just listen, then read it again while they make notes, then give 1 minute to finish (about 6 minutes per talk) · 6 min Step 3, one-sentence summaries · 8 min Step 4, comparing the talks · 10 min Step 5, my view, alone · 4 min Step 6, hand out the script so pairs can check their notes. Total 50 minutes.

Collect: this sheet. The notes grid in Step 2 is the main evidence of listening. It is literacy practice: listening to understand, noting main points, summarising and comparing different perspectives. It prepares pupils for GCSE Religious Studies, where they explain and compare religious and non-religious views. Pupils are not asked about their own religious beliefs.

What you are doing

You will hear three short talks about kindness: a Christian parable, a Sikh story and a humanist speaker. You will not see the words until the end, so you must listen carefully, make quick notes, and then use your notes to summarise and compare the three views.

Step 1: listening tips

Before you listen: write one reason you think a person might give for being kind to a stranger.

Step 2: notes while you listen

Talk 1Talk 2Talk 3
Religion or belief
Who is helped, and by whom?
Key words I heard
Why be kind? (the reason given)
One detail I remember

Step 3: sum up each talk

Write the main point of each talk in one sentence of no more than 20 words.

Talk 1:

Talk 2:

Talk 3:

Step 4: compare the talks

(a) What do all three talks agree about?

(b) How are their reasons for being kind different? Complete the sentences.

(c) In Talks 1 and 2 someone helps an enemy. Why do you think both stories include an enemy?

Step 5: my view, on your own

Answer in about 80 words: “We should be just as kind to strangers as we are to our friends.” Do you agree? Use ideas from at least two of the talks, and say which talk you found most convincing and why.

Step 6: check your notes

With a partner, read the script. Tick the notes you got right. Add one important point you missed:

Step by step

  1. 4 min Step 1: read the listening tips.
  2. 18 min Step 2: listen to three talks and make notes.
  3. 6 min Step 3: sum up each talk.
  4. 8 min Step 4: compare the talks.
  5. 10 min Step 5: your view, on your own.
  6. 4 min Step 6: check your notes with the script.

Success criteria

If you finish early