Following and Giving Instructions


ELAR-Grade-4 Foundational Skills Following and Giving Instructions
Students listen actively to oral instructions and ask clarifying questions as needed. Then they practice their listening skills by following instructions, as well as restating instructions to show comprehension. Finally, they practice giving clear instructions.

This learning experience is designed for device-enabled classrooms. The teacher guides the lesson, and students use embedded resources, social media skills, and critical thinking skills to actively participate. To get access to a free version of the complete lesson, sign up for an exploros account.

1:1 Devices
Teacher Pack

The Pack contains associated resources for the learning experience, typically in the form of articles and videos. There is a teacher Pack (with only teacher information) and a student Pack (which contains only student information). As a teacher, you can toggle between both to see everything.

Here are the teacher pack items for Following and Giving Instructions:

Preview - Scene 1
Exploros Learnign Experience Scene Navigation


Engage


Overview

In this experience, students listen actively to oral instructions and ask clarifying questions as needed. They practice their listening skills by following instructions, as well as restating instructions to show comprehension. Finally, they practice giving clear instructions.

Students will work in pairs in Scene 4, but each student will post individual work.

You should conduct the Scene 1 activity before students open the experience on their devices.

Much of the oral language used throughout this experience is routine classroom vocabulary. Ensure that ELL students are able to follow the various instructions, and tell them to ask for clarification as necessary.

Objectives

  • Listen actively and ask questions as needed.
  • Restate and follow oral instructions.
  • Give clear oral instructions.

Duration

One class period.


girls whispering

Lead a modified version of the classic game Telephone, where the quality of the message deteriorates as it is passed from person to person. You can group the students as you wish, or use the row approach described here:

Tell the students in the front row that you’re going to give them a set of instructions. Then they will share the instructions with their classmates.

Gather the front-row students and quietly tell them the following so their classmates cannot hear:

I’m going to give you a list of things for the class to do. I need you to listen carefully so you can pass along the instructions to your classmates. I’m only going to say it once, and you cannot ask questions.

First, take out a pencil and paper.

Second, draw a circle on the paper.

Third, fold the circle in half so that the circle is on the outside of the page.

Fourth, hand the paper to the person behind you. If you don’t have someone behind you, bring the paper to the teacher.

Ask the group to give the instructions they have just heard to the students behind them, who in turn pass the instructions in their entirety to the row behind them. Continue until all students have heard the instructions. Students do not need to follow the instructions.

Then tell the class:

Open the lesson on your devices. List the first item on the list of instructions you received. Don’t discuss it, don’t ask any questions, just post what you remember hearing as the first instruction. If you don’t remember, write “not sure.”


Objectives

  • Listen actively and ask questions as needed.
  • Restate and follow oral instructions.
  • Give clear oral instructions.


What was the first item in the instructions you heard?



The correct answer is take out a pencil and paper. If possible, note whether the first group of students to hear the instructions were most likely to communicate them accurately.

Now ask the students to write the last item on the list. Tell them: If you don’t remember, write “not sure.”


What was the last item in the instructions you heard?



The correct answer is “Hand the paper to the person behind you. If you don’t have someone behind you, bring the paper to the teacher.” Lead a discussion about how the information may have became garbled or misunderstood.


When everyone is ready to continue, unlock the next scene.

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The Complete List of Learning Experiences in Foundational Skills Unit.
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