How to Make a Two-Voice Listening Activity for Young English Learners

It’s lunchtime. Mia can’t find her lunchbox, and Ben thinks he’s spotted it on the table. He’s found the wrong one. In this short listening lesson, children follow the two friends’ conversation to find out which lunchbox is Mia’s and where it turns up.

Allow about ten minutes for the listening activity. It suits beginners who know a few colors and are learning to use on and under. You’ll need a chair, a pencil, and something blue and something yellow to point to. If you have more time, let pairs act out a new ending.

Before you play the dialogue

Put the pencil on the chair and say, “It’s on the chair.” Move it underneath and say, “Now it’s under the chair.” Give the pencil to a child and call out one of the two places. Let the child move it, then invite the class to say where it is.

Draw a lunchbox on the board. A rectangle with a handle will do. Leave it uncolored for now. Tell the children, “This is Mia’s lunchbox. You’ll hear two colors. Listen for Mia’s color.” Keep the script on your own copy until the children have heard the conversation twice.

Prepare the two voices

You can read Mia’s lines and ask a colleague to read Ben’s. If you’re making the recording on your own, you can use FlowSpeech’s text to speech tool to give Mia and Ben different voices. Play it back once and check that “under your chair” is easy to hear before Mia starts her next line.

Mia and Ben’s dialogue

Mia: Ben, where’s my lunchbox?
Ben: Is it the blue one on the table?
Mia: No, mine’s yellow.
Ben: Look under your chair. Is that yours?
Mia: Oh, there it is! Thanks, Ben.

Two listening questions

1. What color is Mia’s lunchbox, blue or yellow?
2. Where does Mia find it, on the table or under her chair?

Ask the first question and play the whole conversation. Give each child a moment to choose a color before anyone calls out. Children can say the word or point to something blue or yellow. If some choose blue, replay the first three lines and stop after “mine’s yellow.” They heard the color Ben mentioned. Now give them a chance to hear Mia’s reply and change their answer. Invite a volunteer to color the lunchbox on the board.

Ask the second question and play the dialogue again. This time, give the class an instruction before you press play. “Pretend your pencil is Mia’s lunchbox. When the voices stop, put it where Mia found hers.” Wait until the children have placed their pencils before you show them where yours goes.

Answer key

1. Yellow.
2. Under her chair.

Give the lunchbox a new hiding place

Hand out the dialogue and let pairs read it once. Then have them swap roles. The child playing Ben gets to choose where Mia finds her lunchbox. If a pair needs an idea, write behind the door and next to the window on the board. They can try one of those places or choose their own.

Invite one pair to perform their version. Ask them to keep the new hiding place a surprise and say their lines without pointing. The rest of the class listens and draws Mia’s lunchbox where Ben tells her to look. When the pair finishes, ask the children to hold up their drawings.