SECOND STEP E-Newsletter
November 2011
Listen and Learn
by Cheri J. Meiners. Illustrated by Meredith Johnson
Reading Level: Preschool–Kindergarten
What a delightfully straightforward, easy-to-understand children’s book about that most basic of social and emotional skills: listening! In Listen and Learn, the message is uncluttered by peripheral plots and issues. Readers first learn why it’s important to listen: “listening helps me learn”; then how to listen: “I use my body, my eyes, and my ears.” “I stay quiet.” “I look at the person who is speaking.” “I think about what I hear.” Our earnest young protagonist builds on the concept as he discusses listening in a group, asking questions, dealing with distractions, listening to directions, solving problems, and listening and talking with his family. He shows the rewards of listening well: “When I listen and do what I’m asked to do, I’ll be ready for what comes next. It might be something really fun!” The accompanying illustration shows the boy and his friends listening carefully to a teacher. On the next page the teacher is leading the group in a musical parade.
In so many books about social and emotional skills, authors include negative examples of the skill to show what not to do. Not so with Listen and Learn. Even when the boy mentions that it can sometimes be hard to listen, he immediately follows with “I can keep trying to watch and listen to the speaker. Each time I listen, I get better at it.” The illustration shows his eyes focused on his teacher while two children work on a presumably noisy project in the background. His teacher is smilingly saying, “Eyes here.” He is clearly proud and happy to be learning to be a good listener: “When I listen, I know I’m growing up. I’m showing respect. I’m learning. And that feels great!”
Social-Emotional Skills in Listen and Learn
Even young children appreciate knowing more than just the letter of the law. The very first lessons presented in the SECOND STEP early learning and K–1 programs are about listening. When teachers work with students on listening and focusing behaviors, they help them understand the benefits of learning these skills. Similarly, Listen and Learn explores the spirit of the law, so to speak, giving readers a rich, age-appropriate understanding of how and why listening is good.
Following the story are suggestions of ways to reinforce the ideas in this book. The “Who’s Listening?” game is adaptable to almost any situation and can be pulled out any time the class has a few extra minutes. There are a number of common scenarios printed on a grid, such as, “Luis whispered to his neighbor while the teacher told the group how to line up for the field trip,” and “During reading group, Cara followed along in the book as the children took turns reading.” For the game, the teacher photocopies and cuts the grid into squares, along with two bigger cards labeled “Careful Listening” and “Can Listen Better.” Each student has a chance to pick a square and read the scene (or have it read). Then the child must decide which category the square goes into. The next level has children pulling cards from the “Can Listen Better” pile and describing what the character could do to be a more careful listener. Teachers or even children can come up with their own scenarios to add to the game.
