Eyes and Ears

In this activity, one partner (Eyes) gets to watch the video without the sound while the other (Ears) must close their eyes or turn away from the screen. As Eyes views the silent images, they must describe what they see, as best they can, to their partner, Ears.

Next, Eyes either covers their ears completely or leaves the room entirely. Then the video is replayed but Ears doesn't get to see the images, only hear the audio. Ears makes notes of what they are listening to. When the clip is over, Eyes returns the classroom and Ears describes what they heard.

Together, the two try to make meaning out of what they have seen and heard. Have them answer some comprehension questions about what they heard and saw.

Here are some examples:

If your only interest is assessing listening comprehension, use "cierto" or "falso" questions like these:

1. Según Voldermort, la familia de Harry ha muerto por él. 
2. Hay un serpiente grande y un dragón en el video.
3. Harry quiere terminar esto con Tom como ellos han empezados, lejos.

The following questions can be answered orally or written out, depending on whether you want to assess listening comprehension and oral production of the language or production of written language. 

1. ¿Quién ha muerto por Harry según Voldermort?
2. ¿Cuáles son los animales míticos en el video?
3. ¿Cómo quiere Harry terminar esto con Tom?

Notes:

(1) Depending on the level or particular context, this activity might require a pre-listening activity that draws the students' attention to the topic and any new or key vocabulary. 

(2) If your language is not Spanish, you should try to choose another video of a popular movie in your target language--it helps if there is a lot of action.