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Thought Groups – 10-minute lesson

Lesson Objectives:

• Students will understand how to divide sentences into thought groups for better listening
comprehension.

Necessary materials:

• Copies of “Thought Groups Handout” (1 handout per page)

• Copies of “Some ways to help you separate thought groups” (3 handouts per page)
• Internet Access or download of prepared mp3 files
• Working sound system or Video resource if you have it available in class.
• White or black board

Task and time Step-by-step Purpose

Introduction to Explain to students that speaking too fast might Introduce the idea that
thought groups. confuse even native speakers. The English language the English language has
~2 min has pauses in the middle of sentences for better natural pauses.
comprehension. If you are able to speak very fast and Therefore, rushed
ignore pauses, say that to the students: "A learning speech may hinder
journal is simply an ongoing collection of writing for comprehension.
learning—that is, writing done for the purpose of
learning rather than the purpose of demonstrating
learning." (Heick, 2019)
If it’s not in your nature to do that, use the mp3 file
provided with this lesson (Fast reading).
Ask what your students understood about the quote.
Read it with the natural pauses or play the second
mp3 (paused reading) to your students.
Ask them if they understand what it is about now.
Ways to help you Tell the students, that when they are reading, there Teach the basic
separate thought are clues to help them find pauses and thought knowledge of separating
groups groups. Commas, periods, semicolons, colons, thought groups.
~4 min parentheses, give an Idea of where they should pause.
Write on the board “When I was little, I liked playing
hide-and-seek. Now I am older, I don’t like it
anymore.” With the students, draw a / (for short
pauses) or // (for long pauses).
“When I was little,/ I liked playing hide-and-seek.//
Now I am older,/ I don’t like it anymore.”
Ask them to look at their little hand out and look at
how grammar units also help them separate thought
groups. You can go over the examples so they have a
better understanding of how it to separate
grammatical units.
Controlled Ask them to pair up and read the first exercise to each Have a controlled
practice other. Ask them, as a pair to decide where are the practice of dividing a
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~ 2 minutes delimitations of each group thought. There is an speech into thought

answer sheet for you to help them. If there’s little groups.
time, you can print the answer sheet and give it to
them instead of going over the correct answer.
Producing Tell them that former president Obama is an amazing Have students practice
section public speaker and that listening to him is a very good with a native speaker
~2 min way for them to identify thought groups. Have them and well paused speech.
follow the speech on their handouts and mark where
they think each thought group is.
If you have internet access, you can go straight to the
website, if not, use the mp3 (audio) or mp4 (video)
prepared for this (whichever you prefer).
You also have an answer sheet for this handout.

Heick, T. (2019, April 22). 20 types of learning journals that help students think. Retrieved from:
https://www.teachthought.com/literacy/20-types-of-learning-journals-that-help-students-think/
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Some ways to help you separate thought groups

Grammar units:
Noun phrases
[article + adjective + noun]: A beautiful woman

A beautiful woman/ and her little dog/ entered the meeting room

Verb phrase
[verb + adverb]: ran quickly, sings loudly, waits impatiently
[verb + object]: drink the water, play the game,
[auxiliary verbs + main verb]: had been cooked, was dancing, has had to decide

Prepositional phrase: with my family, on my mind, at school, in my house

Some ways to help you separate thought groups

Grammar units:
Noun phrases
[article + adjective + noun]: A beautiful woman

A beautiful woman/ and her little dog/ entered the meeting room

Verb phrase
[verb + adverb]: ran quickly, sings loudly, waits impatiently
[verb + object]: drink the water, play the game,
[auxiliary verbs + main verb]: had been cooked, was dancing, has had to decide

Prepositional phrase: with my family, on my mind, at school, in my house

Some ways to help you separate thought groups

Grammar units:
▪ Noun phrases
[article + adjective + noun]: A beautiful woman

A beautiful woman/ and her little dog/ entered the meeting room

▪ Verb phrase
[verb + adverb]: ran quickly, sings loudly, waits impatiently
[verb + object]: drink the water, play the game,
[auxiliary verbs + main verb]: had been cooked, was dancing, has had to decide

▪ Prepositional phrase: with my family, on my mind, at school, in my house

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Put a / when you think there is a short pause, and // when there is a longer pause.
Exercise 1
In your country, is it considered polite to listen quietly to other people, without
any change of expression on the face? If this is the style you have learned, perhaps
you should watch two North Americans talking. Notice how the person who is
listening will have frequent changes of expression, The listener may also make
short remarks while the other person is talking. These may be one word, like
“Really?” or they may just be a sound, like “uh-huh” or “mmmm”. This is how
North American listeners show that they are listening in a friendly way. That is
why North American listeners get uneasy when a listener is completely silent and
shows no change of expression. In the American style of conversation, an
unmoving face means that the listener is unfriendly, or perhaps even angry.
Exercise 2
Tonight, I'd like to update the American people on the international effort that we
have led in Libya — what we've done, what we plan to do, and why this matters to
us.

I want to begin by paying tribute to our men and women in uniform who, once
again, have acted with courage, professionalism and patriotism. They have moved
with incredible speed and strength. Because of them and our dedicated diplomats,
a coalition has been forged and countless lives have been saved.

Meanwhile, as we speak, our troops are supporting our ally Japan, leaving Iraq to
its people, stopping the Taliban's momentum in Afghanistan, and going after al
Qaeda all across the globe. As Commander-in-Chief, I'm grateful to our soldiers,
sailors, airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen, and to their families. And I know all
Americans share in that sentiment.
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Answer sheet

Exercise 1

In your country,/ is it considered polite/ to listen quietly to other people,/ without

any change of expression/ on the face? // If this is the style you have learned, /
perhaps you should watch two North Americans talking. // Notice how the person
who is listening/ will have frequent changes of expression.// The listener may also
make short remarks/ while the other person is talking.// These may be one word,/
like “Really?”/ or they may just be a sound,/ like “uh-huh”/ or “mmmm”.// This is
how North American listeners/ show that they are listening/ in a friendly way.
That is why North American listeners/ get uneasy when a listener is completely
silent/ and shows no change of expression.// In the American style of
conversation,/ an unmoving face/ means that the listener is unfriendly,/ or perhaps
even angry.//

Exercise 2

Tonight,/ I'd like to update the American people /on the international effort that we
have led/ in Libya// — what we've done,/ what we plan to do,/ and why this
matters to us.

I want to begin /by paying tribute /to our men and women /in uniform who,/ once
again,/ have acted with courage,/ professionalism/ and patriotism.// They have
moved with incredible speed/ and strength.// Because of them and our dedicated
diplomats,/ a coalition has been forged/ and countless lives have been saved.

Meanwhile,/ as we speak,/ our troops are supporting our ally Japan,/ leaving Iraq
to its people,/ stopping the Taliban's momentum in Afghanistan,/ and going after al
Qaeda/ all across the globe.// As Commander-in-Chief,/ I'm grateful to our
soldiers,/ sailors,/ airmen,/ Marines,/ Coast Guardsmen,/ and to their families.//
And I know/ all Americans share/ in that sentiment.//