Listening Activities/Podcasts
ESL Reading now includes
listening activities for English language learners. Most
are available in both podcast and streaming formats
We also link to some of the best podcasts for ESL
students.
Fun Facts
Short,
fun listening comprehension activities:
ESL Podcasts
Podcasts are a great way for English language learners to
improve listening comprehension. Voice of America provide
'special English' audio broadcasts for ESL
students and teachers. BBC English also has a comprehensive
selection of graded listening materials.
Another excellent resource is Breaking News which provides podcasts of
up-to-date news items. ESL Podcast is also a good source of
varied listening materials as is ESL Podcards.
ESL Pod has an extensive selection
of materials with accompanying notes but does charge a
subscription.
For unsimplified and free podcasts of some of the best
modern short stories in English try The New Yorker Fiction
Podcast. Here well known writers
give their favourite stories published in The New Yorker
Magazine.
Each story is proceeded by a short introduction and ends
with a discussion. I particularly recommend the following:
- Paul Theroux reads Jorge Luis Borges’s short story “The Gospel According to Mark.”
- Richard Ford reads John Cheever’s short story “Reunion.”
- T. Coraghessan Boyle reads Tobias Wolff’s short story “Bullet in the Brain.”
- Jonathan Lethem reads James Thurber’s short story “The Wood Duck.”