Listening Comprehension - A Series of Unfortunate Events 1x04

This is a listening comprehension for the 4th episode of the Netflix series Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events.

The document is already formatted so you only have to print the needed pages and makes copies. As always, the document also includes the answer key.

Finally, I have also included a writing journal for the students to complete either at school or at home. It provides students with an opportunity to reinvest their understanding of the episode and of the series.

I have created listening comprehensions for other episodes of the series. The difficulty level of the listening comprehensions progresses as the series advances. It is therefore perfect to assess the progression of a student’s learning.

total pages: 8
answer key included

Notes from my past experiences and my applied linguistics studies if this evaluation is intended for ESL/EFL learners:

• Linguistics and language acquisition studies show that active listening, such as completing a listening comprehension evaluation, benefits ESL learners much more than passive listening. It gives their listening a purpose and focuses students on trying to figure out the words and meaning.
• According to language learning studies, the use of authentic material (meant for first language) provides more benefits than adapted material.
• If possible, do not use subtitles when presenting a TV show or movie. My experience has shown me that students focus too much on reading the subtitles instead of trying to listen for understanding. Students may feel overwhelmed the first time but they will gain in confidence over time.
• If there is a possibility, try to have each student watch and answer the listening comprehension individually. Provide them with a time frame as to when they must have completed the evaluation and returned it to the teacher. This way you are certain to evaluate their listening skills and not their abilities to listen and write all at once. It also helps students with learning difficulties.