Following Spoken Instructions in a New Language
Act on what you hear before you can say it back. Simple commands and questions, understood from the few words you know plus gesture and situation.
What a learner can do afterwards
- Carry out a two-part instruction given in the new language
- Answer a yes or no question in the new language correctly
- Show which part of an instruction was missed instead of freezing
1 · Read
You can act before you can speak back. Watch hands. They show action words: pick up, put down, turn, stop.
The teacher says two things: pick up three red crayons, then turn. Sam holds them like beads. He picks them up first. Then he turns. Order words like first, then, after and before show the way.
Do not fear words you do not know. Keep listening to the end. The rest often explains them. Then act on what you caught. If a part is missing, point to it instead of freezing. Answer fast with yes or no.
Answer back so the speaker knows. Nod or do it at once.
Watch, hold the parts in order, act on what you caught, and show what you missed.
2 · Watch
Take it off screen
Where it sits
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.