I asked my university English students to close their eyes for one minute, to notice what they heard and what it made them think or feel, and afterwards to write that down. This is some of what they wrote.
I heard…
birds singing. Maybe they’re sparrows. It made me relax and think of the mountains and a warm day in summer. I thought of back home where there’s a bird table that they come to eat from every day.
the sound of a closing door. I realized there was someone else on this floor. I thought, “Who’s going back to their office?”
the noise of construction. That job must be hard because today is so hot. I’m looking forward to a more beautiful campus when they’re done.
the sound of air conditioning in other rooms. I thought, “I have to use less electricity.”
a teacher talking over a microphone. It made me sleepy.
someone laughing.
I felt a cool, gentle breeze. I thought of the color blue. I want to go to the beach.
Today is hot but it’s not uncomfortable. It feels like summer.
I’m looking forward to summer vacation.
I can’t wait!
(Note: The activity is from Luke Meddings and Scott Thornbury’s Teaching Unplugged [Delta Publishing] p.32. I cleaned up the students’ English, and got their OK to blog it.)
--Julian
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