ABSTRACT
This chapter provides ideas for profitably harnessing teens' and preteens' natural inclination toward talking, and for using listening skills well. The Transcendentalist movement in mid-nineteenth century America was heavily dependent upon giving and listening to lectures and having intellectual conversations. Readers theater is an enjoyable way to help students actively participate in their content learning and to practice speaking and listening skills. Teachers can enhance their own speaking and reading skills in order to make their teaching more interesting, as well as to model techniques for students. It also helps to provide students with a purpose for listening. Listening is absolutely crucial for learning to occur, yet it is all too often assumed that students know how to listen and that, when they are not attending to what is being said, they are at fault or they are choosing to not listen.
