Speaking and Listening Skills Activity Using Prior Knowledge
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Name ___________________ Date ____ Class _____ Africa South of the Sahara Today Speaking and Listening Skills Activity Using Prior Knowledge Learning the Skill Sometimes you have to "fill in the blanks" when you are listening to a speaker. Perhaps the topic is something you are unfamiliar with. Perhaps the speaker is from a different culture. As a good listener you should be able to use your prior knowledge to help you understand and/or connect to almost any topic. Prior knowledge refers to your existing attitudes, life experiences, and the information you already know. Use these techniques to help you use your prior knowledge to understand new information: • Before you listen to a speaker's presentation, ask yourself if you already know anything about the topic. Suppose, for example, the topic is about African safaris. You probably have seen safaris on TV or in movies, so you can create an image in your mind before the speech begins. • As you listen to a speaker talk about a subject that is new to you, focus on your thinking process. For example, what are your thoughts after hearing this sentence: "The Namib Desert in Namibia attracts tourists who sandboard down its spectacular dunes"? Perhaps you are thinking: I wonder if sandboarding is like snowboarding. When thoughts like this pop into your head, be aware of them. This is prior knowledge, and it is helping you relate to the new topic. • Purposely think of ways to connect your prior knowledge during a speech. For example, if a speaker mentions great white sharks and their habitat off the coast of South Africa, think of facts you already know about sharks. • After listening to the speaker, ask yourself if your prior knowledge not only connected to but also supported the new information about the topic. People often misunderstand a topic or hold an incorrect stereotype. In these cases, you must be willing to change your prior attitude or misconception upon hearing the new information. 97 Name ___________________ Date _____ Class _____ Speaking and Listening Skills Activity continued (I Practicing the Skill Directions: Read the speech below, and then answer the questions that follow. Zulu Musical Traditions Most of South Africa's people are descen native Zulu Joseph Shabalala, Ladysmith dants of nine African ethnic groups, each hav gained worldwide attention in 1986 after sing ing its own history, language, and cultural iden ing on singer/songwriter Paul Simon's Grace tity. The Zulu are the largest ethnic group and land album, which received a Grammy Award. live mainly in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. Ladysmith's own album, Shaka Zulu, won a The Zulu played an important role in South Grammy Award in 1988. The group is con Africa during the 1800s and 1900s. The Zulu sidered a national treasure of the Republic of nation was a powerful force under warrior South Africa. chief Shaka Zulu, until finally being defeated Dance music has been popular in the black by the British in the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879. townships of South Africa since the 1930s. The Zulu people have distinctive musical Mbaqanga, a dance music characterized by traditions and styles. One is Isicathamiya, from stomping and a powerful bass, emerged from a Zulu word meaning "to walk or step on one's a combination of Zulu and other African tra toes lightly." This type of music is sung a cap ditions as well as African American music. pella (without musical instruments) by Zulu The South African group Mahlathini and the men harmonizing in groups. Isicathamiya dates Mahotella Queens perform mbaqanga allover to the early 1900s, when many men left their the world, often in Zulu costumes. In the 1980s, families and homelands behind to find work mbaqanga fused with punk music in the United in cities and mines. Often living together in States to form a new style popularized by hostels, they used singing as a way to entertain recording artist Hugh Masekela. themselves and to remind them of their home Kwaito, another type of dance music that is lands. They accompanied the songs with dance popular with African youth, emerged in South steps on "tiptoe" so they would not disturb Africa in the 1990s. It is based on house music security guards. (electronic dance music that originated in Chi Ladysmith Black Mambazo is the most cago). Zola, a popular South African kwaito famous South African vocal group performing musician, raps his lyrics in a hip-hop style. Isicathamiya. Founded in the early 1960s by 1. Making Connections What topics in the speech were you able to connect to because of your own life experiences? 98 Name ___________________ Date ____ Class _____ Speaking and Listening Skills Activity continued 2. Evaluating How did your prior knowledge help you better understand the speech? ~ Applying the Skill Directions: Fill in the three-column chart. In the Topics column, list the topics covered in the speech. In the second column, list one or two things you already knew about the topics. Fill in the third column with new information you learned from reading the speech. Topics Prior Knowledge New Information .su tFJ' <lJ Assessment Checklist . ~ 0.. Assess your chart using the checklist S u0 below: S :; Looked at the title of the speech ~ D ....os Pondered existing knowledge C) D :;su based on the title <lJ E5 Listed topics discussed in the speech >-. D .n @ D Focused on thinking process Noted ways that past experiences ~.... D >-. 0.. and prior knowledge led to 0 u understanding new information D Asked whether previous knowledge supported new information QQ .