Fifth Grade
Worksheets
Are You Listening? Part 1
"Are you listening to me? What did I just say?" your mother asks. You stare back at her like a deer caught in the headlights. You have no idea what she has just said. You've been caught not listening, AGAIN. How many times has this happened to you? Why don't we listen? Read on for a list of reasons.
1. We are daydreamers. You've learned that connecting new information to something you already know is a good thing. Well, sometimes it can be bad. Sometimes the speaker can ignite some prior memory, and off we go. Our minds start to wander, reliving that memory. We find ourselves ten minutes later having no idea what the speaker has said.
2. Our brains work too quickly. It's true! Our brains can understand about 600 words of speech per minute. The average person speaks at a rate of about 120 words per minute. What happens in our brains during the time lapse between the understanding and the speech? See number 1.
