"The Misery of Rain" (Copyright 2008 StoryCorps)

 A Multimedia/Multiskill Online Activity for

Intermediate ESL Students

Based on a radio broadcast from StoryCorps

Created by Kristi Newgarden, UCAELI

go to my TESOL 2008 Presentation webpage on
"Supporting Listening Comprehension with
Video Prompts"

The language goals of this activity are:

• to introduce some new vocabulary
• to provide listening and notetaking practice using authentic material
• to provide opportunities for discussion and written response to the ideas
• in the broadcast

The social and cultural goals of the activity are:

• to think and talk about homelessness and life-changing events
  
• to think about human nature and social relationships

Homeless man under American Flag by Colin Gregory Palmer

Creative Commons licensed

1.  Previewing Activity:

In this story, a man talks about his experience of being homeless.

Before you listen, think about these questions and choose one

of them to write about.  You can share your responses on this

wiki page set up for your class: 

Misery of Rain Student Responses

1. Are there homeless people in your country? How do you know?
   
2. What are the reasons people become homeless?
3. Could you survive as a homeless person?  What would you do?
4. What do you think are the hardest things about being homeless?

 Here is a series of photos of young Americans who are homeless

 42 Photos of homeless young Americans

2.  Vocabulary

Download this worksheet Miserywork.doc.  You will use this for

Step 3 Listening too. 

Make sure you know the meaning of these vocabulary words

which you will hear in the story.  Use this online dictionary 

Yourdictionary.comor your own resource to find meanings. 

Think about how the words connect  to homelessness and

write a sentence on the worksheet for each word.

Your sentence should predict what will happen in the story.  

 addicted

 misery

 misery beyond belief

 knuckles and joints

 matted

 dreads (also called dreadlocks)

 skid row

 shuffle

 shuffled away

 psych unit in the hospital

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Listen to the Story

First listening:  The story includes some questions you will see

on the screen as you listen.  The answer to each question will come up just

after you see the question.  See if you can guess the answer before you

hear it. Notice the man's tone of voice and emotions.  These give you clues

about what he is talking about.

Second listening:  Using the worksheet you downloaded in Step 2,

write down the answers to the questions in the story. 

You can pause the movie and replay as many times as necessary. 

When you have finished, please email

your worksheet to me at:  kristi.newgarden@uconn.edu

 4.  Discussion

What was the turning point or the thing that changed this man's life?

What human feelings or emotions were involved in the change?  Do you

respect this man?  Why or why not?  Could you learn anything from

being homeless?  What do you think you could learn?

Go to Chinswing and record your answer to any of these

questions above.  You will find a short recording from me. 

You can also listen to other  people's responses and leave comments. 

5.  Comments

I would like to know what you think about the movie I created. 

What did you think of seeing the questions as you listened?  Do you

think that was helpful?  How? 

Please post your comments using the Comments button at the top of

this page.  Thanks! - Kristi