How to Improve ESL Listening Skills

50-minute English Lesson Plan

In this How to Improve ESL Listening Skills lesson, ESL students use a story about Google to improve their listening, reading, vocabulary, and speaking skills.

Read the story

How to Improve ESL Listening Skills: read the GOOGLE story

Everybody knows Google. It searches the internet for text, pages, documents and pictures. It’s also a big company. What do we know about the two people who started Google?

The history of Google goes back to 1995.

Larry Page was 22. He was visiting Stanford University in California. He was going to study computer science. Sergey Brin was showing him around. Sergey was 21. He studied computer science. They became best friends. They also started Google.

When Larry was a kid, he lived in a house filled with computers. His parents taught computer science.

Sergey Brin was born in Russia. His family moved to America when he was six. Sergey was smart. He finished high school early and studied computer science in university. Then he attended Stanford.

Larry and Sergey came together because of a project. They wanted to study how documents on the internet were linked. They made a program that searched the web and made a list of popular pages. That was an original idea. In the 1990s, search programs only looked at words on pages. Finding useful information took a lot of time.

Their software helped people find useful information immediately. They called it Google, which means the number one plus one hundred zeroes.

Larry and Sergey thought their program was good and wanted to sell it. They contacted several web executives but nobody wanted to buy it. So, they decided to take a chance and start their own firm. Their first office space was in a friend’s garage in 1998. Six years later in 2004, Google was a big company and Larry and Sergey became rich.

Listen without reading

Practice ESL listening: Google story

English listening lesson: Gap Fill

Listen again to the ESL story and fill in the blanks.

Everybody __________ Google. It searches the internet for __________ , pages, documents and pictures. It’s also a big company. What do we know about the two people who __________ Google?

The history of Google goes back to __________ .

Larry Page was 22. He was __________ Stanford University in California. He was going to study computer __________ . Sergey Brin was showing him __________ . Sergey was 21. He studied computer science. They __________ best friends. They also started Google.

When Larry was a __________ , he lived in a house __________ with computers. His parents __________ computer science.

Sergey Brin was born in Russia. His __________ moved to America when he was six. Sergey was __________ . He finished high school early and __________ computer science in university. Then he attended Stanford.

Larry and Sergey came together because of a __________ . They wanted to study how __________ on the internet were linked. They made a program that __________ the web and made a list of __________ pages. That was an __________ idea. In the 1990s, search programs only looked at words on pages. Finding __________ information took a lot of time.

Their __________ helped people find useful information __________ . They called it Google, which means the number one plus one __________ zeroes.

Larry and Sergey __________ their program was good and wanted to __________ it. They contacted several web executives but nobody __________ to buy it. So, they __________ to take a chance and start their own __________ . Their first office space was in a friend’s __________ in 1998. Six years later in __________ , Google was a big company and Larry and Sergey became __________ .

ESL discussion questions

Talk about the Listening strategies for ELL students story.

1. What kind of story is this?
2. Summarize the evolution of Google.
3. Inventions often start with a problem. What was the problem in this story?
4. What are the pros and cons of Google?
5. Did Google change the way we work, play, or study?
6. Google is more than a search engine. Can you name six more Google tools?

Synonym match

MATCH THE WORD OR PHRASE ON THE LEFT WITH THE CORRECT SYNONYM.

ESL listening activity: anagrams

MOVE THE LETTERS. MAKE A WORD FROM THE ESL Listening STORY.

1. TUTHAG
2. EGRGAA
3. OECUDNTMS
4. IFRATOIOMNN
5. RGONILIA
6. NICSCEE

Writing practice

Write the five sentences. Put the words in the correct order.

1. lot / of / information / Finding / time / took / a / useful
2. He / was / to / science / study / going / computer
3. how / on / to / documents / wanted / were / internet / the / linked / They / study
4. one / it / zeroes / Google / plus / number / one / means / the / hundred / called / They / which
5. buy / several / nobody / executives / wanted / it / web / They / contacted / but / to

Another ESL listening story

Try another free listening story for ESL students. Listen to a story based on an old Chinese fable and learn about life from a horse.

Watch a video and take notes

Did you like this English Listening Practice story about Google? Watch the video – it’s a TV commercial for Google Shop – and take notes about what you see and hear.

1. Watch the video.
2. Take notes.
3. Make a list with at least seven facts.

Get the worksheet

ESL Listening materials

Want to print out these ESL listening activities for new language learners? Click to download the PDF worksheet.

Click to see the answers for this listening story for ESL students about Google.