Listening assignment
National Public Radio (NPR): People & Places
Hearing Voices: High School's 'Quiet Kids' by Hilary Frank
Go to this page to access the audio file:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4557214

Vocabulary:
officials
Red Lake High School
to reach out to
to be traumatized
nation
school shooting
Jeff Weiss
to shoot and kill
to wound
relatives
loner
to be teased
withdrawn
to be bullied by
peers
to hear from
teenagers
tough (= difficult)
to describe oneself as
smart
to point s.t. out
junior high
main reason
not to have to worry about
to be in one's own world
to leave s.o. alone
kids
to judge others
to curse
in the halls
for a bell to go off
...like...
to socialize
lockers
to be in a bubble
...or something
there are some people like me
kinda (kind of ) like
to crouch down
not being seen
to feel isolated
black and white
to be in a crowd
in color
to go to class
to be crowded around
a whole bunch of people
in the shallows
back stage
they call me
to realize
to notice
to get loud
to date
to never happen
in the future
to be able to V
to get up in front of a group
to get nervous
wife
I'm fine with that.
to express oneself
to defend oneself
reflections

Listening comprehension questions:
1. Briefly give some background on the news story that motivated this report. Use the Internet to collect information.
2. Where is Red Lake High School, and mainly what ethnic group lives in Red Lake? Again, use the Internet.
3. Give an example from the interview to support the idea that quiet teenagers don't necessarily themselves realize they are "quiet".
4. What reasons did the first male student who spoke in this report give for why he is so quiet?
5. One girl suspects other students may think what about her due to her quietness?
6. Give some examples of how these "quiet" teenagers deal with being around other people.
7. Give an example from the report that indicates that some quiet people would in fact like to be noticed.
8. What fears does one girl express regarding her future?
9. What would the last girl who speaks like to be able to do regarding her interactions with other people?
10. Do you know anybody who is very "quiet"? Do you think they need any kind of special attention or consideration from their parents, school or classmates, or should they be left to work things out for themselves?

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