In my short video I share a quick, practical approach to listening and reading practice: a simple graphic organiser that helps learners jot down the essentials — who, what, when, where, why. This Comprehension Template for teaching languages is designed for novice-level students and works equally well for listening, reading, speaking preparation and beginner writing.

What is the template?

The template is a hand-shaped graphic organiser where each finger represents one of the 5Ws: who, what, when, where and why. It acts as a clean, visual checklist so students can capture key facts quickly and then use those notes to build a short summary or narration.

“this is a really simple graphic organizer”

How to use the Teaching Languages: Comprehension Template

Use the template in several simple ways depending on the activity and skill level:

• Listening: while students listen to a news report or short audio, they jot down the who/what/when/where/why details.
• Reading: students highlight those facts as they read and then complete a short summary.
• Speaking prep: novice speakers write brief notes in each finger, then use those prompts when sharing aloud.
• Writing: beginners write a word or short phrase in each finger and turn those prompts into sentences or a short paragraph.

Adaptations for beginners

For first- and second-year learners, keep prompts short — single words or short phrases. The hand is a guide; if students prefer, they can record details on a separate sheet and use the hand as a planning tool. This makes the Teaching Languages: Comprehension Template especially friendly for low-proficiency classes.

Quick narration and classroom uses

This organiser is great for quick, fun narration practice. Ask students to tell a story about the weekend, a holiday, or a past event using only the notes from their hand. It speeds up preparation for spoken reports and builds confidence by giving learners a clear structure.

Where to get the template

The editable template is available both as a printable and a digital file — use it straight away or adapt it to your target language and lesson goals. Try it for a week with different activities and notice how quickly it helps students organise information and produce coherent summaries.

Final notes

Simple, repeatable and versatile, this Comprehension Template for teaching languages is an easy addition to any language teacher’s toolkit. Use it for listening, reading, speaking and writing practice to support novice learners and encourage clearer narration.