Baking Cookies - Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab

Level	Topic	Speakers	Length
Intermediate	Baking	Man – Young Woman	02:31

Pre-Listening Exercise

What are three types of cookies you like to eat? Are there any kinds of baked goods you don’t care for? Do you bake your own cookies, or do you buy them? Who does the most baking in your family: mother, father, grandparent, you, or another person?

Agree or Disagree? Let’s Spark Some Conversation!

These statements are designed to get everyone thinking, moving, and talking! The goal is to explore ideas, share opinions, and get ready for the next part of the lesson.

In a face-to-face classroom: Read each statement aloud. If you agree, move to one side of the room; if you disagree, move to the other. Talk with your group—why do you feel that way? Then, pair students with members of the other group and have students explain their reasons. Rotate partners for more practice.
In an online classroom: Use polls, emojis, or the chat box in your online platform to show your opinion. Then, join the conversation as a group or in breakout rooms. What do others think? Do you agree or disagree with them?
For independent learners: Read each statement and think about your opinion. Then say your answer out loud and explain your reason, as if you’re talking to a classmate. This helps you get ready to speak and join real conversations in English. Consider recording your ideas and check your progress.

Eating dessert every day is not a problem if you exercise enough.
Children should not be taught to bake sweets because it encourages unhealthy habits.
Store-bought cookies are often just as good as homemade ones.
People who can’t bake shouldn’t bring desserts to social gatherings.
Vegan desserts can never taste as good as those made with butter, eggs, and milk.
It’s better to throw away failed desserts than to eat them.
Baking shows on TV give people unrealistic expectations.
Desserts should always be sweet — salty or spicy “desserts” are wrong.
Baking desserts for profit takes away the joy of baking for fun.
Cookies are the best type of dessert, better than cakes, pies, or ice cream.

Idioms

“chow down” = eat enthusiastically
“The kids couldn’t wait to chow down the bacon and eggs for breakfast.”

“pig out” = eat a lot of food
“Don’t let the children pig out on pizza and soda. They need to eat vegetables, too.”

Listening Exercise

A. Listen to the recording and answer the questions.

Vocabulary Practice

Do the vocabulary quizzes with the words from the conversation for more practice:

Gap-fill Exercise

Post-Listening Exercise

In addition to cookies, what traditional sweets are common in your area? What are the ingredients to prepare them? Are there any ingredients that are unique to your area that people in other countries might not include in the recipe?

Online Investigation

Imagine you are hosting a party at your house, and you have a variety of people attending. You are considering the option of either buying cookies online or making your own. Use the internet to complete two tasks: (1) find at least one online service where you can order cookies and have them delivered to you (and identify the costs and quality of such a service), and (2) find at least one cookie recipe online that is easy to prepare and healthy to eat.

See Listening Script

Back to Intermediate Quizzes

General Listening Quiz