1. Focus on Speaking: Warm-Up
pre-semester orientation
August 2006
Dr. Christina Frei

2. Language is communication.
Nothing is more motivating than actually speaking the language.
Each student should have the opportunity to speak 50+ times per class (choral + individual responses).
Highly interactive classroom characterized by student-centered
activities and high-interest topics (content-based instruction).
Personalize material whenever possible.
Keep instruction simple and rely on modeling and non-verbal cues.
Don’t do for your students what they can do for themselves.

3. Students in beginning and intermediate language courses need to pass through a period of meaningful, yet structured or monitored practice before they can move toward an open-ended, creative phase. Speaking techniques should therefore be chosen from three distinct categories: the introductory or (re)-enter phase, the practice phase, and the creative phase.

4. (Re)-enter Practice Create
Drills: Pattern, Transformation, Substitution
Tags
Grids
Word/Sentence Chains
Visuals
Shapes/Cut Outs
Forced Choice
Imposter
Satellites
Find a Person Who…
Password
Identification
Rejoinders
Reflex Words
Add-a-Word/Sentence
Circumlocution
Brainstorming
Partner Interview
Dialog Development
Picture Story
Role Play

5. Forced Choice (practice phase)
Rejoinder (creative phase)

6. Forced choice (practice phase)
Prepare several either/or questions.
If possible, personalize these questions.
Ask each student one question
Encourage other students to listen and remember the peer’s answer.
(Check memorization)
“Are you eating pizza or salad tonight?”
“Julie, are you leaving for Mexico or the Bahamas tomorrow?”

7. Rejoinder (creative phase)
No special materials needed.
Prepare an oral thematically appropriate starter statement (not a question) of previously taught material.
“My friend and I are meeting tonight.”

8. Christina Frei
Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures
738 Williams Hall