1. Laboratorio di lingua inglese V
Speaking with support

2. Speaking Some things to remember about speaking
We say less than we hear/ understand
Our spoken vocabulary is more limited than our knowledge of vocabulary
Speech is formulated spontaneously
We all make “on-line processing” errors
We are all disfluent
We give priority to meaning, not to grammar

3. Speaking – silent period
Learners understand more than they can say
When children learn their first language they respond to language long before they learn to speak.
Second language learners have a “silent period”
During this period they listen to and absorb the language
They then formulate their own personal grammar, which they adapt and expand with exposure to more language.
Sarah Phillips – Young Learners

4. Speaking – silent period
What does the silent period mean for teachers?
Children may understand you, but they can’t show that they understand you by answering
They may be able to answer with a single word
They will certainly be able to react (do sth. -> Listen and do)
It can be a frustrating for teachers
They feel that they are not succeeding in teaching
It seems that pupils are not progressing
All you need is TIME
They will produce language, eventually
Before they do, use Total Physical Response exercises

5. When children are learning their first language they hear phrases and understand the general meaning before they understand individual words
They hear connected sounds before they separate them into individual words
Only written language is divided into words and sentences
Young learners who cannot read hear a flow of sound
They hear intonation patterns, and sounds or words that are stressed. These are the sounds they will say first.

6. Speaking - chunks
After the silent period, children learning a foreign language may suddenly start to use phrases
I don’t know
Come on
Goodbye
These are sometimes called chunks because they are learned and used as “long words”
Children may not have been taught these chunks
They pick them up from listening
Chunks help learners to communicate
Extracted from Jayne Moon Children Learning English

7. Speaking - chunks
Chunks can later be broken down and the words recombined
I don't know
I don’t know its name, I don't know spelling
We don’t know, They don’t know
He doesn’t know
When children begin to break down a phrase in this way, it is a sign of language development
Songs, rhymes, poems, drama and routines all help
This way, children can acquire ready-made bits of language so they can begin to communicate
Extracted from Jayne Moon Children Learning English

8. Speaking Children’s desire to communicate is very powerful
If they are doing an interesting activity, they will talk a lot
This is very useful because pupils get lots of practice in using the language
It doesn’t matter if the grammar is not perfect – it will improve with TIME
Be careful if you use speaking ability as a measure of how much children have learned
Remember:
Younger children (age 5-10) tend to be more enthusiastic and willing to talk than older children
But some children are quieter than others
This does not mean that their English is not good
Extracted from Jayne Moon Children Learning English

9. When children repeat set phrases it does not necessarily mean language acquisition is taking place.
But they are
getting used to saying English sounds
practising the intonation pattern
gaining confidence, especially if you praise them or show your approval in other ways

10. Speaking The main types of speaking exercises are: Listen and repeat
They listen to a sound, word or phrase and try to say it exactly the same way
Guided speaking
They describe a picture, place, time or person
Role-play and dialogues
They learn formulae then use them to perform a task
Free speaking activities
Often at the end of a unit, the students discuss the topic, expressing their experiences, feelings & opinions

11. Speaking with support
You can support children when they are starting to speak English:
- by using English as caretaker talk
- by encouraging all the efforts children make to speak English, no matter how small
- by listening carefully when they speak and not interrupting to correct small errors

12. As children acquire more English, chants, rhymes, and songs can form a real part of the learning process. Think about how you could use them in your lessons
- for enjoyment
- as part of your teaching plan
- as a change in activity
- to revise vocabulary
- to connect with new or familiar topics
- to practise up-to-date expressions
- for drama and to practice punctuation

13. Think about choosing a song or rhyme. A song or rhyme should
- suit your pupils’ age group and their interests
- match their level of English
- have a catchy, easy to remember melody

14. Start with very short rhymes or chants
Look for songs and chants that have topics your children are learning about
Make sure the children generally understand what they are saying – they do not need to understand every word but maybe the gist of the lines
Use songs and rhymes to play with sounds: speaking softly – shouting loudly
Use simple instruments to add to the rhythm, such as tambourine, bell, drum, cymbal
Encourage your pupils to say them for family and friendes outside school

15. Activity: song

16. Activity: song

17. Activity: song

18. Role-play speaking exercise

19. Classroom language
It is best to introduce useful classroom phrases in the situation in which they are normally used.
Make sure you teach the phrases that will be useful for every lesson, e.g.
Open your books
Work in pairs
Form a group

20. Classroom Language Pupils respond to their teacher.
They ask you questions and tell you things they want you to know
They often repeat comments and requests
They easily learn to repeat the expressions you use during their English lesson.
On the next slide there is a drawing. There are three empty speech bubbles.
What are the children going to say?

21. What learners need to say and ask

23. What learners need to say and ask
Practise some possible exchanges.
Child Excuse me! Can you help me? Teacher Yes – of course, just coming.
Child Please Miss! Is this right? Teacher Wait a moment, Ana, I’m just helping Peter. Yes... what is it you need?
Child I don’t know what to do! Teacher That’s fine like that.
Child Please can I ask in Italian? Teacher Yes... What do you need to know?

24. Teaching vocabulary
When you are introducing new vocabulary and learners want to speak (when children are listening to you they often repeat words and phrases naturally and spontaneously) you can
- encourage them to repeat the new items
- use pictures, sounds, and other senses, e.g. touch and feel materials, to support meaning
- use gestures, movement, and actions
- get children to colour pictures of the new things they can name
- repeat new words as often as possible and use them in context

25. REMEMBER
If your pupils cannot read yet they have to remember the words as a sound.
If your pupils can read it is better if they first remember the sound of the word and then learn the spelling.
Children are learning new things all the time so it’s easy for them to forget. To help children remember it’s a good idea to use new words and phrases several times in different ways, e.g.
- guessing
- either/or questions
- classifying.
By doing these or similar activities you can give children extra opportunities to listen and repeat what is new and go back over what they know.

26. Reusing vocabulary

27. Prepare to teach new words and phrases in a meaningful way by linking with a topic they are familiar with, e.g.
Your pupils know something about spiders, butterflies, bees, flies. Add other small creatures to the list.
Write down two things that children might know or ought to know about each of these creatures:
Spiders have eight legs. They make webs.
Think of two questions you might ask children about each creature:
What do bees say? Have you ever been stung by a bee?
Think of books or stories about these small creatures.

28. Playing vocabulary games
Guessing games and memory games are useful to help children become familiar with new vocabulary in an enjoyable way.
Show children how to play the game and give instructions in English while you’re doing this
Use lots of different games but use the same vocabulary to help children become familiar with it
New words and phrases need to be used a lot after you have introduced them so that the children learn to use them actively.

29. Remembering a list
Teacher Ok, we’ll start with these four. Ok, are you ready?
Child1 I’d like an apple.
Child2 I’d like an apple and a pear. Teacher Good.
Child3 I’d like an apple and a pear – and an orange. Teacher Good.
Child4 I’d like an orange…no… an apple and a pear and an orange and a…banana. Teacher Very good. That was great, now…