Developing Primary English Speaking & Listening Skills
Developing Speaking Skills in Primary English
Communication is the mechanism by which human relationships are developed. Therefore, being able to communicate both orally and in writing are the ultimate goals of learning a new language. Communicative functions are some of the most important aspects children must manage in English. Furthermore, students must develop communicative competence, a key curricular aim of current educational law.
The main aim of oral production is to speak fluently. In other words, the student should be able to express their ideas clearly, with reasonable accuracy, and without excessive hesitation. To achieve this objective, the student should progress from an initial stage of imitation to a final stage of free production.
Motivation and Classroom Environment
Motivation is a crucial factor in language learning, making the process more effective. To encourage students to speak more English in the primary classroom, I will create a peaceful atmosphere where children feel comfortable speaking English, perhaps during the warm-up phase of a lesson. Moreover, I will encourage them by using realia, decorating the classroom walls with English posters, and labeling classroom objects. This increases their exposure to English input.
Speaking Practice Activities
I will also provide context when conducting activities such as:
- Hide and Seek: A student hides an object in the class, and their partner must find it by asking questions like, “Is it under…?”
- Spot the Difference: This activity, carried out in pairs or groups, involves discovering the differences between two similar pictures.
- Reaching a Consensus: Students must agree on a topic. For example, which ten objects they would take if they had to go camping.
- Question Formation: Write answers on the board, and students formulate the corresponding questions.
- Picture Description: Students describe what they see in provided pictures or photographs.
- Role-Play: Students act out roles in imaginary scenarios, pretending to be someone else.
While there are many activities to practice oral skills, they must have a clear purpose where interaction is necessary for achieving the goal. Consequently, pupils feel important and confident using English while completing tasks and cooperating with the teacher and their peers. By the end of Primary Education, students should recognize the importance of the foreign language for their future use.
Developing Listening Skills in Primary English
Effective listening instruction often replicates mother tongue acquisition, especially in early stages. Moreover, to attain effective communication and maintain the two-way process of listening and speaking, learners need a solid receptive base. Additionally, students must have a reason to listen. Finally, students must be exposed to a wide variety of spoken language.
Mental Processes in Listening
The mental processes involved in a listening activity include:
- Hearing the sounds.
- Recognizing the meaning of the sounds.
- Relating the input to previous knowledge.
- Storing information in memory.
Planning Listening Lessons
When planning a lesson, consider the following points:
- Tasks should progress from simple hearing activities to complex comprehension ones.
- Tasks should be success-oriented. Success fosters happiness and motivation.
- Activities should have a communicative purpose.
- Auditory materials should be varied, context-based, and graduated in difficulty.
Auditory Materials
In Primary Education, suitable materials can include:
- Stories, instructions, recipes, descriptions (single speaker).
- Conversations, discussions (two or more speakers).
- Songs, poems, rhymes.
- Videotapes and films adapted to the children’s level.
Stages of a Listening Lesson
In general, a listening lesson follows these stages:
Pre-listening Stage
This is a preparatory phase. The teacher introduces the topic and gauges students’ expectations through discussion. Activities include:
- Predicting content from a title.
- Commenting on pictures or photographs.
- Giving students’ opinions on the topic.
- Previewing language items.
While-listening Stage
The student performs tasks designed by the teacher to develop listening strategies:
- Sequencing pictures while listening to stories, songs, or dialogues.
- Answering comprehension questions.
- Following instructions (e.g., map directions, picture dictations, Total Physical Response – TPR).
- Finding Differences: Listening to two story versions to spot variations.
- Games: Bingo, Battleship, Simon Says.
- Information Extraction: Focusing on specific details (e.g., TV programs, weather).
- Gap-Filling: Completing texts while listening.
Post-listening Stage
Students connect the listening content to their own experiences through tasks such as:
- Discussing the listening content with peers.
- Role-play based on the listening material.
- Inferring opinions and attitudes presented.
- Practicing related vocabulary and structures.