Speaking more freely

This chapter is about speaking, as well as the last one. In this we are going to se some tips in order to teach how to speak without fear, without that pressure that you have sometimes because you are thinking if you are doing it well or not. In speaking with kids it is not important if they talk well or bad, if they use the gramatical estructures or not, it only matters TO SPEAK. 

>> Starting to speak freely

Children generally like to talk about themselves, and to hear their classmates doing the same. They enjoy talking about their favourite things, their hobbies, sports, families, and so on.

 

>> Speaking games

You can encourage children to use English by playing a game at the same time. The games can be teacher-led.

To play 'Pass the ball' you need a tape recorder, a music cassette, and a ball. This is how you play it:
- Put on the music.
- The children keep passing the ball to the child next to them.
- When the music stops, the child with the ball has to answer a question or talk about a picture.
- If a child does not want to answer, he or she can say Pass.
- When the music starts again, the ball continues around the room.
- You can say change at any time and the ball will go in the opposite direction.

>> Guess the mime

Miming is another activity that involves movement. It is also good fun.To play 'Guess the mime' you need some pictures of people doing different things. Put the pictures on the board. The children can:

- work in pairs
- choose any picture they like
- become the person in the picture and behave like this person
- perform the mime together.

The rest of the class watch and try to guess which activity they are miming.

>> Children speaking in groups

You will find that some children
- speak more and others speak less
- are embarrassed speaking in front of the whole class
- feel more confident speaking in pairs or small groups.

When your pupils work in pairs and groups they
- get more opportunities to speak
- ask and answer questions
- learn a lot from each other
- gain confidence because they are speaking in private rather than to the whole class.