This document discusses developing speaking skills in teaching English as a foreign language. It outlines some key characteristics of effective speaking, including using gestures, emphasis, and interacting with the audience. It also lists activities that can promote speaking practice, such as discussions, role-plays, storytelling, picture narration, and reporting. The document provides suggestions for teachers, such as reducing their own speaking time, providing feedback, and diagnosing issues to give targeted practice.

1. Developing Speaking Skills in
Teaching English Language
Savanu Valentina,
Theoretical Lyceum Văratic,
village Văratic,
District Rîşcani

3. Speaking is "the process of building
and sharing meaning through the
use of verbal and non-verbal
symbols, in a variety of contexts"
(Chaney, 1998, p. 13).

4. Advantages of Using Speaking Tasks
 Speaking provides opportunities to practice all four skills
(listening, speaking, reading, and writing).
 Speaking supports development of critical thinking skills.
 Speaking promotes learning.

5. What makes a good speaker?

6. #Task1
Write the characteristics of a good
language speaker…
1. …………………………..
2. …………………………..
3. …………………………..
4. …………………………..

7. A good speaker …
1. Talks slowly
2. Uses gestures in tandem with what
he/she is saying
3. Keeps time in mind
4. Emphasizes or repeats particularly
important lines
5. Interacts with the audience etc.

8. While speaking, we expect our
students to be able to:
 Produce the English speech sounds and
sound patterns.
 Use word and sentence stress, intonation
patterns and the rhythm of the second
language.
 Select appropriate words and sentences
according to the proper social setting,
audience, situation and subject matter.

9.  Organize their thoughts in a
meaningful and logical sequence.
 Use language as a means of expressing
values and judgments.
 Use the language quickly and
confidently with few unnatural pauses,
which is called as fluency. (Nunan,
2003)

10. What do students need to talk fluently?
1. …
2. …
3. …
4. …

11. In order to help students to develop the
speaking ability a teacher should…
 Teach Vocabulary
 Teach Grammar
 Teach Pronunciation /
Intonation
 Equip students with
everything they need
to speak confidently
and fluently.
 Help their students develop the
ability to produce
grammatically correct, logically
connected sentences that are
appropriate to specific
contexts, and to do so using
acceptable pronunciation.
 Provide authentic practice
that prepares students for
real-life communication
situations.

12. Activities that Promote Speaking

13. Write Some Activities that
Promote Speaking
1) …
2) …
3) …
4) …
5) …

14. Discussions
• After a content-based lesson, a discussion can be held for various
reasons. The students may aim to arrive at a conclusion, share
ideas about an event, or find solutions in their discussion groups.
Before the discussion, it is essential that the purpose of the
discussion activity is set by the teacher.

15. Role Play
• The teacher gives information to the learners such as who they
are and what they think or feel. Thus, the teacher can tell the
student that "You are David, you go to the doctor and tell him
what happened last night, and…”

16. Storytelling
• Students can briefly summarize a
tale or story they heard from
somebody beforehand.
• They may create/imagine their own
stories to tell their classmates.
• Story telling fosters
creative thinking. It also
helps students express
ideas in the format of
beginning, development,
and ending, including the
characters and setting a
story has to have.

17. Picture Narrating
1. This activity is based on several
sequential pictures.
2. Students are asked to tell the
story taking place in the
sequential pictures by paying
attention to the criteria
provided by the teacher as a
rubric.
3. Rubrics can include the
vocabulary or structures (past
simple) they need to use while
narrating.

18. Reporting
1. Before coming to class,students
are asked to read a newspaper
or magazine and, in class, they
report to their friends what they
find as the most interesting
news.
2. Teachers can also ask their
students to watch a specific
program on a specific
channel.Time of the program
should be given well-in-
advance.
3. Then, students could be asked
to report back what they have
seen and express their views
concerning what was presented
in the program or cartoon film…

19. Picture Describing
• Students describe what it is in the
picture. They discuss the picture
with their groups.
• Then, a spokesperson for each group
describes the picture to the whole
class.
• This activity fosters the creativity
and imagination of the learners as
well astheir public speaking skills.
• It could also be used as springboard
for a whole class-discussion

20. Practical Activities

21. Suggestions For Teachers
 Provide maximum
opportunity to students to
speak the target language
by providing a rich
environment that contains
collaborative work,
authentic materials and
tasks, and shared
knowledge.

22. • Try to involve as many
students as possible in
every speaking activity.
• For this aim, practice
different ways of
student participation.

23. • Reduce teacher speaking
time in class while
increasing student speaking
time. Step back and observe
students.

24. Indicate positive
signs when
commenting
on a student's
response.

25. • Ask eliciting questions
such as "What do you
mean? How did you
reach that conclusion?"
in order to prompt
students to speak more.

26. • Provide written feedback like "Your
presentation was really great. It was
a good job. I really appreciated your
efforts in preparing the materials and
efficient use of your voice…"

27. Provide the vocabulary beforehand that students
need in speaking activities.

28. Diagnose problems faced by
students who have difficulty
in expressing themselves in
the target language and
provide more opportunities
to practice the spoken
language.

29. Technique *Suitcase*
Write & share, what do you take
home from this course?

30. Would You
Rather

31. WOULD
YOU
RATHER…
go to the beach or go to the mountains?

32. WOULD
YOU
RATHER…
swim with snakes or swim with crocodiles?

33. WOULD
YOU
RATHER…
eat pizza or eat ice cream?

34. WOULD
YOU
RATHER…
be invisible or be able to read minds?

35. WOULD
YOU
RATHER…
find true love or become rich?

36. WOULD YOU RATHER…… have a cup that
has a never-
ending drink (of
your choice)
… or have a
briefcase that can
change into any
machine of your
choice?

37. WOULD YOU RATHER……live in a simpler
time without
electricity, plumbing,
medicine…
… or live in a
polluted, crowded
future without
disease or hunger?

38. WOULD YOU RATHER…
…meet your
great
grandchildren…
…or your
ancestors?

39. WOULD YOU RATHER…
…do the
laundry…
…or the
dishes?

40. If you won $1 billion, would you rather…
…keep it all and
share none of it…
…or give it to
people who don’t
have much?

41. The What If? Box
A magical box filled with unlikely questions.

42. Click a button…get a What if…?

43. What if humans could fly?

44. What if you could turn invisible for a day?

45. What if humans had tails?

46. What if there was someone exactly the
same as you?

47. What if you had a secret ability?

48. What if humans could only remember certain
information?

49. What if school didn’t exist?

50. What if there were no laws?

51. What if the government gave up?

52. What if holidays were banned?

53. What if you could go to school whenever
you wanted?

54. What if you had to work from the age of
fourteen?

55. What if weather forecasters were paid to
get things wrong?

56. What if the government controlled
everybody’s wages?

57. What if every job paid the same money?

58. What if bankers had to live in council estates?

59. What if private schools were banned?

60. What if showers were made illegal?

61. What if animals started talking?

62. What if your dog is actually taking you for a
walk?

63. What if what you think is true isn’t true?

64. What if society was more equal?

65. What if society was less equal?

66. What if taxes were raised?

67. What if the government got rid of taxes?

68. What if movies came true?

69. What if World War Two had never
happened?

70. What if the Roman Empire had not
collapsed?

71. What if the another party had one the last
election?

72. What if slavery had been banned earlier?

73. What if there had been no American
Revolution?

74. What if there had been no French
Revolution?

75. What if there had been no Russian
Revolution?

76. What if nuclear weapons had not been
invented?

77. What if televisions had not been invented?

78. What if you could change one law? What
would it be?

79. What if you could change one thing about the
world? What would it be?

80. What if you could change one thing about
school? What would it be?

81. What if you could change one thing about
yesterday? What would it be?

82. What if you could choose what subjects to
study from the beginning of Year 7?

83. What if all schools were for 3-18 year-olds?

84. What if newsreaders are lying?

85. What if newspapers don’t tell the truth?

86. What if there is no such thing as truth?

87. What if farming was banned?

88. What if global warming continues?

89. What if free speech was curtailed?

90. What if human rights were ignored?

91. What if police officers were given more
power?

92. What if law courts were painted in bright,
pretty colours?

93. What if you had to get a permit to play in the
park?

94. What if the public sector was abolished?

95. What if you had to move country?

96. What if Shakespeare had never written
anything?

97. What if Charles Dickens had had a different
job?

98. What if the Bible had never been
translated into English?

99. What if Britain was a republic?

100. What if wood was more valuable than gold?

101. What if clothes grew as you grew?

102. What if insects were the size of mammals?

103. What if buildings could talk?

104. What if London was not the capital of England?

105. What if Paris was the capital of England?

106. What if Britain left the European Union?

107. What if America turned against the rest of the
world?

108. What if the BBC was shut down?

109. What if you started your own business?

110. What if you went to Oxford University?

111. What if the sun took holidays?

112. What if money was banned?

113. What if time went quicker than it does?

114. What if right is wrong?

115. What if tomorrow never comes?

116. What if science gets things wrong?

117. What if evolution continues for another million
years?

118. What if a new source of energy was found?

119. What if you received a mystery gift?

120. What if you found a twenty pound note?

121. What if you witnessed a crime?

122. What if you were asked to do something you
thought was wrong?

123. What if elections were decided through
football matches?

124. What if you were not allowed to speak when in
school?

125. What if the government brought back
corporal punishment?

126. What if the death penalty was reintroduced?

127. What if things were different?

128. What if houses were upside down?

129. What if animals could be recruited as spies?

130. What if CCTV was everywhere?

131. What if forests could move around?

132. What if the bottom-placed team was awarded
the league title?

133. What if humans had not invented writing?

134. What if humans had not invented sanitation?

135. What if humans had not invented flags?

136. What if humans had not invented fridges?

137. What if humans had not invented the
mobile phone?

138. What if humans had not discovered fire?

139. What if teaching was done by a computer?

140. What if you could learn at home instead of
school?

141. What if shoelaces were edible?

142. What if nothing ever changed?

143. What if things changed more quickly than
at present?

144. What if China overtakes America?

145. What if wars were replaced by sports?

146. What if someone invented a new religion?

147. What if scientists had to share all their ideas for
free?

148. What if you could create a perfect world?

149. What if you had to move abroad?

150. What if only people with jobs were allowed
to vote?

151. What if only people without jobs were
allowed to vote?

152. What if adults were allowed to return to school?

153. What if humans were ten feet tall?

154. What if it was sunny and warm every day of the
year?

155. What if we were invaded?

156. What if someone you know is a spy?

157. What if it’s true that money makes the
world go round?

158. What if the grass really is greener on the other
side?

159. What if geography was made compulsory
until the age of eighteen?

160. What if colours had no names?

161. What if everything was black and white?

162. What if lie detectors really worked?

163. What if things don’t change?

164. What if things get better?

165. What if things get worse?

166. What if your mind plays tricks on you?

167. What if we can’t know anything for certain?

168. What if money grew on trees?

169. What if you went to a different school?

170. What if you could change one part of society?

171. What if you knew everything there is to know?

172. What if you were ten years older?

173. What if you had done things differently?

174. What if you could control the weather?

175. What if you could control the tide?

176. What if humans went to live in outer space?

177. What if aliens exist?

178. What if laughing was made illegal?

179. What if you had to pay to see the doctor?

180. What if phone conversations were recorded?

181. What if other people could read your
mind?

182. What if you could read other people’s minds?

183. What if America was still a British colony?

184. What if Germany left the European Union?

185. What if the United Nations had its own army?

186. What if everyone got to be Prime Minister for a
day?

187. What if you won the lottery?

188. What if you were offered a job in a
different country?

189. What if you forgot how to make decisions?

190. What if you had lots of other people relying on
you?

191. What if you had no sense of smell?

192. What if you had no sense of taste?

193. What if everything was reversed?

194. What if ice-cream was good for you?

195. What if children were allowed to drive?

196. What if unemployment was 50%?

197. What if everyone was vegetarian?

198. What if the sea level went down?

199. What if there were no mountains?

200. What if 1+1=3?

201. What if we don’t control our own actions?

202. What if our choices are determined by our past?

203. What if the X-Factor had never been invented?

204. What if pop videos reflected real life?

205. What if aliens lived with us, on Earth?

206. What if the moon landings were faked?

207. What if humans had to live under the sea?

208. What if computers could think for
themselves?

209. What if robots demanded rights?

210. What if animals had the same rights as humans?