This document provides a list of resources and activities for improving speaking skills in foreign languages. It includes websites for teaching phonics, creating random name pickers and question generators, using Kagan structures and dice activities, incorporating songs, puppets, games, and audio recording tools like Audacity. The document encourages browsing the included links and experimenting with different digital tools over a 5 minute period to develop classroom activities and resources.

1. From squawk to talk
Improving speaking in MFL
Dominic McGladdery
@dominic_mcg
I ain't no hollaback girl!

2. Teaching Phonics
www.rachelhawkes.com
www.languageswithoutlimits.co.uk/phonics.html

3. Teaching phonics
http://bit.ly/xjelKY - 10 minute phonics guide by
Suzi Bewell
From MFL Sunderland: http://bit.ly/aw02nX

4. Activities using phonics
Identifying words which rhyme.
Categorising words with similar sounds.
Students try to find words which contain a certain
sound.
Students fill in a venn diagram.

5. Activities using phonics
Learn tongue-twisters.
Reading aloud within a group.
Introducing an “if you wrote it, you can say it”
policy.

6. Task: 5 minutes

Use the rhyming dictionaries
http://www.alcor.com.au/ to create a resource in
a language of your choice.

7. Random name pickers
www.classtools.net
www.classdojo.com
http://bit.ly/XiHfZH fresher schools
http://bit.ly/ideLZu primary schools ict

8. Random question pickers
www.classtools.net
http://bit.ly/XiHfZH fresher schools
http://bit.ly/ideLZu primary schools ict

9. Task: 5 minutes

Use one of the random name pickers to create
a random question activity.

10. Kagan structures
Exercises designed to get pupils speaking
http://bit.ly/10PCdR3

11. Dice activities
Students make sentences based on lists.
Example: Mon monstre a...
1 trois 1 yeux 1 rouges
2 quatre 2 bras 2 oranges
3 six 3 jambes 3 jaunes
4 vingt 4 oreilles 4 roses
5 sept 5 bouches 5 drôles

12. Rory's story cubes

13. Rory's story cubes
Story cubes are dice with pictures on them.
There are 2 different sets of 9 dice: original and
actions.
The actions set is ideal for teaching sports.
The students throw the dice and make
sentences.
There is an ipad app but no android app as yet.

14. Songs
Make up songs.
Use a familiar tune.
Get the students to make up songs.
Use youtube to find songs in target language.
Students will join in and the more able can
create their own extra verses.

15. Task: 5 minutes
Search a song on youtube.com which you
could use in your classroom.

16. Puppets
Get students to use puppets to act out
dialogues in TL.
Students can create pencil puppets in minutes.

17. Cluedo activities
Qui a vomi?
Je pense que c'était dans le jardin sur le bébé.
le
chien
Je crois que la cuisine la table.
le chat
À mon avis la le salon la
tortue chaise.
Selon moi la le garage les
souris devoirs.
J'imagine que le bébé la la télé.
chambre

18. Describing a picture

19. Comparing 2 pictures

20. I went to the shop...
The old primary school game.
In groups.
Pupil A starts “I went to the shop and I bought X.”
Pupil B continues “I went to the shop and I bought X
and Y.”
Pupil C continues “I went to the shop and I bought X
and Y and Z.”

21. Audacity
Resource for recording and changing voices.
Great for motivating boys!

22. Task: 5 minutes
Record yourself on audacity & change your
voice.

23. blabberize.com
Upload a picture and a sound file
(made with audacity?)

24. voki.com
Like blabberize but with more features.

25. Crazy talk
A program which allows pupils to create 3D
living puppets from 2D photos and pictures.
Quite expensive but worth the money.

26. songify
An app for android and iphone/pad/pod
Record speech and it turns it into song.
Example

27. Task: 5 minutes
Create a create a voki, a blabberize or songify
something.

28. Further reading
Steve Smith's blog: 50 speaking activities
http://bit.ly/WefH1d

29. From squawk to talk
Dominic McGladdery
@dominic_mcg
domsmflpage.blogspot.com
I ain't no hollaback girl!