(SKKN 2022) MEASURES TO IMPROVE ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS FOR STUDENTS THROUGH PRESENTTING TOPICS, CURRENT ENGLISH PROGRAM OF GRATE 7TH AT THI TRAN NUA SECONDARY SCHOOL

1 Introduction 1.1 The reason to choose a topic Nowadays English has become an international language because it is widely used in many parts of the world In the tendency of integration of the global economy, English is one of the effective communicative tools for everybody The role of English is considered to be very important in the fields of economics, politics, science, culture and education Especially, Vietnam’s official membership of WTO on 7th November 2006 opened a new door for integrating into the world economy, and more and more people want to learn English for communicating with foreign partners, tourism, study tours, etc Moreover, English is now a compulsory subject which must be taken in every examination, so learning English is becoming more and more important with all students Thanks to the innovation of ways in teaching English, English lessons are taught with four skills (speaking, reading, listening, and writing) in one unit However, the majority of students cannot communicate in English although they have learnt it for many years, even from pre- school It is because they focus too much on grammar, structures and vocabulary just to prepare for written tests Moreover, only those who get high marks in written exam are appriciated As a result, they don’t spend enough time and effort on speaking English There is no surprise that students even some good at English are not confident in speaking it - Before applying the method in my school: I have taught the new English textbook curriculum in which speaking is considered a compulsory test I see that the new textbooks provide a variety of knowledge, vocabulary, structures appropriate to improve speaking skills However, my students lack neccessaryskills and confidence as well to communicate, they are always worried that they may make mistakes in pronunciation or language choice, they feel ashamed when others cannot understand what they mean After days and nights I have spent on studying language teaching methods, trying some with my students, I find an efective method Today I would like to share with you what I have done and what I and my students have achieved I am interested in this assignment which lists out some ways that I have been using in teaching to improve their speaking skills and make them interested in learning I hope that my assignment will be useful to any learner, teacher of English and anyone who pay attention to this problem 1.2 Research purposes By successfully studying the topic, this experiential initiative will help teachers gain the following experience: How to develop effective speaking skills Guide students to train themselves to have English speaking skills Some skills lessons, 7th grade English textbook, Vietnam Education Publishing House) as examples Suggestions for building and improving students’ English speaking skills 1.3 Research Objects - 7th grade student, I am teaching current English program - Class B at Thi Tran Nua secondary school Number of students: 40 students - Class 7C at Thi Tran Nua secondary school Number of students: 41 students 1.4 Research Methodology - Attend training classes; learn from colleagues and some of my own experiences - Observe students' acquisition of knowledge in the teaching process - Listen to the students pronounce and observe the students for communication - Research from teaching materials, reference books and resources on Internet teaching methods Content of experience initiatives 2.1 Rationale of innovative experience Nowadays in Vietnam, it is very important to learn one or more foreign languages to use everyday English speaking and at work, especially in English English is used everywhere, anytime However, the question is why many people learn English for a long time but when they interact with native speakers; they not understand or misunderstand what native speakers are saying The answer is due to the ability to communicate in English So, how to communicate better in English? As we all know; communication is the way of communicating information between different individuals in the same society However, communication is not simple, instead is an art that requires people to have the skills hone carefully So, what methods help us to communicate effectively? In communication, there are many ways to convey information, but in the scope of this research, I only focus on verbal communication through: audio and language Communication is not just a way for two-way communication between speakers and listeners It is the expression of culture, lifestyle, and behavior of each person Therefore, the author would like to send useful methods to use in communication so that everyone can learn and apply effectively, especially English communication skills for 6th grade students For students, communicating as much as possible is very helpful and necessary Because they remember the vocabulary, they can hear and understand what the teacher is saying, so that they can easily answer the teacher's questions, thereby interacting with the teacher and the learner Determining the importance of learning English communication skills, the Ministry of Education and Training has implemented the National Foreign Language Project 2020 to improve English language skills of English teachers throughout the country to develop communication skills for students especially in the context of integration today In the new textbook of the Ministry of Education, teaching communication skills is integrated in the communication class To teach this part of a lesson is not only my concern but also many of my colleagues 2.2 Actual situation before applying experience initiatives In order to implement methods to teach students to communicate well, and to correct errors for students during communication, I conducted a survey on the communication ability of the 6th grade from the beginning of the school year, 2020 – 2021,sixth grade students at Thi Tran Nua secondary school in Trieu Son district and obtained the following result: Excellent Good Fair Poor Class Total o o o N % N % N % No % 7B 40 0 20, 11 27, 21 52, 5 7C 41 2,4 14, 12 29, 22 53, When I first started the school year, I gave my students the first test by communicating, greeting and encouraging them to talk a lot about themselves, their families and personal interests I found that their communication is very poor and they are afraid to speak English They not remember the vocabulary, not focus on learning how to pronounce the words, not even learn the vocabulary, so it is too difficult for them to express a problem in English although it is very simple Besides, facilities, teaching materials for children have not been fully invested such as dictionaries, practice materials, radio, cassettes, etc At the same time, there are many English classes but only one room to practice language, in addition to the large number of students in a class, so it is difficult for both teachers and students to learn a communication lesson Moreover, most students not have the opportunity to interact with native speakers, so they also have some limitations in communicating in English In addition, students have difficulty pronouncing and distinguishing between similar sounds when teachers speak In addition, they are lazy when chatting in English with classmates Foreign language is a subject that requires students to work hard Study regularly, study anytime, anywhere can develop vocabulary Memorize a lot of vocabulary; Students can apply that knowledge to their daily communication without being confused Moreover, it is also important and necessary to guess the vocabulary of a lesson Previously, in the old method, teachers often refer to new lessons without stimulating students' thinking ability, so they are very passive in absorbing new lessons, so the effectiveness of the lesson is not high The need to innovate in teaching methods, how to improve the quality of lessons, how to use methods to promote student ownership, initiative and creativity is always a concern of teachers, who are willing to devote their entire lives to education Therefore, each teacher must constantly explore, create and learn from colleagues to find the best teaching method that best suits their students From the above reality, I myself think that it is necessary to help my students learn to communicate more, so I have taught myself, researched myself, gathered knowledge and created a method of “Measures to improve English speaking skills for students through presenting topics, current English programar of grade 7th” 2.3 The solution used to solve the problem 2.3.1 Building ideas: Many students want to speak English They have ambition to speak and they are willing to communicate to “real foreigners” However, they face many difficulties Some even don’t know what to say about one topic And the solution for this is “building ideas” When they first read the questions, they should ask themselves questions like: + What? + How? + Why? + Where/ when? Then try to answer them, at first they can give short answers and gradually longer ones with explanations, examples to make it clear At the begining, teachers may provide some sample questions or guide them how to ask and answer They can also discuss with their friends to find out suitable questions (I attatch some samples at the end of this assignment) Example: Unit of English 7: “ My hobbies ” To build ideas, students need to answer some questions: What’s name of your hobby? When did you start your hobby? Is your hobby easy or difficult? Why? Is your hobby useful? Why/Why not? Do you intend to continue your hobby in the future? TOPIC 1: MY NEW SCHOOL 1) What is you new school's name? 2) Is it in the country or in the city? 3) It is big or small? 4) Are there any trees in your new school? 5) Are there any flowers in your new school? 6) Is the school yard big or small? 7) How many teachers are there in your new school? 8) How many classes are there in your new school? 9) How many students are there in your new school? 10) Is your new school near or far from your house? 11) How you go to your new school everyday? 12) What you to keep your new school pretty everyday? 13) Do you love your new school? 14) Do you study well to become a good student? TOPIC 2: MY NEW FRIEND 1) What is your new friend? 2) How old is he? 3) Is he in your classmate? 4) Does he sit next to you? 5) What is his favourite subject? 6) Do you have the same favourite subject as you? 7) Do you go to school with him everyday? 8) Are you best friends together? 9) Do you help together study well? 10) What you and he together in your free time? 11) Are you and him best friend forever? 12) Are you happy to be his best friend? 2.3.2 Writing an outline: - Why outline? + Outlines help maintain the speech’s focus on the thesis by allowing the speaker to test the scope of content, assess logical relationships between ideas, and evaluate the relevance of supporting ideas + Outlines help organize a message that the audience can understand by visually showing the balance and proportion of a speech + Outlines can help you deliver clear meanings by serving as the foundation for speaking notes you will use during your presentation The paragraph should include the following things: - Your hobby ( name of your hobby): “ Today, I would like to talk about my hobby My hobby is .” - When your hobby started - How your hobby has been built up - Why you had this hobby - Your feelings about the hobby 2.3.3 Providing neccessary words: Vocabulary is central to English language teaching because without sufficient vocabulary students cannot understand others or express their own ideas Wilkins (1972) wrote that “ while without grammar very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed” This point reflects my experience with different languages; even without grammar, with some useful words and expressions, I can often manage to communicate Lewis (1993) went further to argue, “lexis is the core or heart of language” (p 89) Teaching vocabulary helps students understand and communicate with others in English They can express their ideas and make them understandable Vocabulary can show their English ability and talents because there are many expressions to talk about one idea For reasons above, it is neccessary to provide students vocabulary before they present a topic Our teachers should use different ways and methods in order to attract their attention and help them learn Some tips for conveying vocabulary related to the topic: My hobbies *Brainstorming -Students work in two groups (A & B) -Students think of vocabulary which relates to the topic hobby -Students write on the board -T gives remarks and gives more words words effectively *Matching: -Students work in groups of or -Students match the words in column A with the correct pictures in column B -Students presents the answers on the board -Teachers gives feedbacks A B flying kites a planting trees b bird-watching c carving wood d making models e going sailing f having a picnic g  Keys: 1a; 2d; 3c; 4d; 5f; 6e; 7g *Bingo! - T presents somes words (8 to 10 words) about hobbies - Students repeat the words - Students choose or words form the list above to write down on their small pieces of paper - Teacher reads the words in random - Students tick the words they have in their paper - Ss win the game when they have all the words ticked - Examples words/phrases: + watching TV + listening to music + playing soccer + playing badminton + shopping + mountain-climbing + chatting + surfing on the internet + gradening + running *Lucky Number -Teacher gives the questions (with numbers in which there are numbers called Lucky Numbers) -Students work in groups (A & B) -Students choose the number and answers the questions to get marks when the numbers are questions and students also get marks when they choose the lucky numbers -Some example numbers: 1) Lucky Number 2) What is your hobby? 3) Do you like listening to music? 4) Lucky Number 5) Lucky Number 6) Do you like reading? 7) Do you hate collecting stamps? 8) Is cycling your hobby? 9) Do you often have a picnic with your family? *Kim’s game -Teacher presents a poster of words about hobbies -Students read and try to remember as many words as possible -Teacher hides the poster -Students rewrite the words in groups -Example words/phrases: +listening to music +shopping +playing soccer +watching TV +playing badminton +running +chatting with friends +playing volleyball +surfing on the internet +gradening *Find someone who -Students go around to interview their classmates -Students write the names in the grid -Who finishes the grid first is the winner -Teacher gives students the model sentences or examples Find someone who likes Names read books watch TV listen to music climb mountain plant trees the housework collect coins Let’s take a look at the presentation of a grade student to see how important it is to master a wide range of vocabulary and how the ideas were organized “Firstly, making models can help me relax after studying hard because I can play with them and I sometimes make models with my parents, brothers, sisters, my friends and my classmates and so on We really have good fun together when we make models Therefore, making models brings me a lot of happiness I feel really relaxing when I make models Secondly, making models is not difficult because there are a lot of easy models for me to make such as pot, teapot, pan, bike and so on I can easily choose a topic to make the models because there are a lot of normal things around me For example, one day, on the way to my school I saw cat eating a fish I like this view very much, so I make a model of a cat, a model of a fish I put the fish in the cat’s mouth That helps my remember about the day I saw them Finally, making models is cheap because the materials for making them are not very expensive We can use many kinds of materials to make models They can be clay, stones, tree leaves, tree branches, paper and so on I can collect them every where around me I don’t pay a lot of money for buying the materials Moreover, using recycled things to make models is one of the best ways to keep our environment clean and healthy.” + In the Firstly section, there are words "my parents, brothers, sisters" on the topic "Unit 1: My home" and the words "my friends and my classmates" belong to the topic "Unit 3: My friend" of 10-year 6th grade English program + In the Secondly part, there are words "pot, teapot, pan" on the theme "Unit 1: My home" and the words "difficult, normal, easy, view" under the theme "Unit 5: Natural wonders Of the world ” of the 10-year Grade English program + In the Finally section there are the words "clay, stones, tree leaves, tree branches, paper" on the theme "Unit 10: Our houses in the future" and the words "recycled things, environment, clean, healthy" belong to the theme "Unit 11: Our Greener World" of 10-year sixth grade English program 2.3.4 Using appropriate structures: Sentence Structure is important because it provide us with the framework for the clear expression of our ideas The aim in speaking is always to express in complete sentences which are correctly pronounced The variety of structures can make the presentation more interesting, more beautiful Teachers may provide them some basic structures and some students can use the same ones For better students, they can replace or mix with other structures For example, to talk about hobby, we can provide them some structures: + My hooby is listening to music + My interest is listeing to music + My favorite thing is listening to music + My favorite thing to in my free time is listening to music + I am into listening to music + I love listening to music + I enjoy listening to music + I like listening to music + I am interested in listening to music + I am keen on listening to music + I am fond of listening to music + I am a big fan of music in general + Listening to music is one of my favourite free time activities + Listening to music is the thing I often in my free time 2.3.5 Using conjunctions: Conjunctions are words that link other words, phrases, or clauses or ideas together Without conjunctions, the presentation becomes unclear, illogical and 10 difficult to follow Teachers should guide students how to use conjunctions appropriately (sequence, adding more information, time phrases, causes and solutions, giving examples…) - Please look at the presentation of the grade student above: “Firstly, making models can help me relax after studying hard becauseI can play with them and I sometimes make models with my parents, brothers, sisters, my friends and my classmates and so on We really have good fun together when we make models Therefore, making models brings me a lot of happiness I feel really relaxing when I make models Secondly, making models is not difficult because there are a lot of easy models for me to make such as pot, teapot, pan, bike and so on I can easily choose a topic to make the models because there are a lot of normal things around me For example, one day, on the way to my school I saw cat eating a fish I like this view very much, so I make a model of a cat, a model of a fish I put the fish in the cat’s mouth That helps my remember about the day I saw them Finally, making models is cheap because the materials for making them are not very expensive We can use many kinds of materials to make models They can be clay, stones, tree leaves, tree branches, paper and so on I can collect them every where around me I don’t pay a lot of money for buying the materials Moreover, using recycled things to make models is one of the best way to keep our environment clean and healthy.” + To connect ideas, he used “Firstly, Secondly, Finally” + To compare, contrast or make clear the previous sentences, he used “so, and, because, but, with, when” + To add more information and give example, he used “Moreover, For example, such as” 2.3.6 Practicing: It is important to practice presenting in front of other people Students can experience the feeling of nervousness, shyness or learn how to express an idea when they forget some words or structures They can know how to overcome the fear, worries and focus on the presentation I try to give them chance to practice as much as posible in some ways: Practice with a partner: Practice with group mates Practice with classmates Practice with teachers 11 2.3.7 Building skills: From diferent ways to learn and practice, students can improve English speaking skills and genarally speak English naturally And one day, they can speak about any topic that they have realting vocabulary and structures They follow the steps easily: building ideas  writing an outline  Choosing vocabulary  Selecting structures  Listing conjunctions  Practicing  Mastering Speaking is a skill which requires practice a lot Please remember “Practice makes perfect” There is no way to master a language but to practice SOME EXAMPLES A Hello everybody Now I would like to introduce my hobby My hobby is collecting books My book collection started when I was seven years old At that time, my father used to tell me bedtime stories every night, which was very intersting I really loved listening to those stories.Since then,I have collected story books as a hobby My father knew that and he helped me a lot Now, I have over 200 books of different kinds To increase the size of my collection, I sometimes exchage books with those who share the same hobby with me Each time I read the books, I have a feeling of living in the past.Kings,Queens appear before my eyes What a pleasant thing to look at my favorite books B Hi, guy! Today I want to talk about my hobby My hobby is collecting stamps When I was still ony a baby, my mother began to collect for me.I remember it was my fifteenth birthday that she first put them into my hands They was in three fat books, but since that time I have added three more ,so that now I have a bigger collection than any of my friends How I get my stamps? I have never bought a single one from a shop,so my collection has really cost me nothing My father, who works in a big office, sometimes brings me home stamps from many countries of the world To add more stamps to my collection, I exchange with some friends who live here and in other countries My friends send me stamps in turn for the ones I sent to them Now that I am working for my living, I not have as much time as before to spend on my stamps But in the evenings, nothing could please me more than to sit down at the table with my precious books, arranging new stamps in them, writing in the name of countries,or, If I am too tired, I just look through the stamps already in the books Each stamp has a story to tell me of far countries and strange peoples.I see pictures of men and women, birds and animals that I have never seen King and presidents pass before my eyes, and I can follow the history of nations in the world But my stamps collection does not make me think only of the past Just as my mother collected for me, so I am also collecting for my future child If I can pass 12 my hobby onto him, he will bless me for it as I have blessed my mother for her wise action 2.4 The effectiveness of experience initiatives for educational activities, for myself, my colleagues and the school After a year of using this method to teach students speaking skill , I found that their English communication skills improved markedly Some students who are afraid of speaking now become more energetic, more active in communicative practice and participate in activities and communication games In addition, they are more aware of how to best communicate Continuing to study the students' communication ability to monitor, I have obtained the following results: Excellent Good Fair Poor Class Total o o o N % N % N % No % 7B 40 12, 10 25, 16 40, 22, 0 7C 41 10, 12 29, 14 17, 11 24,4 The rate of excellent and good students has increased from to 12,5% in the normal class The rate of weak students in the normal class was about 20 % compared to the beginning of the school year Nowadays, the demand of learning English is increasing and the form of teaching English communication is really necessary especially for the trend of international integration However, not all teachers have English teaching sessions, especially English for successful communication That's why I myself after a process of teaching have drawn for me the following experiences: Opportunities should be created for students to practice English communication - Choose a topic for the lesson You should choose to give your students a topic to communicate with or can use an article, comic, something or picture to set up a big topic for conversation Topics that is appropriate for their students so that they are easier for them to learn and have more interest in learning - Determine the purpose of the student Before starting to teach communication classes, we should define the learning goals of students You can also choose a specific grammar or vocabulary you want students to work with For example, the topic of "shopping" and direct their students on the way to ask prices and pay - Creating practical opportunities for students The most important thing in learning English communication is to have interaction between students and students, students and teachers and learning must go hand in hand with practice If possible divide students into groups and then practice together according to the topics and sentence patterns they have learned - Regularly recalling the learned knowledge 13 Regularly review students' knowledge This will help students not to forget the old lessons and knowledge to be practiced more smoothly A person with effective communication skills will be loved and easily succeed at work However, to get the best communication skills in English in today's integration trend, students have to be reminded to work hard in a spirit of progress and learning As long as we work hard to overcome our weaknesses, we will surely gain many good relationships and develop ourselves over time Conclusions and recommendations 3.1 Conclusions I feel that developing English communication skills for students is not a simple matter It requires teachers to have creative, understandable and receptive teaching methods for students After a year of research, I realized that the method of teaching communication skills has a lot of effects First of all, to create a love and interest for students in the process of learning communication skills, to help them no longer find it difficult or embarrassing to communicate English with friends or teachers Since then, the ability of students to communicate has increased significantly The rate of excellent and excellent students in the normalclass has increased from %to 12,5% The rate of weak students dropped to 20%, compared to the beginning of the school year Besides, for me, the study of methods of teaching communication skills for students has contributed to improving my level and pedagogical capacity At the same time, it contributes to innovating teaching methods in particular and English topics in general In the context of students in mountainous areas, teaching facilities are inadequate, the opportunity to meet native speakers is very difficult; the initial success I achieved was an encouragement for me personally This method can be applied to communication lessons in grades or 7: "Communication" section, New English textbook Vietnam Education Publishing House However, because each lesson unit has a different communication lesson structure, teachers need to apply creatively to achieve the desired effect 3.2.Recommendations To make teaching English communication really effective, I personally have some recommendations as follows: - The school management and equipment department should be equipped with teaching aids such as dictionaries, books, magazines, video recorders, cassette recorders, projectors, etc Or install more a few other audiovisual rooms for students to study effectively - Teachers should be creative using this method to suit each unit and each student Avoid stereotyping, making students bored - To apply this new method effectively, I strongly recommend the Department of Education, the School Board, the Department of Education and Training introduces the topic to all colleagues to exchange, learn from 14 experiences, draw positive teaching methods on developing communication skills for English subjects Above are a few small teaching experiences that I share for reference colleagues However, during the implementation process, it is inevitable that the shortcomings are unavoidable, so I look forward to receiving the comments and supplements of my colleagues so that I can achieve more success in my English teaching career Sincerely thanks! CONFIRM OF THE PRINCIPLE Thanh Hoa, April 20th, 2022 I swear, this teaching exprience was written by myself, not being copied from other people’s contents Nguyen Thi Quy 15 * References: To proceed to this topic I based on some materials: English grade textbook, Vietnam Education Publishing House) How to Teach Communication, Gerald Kelly, Pearson Longman, 2000 Tips for Teaching Communication: A Practical Approach, Linda Lane, Pearson Longman, 2010 Documents from web sites: http://www.englishclub.com/communiciation/index.htm http://violet.vn http://.tienganh123.com Good tips to teach Communication VN-Express electronic newspaper 16 ... am teaching current English program - Class B at Thi Tran Nua secondary school Number of students: 40 students - Class 7C at Thi Tran Nua secondary school Number of students: 41 students 1.4... and created a method of ? ?Measures to improve English speaking skills for students through presenting topics, current English programar of grade 7th? ?? 2.3 The solution used to solve the problem... increased from %to 12,5% The rate of weak students dropped to 20%, compared to the beginning of the school year Besides, for me, the study of methods of teaching communication skills for students has