Supplementary activities for helping primary pupils improve their sp

A INTRODUCTION I Reasons for choosing the topic Currently, the English language has become popular all over the world, many countries use it as a first language and people use it as a second language in communication In Vietnam, English is seen as a major foreign language today At Nghe An Continuing Education Centre, English is not only taught for language specialized students but also for young learners of all levels I have recently applied a number of methods and techniques into teaching English in order to improve the quality of teaching and learning English as a Foreign Language Communicative method has proved their superiority as through communicative activities more language are used and students’ initiatives and active involvement are developed It can be said that communicative approach is designed to change the traditional way of presenting and practising language and it helps to shift the teacher-led classroom culture to the students-centred classroom atmosphere Supplementary activities have widely used in my context (training teachers of English at Nghe An Continuing Education Centre) with the acceptance, eagerness and enthusiasm by teachers and students It, however, is the one requiring much knowledge and preparation as well as physical conditions, and it also requires teachers’ commitment and patience I have been trying to put some of those into practice I have been adapting and designing ourselves a repertoire of communicative activities which have been used and from which students have benefited I would like, in this paper, to introduce these supplementary activities to you all - teachers of English in a view of sharing experience and seeking for common thoughts to makes a change, however small it is, in teaching and learning English though it is hard work really The games and activities have been used for teaching speaking skill and developing language skills and I shall not categorise them as some of them can be used for all about mentioned purposes Some of activities I have adapted from other resources, and others I have designed myself Speaking skill courses have been successfully organised at Nghe An continuing Education Centre over the last four years A great deal of young learners have been taking part in and quite many of them have made improvement in speaking To improve the students’ effectiveness of learning English and have a good result in teaching public speaking at Nghe An continuing Education Centre, I have followed a number of steps to be able to generate enthusiasm in speaking Once they have gained, know how to make presentation, they will find speaking skill easier Above all, for teachers, the facilitators will help them be active, creative, feel responsible not only does he teach, moderate, but also inspire young learners In this paper, I would like to give some ideas about how to help teach speaking skill effectivelly to help our children feel easier and more confident during their study The paper is divided into three parts: A Introduction B Content C Conclusion and recommendation II Scope of the Study In this writing, I’d like to share my suggestions that I have gathered in my during preparing lessons, on using different kinds of games and communicative activities as inputs to help our young learners practise and develop English public speaking skill The significances of this study were expected to provide some advantages for English teaching and learning process The significances of this study are: For young learners as the subjects of the study, it was expected that they would take the advantages of the study They could learn how to improve their skills of public speaking For the teachers at Nghe An Continuing Education Centre, it was expected that the teachers could improve their technique of speaking interestingly and effectively so that the pupils would enjoy the study B CONTENT I Literature Review The Importance of Public Speaking If you ask most people, they'll probably say they don't like speaking skill They may even admit to being afraid of it, since fear of speaking is a very common fear Or they may just be shy or introverted For those reasons, many people avoid speaking if they can If you're one of those people who avoid speaking, you're missing out Over the years, speaking skillhas played a major role in education, government, and business Words have the power to inform, persuade, educate, and even entertain And the spoken word can be even more powerful than the written word in the hands of the right speaker Whether you're a small business owner, a student, or just someone who's passionate about something - you'll benefit if you improve your speaking skills, both personally and professionally Some benefits to speaking skill include: • Improves confidence • Better research skills • Stronger deductive skills • Ability to advocate for causes Speaking skill is especially important for businesses since they've got a need to get their message before potential customers and market their business Sales people and executives alike are often expected to have good speaking skills To learn more about some of the benefits of speaking, review the following article: What Are the Problems of Speaking English? Even though many people routinely give speeches or presentations for work or school, they may still experience fear at the idea of having to stand in front of others and talk Some speakers can become debilitated by thoughts of what to say, how to keep the audience’s interest and how to calm nerves Much of the anxiety associated with speaking can be minimized, however, if you pay attention to overcoming the most common problems of speaking  Lack of Confidence If you don't have confidence in yourself, you'll risk alienating the audience Being obviously nervous is especially problematic because “when we are nervous, listeners are more likely to focus on negative vocal and visual cues,” says author Cheryl Hamilton in “Essentials of Speaking.” Allowing time to prepare and practice beforehand helps speakers gain the sense of control necessary for the audience to trust and believe the message  Lack of Attention to Audience Make sure you know the audience, or the presentation will be unsuccessful Researching their ages, culture, values and current level of knowledge is essential to shaping the speech’s tone and content Failing to relate the material to the audience, to maintain eye contact and to read their expressions can negatively affect how your speech will be interpreted Explaining how the material benefits listeners personally and using anecdotes attracts the audience’s attention  Lack of Organization You can lose credibility by not spending enough time gathering and organizing material Conducting research about the audience, topic and sources are preliminary steps Arrange the information into an attention-getting introduction, craft a paragraph for each of the three most important points, follow them with a conclusion Attempting to speak on the fly invites disaster It's standard practice to create an outline or put information on note cards to refer to as you speak This method helps both the speaker and audience stay on track  Lack of Preparedness Practice the speech in full before delivery Saying the words helps speakers hear: where they are rushing words; where to improve word flow and voice intonation; and how to project enthusiasm Using technology or other visuals beforehand makes it possible to catch glitches that could otherwise disrupt the actual speaking event Rehearsal also improves familiarity with the material, enabling speakers to field questions and maintain credibility  Lack of Time Management Run through the speech to ensure it meets time requirements Many speakers run overtime because they have not adequately rehearsed and timed the delivery of their material “If you are speaking for 10 minutes, rehearse for about eight,” advise Ronald Adler and Jeanne Elmhorst in their book “Communication at Work: Principles and Practices for Business and Professions” How to Become Better Speaking skill Okay, so now that you understand the benefits of speaking, you might be a little more interested Still, you might think it's not for you Maybe you gave a speech once and it didn't go well Maybe you're afraid of speaking Or maybe you think you don't have a natural ability for giving speeches The truth is that speaking is a skill It can be learned While some people may have more natural speaking ability than others, or a more pleasing voice, or are more charismatic-anyone who can speak can learn to be a better speaker than they are right now It just takes some know-how and some effort To help you become better at speaking, we'll take a look at these four areas: • Writing the speech • Overcoming a fear of speaking • Practicing the speech • Giving the speech 4.1 Write an Effective Speech The first thing you'll want to is work on writing a well-organized, engaging speech Because even if you've got a great speaking voice or a great deal of charisma, you won't give a good speech if your material isn't any good The following tutorials can help you learn to write better speeches: 4.2 Overcome the Fear of Speaking Fear of speaking is very real and can hold you back if you let it If you don't feel confident when giving your speech, your listeners may pick up on that, making your presentation less effective Fortunately, there are some techniques that'll help most people manage their fear of speaking and become more confident First, let's tackle fear of speaking The following tutorials list some techniques you can use to overcome a fear of speaking: 4.3 Practice the Speech Even if you're not afraid of speaking, practicing your speech is still an important step to having an effective speech If you're in a rush, you may be tempted to skip practicing your speech to save time While skipping practice may seem like a good idea, it's really not By practicing your speech not only you improve your speaking skills, but you also increase your familiarity with the presentation—making it more likely that your speech will go smoothly This tutorial includes a handy checklist to help you practice your speech (and other tips): 4.4 Give the Speech Now that you've written a good speech, feel more confident about speaking, and have practiced—you're ready to actually give the speech There are some tips and tricks you can use on the day of your speech to make it go more smoothly, though Remember, you're giving a presentation before a live audience at a specific place and time So, you've got some concerns about the speaking venue that those who give online presentations don't have to worry about Some common concerns for speakers include: • Will the audience be able the hear me? • Does the venue have the equipment I need? • Are there enough seats for all of my listeners? Why developing the confidence of speaking skill is so important for children The idea of speaking is understandably daunting, having to win over a bunch of strangers so it’s no wonder why most people stay away from it However, the unfortunate thing for those individuals is that they miss out on the one skill that can positively change the direction of their journey and impact their success immensely, from securing a job or investors, to increasing sales and building brand awareness There are just countless reasons why you should consider this communication technique and get into speaking but here are my top 3:  Winning over the crowd Sspeaking is a great opportunity to win over a crowd Look at it this way, the crowd you’re speaking to are in fact your potential clients It’s almost a make or break moment You have the chance to pretty much sell yourself Introduce yourself to the crowd so they can get to know you, build some sort of trust and credibility with them Being able to persuade your audience that you are worth the investment and they should trust you by telling your personal story Public speaking is a great avenue for this to happen, they see you live in action and you are able to create a deeper connection with your audience by applying story-telling secrets, tonality and more It provides the chance to express to a crowd why a particular product, service, idea or even yourself would be beneficial to them as well as allowing you to put potential customers at rest by touching on any enquiries or concerns they might have You pretty much have the power to directly influence people to buy your product or service  To Motivate people Great public speakers have the ability to push people to either something, stop something, reach a goal or drop bad habits Platforms for public speaking makes room for this Being able to encourage your crowd to take an action through testimonials or live figures of how your personal framework or technique has change your life and the life of your clients Seeing is believing, public speaking therefore is your chance to show your audience that making the specified change or action in their lives is the right move to make As a public speaker, you need to convey how passionate and driven you are, inspiring them to be driven in their own personal endeavours also  To inform I believe that public speaking is one of the best ways to get your message across Whilst other communication methods like social media marketing, ads and email campaigns is effective, there’s no doubt that physical and personal communication is far more impactful in getting a message out there to a large audience This is why public speaking is a game changer It allows you to inform people of who you are and/or what you are doing on a more personal and direct level It is an opportunity for you to spark new interests and make people who had no idea who the hell you are wonder how they survived their whole life without you thus far II English Speaking classes at Nghe An Continuing EducationCentre A brief overview of Public speaking courses Running more than 15 classes so far with different learners of mixed ability and competency, a great deal of lessons and experiences have been drawn out, which are crucial for our next tutoring I have made an investigation into the matter and found that the regular mode of training and handbook activities did not seem to bring good performances to our learners Thus, I have put these initiatives afterwards on public speaking and through all class above, I am quite confident that these have brought a good return III Supplementary activities as inputs for English speaking classes Definition of input in second language learning Input refers to the exposure learners have to authentic language in use This can be from various sources, including the teacher, other learners, the environment around the learners and keeping them in our brain Input can be compared to intake, which is input then taken in and internalized by the learner so it can be applied Input learning consists of: • Memorize vocabularies • Study grammar rules • Take online lessons • Read English books • Watch movies, dramas, online video clips • Listen to audio files and podcasts • The brain produces sentences based on the sentences it has seen or heard (input) So the way to improve is to feed your brain with a lot of input correct and understandable sentences (written or spoken) Before you can start speaking and writing in a foreign language, your brain must get enough correct sentences in that language Typical games and activities applied for English speaking skill 2.1 Memory check  Aims: To help learners remember vocabulary and structure to speak out in class  Organization: Groups  Time allowed: 10 minutes  Variations: Food, Drink, Toys, Sport, Animal, Rooms, Objects  Materials Required: A computer in the classroom, powerpoint file  Procedure: - Each team look at their picture on the screen in 30 seconds or minute and try to remember it - In group speak out as many sentences as possible about the pictures using structures: “I’ve got ”, “ There is, there are .on, in, under ” - The whole team come to the board to describe their picture, saying one by one, the other team give feedback by showing the picture on the screen - If they have correct sentences they will get ten points - The group with more points will be the winner  Lesson applied: “My favourite room” - Movers level 2.2 Hidden Object Game A hidden object game (or hidden picture game) is a casual game in which the player must find items from a list that are hidden within a picture Hidden object games are a popular trend in casual gaming, and are comparatively inexpensive to buy All hidden object games require you to find lists of objects within a busy scene  Aims: To help learners think of vocabulary relating to certain topics  Organization: Groups  Time allowed: 10 minutes  Variations: Food, Drink, Toys, Sport, Animal, Festival, Technology, Wonders, Famous people  Materials Required: A computer in the classroom, powerpoint file  Procedure: - Each team looks at the hidden pictures and clues, then guess the words - The team who speaks out the word or the picture will be the winner  Lesson applied: “My favourite animal” - Movers level Example 2: lesson 11 “My house” - Starters level Example 3: lesson “My favourite animal” - Starters level 2.3 Jigsaw puzzle game A jigsaw puzzle is a tiling puzzle that requires the assembly of often oddly shaped interlocking and tessellating pieces Each piece usually has a small part of a picture on it; when complete, a jigsaw puzzle produces a complete picture In some cases, more advanced types have appeared on the market, such as spherical jigsaws and puzzles showing optical illusions On a given topic, students can produce ideas in a limited time Depending on the context, either individual or group brainstorming is effective and learners generate ideas quickly and freely The good characteristics of brainstorming is that the students are not criticized for their ideas so students will be open to sharing new ideas  Aims: To elicit vocabulary and structures relating to certain topics  Organization: Groups  Time allowed: 10 minutes  Variations: Food, Drink, Toys, Sport, Animal, Festival, Technology, Wonders, Famous people  Materials Required: A computer in the classroom, powerpoint file  Procedure: - Deliver the handouts to the students - Students read the questions in the map and answer  Lesson applied: “Introduction”- Starters level Lesson applied “School”- Movers level people Lesson applied “Holidays”- Flyers level 4.5 Storytelling Students can briefly summarize a tale or story they heard from somebody beforehand, or they may create 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 Students also can tell riddles or jokes For instance, at the very beginning of each class session, the teacher may call a few students to tell short riddles or jokes as an opening In this way, not only will the teacher address students’ speaking ability, but also get the attention of the class  Aims: To help learners elicit vocabulary relating to certain topics  Organization: Pairs or groups  Time allowed: 20 minutes  Variations: Food, Drink, Toys, Sport, Animal, Festival, Technology, Wonders, Famous people  Materials Required: A computer in the classroom, powerpoint file  Procedure: - Pairs or groups look at the pictures and name the things and activities in the pictures - Using the pictures to make a story  Lesson applied: “Preparation for course end” - Flyers level 4.6 Riddles A riddle is a question, a puzzle, a phrase, or a statement devised to get unexpected or clever answers It is a folklore genre as well as rhetorical device, often having veiled or double meanings When someone uses it as a puzzle or a question, it could be a thought-provoking challenge for the audienceto figure it out themselves, or it could be a funny comment intended to make the audience laugh  Aims: To Provide learners vocabulary and structures relating to certain topics  Organization: Individuals  Time allowed: 10 minutes  Variations: Food, Drink, Toys, Sport, Animal, Festival, Technology, Wonders, Famous people  Materials Required: A computer in the classroom, powerpoint file  Procedure: - Deliver the handouts to the students - Students read the riddles and write the answer in the boxes  Lesson applied: “My favourite animal” - Starters level Lesson applied “My house” - Starters level C CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION Teaching English speaking is a very important part of second language learning The ability to communicate in a second language clearly and efficiently contributes to the success of the learners in school and success later in every phase of life Therefore, it is essential that language teachers pay great attention to teaching speaking skill Rather than leading students to pure memorization, providing a rich environment where meaningful communication takes place is desired With this aim, various public speaking activities such as those listed above can contribute a great deal to students in developing basic skills necessary for speaking Hopefully these activities make students more active in the learning process and at the same time make their learning more meaningful and fun for them All the above mentioned activities have been used from the fourth course onwards at Nghe An continuing Education Centre, so have the additional visual materials Though not all young learners who have been taking part in English speaking courses are up to our expectation because of mixed classes and big size classes, the number of young learners follow the courses has been increasing year by year According to the statistic from 2016 to 2020 I have taught nearly 300 students After the courses students have made impression by their good presentations in the closing ceremonies which satisfied their parents.I am in a great confidence to confirm that speaking has added up its credits to our young learners’ performance Apart from using these supplementary activities in teaching Englishspeaking classes to develop learners’ speaking skill as well as their performance, I would like to recommend those applied in teaching other skills such as teaching vocabulary, grammar… and for different kinds of classes not only at our centre but also other schools It’s really an honor for me to share out our ideas and our thought with you All remarks and recommendations will be warmly welcome and hope that we together can get more and more experiences in our teaching Hope you all find they are of some uses and get back to us with any single feedback so that I will be able to perfect them later REFERENCES Doff,A.(1988).Teacher English - A training Course for Teachers Cambridge University Press Penny Ur.(1996) A course in Language Teaching Cambridge University Press Ron Forseth,Carol Forseth,Ta Tien Hung,Nguyen Van Do.Methodology Handbook for English Teachers in Viet Nam.English Language Institude of America ELTTP Methodology Course Sourses from Internet CAMERON, L 2003 Teaching Languages to Young Learners Cambridge: Cambridge University Press ISBN 0-521-77434-9 CURTAIN, H A., PESOLA, C A 1988 Languages and Children – Making the Match USA: Addison-WesleyPublishing Company, Inc ISBN 0-201-12290-1 ELLIS, R 1997 Second Language Acquisition Oxford: Oxford University Press ISBN 0-19-437212-X FOSTER-COHEN, S 1999 An Introduction to Child Language Development Essex: Addison Wesley Longman Limited ISBN 0-582-08729-5 GARMAN, M 1991 Psycholinguistics Cambridge: Cambridge University Press ISBN 0-521-27641-1 HOMOLOVÁ, E 2003 Autentický materiál ako prostriedok rozvoja jazykových a komunikatívnych kompetencií žiakov Banská Bystrica: Univerzita Mateja Bela ISBN 80- 8055-788-8 LIGHTBOWN, P., SPADA, N 1999 How Languages are Learned Oxford: Oxford University Press ISBN 0-19-437000-3 INDEX Sample lesson plan Sample : Lesson 2: Level: My favourite animal Movers Procedure: Teacher’s activities Student’s activities Warm-up: (10 minutes) Let class play a game: What animal is this? - Play the game Divide the class into teams Ask them to look at icebreakers and guess what the animals are Which team can give more correct answers will be the winner Game for warm-up Hippo Gorilla Turle Crocodile Snake Camel Elephant - Look at the picture Lesson Activity 1: (15 minutes) Show a cat on the slide, ask the class some questions about it - Answer the questions Ex: - What colour is it? - Look at the - What the cat’s eyes look like? board and they - What can it do? may write down - What does it like to eat? - Is it friendly/ fiece/ gentle ? - Do you like cats and why? …………… Then brainstorm on the board: talk about an animal ability appearance - Work in pairs animal e character its food Activity 2: (10 minutes) Work in pairs Ask and answer - Deliver each student a picture of an animal Make questions as many as possible to ask about your friend’s animal Ex: St A: a lion St B: a horse - Work individually Where does it live ? Can it run fast ? What does it eat ? Is it small ? - Teacher goes round to check or help pairs if necessary Activity 3: (15 minutes) Prepare for the presentation Students think of an animal they like best and they will talk about it Their talk should be the following format • Introduction My favourite animal is a pet / a wild animal It’s a rabbit… It lives in… jungle / a house / the sea • Body It has got round eyes… It’s beautiful/ frienly… - Present the topic This animal likes eating… • Ending It can… I like it because… - Play the game Activity 4: (30 minutes) Make a presentation - It’s time for students to present their favourite animal They have minutes for their presentations - Teacher feedbacks.(10 minutes) Activity 5: (10 minutes) Game: Riddle Now let students think of some riddles about animals They go to the board and read out to class to guess Homework (5 minutes) Practise speaking about the topic and students may record their presentation Sample 2: Lesson 5: Sports Level: Flyers Procedure: Teacher’s activities Student’s activities Warm-up: (10 minutes) Let class crosswords about sports Divide the class into groups Ask them to look at the pictures to fill in the crosswords and find the hidden words (Key: Do you any sports?) Which team can complete the crosswords and find the hidden words first will be the winners - Do the crosswords in groups Game for warm-up SPORTS Fill in the crossword and find the hidden words 2 5 10 11 12 13 14 10 15 16 ? Lesson Activity 1: (10 minutes) Work in pairs Give each pair a handout - Work in pairs Which equipments these sports need? Match A with B and C A B C fishing rod diving What equipments Who you play you need? with? Where you play? sport Why is the sport When dofor youyou? play it? good ... • Ability to advocate for causes Speaking skill is especially important for businesses since they've got a need to get their message before potential customers and market their business Sales... not for you Maybe you gave a speech once and it didn't go well Maybe you're afraid of speaking Or maybe you think you don't have a natural ability for giving speeches The truth is that speaking... and some effort To help you become better at speaking, we'll take a look at these four areas: • Writing the speech • Overcoming a fear of speaking • Practicing the speech • Giving the speech 4.1