Preparing students effectively for Speaking

March 2015

EГЭ

blurb

The EGE Speaking paper is now a reality. In this session, we'll look at the different parts of the paper and examine the skills that are tested in each part. We'll look at key dos and don'ts of preparation and skills development – for the teacher as well as the students – in order to maximise the chances of each student's success.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 1

Part 1

When reading aloud, native and non-native speakers often have problems with:

* Hesitation / saying ‘err’ / saying ‘umm’ / stammering and stuttering * Mispronunciation * Speaking at the wrong speed * Speaking at the wrong volume * Bad intonation * Bad word/phrase/sentence stress * Missing out words * Adding words

Part 1

We need to give our students a lot of help and guidance in all of these areas, both systematically and through task-based non-systematic language and exam skills development work based on exam practice tasks.

Note: This is not an issue of ‘accent’. It is absolutely fine to speak with a Russian accent.

Top Tip

Sometimes it’s helpful to allow – even encourage! – our students to get it wrong before they get it right. This focuses their attention on what to do, and what not to do, in a fun pressure-free way.

Part 1 – cards for students

You speak too fast.

You stress the wrong words.

You speed up and slow down.

You speak too quietly.

You speak too loudly.

You speak too slowly.

You add words that aren’t there.

You miss out words.

You hesitate too much.

Part 1

Underline the main stressed syllable in these words. [from the exam practice text] Example: extremely 1 particularly 7 coastal 2 earthquakes 8 predict 3 occur 9 residents 4 affects 10 evacuate 5 tsunamis 11 unfortunately 6 disaster 12 amount

Part 1

Underline the main stressed syllable in these words. [from the exam practice text] Example: beginning 1 robot 6 precise 2 enter 7 perform 3 limited 8 numerous 4 surgery 9 energy 5 delicate 10 techniques

Part 1

Read these words and decide how the underlined letter ‘c’ is pronounced. 1 circles 2 circles 3 Pacific 4 Pacific 5 ocean 6 occur 7 coastal 8 receive

Part 1

How many syllables are there when you say these words? There may be more than one answer for some of the words. Medicine Scale Operation Patient Extremely Fatigue Incision Surgeons Manoeuvre Entirely

Part 1

How many syllables are there when you say these words? There may be more than one answer for some of the words. Medicine (2 or 3) Scale (1) Operation (4) Patient (2) Extremely (3) Fatigue (2) Incision (3) Surgeons (2) Manoeuvre (3) Entirely (2 or 3)

Part 1

Underline the main stress in each word. Photograph Photographer Scientist Scientific Investigate Investigation

Part 1 – Top Tip

Get students to create tongue twisters for each other. Get them to say them as quickly as they can. Example: Freddie the photographer took fancy photographs of scientists and investigators doing scientific investigations.

Part 1

Write one letter from each of the following words which is not pronounced. Castle Imagine Scientific Joined Technology Sight

Part 1

Underline the syllable which is stressed most in each phrase. Example: It’s the focal point of the room. Let’s have a tennis match tomorrow. Has your dad got a credit card? It’s a huge department store. I’m thinking of getting a new mobile phone.

Part 1

Underline the syllable which is stressed most in each phrase. Example: It’s the focal point of the room. Let’s have a tennis match tomorrow. Has your dad got a credit card? It’s a huge department store. I’m thinking of getting a new mobile phone.

Part 1

Underline the main stressed syllables (not including the numbers) in the sentences below. 1 Dogs are thought to be intelligent creatures. (4 syllables) 2 They can remember approximately 165 words on average. (4 syllables) 3 This includes visual signals and other signs. (4 syllables) 4 A trained dog can learn even more words, up to 250. (4 syllables)

Part 1

Underline the main stressed syllables (not including the numbers) in the sentences below. 1 Dogs are thought to be intelligent creatures. (4 syllables) 2 They can remember approximately 165 words on average. (4 syllables) 3 This includes visual signals and other signs. (4 syllables) 4 A trained dog can learn even more words, up to 250. (4 syllables)

Part 1 – Top Tip

Once you’ve done listening exercises in coursebooks and exam practice books, give the students the scripts. They listen again, following the script – focusing on pronunciation. They then practise reading the script aloud without the recording (but can refer to the recording where necessary).

Part 2

Part 2 - skills

* Understanding the scenario (advert/photo+text/etc) * Understanding what you need to ask for each question * Forming questions with grammatical accuracy * Appropriacy of register

Part 2

Correct each of these questions. 1 How much the bicycle costs? 2 What the best features are? 3 It’s easy to use? 4 When I can collect it? 5 There is a guarantee with it?

Part 2 – Top Tip

It’s important for students to realise that sometimes there’s more than one way of asking the question. E.g. How much is the bicycle? How much does the bicycle cost? Always encourage them to suggest other possible ways of expressing the same idea.

Part 2

Part 2

monthly rent

Part 2

number of bedrooms

Part 2

If there have been recent renovations

Part 2

distance to nearest public transport

Part 2

move-in date

Part 2

Alternative task: they don’t look at page 144 first but use these questions to predict the task.

Part 2

Part 3

Part 3 - skills

* Key grammar / vocab for describing photos * Giving reasons (Say why…) * Ideas generation * Being able to sustain a long utterance (fluency more important than grammatical accuracy) * Task completion * Timing

Part 3

Choose the correct word or phrase. 1 I was taking / took this photo at a music festival. 2 These are my friends at / in the picture. 3 As you can see, we try / are trying to put up our tent. 4 It took us hours and it was so / such funny that I had to take a photo. 5 I want / am wanting you to see it so you can see Igor has a sense of humour.

Part 3 – Top Tip

Choose the correct word or phrase. 1 I was taking / took this photo at a music festival. 2 These are my friends at / in the picture. 3 As you can see, we try / are trying to put up our tent. 4 It took us hours and it was so / such funny that I had to take a photo. 5 I want / am wanting you to see it so you can see Igor has a sense of humour.

Encourage students to give reasons why they chose each word or phrase.

Part 3

Part 3 – Top Tip

Don’t interrupt and correct students when they’re practising doing Parts 3 and 4. Fluency is as important as, if not more important than, accuracy. Make a note of any important feedback and give it to them afterwards.

Part 3 – Top Tip

Give students models of successful and not-so-successful answers. Encourage them to analyse what makes them successful or unsuccessful.

Part 3

Part 4

Part 4 - skills

Same as Part 3 plus: * Comparing / contrasting * Expressing preference

Parts 3 and 4 – Top Tip

To help develop the skill of giving reasons, encourage students to come up with illogical and ridiculous reasons the first time. This will be entertaining and motivating. They can come up with sensible and logical reasons when they do the task again.

Part 4

Ideas generation in terms of two situations – comparing and contrasting

Part 4

Language of comparing and contrasting

All parts

Explicitly analyse successful and unsuccessful approaches.

All parts – Top Tip

Get students to record themselves at home with their mobile phones. If they feel they’ve done ‘badly’, they delete it and start again. If they feel they’ve done well, they keep it and bring it to class.

PDF of all the slides

Macmillan Russia website