Toolbox

The Speak UP Toolbox provides brief activities for integrating speaking throughout the English lesson routine. You will find a short description of the activities and downloadable materials for your convenience.

Role Play: "Dramatic Dialogues"

"Dramatic Dialogues"

Written by Hana Raz

Drawings by Gidi Keich

These short dialogues with accompanying pictures, provide a platform for brief situational role play. Each dialogue consists of three or four sentences and are meant to be learned by watching, listening and acting (not from a written text).

Steps:

1) Display the picture on your board.

2) Enact (teacher) the dialogue 2-3 times, frontally, moving from side to side, changing roles. Point to the figure on the board whose lines you are about to speak.

3) Check comprehension.

4) Pupils repeat the sentences chorally. Stress rhythm and intonation, while practicing pronunciation.

5) Invite stronger pupils to model the dialogue.

6) Have pupils continue to practice in pairs.

7) At home pupils listen to the dialogue posted on site, modify, record and/or make a clip of their own with friends or family.

Adaptation & Extension of Dialogue:

Stronger pupils can continue the dialogue which can grow into an improvised scene.

Optional:

Make a special little notebook, with written texts and original illustrations by the pupil.

Click here for Teachers' Handbook

Audio Recording

"Tell Me" Speaking Cards

50 assorted speaking cards to promote vocabulary recall with a friend.

A fun and quick activity to do in pairs or trios. One pupil picks and reads a card, his/her friend replies.

Print-Cut-Laminate 5-7 Minutes

Tell me Speaking Cards.pdf

-MORE SPEAKING CARDS-

Favorites Speaking Cards.pdf

"All about Me"

Speaking Cards

All about me Speaking Cards.pdf

"My Favorite"

Speaking Cards

Speaking Cards-WH.pdf

"Wh- Questions"

Speaking Cards

Pick a Card

"Chat with your Friends"

In Action

Use above speaking cards

Kids in Action

Remez School, Nahariya

Picture Dictations: Draw My Monster

Step 1: Listening Activity

Teacher describes her monster and kids draw

Step 2: Pupils compare their picture with the teachers and report back what they drew.

"Your monster is ____." / "Your monster has _____."

Step 3: Pupils draw a monster at home. They write several sentences.

Step 4: Pupils dictate in class their description to a partner who draws and reports back to check that he/she heard correctly.

Step 5: Pupils compare their drawings.

Guessing Game: I'm thinking of my favorite...

Memory Chain Game: Going to Grandma's House

Teacher gives instructions:

Pupils seated in a circle (optional)

We are going to play a memory game today.

The game is called: Going to Grandma's House.

Each pupil in turn will say he/she wants to bring, but must first say what was already said by classmates.

You need to listen very carefully to your friends.

We will keep going around the circle so everyone has a turn.

Let's begin!

Recording

What can you say about the picture?

Step 1: Teacher presents a picture and sentence starters on the board.

Step 2: Teacher gives pupils 5 minutes to say as much as they can in the pictures and records the number of words/phrases/sentences.

Step 3: Pupils work in pairs/trios and repeat the activity. Secretary ticks (✔) every sentence the team creates.

Chatting about Pictures

Assorted pictures to promote speaking in pairs/trios.

The teacher distributes large pictures and pupils describe what they see. A "Help Box" is provided with sentence starters such as: "I see...", "There is/are...".Stronger students can make up a story and volunteers can present in front of the class.

Print-Laminate 5-10 Minutes

Picture A https://educators.brainpop.com/printable/park-action-image/

Find the Differences

Assorted pictures to promote speaking in pairs/trios.

Each student receives one of the pictures and doesn't show it to their partner. Students describe what they see in turn, in search of the differences. Optional: allow students to use dry erase markers and circle what they find.

Sentence starters:

"In my picture, I can see _________."

"In my picture, the _________ is _________ing."

"In my picture, the _________ is on/in/under/etc. the ________."

Print-Laminate 5-10 Minutes

Picture B https://educators.brainpop.com/printable/park-action-image-find-differences/

Speak UP Snippets

Speak UP with a beat and a clap

Mevo HaGalil, Ayelet HaShachar

Speak UP Snippets can be used as a whole class activity incorporating movement and rhythm.

"Speak UP" Medley

Clap A-Longs

Get clapping with these rhyming poems

The Clapping Mouse Tutorial

"The Clapping Mouse"

Mice by Rose Fyleman (Link to PDF Poster)

Meet Rose, the author of "Mice"

Rose Fyleman (1877-1957) was an English children's poet and storywriter as well as founder of a children's magazine.

My Flower by Margaret Schroder (Link to PDF Poster)

Poem cards contribute to the ongoing talking, reading and writing in the classroom. Reading and reciting poems with children, adding movement and rhythm, provides for fun and engagement and promotes retention of vocabulary. Click here for more poem cards.