Oral toolkit · Language assistant notebook

How to get students talking

Speaking in a foreign language feels risky. Students talk when the task is clear, the words are within reach and the atmosphere is kind. These routines take one to five minutes and work with any topic.

Listen in: Voice Speed The Listen buttons use the voices installed on this device, so the choice varies from one phone or computer to another. They are only a backup: your own voice is the model.

Warm-ups, 90 seconds each

Tongue gymEveryone repeats after you, faster each time: red lorry, yellow lorry; unique New York. Laughing is part of the exercise.

Number ping-pongThirteen or thirty? The stress moves: thirTEEN, THIRty. You say one, students show it with their fingers or write it.

Spell it like a pilotStudents spell a word with the international spelling alphabet: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie… Good for letters students confuse, such as e, i, g, j.

Odd one outThree words, one sound is different: ship, sheep, chip. Who finds it first explains why.

Sentence starters: “Number …, please.” · “Could you say it again?” · “The odd one out is … because …”

Correcting with kindness

Move	What you do	Example
Recast	Repeat the sentence correctly, naturally, without stopping the flow.	Student: He work in a garage. You: Oh, he works in a garage? Great.
Prompt	Signal that something can be improved and let the student try.	Again? Listen: works.
Fingers	Count syllables on your fingers, and squeeze the finger of the stressed one.	com PU ter: three fingers, the second squeezed.
Choice	Offer two options: the student picks.	Live or leave?
Later	During open speaking, note errors quietly and come back to two of them at the end, without names.	I heard “I am agree”: we say “I agree”.

One rule: correct pronunciation only when it affects understanding or when it is the focus of the week. During a debate or a role play, fluency comes first.

Drills that work

Backchaining

Build a long sentence from the end: yesterday, to work yesterday, I walked to work yesterday. Stress and linking stay natural.

Shadowing

Students speak at the same time as you, or half a second after you, like a shadow. Start with short sentences, then a short paragraph.

Whisper, normal, big

Repeat the same sentence three ways: whispered, normal voice, then as if speaking to a large room. It builds confidence without pressure.

Disappearing text

Write a sentence, read it together, erase one word, read it again, until students say it from memory.

Recording: hear yourself

Students record 30 seconds on a phone or on the school digital workspace, listen, choose one thing to improve, then record again. Two versions are enough to hear progress.

Recordings stay on the student's own device unless the teacher organises otherwise.
Students can speak as a fictional persona: nothing personal is ever needed.
Ask students to compare their two versions: what changed?

Sentence starters: “In my first version, I …” · “In my second version, my … is better.” · “Next time, I will work on …”

Repair phrases for students

Put these on the wall or on a card: they keep conversations going.

Starters to keep talking: “Sorry, could you repeat that, please?” · “Could you speak more slowly, please?” · “How do you say … in English?” · “How do you pronounce this word?” · “Do you mean …?” · “Is it … or …?” · “Can you spell it, please?”