The following activities are truly communicative at the level of free communication. However, students may require practice at the levels of controlled and semi controlled communication before they are ready to perform the activity at the level of free communication. For this reason, the researcher will explain how the teachers can gradually decrease their control over the activity and motivate the communicative participation from students.
5.1.1 Using songs
Songs can be applied at the beginning of the lesson as a warm up activity. It not only takes effect when teachers want students to practice listening but also enhances students’ oral skills by asking them to retell the content of the song after listening. It can be carried out in speaking and listening lesson.
Procedures: Teacher prepares handouts on which there is a song lyric with some gaps. Students listen to the song and fill in the missing words. After all the missing words are filled and checked by the teacher, students will be asked to work in groups of 4 or 5 and retell the content of the song. Then the teacher randomly chooses students from different groups to present their opinion, the others can support their friends.
Example
Unit 12: MUSIC
Material: the song “If we hold on together” by Diana Ross Time: 10 – 15 minutes
Or
Unit 13: FILMS AND CINEMA
Material: the song “My heart will go on”
Time: 10 – 15 minutes 5.1.2 Communicative games
Communicative games for speaking skills not only provide learners with opportunities to talk but also encourage their participation and can highly motivate them in talking. Furthermore, by playing these games, students will use their limited English more naturally because their concentration will be on solving the problems posed by the games and not on the language they use to solve the problems.
There are many speaking games for practicing speaking; however, the researcher only focuses on some popular games: "hot seat”, "Guess where?" and
"Spot the difference" which are considered to be the most suitable and effective ones for 10th grade students to enhance their speaking skills.
Hot seat
Time: 10 - 15 minutes
Procedure: The teacher calls a representative of each team to go to the board and sit down face to face. And then, the teacher write something on the board but he/she can not see. The rest of the class take turns to describe the word or the phrase of words they see so that help the representative to say exactly the words on the board.
Kim’s game
Time: 10 - 15 minutes
The teacher divides the class into small groups, let Ss look at the picture, real things in a short time. Ask Ss to remember what they had seen but must not write down.
Then the teacher put away the things or picture. Call some representatives to speak in front of the class as many as possible.
Guess where?
Time: 15 minutes
Procedure: The teacher explains that a small object (for example, a matchbox, a pen or a book) is hidden somewhere in the classroom. The pupils must find out where it is by asking the teacher Yes/ No questions like:
- Is it on the teacher's table?
- Is it under Giang's desk?
- Is it behind the blackboard?
All these kinds of game can be applied at the beginning of any lesson in the course book as a warm up activity for the students to be motivated and relaxed.
Thanks to a relaxed feeling, they can produce the best English.
5.1.3 Ask and answer
Free question and answer activity: Students make up their own questions and answers. These might be relate to a topic discussed in class, to an illustration in or out of the textbook, to a text or dialogue that the students have heard or read, and so on.
The interview is a free question and answer activity. There are basically two ways of conducting interviews. In the first one, students question a classmate who stands up, the only restriction being that they cannot ask any question they would want to answer themselves. The student being interviewed must give an appropriate answer to each question, although it may be false. Alternatively, a visitor to class may be interviewed. A second way to conduct an interview is to have pairs of students interview each other about particular topic.
- Semi-controlled question and answer activity: The teacher gives students a chance to give their own responses to questions. The teacher can ask the questions or students can work in pairs and take turns to ask and answer questions provided by the textbook or the teacher.
- Controlled questions and answer activity: Students have script to follow and few decisions to make.
Example:
Unit 12: MUSIC
A. What kind of music do you like?
B. I like classical music A. Why do you like it?
B. Because it is relaxing A. What is your favorite band?
B. I really like the Backstreet boys A. When do you listen to music?
B. I listen to music all the time 5.1.4 Role play
Role-play is a type of skit in which learners assume the identity of individual characters in a given situation and engage in a conversation that reflects the personalities, needs and desires of the characters portrayed. In setting up a role- play, the teacher should explain the situation, perhaps go over some of the utterances that would grow out of the situation and perhaps demonstrate role- playing with a student. The other steps depend on what type of role play is chosen.
Free role play: No prescribed structures and very few suggestions. If it is necessary, the vocabulary to be used is presented. The teacher simply gives students and the characters; alternatively, students come up with their own situations. After an appropriate time, they deliver their presentation.
Semi-controlled role play: Structures or vocabulary may be suggested by the teacher, but much of the content is determined by the participants. A list of utterances or only a list of words which could be used in the situation are given to students who are allowed time to prepare the role play before presenting it to the class.
Controlled role play: This involves the use of grammatical structures and vocabulary which are controlled by a script. The script offers the participants to change the tense of the verb.
Example 1
Unit 2: SCHOOL TALKS Time: 15 minutes
Procedures: Teacher follows the steps:
1. The teachers choose a Ss to be a reporter and ask him/ her to go out the class.
2. Teacher let Ss to choose a person or a thing in class to talk about.
3. Then teacher invite the reporter to come into class and ask each of the Ss a question to get some information about the person they are talking about.
4. When the reporter finds out the name of the person or the thing, another Ss can be chosen to be a reporter.
Reporter: is that a person or a thing?
Player 1: It is a person
Reporter: is the person a boy or a girl?
Player 2: It is a girl
Reporter: what class is she in?
Player 3: she is in class 10A1 What does she look like?
She is tall, with long hair.
Example 2
Unit 13: FILMS AND CINEMA Time: 10-15 minutes
Procedures: Teacher follows the steps:
1. Divide the class into two sides: Group A will be TV viewers, group B will be reporters.
2. Ask side B to make an interview to find out what kinds of film the viewers like and dislike.
3. Tell side A choose as many films as possible with explanations
4. Ask some of the Ss about their favorite films and express their opinions about a film, using attitudinal adjectives. Teacher tries to find out who is the best interviewer and who is the best interviewee.
5.1.5 Class discussion
Teachers can stimulate a successful class discussion of a topic in the following way: (1) Introduce a topic, an outline and giving a few leading questions in the preceding class period so that students have a chance to think about them will result in a more fruitful discussion. (2) Nominate the first student to introduce the problem or issue. (3) Guide the group in keeping the discussion going. (4) Ensure that all students participate by observing their work.
- Free discussion - A free discussion is an open exchange of ideas on a topic suggested by the students or based on a reading passage.
- Semi controlled discussion - The teacher provides the topic and an outline or list of points to be discussed, while the students produce their own language, or a list of questions which require analysis, evaluation or judgment may be provided. A third approach is to make use of values clarification, a process of evaluating one's own personal beliefs, feelings, goals, and values. One type of values clarification activity is the personal opinion survey. Then the student is forced to examine his or her personal values concerning a certain issue before discussing it and thus be prepared to enter into the discussion and compare his or her opinions with those of others.
- Controlled discussion - The teacher provides the topic, some of the language, and an outline or list of points to be discussed.
Example
Unit 6: AN EXCURSION Time: 15 - 20 minutes
Procedure: Teacher follows the steps:
(1) Raise the topic “Going to Huong Pagoda or Water Park this weekend?”
(2) Have students choose their own option.
(3) Form the two big groups based on the students’ choice.
(4) Let students work in two groups debate by asking questions and supporting the ideas.
(5) Comment on students’ performance and make necessary corrections.
5.1.6 Problem-solving activity
A problem may be solved by students working in groups or by each student working alone. In the latter case, after each student has his solution, the students may be divided into several small groups of 4 or 5. The task of each group is to arrive at a consensus regarding the solution to the problem, selecting a spokesperson, and formulating a rationale for the group's decision. A further possible step is to have all of the groups arrive at a consensus. Here is an example for a problem-solving activity:
Unit 10: CONSERVATION Time: 15 minutes – group work
You have seen a lot of rare animals that are killed for their fur, skin, ivory or meat. What should you do to protect them.
Procedure: Teacher asks the students to work in groups of 6 or 8 to share their ideas, then some representatives will speak in front of the class.