Tips for Planning Successful ESL Speaking Activities

[HeatherC]

Here's some tips that I've found useful in planning speaking activities.

Fluency vs. Accuracy

Before you design a speaking activity, you need to first decide if your goal is accuracy or fluency.

Accuracy activities focus on producing correct language. These are usually part of the study phase of a lesson. These activities are usually controlled by the teacher to make sure the students are producing the correct language. Accuracy activities may require more teacher preparation.

Fluency activities focus on letting the students experiment with language. We are more concerned with the flow of speech and allowing the students to speak without hesitation. Every mistake that students make should not be corrected during a fluency activity as this would hinder them from having a good flow in their communication. A fluency activity for an intermediate to advanced group can be something as simple as a discussion or an informal debate.

Catch Students' Interest

Students will zone out within the first five minutes if the teacher does not catch their interest. Here are five ways you can generate interest in a topic:

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