Unit 1: Speaking about Myself

Introduction
At the JSS level, students are at a transitional stage of life as they mature from childhood to
adulthood. At this stage of life, they are more interested in themselves than at any other time, and
they are trying to learn to come to terms with their physical and emotional selves. Expressing
their thoughts and feelings is important to them, but they may lack the ability to project
themselves with confidence in front of other people, especially in a different language. In this
unit, we will introduce some activities that you can use in the class to develop your students’
ability to talk about themselves in English. By sharing personal information
through information-gap activities, students will learn to use English appropriately in both
formal and informal situations.

Unit outcomes
Upon completion of this unit you will be able to:

Outcom help your students develop the confidence and skills to express themselves appropriately and f
es
use interesting texts, conversations, stories and other materials as resources for promoting flue

improve your students’ ability to perform language functions in English; and

help your students organize their thoughts better and express themselves clearly and logically

Terminology
Terminol Information– Activities that are designed to be done in pairs or groups s
ogy gap activities: the other does not. They find the missing information thro
genuine communication to take place.

Competence: The ability to use a language spontaneously in various situ

used to refer to the underlying knowledge of the sounds, w
Flashcards: Paper cut-outs containing a series of pictures that are flash
or spell for language practice.

Teacher support information

When engaging students in activities that require them to share personal information or describe one
another, we should be careful to discourage comments on physical appearance, race, gender or skin color
as this might be offensive or hurtful. Also, both the teacher and students should practice speaking clearly,
audibly and in a relaxed pace to ensure mutual intelligibility.

Case study
Case stud Mallam Haruna was a new English teacher at Barewa Junior Secondary School in Kadu
y were reluctant to even try. Most of the time, they were found speaking Hausa, their first
 desperate for guidance and invited him to observe her class at least once a week. He no
ability groups. She had also designed special instructional materials for the weakest stu
engaged in reading or writing activities. She had flashcards and sentence strips, pic
to ask her questions in Hausa, if they wanted to. In this way, she made them feel at hom
albeit in halting English. Mallam Haruna asked Mrs Uchendu to watch him try this in h
worked very well, and the students developed confidence as well as competence.
Points to 1. Do you have a mentor or colleague with whom you could collaborate to improve your s
ponder could develop together for your students?

2. Do your students also belong to different ability groups? Would grouping them accordi
tried using different sets of exercises for students who are falling behind?

Activities
Activity 1: Making introductions
Activit One of the first things students have to do when they step out of the classroom into the real w
y1 many students is their only context for communicating in English, offers few opportunities f
embarrassment when students are expected to use English in public. In this activity, you will
making introductions by engaging them in communicative exercises.

As a pre-speaking exercise, you might like to have a general discussion on the expressions w
worksheet in Resource 1a and have your students, working in pairs, say which expressi
2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 11 and 12. The utterances in 1, 4, 5, 9 and 13 are greetings, and utterances 8 an
discussion, mention that introductions do not include only an exchange of names — we shou
conversation.
For this activity, divide the students into groups of four and let each of them choose any one
information on the card, they have to introduce themselves to the others. Then, one person fr
The activity should include not only making introductions, but also the appropriate response
the video in Resource 1c or read the transcript with two students whom you think are go
in the introductions. Remind the students that these are informal introductions. You can m
with formal introductions.
During the activity, make sure every student gets to speak, and that each group gets to introd
them practice in introducing themselves and others, and also responding appropriately.

Activity 2: Sharing personal information

Activit As teenagers stepping into adulthood, your students are likely to welcome opportunities to sh
y2 or hobbies, for example. Sharing information is also a skill they will need to develop in orde
situations when they step out of school. This activity is meant to develop students’ confidenc
feelings.

For this activity, have the students work in pairs to find out three things they have in commo
both partners may enjoy watching soccer matches on TV (the common interest), and one of
other plays some sport (one thing they do not have in common). When each pair has finished
information with another pair, identifying things that are common across all four group mem
representatives from each group should share the information with the rest of the class.
 Since the focus of the activity is on practising the language of sharing information, remembe
information. If you notice any inappropriate use of language, you can make a note of it and t
class benefits. See Resource 2 for a sample conversation. You can play the videotape/au
It is important to have the students share information amongst themselves rather than with a
more information. Also, in real life, we rarely share information in public; this is normally d

Activity 3: Describing feelings and opinions

Activit Describing feelings, opinions and beliefs are common activities we do in our home language
y3 classroom, your students may need to perform this function in English. Students at this level
opinions with others, and this exercise will help them articulate their feelings and opinions in
this by engaging in speaking activities in the classroom.

Introduce the activity by asking students their opinions on a popular topic, such as whether t
especially the quieter ones, to say how they feel about each drink. Encourage them to give re
not drink either tea or coffee, you can ask them to describe their favourite health drink, and t
meant to prepare the students to express their feelings or opinions logically and clearly.

For this activity, put your students in small groups of four or five, and involve them in a grou
3a has a set of topics you might like to use with different groups. To help the students articu
distribute Resource 3b, which contains common expressions (and a vocabulary guide) f
Make one group member the scribe: he or she should note down what opinion each group
the discussion time is over, the group scribes should share the information with the rest of th
Unit summary
Summa In this unit we looked at ways in which students can speak effectively in personal commun
ry sharing information, feelings and opinions. These activities are aimed at helping the studen
them to use appropriate words and structures spontaneously. Speaking with their peers in c
conscious. Speaking activities such as these should become a regular part of classroom lear
situations in the real world after they leave school.

Reflections
Reflection What did you find most interesting and helpful in this unit?

Were there any problems in implementing the activities?

What other activities could you use to motivate students to speak?

Assessment
Assessm How would you plan group activities to ensure that students of different abilities participa
ent themselves?

How important is it to make students talk about personal things? How is this expected to

Resources
Resource 1a: Introductions
 Resourc Which of the following expressions do you think are good ways of making introductions?
e 1a utterances as appropriate:

1. Hey — how’re you?

2. Hi, Musa! Meet my friend Rahila — she’s visiting us for a week.

3. May I introduce Mrs Abida Raheem? She’s our new English teacher.

4. Let’s meet for lunch on Saturday!

5. Hello, nice to meet you!

6. Hello. I’m Catherine Smith. May I join you?

7. Hi! Have we met before? I’m Catherine.

8. My name is Catherine Smith. What is your name?

9. How do you do?

10. Rahila, I’d like you to meet Catherine Smith. Catherine, this is my good friend Rahila Ya

11. Friends, I’m honoured to introduce to you Professor Rod Macintosh from the university.
warming.

12. Hello, friends! I am Rod Macintosh from the University of South Africa, and I’m honour

13. Hello! How’s life?

14. Hey — are you Rod Macintosh? I’m Catherine Smith.

Unit 2: Speaking Accurately

Introduction
This unit focuses on accuracy in pronunciation. In English, sometimes a difference in pronunciation can lead
to a difference in meaning. Our pronunciation of the sounds of a second language (here, English) is often
influenced by similar sounds in our home language. When people speak a language in a context, slight
differences in pronunciation do not matter, because the context or situation makes the meaning clear.
However, sometimes ambiguity (the possibility of more than one meaning) can arise, leading to
misunderstanding or even embarrassment. The activities in this unit address pronunciation problems arising
from different vowels, word stress and words containing silent letters.

Unit outcomes
Upon completion of this unit you will be able to:

Outcomes make your students aware of the correct pronunciation of some commonly mispronounc

help your students practise pronouncing words accurately;

 teach your students that letters of the English alphabet have different pronunciations in

help your students pronounce words with silent letters correctly; and

make your students aware of some conventions of English word stress.

Terminology
Terminol Monophthon A single vowel sound, such as /e/, /i:/ or /u/.
ogy g:
Diphthong: Also called a vowel glide, a diphthong is a vowel that
/ei/, /au/ or /eǝ/.
Weak forms: The unstressed forms of structure/function words like auxi
(See Module 1, Unit 1.)
Connected Speech that comprises utterances and not isolated sounds o
speech:
Teacher support information
To be able to teach accurate pronunciation, teachers must have good pronunciation themselves. Sometimes
one may pronounce words accurately in isolation, but use faulty pronunciation in connected speech. If you
are not sure of your own pronunciation, especially in conversations, keep a good English dictionary handy.
Some of the better ones are the Advanced Learner’s Dictionaries published by well-established publishers
like Cambridge, Oxford, Longman and Macmillan. If you have access to a computer, you can install the CD-
ROM that comes with most dictionaries now. These are very good, as you can hear the pronunciation in
addition to learning meanings.

Most of our students have fixed speech habits rooted in their home languages. Try to identify some of the
most obvious differences between the sounds of your students’ home language and those of English to plan
the nature of your classroom activities for pronunciation practice. When teaching pronunciation, ensure that
you have a good model of spoken English on the tape you are using. Include the sounds in words’ initial,
medial and final positions (where they are available) — for example, voice, envelope, involve, for
/v/; think, bathroom, booth for /θ/ — and group the words in sentences. You can give the students
practice in intonation by having them articulate questions, commands, exclamations and tags. If you have
access to a language laboratory, or at least audio-recording facilities, record the students as they speak, and
play it back for them to help them identify any pronunciation errors. You can also use poems and songs to
teach rhythm, stress and intonation.
Case study
Case stud Mallam Gwani, who teaches 15-year-olds at Community Secondary School, had alway
y things with very little in common. Because reading focused on comprehension, he thou
— until he visited Mrs Afuwa’s class at St. Mathew’s College. Mrs Afuwa always used
for improving students’ pronunciation. She saw reading aloud as an opportunity to prac
to read with proper stress and intonation.

To give them a good model of pronunciation, Mrs Afuwa took care to read the passage
and pacing her speed to help her students follow her easily. She injected a sense of dram
noticed that the students listened with attention, mesmerised by Mrs Afuwa’s enunciati
difficult to give all the students the opportunity to read aloud, but Mrs Afuwa had a clev
during breaks, and made each of them group leaders for pronunciation practice. These s
made each group member, in turn, read a section every day. This way, all the students h
 become familiar with the conventions of spoken English.

Mr Gwani noticed that these efforts had made Mrs Afuwa’s students much more confid
Afuwa’s strategy with his own JSS students.

Points to 1. Do you agree that pronunciation practice can be made a part of reading classes? What d
ponder
2. Do you think reading lessons aloud actually helps students in speaking in English outsid

Activities
Activity 1: Pronouncing diphthongs accurately
Activit In English, as you are aware, there are vowels comprising one sound (i.e., monophtho
y1 (i.e., diphthongs such as ei, au, oi). If the students’ home language does not contain sim
mispronounce English words with diphthongs, often leading to ambiguity in meaning. In thi
diphthongs correctly in connected speech.
To test whether your students can detect differences in vowel sounds, you can give them a d
The first column has monophthongs (single vowel sounds) and the second column has word
from each pair in the list and ask the students to circle the word they hear. When they are do
highlight the pronunciation differences by asking them to repeat all the words after you. Hav
difference in meaning as well.
For this activity, put the students in pairs. Partner A in each pair will have Conversation A, a
partners take turns to dictate to each other the passages given in Resources 1b and 1c.
will fill in the blanks in the worksheet with the words he or she hears. Then Partner B will re
his or her corresponding worksheet. When both partners have finished, they will exchange n
It is likely that not all the students will complete the exercise successfully, as one partner ma
students learn the appropriate pronunciation, you could lead them in choral reading, by maki
them enough practice in articulating the diphthongs, with the correct pronunciation, when us

Activity 2: Working with silent letters

Activit English has 24 consonant sounds and 20 vowel sounds, represented by just 21 consonant lett
y2 English does not have a one-to-one correspondence between letter and sound. For example,
words ought, rough, though and through. Or take the letter sequence gh, which h
In fact, in through, gh is not pronounced at all. There are many other such words in Engli
— calm, pneumonia, doubt, for example. In this activity, students will practise the pro
Distribute the words given in Resource 2 to the students, working in pairs, and ask them
is: silent letters. Then ask each pair to find which letter in each word is silent; that is, w
more similar words. For example, in the word calm “l” is silent, so three other similar word
dictionary if they wish — the more words they learn the better.
After the pairs have finished making their lists, they should give them to you. Jumble the list
to pronounce two words from the list given to them. The process will continue until all the w

The last part of the activity involves helping students use the words in connected speech. For
 words in a sentence. Each pair should make at least three sentences and read them aloud to th

Oh no, I’m late for church! Let me just comb my hair, grab a sandwich a
(Silent letters: b, d and n)

Activity 3: Learning word stress

Activit As you are aware, English words containing more than one syllable have fixed stress pattern
y3 on words of two syllables that are pronounced differently when used as a noun, adjective or
stressing a different syllable (e.g., PRE-sent, pronounced /lpre - zǝnt/, is a noun whereas
be intelligible to the listener — that is, to ensure that people understand the speaker clearly w
words with the appropriate stress. In this activity, students will learn to recognise and use ap
Before you have your students pronounce words with different stress patterns, you can test th
common disyllabic (having two syllables) or polysyllabic (more than two syllables)
following on the board and ask two or three students to read them aloud. Point out to them h
the others. Explain that this force or emphasis is called stress, and that each word has a fix
Words of two syllables:
l
tea-cher lgra-mmar lspe-cial ex- lplain re- lpeat a- lgree
Words of three syllables:
l
ac-tua-lly lcon-fi-dent con- lsu-mer to- lge-ther add-re- lssee re-fu- lg
Change of stress:
l
pho-to-graph pho- lto-graphy pho-to-gra- lphic
To ensure that the students understand the stress patterns in the words, read them out once ag
before the part of the word that is said with more force than the others. Also explain that thes
To add a little humour to the task, you could show them the importance of the stress patterns
usually evokes laughter, and makes your point clear more easily.

For this activity, divide the students into groups of three and have them read the funny poem
turn). After they have read it, ask them which words were stressed on the first syllable, and w
(Answer: confused and exams have stress on the second syllable; all the rest are stressed
Now ask the groups to make their own short poems (four lines) with words of more than thre
pronounce words correctly in connected speech and to notice the rhythm of the language.

Unit summary
Summa In this unit we introduced a few activities to help you familiarise your students with some c
ry supplemented with a lot of practice material — you could use the English lessons in the tex
important part of learning to speak effectively, and you can help your students by engaging
sentences in conversations and other verbal interactions in the classroom.

Reflections
Reflection Which activity interested your students the most? Did the activities help to improve yo

Were you able to involve all the students in the activities? Did the shy or quieter stude
 Which activity would need to be modified or improved? How would you do it?

Assessment
Assessm Identify five other areas of pronunciation use where your students need to improve. Can
ent

Resources
Resource 1a: Identifying diphthongs
Resour In the list below there are pairs of words, one containing a single vowel sound (monoph
ce 1a (diphthong). Can you hear the difference in their pronunciation? Listen as your teache
you hear.
1. bet bait

2. fare fair

3. lord load

4. man main

5. wet weight

6. red ride

7. shut shout

8. hat hate

9. bread braid

10. let late

11. bird beard

12. get gate

Resource 1b: Practising diphthongs — Emily’s story (for Partner A)

Resour I. Read Passage 1 to your partner and ask your partner to fill in
ce 1b “Run, Stephen, quick — get the gate open before I reach it!” shouted Emily to her ten-
clothes in her arms, and was struggling under the weight of the wet clothes. Emily was
mother had died the previous year and, as the oldest of four children, Emily had to leave sc
towards the gate, she muttered to herself, “I hate the hat falling off my hair every tim
from the fair.” Emily reached the end of the yard and put down her load. “Lord!” she
II. Now fill in the blanks in Passage 2 as your partner reads it ou
 As she turned to see if any of the kids was playing nearby, she caught sight of her father in
on his __________, pecking at the crumbs of _________ on his __________. She loved hi
the ________ __________ on the farm, she often heard him turn red in anger and _______
alive,” Emily thought, “I could run and play with my friends instead of doing all this borin
to __________ her __________ pony, ___________ herself be __________, sleep until no
holidays. “Poor me,” she thought. “I wish I could run away from all this!”

Resource 1c: Practising diphthongs — Emily’s story (for Partner B)

Resour I. Fill in the blanks in Passage 1 as your partner reads it out:
ce 1c “Run, Stephen, quick — _______ the _________ open before I reach it!” shouted Emily to
of clothes in her arms, struggling under the ________ of the ________ clothes. Emily was
mother had died the previous year and as the oldest of four children, Emily had to leave sc
towards the ______, she muttered to herself, “I _________ the _________ falling off my h
a new one from the _________.” Emily reached the end of the yard and put down her ____

II. Now read Passage 2 to your partner and ask your partner to fi
As she turned to see if any of the kids was playing nearby, she caught sight of her father in
his beard, pecking at the crumbs of bread on his braid. She loved him, but was a lit
often heard him turn red in anger and shout “Shut up!” at the farmhands. “If only Mam
my friends instead of doing all this boring work!” She longed to ride her red pony, let
Stephen, Johnny and Mindy did on holidays. “Poor me,” she thought. “I wish I could run a

Resource 2: Silent letters in English words (worksheet)

Resource island muscle thumb pneumonia
2 honour calf mnemonic knowledge

No. Word Silent 1st Word

letter

1. island S

2. muscle C

3. thumb B

4. pneumonia P

5. soften T

6. hymn N
 7. honour H

8. calf L

9. mnemonic M

10. knowledge K

11. reign G

12. sandwich D

Resource 3: Poem for stress practice

Resource 3 Studies!!
Physics is crazy and hardly ever easy

I have no interest in gases that are busy

Geometry is angular and algebra is messy

Give me history and four hundred B.C.!

The first planet’s Mercury

I’m always confused, very sorry!

I’d rather read my A-B-C

Than practise horrid Do-Re-Me.

Soccer, cricket for company

End of exams and agony,

Every day a holiday

O heavenly, I would say!

Unit 3: Practice in Public Speaking

Introduction
This unit introduces students to strategies used in public speaking, such as debates, group discussions and
extempore speech as a means of developing self-confidence, conviction and fluency in speaking. Speaking
in public is not something that most people enjoy, and it can make them self-conscious and hesitant. At the
JSS level, therefore, students need to be given practice in speaking in front of an audience. This can be
done by organising speaking activities such as debates, extempore speech, group discussions, etc. This unit
contains activities that should help your students develop public speaking skills. It should also help you
make students aware of the conventions of non-verbal communication such as gestures and eye
contact.
Unit outcomes
By the end of the unit, you should be able to:

Outcome develop your students’ confidence in public speaking by giving them exposure to debate
s give your students the strategies they need for expressing themselves clearly and logical
give your students exposure to and practice in speaking in longer turns (as opposed to th
make your students aware of the importance of non-verbal communication such as eye c

Terminology
Terminol Non-verbal Use of facial expressions, gestures, eye contact and other
communication:
ogy situation.

Teacher support information

Participating in debates helps students to improve their ability to express their point of view and to th
your students so that they will really want to express their point of view with enthusiasm. Also teach
boring explanations.

Before letting the students take part in debates and other situations that require speaking before an au
increases their self-confidence.

Case study
Case stud Mr Maisamari’s 14-year-old students had diverse abilities and personalities. Some were
y more confident and fluent in English. He realised right at the beginning of the year that
challenges for the different ability groups.

Charo was typical of the first group of students. Her home language was Fulfulde and w
spoke very little English. There were only two other students whose parents were Fulfu
widespread local language. So, they were of no help to Charo. She was unhappy for the
for fear of making mistakes. The other students made fun of her English, which sounde
by identifying Charo’s difficulties. Then he took every opportunity to chat with her. He
home, and anything else that she could respond to comfortably. He asked her questions
enough confidence to participate in all the class activities. Her pronunciation improved,
the year, Charo even improved her performance in other subjects because of her newfou
Maisamari organised class debates. These helped them generate ideas, and to organise t
students were very highly motivated. In fact, some of them showed keen interest in part
Maisamari decided to coach them. They met during breaks to go over their debating po
skills and fluency into their writing composition. These efforts helped them win sever
 Points to 1. Do you agree that language skills develop only when students feel confident about spea
ponder students’ self-confidence?
2. How important is it for students to participate in speaking competitions? Do they really

Activities
Activity 1: Practising the language of debate
Activit Participating in a debate is good preparation for public speaking. Taking part in a debate not
y1 think logically, articulate clearly and respond effectively — all of which are effective oral co
2 teaches students to listen attentively to a debate in order to learn how to respond effect
have your students go over Unit 3, Resource 3c: Preparing a Debate again.
To begin this activity, take your students through a few preparatory exercises to help them g
expressions to use in a debate. You can follow these steps:

1. Take a topic that is interesting and generally lends itself to differing opinions, such as Wom
and girls should be educated in separate schools.
2. Assuming that the class decides on the first topic, divide the students into groups and let them

i) good knowledge of the subject,

ii) ability to explain difficult points,

iii) good communication skills,

iv) good classroom management skills and control,

v) ability to make students think clearly and to participate, as well as learn from eac

vi) kindness and helpfulness to students, etc.

3. Divide the class into two sections — one to support the motion (that is, women are better tea
4. Let each section sit together and prepare a list of points that support their views.
5. When they are ready, each section should nominate three speakers to argue their viewpoint.
criteria — for example, clear organisation of ideas, focus on the topic, grammatical accuracy
(See Resources 1a and 1b for more ideas on the language of a debate.)
6. When they are ready, the debate can begin, with you as a judge. Decide on the modalities of
being polite and respectful to speakers in the opposite team, taking turns to speak and not int
7. If possible, record the debate, and play it back later so that the students can comment on it an
by involving students from other classes, and asking other teachers to judge. This will extend
their public speaking skills.

Activity 2: Taking part in group discussions

Activit At college level and beyond, when students apply for placements or jobs, one of the requirem
y2 referred to as a GD. In a GD, several candidates are put in a group and asked to share opinio
who may or may not take part in the discussion themselves. Candidates are judged by their a
opinions heard, speak audibly with good pronunciation and grammar, and behave politely.
At the school level, students are rarely exposed to the norms of a GD. Although in the classr
 difficult to monitor all the groups at the same time, and the focus is mostly on the topic being

In this activity, you will be able to have your students practise the skills they need to take pa
complete this, depending on how many students you have, but each session will benefit the e

Before the activity, have a class discussion on the qualities of a good speaker. (See Resou
Have another brainstorming session on the norms of good behaviour when working in a grou
in Resource 2b and have a discussion after that.
Once the students have some background in the qualities expected of a good speaker, and th
or eight, and have them sit in circles (rearrange the furniture if possible). In every group, app
know, the observer has to monitor the group members’ speech behaviour according to the no
Since the observers will also be students, do not expect too much objectivity or incisiveness
to make the students aware of their abilities and areas for improvement. Give the groups a po
Professions, where students discuss which professions are considered honourable and w
professions, such as farmer, pilot, teacher or university lecturer, nurse, scientist, medical doc
sportsperson like Serena Williams of the United States (tennis) or Cristiano Ronaldo of Port
At the end of the allotted time, the class should reassemble and the observers present their ob
encourage a debate on whether the members agree or disagree with the observer; the focus s
the next two or three classes, give students more practice in group discussions, with differen
effectively in group discussions and adhering to the norms of polite behaviour will develop s

Activity 3: Speaking extempore

Activit At the Secondary School level, one of the most popular co-curricular activities is extempore
y3 (extempore) on a topic of general interest for four or five minutes. Unless students know bef
extempore requires both language proficiency and presence of mind. Unlike normal convers
clue from the listeners. In addition, the speaker has to stand before an audience and speak at
instantly. All this requires both confidence and familiarity with a wide range of vocabulary a

In this activity, you will be able to take students through the preparations for delivering a spe
video/audio file in Resource 3a in which two speakers deliver a short speech on a topic
ask them to explain their rating (i.e., which speaker they consider better, and why). Follow th
delivering a short speech effectively. (See Resource 3b for a list of points to remember.
Now ask the students, working in groups of five or six, to think of three topics that they feel
football, athletics, etc.), a movie star, a local hero, eating junk food, a pet. Ask them to write
them on the teacher’s table.

Before asking students to come up and practise speaking extempore, it might be helpful if yo
effective speaking identified in the preceding discussion. Then ask your students to come up
and quieter ones to speak. Make sure all the students come up to speak, and appreciate their
more than a sentence. If you repeat this activity several times during the year, your students’

Unit summary
Summa In this unit, you learned how to give your students practice and tips on speaking effectively
ry will develop students’ confidence and language skills. The focus of the unit was on giving
and be able to express themselves clearly. The unit tried to help you prepare your students t
 address three important areas of public speaking relevant to students at the JSS level.

Reflections
Reflecti Do the preparatory activities and discussions help students perform the activities with more
on Does asking your students to make suggestions based on their own experience and underst
feel you should provide the necessary information?
How can you involve parents or guardians in developing your students’ oral communicatio
in the school? Would students be motivated to speak better if their parents were present?

Assessment
Assessm In what other situations do your students need to speak in English? Do they show enthusi
ent extempore speech or debate? How can you help them become more motivated to speak?
Do you think that, in addition to lessons, textbooks should include tips on public speaking
or why not?

Resources
Resource 1a: Structure of a debate
Resour A debate, as you are aware, is a discussion in which speakers form two groups, and argue
ce 1a and the speakers from each group not only give reasons to support their argument, they als
opposite group.
A. (From the pros) Those who support the motion (proponents/ p
The first speaker rises and states the motion as follows: I move [or I support] the mo
out for any reason should be encouraged to return to school.
They define key terms in the motion. In this case, they need to say what they mean by “ou
They give their reasons in support of the motion: for example:

- My first reason for supporting this motion is that today’s you

- Secondly, they are the…
- Thirdly,…, etc.
They sum up their argument in support of the motion: In summary, [or to sum up]…
Restate the motion: I, therefore, repeat [or I, therefore, urge] you all to supp
B. Opposing the motion
The opposite team states their opposition to the motion by stating as follows: I oppose th
the motion that…
Like the pros, they define the motion, possibly differently. All those opposing the motion n
speak as a united team.
They give their reasons for opposing the motion: for example:

- My first reason for opposing this motion is that not all youths
today. Some are better as roadside mechanics, vulcanisers, house helps
- Secondly, some have lost interest and confidence in schoolin
- Thirdly,…, etc.
They sum up their reasons for opposing the motion: In summary, [or to sum up]…
They restate their opposition to the motion: I, therefore, repeat [or I, therefore, ur
 The process
There are two teams, each consisting of two or three speakers. One team (the affirmative)
motion. A chairperson controls the proceedings.

The speeches and speaking time are divided equally between the two teams.

Each speaker makes a prepared speech to argue his or her case. The teams prepare collabo
starting with the proposer of the motion followed by his or her opponent and then the othe
speak (e.g., three minutes or five minutes).

Then the debate can be opened to the floor, with the speakers standing up to offer points su
is allowed a specified (usually shorter) amount of time (e.g., one minute or two minutes).

Important rules
The team supporting the motion must not change their point of view. The same goes for th
(whatever their private opinions may be).
If a speaker makes a statement, he or she must be able to provide evidence or reasons to su
The facts presented in a debate must be accurate.
Speakers may not bring up new points in a rebuttal speech; that is, one that demons

Resource 1b: A sample class debate

Resour Motion: A teacher contributes more to the nation than a medica
ce 1b Pro: Mr Chairperson, distinguished panel of judges, ladies and gentlemen:
I rise to support the motion that teachers contribute much more to the
First and foremost, without teachers there will be no doctors, to start with
army officers and police as well as all of the civil servants, to mention a few. They
time or another. Teachers never lose any lives while teaching, but many poor doctors lose
Con: Mr. Chairperson, distinguished panel of judges, ladies and gentlemen:
They say “health is wealth.” Without doctors who provide good healt
opponent forgot to tell this august audience that when teachers fail ill, they must rush to th
they may be dead or disabled! It is because doctors are more valuable to the nation that the
remains very healthy. That is why doctors are better paid than teachers who are clearly les
teachers are engaged in chalk and talk, doctors are busy saving lives in emergencies all the
definitely look more respectable and attractive than teachers who only have a piece of chal

Resource 2a: Qualities necessary for an effective presentation

Resourc Making a presentation effectively involves not only knowledge of the grammar of the lan
e 2a are some features that should be elicited in the class discussion:

Fluency
Good pronunciation
Clarity of speaking; that is, clear delivery in an audible voice and comfortable pace of spe
Knowledge of the topic
Willingness to listen to others’ point of view
 Politeness and pleasant personal behaviour
Ability to use humour
Ability to maintain eye contact
Ability to take listeners logically through their speech by using appropriate discourse/sem
information on discourse/semantic markers)
Resource 2b: Taking part in group discussions
Resour Group discussions involve the participation of several group members, each of whom has
ce 2b are social events, involving human communication, members are expected to follow the n
we have group discussions. With a partner, decide which ones you think are examples of a
1. Everyone speaks at the same time.
2. Participants have thought about the topic and what they plan to say.
3. A participant initiates the discussion by thanking the organisers, introducing himself or he
invites everyone to speak.
4. People are willing to listen to what others have to say.
5. Some participants use a joke and a little humour to make a point.
6. Participants talk in whispers with their neighbours.
7. Everyone has a turn to speak.
8. A participant makes eye contact with the moderator but not with the other group members
9. A participant is not afraid to defend what he or she believes.
10. Some people become emotional and burst out in anger or desperation.
11. Some participants make long speeches.
12. A participant is willing to change his or her opinion.
13. A participant gets annoyed when someone contradicts her.
14. Participants encourage others to speak.
15. Some participants think group discussion is a waste of time and do not hesitate to show the
16. Some participants make sarcastic comments.
17. Participants support good ideas made by other participants.
18. A participant picks on the previous speaker’s point, acknowledges it and adds his or her ow
19. Participants interrupt only to ask for clarifications, and do so politely.
20. A participant sums up the discussion by making his or her own concluding remarks and th

Resource 3a: Extempore speech: My favourite sport

Resour Transcript
ce 3a Speaker 1
Good morning. Today I’m going to speak on the topic My Favourite Sport, which is soccer
which each team has to score goals by kicking a football into a goal. The team which score
because it is a fast game which requires great stamina, foot skills and the ability to control
Drogba of Ivory Coast, Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal and Wayne Rooney of England. My
dream of playing for our country one day. In short, soccer is the sport I love most, and I wo

Speaker 2
Uhh… goo... good morning. I uhh… I am speaking on soccer. My favourite sport is soccer
Soccer is played with football. I love soccer because it is fast game. To win we need goals.
Drogba, Ivory Coast, Cristiano Ronaldo, Argentina, no, …. Portugal, I think. Wayne Roon
 friends on every afternoon. Oh, I forgot, soccer is national game.

Resource files
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoSyusfVSOE
Audio http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mygxtLU8og0
See in the enclosed DVD an audio recording of the activity:

Scripts\Module2\Unit3\Activity3\Resource3a\Audio\My_favourite_sport_Speaker1.mp3
Scripts\Module2\Unit3\Activity3\Resource3a\Audio\My_favourite_sport_Speaker2.mp3

Resource 3b: Speaking extempore: Effective strategies

1. Make eye contact with the audience.
2. Speak at a normal conversational speed, neither too fast nor too slow.
Resourc 3. Have positive body language — maintain a good posture by standing straight, with your a
e 3b 4. Follow these steps to speak on the topic:

a) Define the topic.

b) Give examples.

c) Mention one or more characteristic of the topic.

d) Say why it is good/bad/important.

5. “Buy” yourself time by using expressions to:

a) introduce the topic: My topic today is…/I’d like to begin by….

b) keep people interested: What is interesting about this is…/I think the
c) give illustrations: For example…/For instance…/A good example of
d) emphasise: An important thing about this is…/Let me emphasise
e) conclude: In the end…/I’d like to end by…/In conclusion…
6. Choose your words carefully, and try to use different words in each sentence. For example
has beautiful scenery and beautiful animals, use different descriptive terms like
7. Use good pronunciation. Do not run over your words, and avoid an artificial accent. A nat
8. Be grammatical. The best of speeches fail to impress if the sentences are ungrammatical.

Unit 4: Social Communication: Performing Language

Functions
Introduction
In the classroom, students have opportunities to perform some linguistic functions like asking permission,
asking for information and making a request. However, these are not the only uses of English in daily life. To
enable students to use English effectively for social communication, we need to have them practise
performing other functions in English. Some commonly used functions are asking for clarifications,
apologising and giving a description. In this unit, we will introduce a few activities to help students develop
their skills in performing these language functions.
Unit outcomes
At the end of the unit, you will be able to:

Outcomes encourage students to speak spontaneously in various social situations;

familiarise students with common functions of English such as apologising, giving clar

provide students with a vocabulary guide appropriate for these functions; and

give students opportunities to share information naturally in their peer groups as they w

Teacher support information

For students, the preparation for participating fully in social life begins at school. If we look at the classroom
as a communication situation, we will see that a lot of language in the classroom is used for asking for
permission, giving information and so on. As adults responsible for preparing students to become
responsible citizens, English teachers can play an active role in teaching students appropriate language use
for other functions such as apologising, asking for clarifications, etc. The teacher has to ensure that students
have plenty of opportunities in class to practise their language skills. Rather than following a question-
answer mode of interaction, the teacher needs to involve students in peer activities. Activities done in pairs
and groups help students feel less inhibited and shy, and give them a real purpose for speaking, as their
group mates will have similar interests and lead similar personal lives. It is important, therefore, to use an
activity-based approach to teaching, not just in the English classroom, but in other subject areas as well.

Activities
Activity 1: Apologising
Activit We are all aware that in everyday life we use the word Sorry several times a day to apologi
y1 only expression that we use to apologise, and we do not use it only to apologise. For exampl
someone to repeat what they have said, or when we want to register our protest at someone’s
In this activity, we provide a few more expressions that students should learn in order to apo
students devising different communication situations so they can practise using the language

To prepare the students for the activity, play them the video in Resource 1a, and ask th
be: making an apology. Then ask them to watch the video again and to note down the w
also how people respond to an apology. For this they will have to fill in the blanks in the wo
out the transcript like a conversation, and have students complete the worksheet.
Discuss the expressions used to apologise, and have the students brainstorm for more such e
Christine in the video, and ask them to think of other ways of responding.

Now break the students into groups of five or six and let them choose a situation from the fo

at the bookstore/in a relative’s house/at the airport/on a bus/at the

In their groups, the students should think of a situation for an apology, and write a short dial
should contain expressions of apology and appropriate responses. When the groups are ready
their conversation. The other groups should note the expressions used for apologies. At the e
once more the different ways of making an apology, and ask students to practise these at hom

Activity 2: Asking for clarifications

 Activit In the classroom and outside, one of the most common language functions one needs to perf
y2 someone to repeat what he or she said because of background noise interference; at other tim
paying attention. At home, we use fairly informal language to ask for clarifications, especial

Activity 3: Giving a description

Activit This activity should provide some strategies to help your students describe an object, anothe
y3 describe things in our home languages, from what we put in our mouths as children, to descr
exotic things we see on holidays, objects of beauty around us, and finally, in our old age, we
failing eyesight! In short, we describe hundreds of things around us — people, objects, proce
things!) — and some of these we describe in English.

Other modules contain activities describing people and processes; this activity contains strat

As a pre-activity exercise, familiarise your students with the language of description by takin
from a set of pictures the object that they will hear being described. (See Resource 3a fo
pairs with one worksheet to a pair, the worksheet with the pictures of eight objects, and desc
in Resource 3b, without naming the object. The students’ job is to identify the ob
familiarise them with the expressions used for descriptions. The next task is actually a game
volunteers are blindfolded and made to describe an object as they touch it. For this task, you
too easy to describe. This task should generate a lot of laughter as the students make wild gu
descriptions.
After these preliminary tasks, the students will have had a good exposure to the language of
discussion about some appropriate expressions. You can now distribute amongst the student
descriptions.
For the final part of the activity, give students a set of pictures of some differently shaped ob
Working in pairs, they should first write out a description using Resource 3c, and one p
rest of the classes will have to understand clearly which object on the page is being describe
class what made it so good. The rest of the class can practise and modify their own descripti
Unit summary
Summa This unit aimed to familiarise your students with certain social functions of English. It expo
ry used for apologising, asking for clarifications and giving descriptions. It also tried to help y
appropriate language forms in conversations similar to those used in everyday life. The uni
skills in the classroom.

Reflections
Reflecti Are you comfortable with dramatising conversations in English in class? Do you think you
on conversations sound real? If not, you should listen to audiotapes of lessons for pronunciatio
privately. As a role model for your students, you should try your best to expose them to the

Assessment
This module is about speaking skills. How best can you integrate the activities in Unit 3
Effective Writing on written skills and identify areas of correspondence that will he
 Assessm communication skills.
ent
Resources
Resource 1a: Making an apology (transcript)
Resourc Christina: Hey, Ravi! Why didn’t you turn up at my place last evening? Ev
e 1a waited till 9:00 p.m. to start!

Ravi: I’m so sorry, Tina — I just couldn’t get away from the office!

Christina: Well, since you didn’t call to say you weren’t coming, we didn’

Ravi: I know, Tina — it was really rude of me not to call — can you forgiv

Christina: It wasn’t just me, you know — Suzie came only to meet you, an

Ravi: My sincere apologies once again, dear — I just hope I can make up f

Christina: It’s okay, but you better not repeat this — I don’t know if I can

Ravi: Please let it pass this time — I promise this will never happen again!

Christina: All right, all right — you’re forgiven! Now buy me an ice cream

Ravi: Really? Now who’s being mean? Ha ha!

Resource file
See in the enclosed DVD a video recording of the activity:
Video
Scripts\Module2\Unit4\Activity1\Resource1a\Video\Making_an_apology.mp4

Resource 1b: Making an apology (worksheet)

Christina: Hey, Ravi! Why didn’t you turn up at my place last evening
fact, we waited till 9:00 p.m. to start!
Resourc
e 1b Ravi: ________________, Tina — I just couldn’t get away from the o

Christina: Well, since you didn’t call to say you weren’t coming, we d

Ravi: I know, Tina — it was really rude of me not to call — ________

Christina: It wasn’t just me, you know — Suzie came only to meet you
dinner!

Ravi: ________________, dear — I just hope I can make up for it soo

 Christina: ________________, but you better not repeat this — I don’

Ravi: ________________ — I promise this will never happen again!

Christina: All right, all right — ________________! Now buy me an i

Ravi: Really? Now who’s being mean? Ha ha!

Resource 2a: Asking for clarifications (video muted)

Resour Transcript
ce 2a Rahila: Okay, everyone, let’s finalise our plans for the Sports Day... Lis
attention!

Wendy: Sorry, Rahila — didn’t catch it — ________________?

Rahila: I just said we should start discussing our plans for Sports Day...

Wendy: Me? No — was I supposed to?

Ron: Why, Wendy, wasn’t it you who offered to meet Coach Andrews

Wendy: But I thought we were supposed to meet him together — Lisa a

Lisa: Hey — I thought I heard my name — ______________________

Rahila: Really, Lisa, why are you always so vague? Wendy says she an
Friday.

Lisa: Oops! I forgot! _____________________________?

Nick: You don’t remember? I was with you when Wendy called Thursd
Sports Day preparations.

Lisa: I’m confused now… weren’t we supposed to meet Coach after we

Didier: Guys, guys, we’re moving off the tracks now — ____________

Nick: All right — let’s go over this once more. Everyone, please pay at
Day events. Wendy and Lisa are going to discuss it with Coach Andrew

Didier: Ummm… I was thinking, like, how about drawing up a plan ou

y’know!

Rahila: That’s not a bad idea – Didier, ________________?

 Wendy: Didier, remem…

Nick: I have an ide…

Rahila: Nick, please don’t interrupt her — Wendy, ________________

Wendy: What I was saying was that Didier and I were just talking abou

Didier: Yeah, and I was saying we could divide the games into under 14

Rahila: Okay, I think I get it — you are suggesting we have two sets of
the rest of us older kids, that is, 14 upwards.

Nick: That sounds good…

Ron: Someone ________________________________. Are we going t

ideas, and we will then take it to the Coach for confirmation? ________

Everyone: Absolutely!

Nick: Okay, everyone — let’s be serious about this: _______________

Resource file
See in the enclosed DVD a video recording of the activity:
Video
Scripts\Module\2\Unit4\Activity2\Resource2a\Video\Asking_for_Clarifications_Muted.mp4

Audio http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgRppjwAZMI
If you have trouble playing the video, you can have your students listen to the audio recordin

Scripts\Module2\Unit4\Activity2\Resource2a\Audio\Asking_for_Clarifications_Muted.mp3

Resource 2b: Asking for clarifications (video)

Resour Transcript
ce 2b Rahila: Ok, everyone, let’s finalise our plans for the Sports Day… Lisa,

Wendy: Sorry, Rahila — didn’t catch it — could you say that a

Rahila: I just said we should start discussing our plans for Sports Day…

Wendy: Me? No — was I supposed to?

Ron: Why, Wendy, wasn’t it you who offered to meet Coach Andrews a

Wendy: But I thought we were supposed to meet him together — Lisa a

Lisa: Hey — I thought I heard my name — can someone explai

Rahila: Really, Lisa, why are you always so vague? Wendy says she and
 Friday.

Lisa: Oops! I forgot! Could you remind me what we were

Nick: You don’t remember? I was with you when Wendy called Thursd
Sports Day preparations.

Lisa: I’m confused now… weren’t we supposed to meet Coach after we

Didier: Guys, guys, we’re moving off the tracks now — can someo
Nick: All right — let’s go over this once more. Everyone, please pay att
Day events. Wendy and Lisa are going to discuss it with Coach Andrew

Didier: Ummm… I was thinking, like, how about drawing up a plan our
y’know!

Rahila: That’s not a bad idea — Didier, could you explain wha
Wendy: Didier, remem…

Nick: I have an ide…

Rahila: Nick, please don’t interrupt her — Wendy, could you repe
Wendy: What I was saying was that Didier and I were just talking about

Didier: Yeah, and I was saying we could divide the games into under 14

Rahila: Okay, I think I get it — you are suggesting we have two sets of
the rest of us older kids, that is, 14 upwards.

Nick: That sounds good…

Ron: Someone please pull this conversation together fo

a rough plan now, and everyone will contribute their ideas, and we will
right track?
Everyone: Absolutely!

Nick: Okay, everyone — let’s be serious about this: I’d like everyo
Video Resource file
See in the enclosed DVD a video recording of the activity:

Scripts\Module2\Unit4\Activity2\Resource2b\Video\Asking_for_Clarifications.mp4

Audio http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALKSXZD7BKo
If you have trouble playing the video, you can have your students listen to the audio record

Scripts\Module2\Unit4\Activity2\Resource2b\Audio\Asking_for_Clarifications.mp3
Resource 2c: Asking for clarifications: List of useful expressions
Resourc Here is a list of common expressions used to clarify information that the listener did not un
e 2c not understand something said by your teacher or classmates. This will help you use them

1. I’d like everyone to clarify their points, please.

2. Am I on the right track?

3. Please pull this conversation together for everyone’s clarification.

4. Could you repeat what you wanted to say?

5. Could you explain what you have in mind?

6. Can someone explain this from the beginning please?

7. Could you remind me what we were planning to discuss?

8. Could someone explain what this is about?

9. Could you say that again, please?

10. Can I ask you to repeat what you just said?

11. Sorry, I think I missed the point.

Resource 3a: Describing objects (pictures)

 Resource 3a

Resource 3b: Describing objects (descriptions)

Resourc An open book: This is a rectangular object about the size of a shoe box. It is made of
e 3b encased in two covers, made of thick sheets. The object contains printed matter with marg
or displaying knowledge or information.
A pair of spectacles: This object consists of two pieces of glass that are held in pla
pieces are cut into a round, oval, square or rectangular shape, and held in a thin frame. The
long, which are bent at the ends to look like the letter “l.” This object is used to view thing
matter that cannot be viewed by the naked eye.
A pencil box: It is a rectangular object, cuboid in shape, about 15 centimetres long, si
plastic, metal or wood, and is used to store tools used for writing.
A mobile phone: This is a hand-held wireless instrument used to communicate with
user to store the contact numbers of people they wish to speak to, and many other features
object works on a battery and sometimes includes a torch. The advanced versions of this o
and sounds, and even allows the user to be visible to the listener.
A stethoscope: This is an instrument used by a doctor to listen to a person’s heartbea
connected at one end to two metal tubes with earpieces. At the other end, the rubber tube i
medal.
Electric iron: An instrument used to remove creases from clothes, this object works o
shape, and has a flat metal plate on one surface, which can be heated. The flat surface is at
 other heating apparatus. The plastic case also has a non-heating plastic handle for people t
connect it to an electric point, or it may be wireless.
A shoe: This object is an article of clothing used by both men and women. It is made of
and is rectangular in shape, but rounded at the front and back. It is hollow and has a thick b
that uses friction to keep it steady on the ground. The object has a soft inner lining for com
by two laces that can be inserted into holes made in the front.
A clock: This is a round object made of plastic or metal. It works on a spring that is atta
sticks, which go round and round constantly in a fixed time span, are made of plastic. The
about seven and five centimetres long respectively. The front of the object has a paper or p
12. The sheet is protected by a glass cover. The object rests vertically on two metal feet. A
triangular handle. On either side of the handle, two round metal buttons are attached, each
produce a sound.
Resource 3c: Expressions used to describe an object
Resourc 1. Expressions describing shape:
e 3c round, oval, square, flat, long, diagonal, diamond-shaped, pear-shaped, heart-shaped, zigz

2. Expressions describing size:

large, small, short, tiny, enormous, huge, average, pint-sized, microscopic, mid-sized

3. Expressions describing dimensions:

hollow, cube, spherical, conical, cylindrical, concave (turning in), shapely, convex (turnin

4. Expressions describing directions:

up, down, left, right, north, south, east, west, above, below, over, under, between, beside,

5. Colour expressions:
red, blue, yellow, green, amber, azure, turquoise, jade, ashen, grey, brown, crimson, maro
gold, bluish-green, greenish-red, purplish-yellow, inky-blue, icy blue, copper, rust

6. Useful phrases:
a) This object is a…
b) It has…
c) It is used for…
d) It is made of…
e) It comprises…
f) It consists of…
g) The size of this object is…
Unit 5: Speaking across the Curriculum
Introduction
The ability to communicate fluently in English is useful for more than just social purposes or public speaking.
In Commonwealth countries, English is still the most common language in higher education — it is definitely
the language in which most students complete their higher education. Students should therefore practise
using English for academic purposes right from school level. In this unit, we will introduce a few important
academic skills that your students will need to use in English; for example, being able to narrate an event or
define, describe and illustrate their points. These skills include the ability to use subject-specific words and
sentences, narrate points and ideas logically and interestingly, use discourse markers effectively to help the
listener navigate through the discourse (for example, story, definition, explanation, argument). Along with
accuracy of language, therefore, academic English requires fluency in formulating ideas and presenting
them effectively. In this unit, we will present some activities that should help you improve your students’
spoken English for academic purposes.

Unit outcomes
By the end of this unit, you will be able to:

Outcomes help your students understand the value of speaking for a purpose;
engage your students in academic tasks that improve their speaking skills;
make your students aware of the language of definition, narration, illustration and d
give your students opportunities to integrate their reading skills with their speaking

Terminology
Terminol Ice An introductory activity used to put people who have just met at ease
breaker
ogy break the ice, which means to relieve tension in a situation by mak
:
academic situations such as classrooms, seminars, workshops and con
themselves and others in interesting — and often fun — ways.
Teacher support information
To help students become more articulate — that is, express themselves appropriately in English — we have
to give them opportunities in the class to share their thoughts and ideas with their peers. This will help make
them less self-conscious, and will give them practice in preparing to speak before a more formal audience.
The peer speaking activities, however, have to have a real purpose, because, as teachers, our aim is to
teach our students to speak spontaneously, and not simply read out dialogues. In the class, therefore, we
can give them academic tasks that involve sharing ideas to list points, giving reasons for their viewpoint on
something, describing something, etc. — tasks that will make them focus on the information to be shared
rather than on their (inappropriate) language skills. Such tasks are called information–gap tasks, and
their purpose is to develop fluency and confidence. Once students have become more self-confident, they
can be made to focus on pronunciation and grammatical accuracy. These strategies help develop students’
academic skills across the curriculum, as they learn to use subject–specific language, and express
themselves grammatically.
Case study
Case When Daniel Ntini, a JSS English teacher, joined Community Secondary School, Keffi, r
study conscientious about following his instructions. Individually, they responded to him with w
company. However, he noticed that they kept to their own sets of friends, and rarely spok
did not make any new classmates feel comfortable. As a result, they were unable to work

Daniel recalled his own English teacher Mrs Hannah Yusuf’s class when he was a studen
students never wanted to miss Mrs Yusuf’s classes because not even the weakest student
involved doing something funny with a classmate, or simply stretching or walking around
breakers, lasted for only three or four minutes, but she used them to make sure that everyo
uninterested or shy.

Daniel felt the issue in his own classroom could also be resolved by an ice breaker. In his
had to share with the class three things the person sitting next to them does every morning
the students to talk amongst themselves and share personal information. After it was over
moment, Daniel introduced textual activities for students to do in pairs and small groups.
together, solve problems themselves before bringing them to the teacher’s notice and shar
responsive, and the attendance level went up. By the end of the first term, Daniel saw that
 in a more relaxed manner, and their performance improved too.

Daniel’s colleagues also noticed these improvements, and many colleagues began to inco
happy that he had managed to make his students more sociable in the classroom.

Points 1. Do you have shy and withdrawn students in your class? Are your students self-conscious
to you taken to make them more self-confident and fluent?
ponder 2. Do you think picking out the shy students and making them answer questions in the class
Why or why not?

Activities
Activity 1: Practising narrative skills: Story and event
Activit An important academic activity that students are regularly made to do in class is retelling a p
y1 described in the textbook to their own experience. We expect students to be able to explain s
they have understood. To be able to retell a story or an event is part of the ability to narrate
order and in an interesting manner.
This activity should help you familiarise your students with the skills required to present a n
ability to rephrase words and ideas and present them in chronological order, and to use disco
activity is meant to improve students’ spoken English for academic purposes, so it will also

Put the students in small groups and give them the passage in Resource 1a to read. Then
(Resource 1b) or read it aloud. Explain that they will hear someone retelling the events
the content of what the speaker is saying is called a narrative. In their groups, the studen
which one better represents the passage, and why. You will notice that the second version
aspects of a good narrative:
The information is clearly presented.
The text is rephrased; that is, the narrative is not simply a repetition of the author’s words.
The appropriate vocabulary is used to retell the story as well as comment on it (e.g., short a
there was a big hurdle…, etc.).
There is a clear beginning, middle and end.
The information is presented chronologically.
The information is compressed so that only the important parts are narrated.
Discourse markers are used to make the listener easily understand the passage (e.g., but, al
Once the students are familiar with the features of a good narrative, separate them into pairs
1c. Have each pair prepare a narrative on it. One member of each pair should then present t
activity will give the students practice in giving narrations. To test how much they have lear
(History, Science, etc.) and ask the students to narrate the events described. Announce that th

Activity 2: Reporting in the classroom

Activit At the JSS level, asking students to report what someone has just said, to explain in their ow
y2 for understanding are common classroom activities. As teachers, we do this to test our stude
to speak in an articulate manner. The ability to explain and report someone else’s words is a
operations such as using appropriate grammar (reported speech), relating ideas in the correct
has relevance beyond the JSS classroom, and is useful both across the curriculum and throug
 This activity should help you teach your students how to report fluently and appropriately. It
reporting, so that they develop the confidence to use this speaking skill with ease.

In the first step, show the students a short video clip of an event, with the sound muted. You
follow — from a film, a documentary, a TV clip, a home video and so on — or the video cli
conversation in simple English, which students will have to report on. First, play the video s
to describe what they saw. After they have finished, describe it yourself and ask your studen
your description the sequence of events, and the important details. Explain to the class that t
saw. Remind them that description involves listing the objects seen and narrating the events
emotions expressed by the people, if there are any.
Now play the video with sound twice again, and ask the students to report in their own word
yourself, as you did the first time, and ask the students, working in pairs, to note down the di
Try to elicit the important aspects of reporting (see Resource 2b for some useful inform
the students in groups and give them a passage containing a conversation from one of their c
points given in Resource 2b, they should discuss how to report on it. You could also sh
activity. Let one member of each group present the report. Let the class decide on the best re
from other subjects and have your students practise reporting on what they read. This skill w
remember their lessons better.

Activity 3: Defining with illustrations

Activit While studying subjects other than English, such as Science, Environmental Studies or Geog
y3 using subject specific vocabulary and illustrations. This academic exercise is relevant not jus
definition requires conceptual knowledge; that is, knowledge of the topic, familiarity with th
accuracy. Students frequently complain of understanding concepts but being unable to expla
front of their teacher and classmates. This might be because they do not have practice in org
unable to connect ideas logically.

This activity will give your students opportunities to practise giving appropriate definitions.
understanding how to present an idea logically and to illustrate it with examples.

To prepare them for the activity, show them some definitions for a discussion on what const
from their course books or use the list in Resource 3, in which the students have to matc
Column 2. The definitions in Resource 3 have been taken from JSS Chemistry, Biology
the exercise, discuss how good definitions contain the following information:
1. The category to which the object/concept belongs.
2. The use made of it.
3. Other relevant information.
4. Examples and illustrations of the object/concept.
Selecting any one of the given definitions, illustrate each point above. For example, in the de
of similar or dissimilar cells; the use is to perform a particular function; rela
some intercellular substance produced by the cells themselves; and the exa
collenchyma and chlorenchyma. Now ask the students to categorise the other definitio
language of definitions.
For practice in giving a definition, put up one or two terms on the board and ask the class to
 points mentioned above. After some practice, put the students in small groups and ask them

A screwdriver, a barometer, a pair of forceps, equinox, a tsunami, gross d

forest.
Allow them to refer to a dictionary or their textbooks, but tell them to remember that their de
more practice, select a few students randomly and give them a few object/concept names to d
definition, and later have a discussion on which definitions were good and why. Conclude th
appropriate definition when they learn other subjects.

Unit summary
Summa The unit explored the different ways in which students can communicate effectively for aca
ry curriculum. The unit tried to help you familiarise your students with the appropriate langua
exposed students to recordings of actual situations so that they could learn to practise their
here are relevant to other subjects and could be used by the English teacher in collaboration

Reflections
Reflecti Do you think the activities suggested in this unit adequately address the particular needs of
on Did the activities help improve your students’ speaking in the class?
Were the activities enjoyed by all the students, or were some of the activities easy for stude
this?

Assessment
Assessm Identify three other oral English skills that your students need to develop for study purpos
ent ones suggested here. Record the students’ responses and play them back for discussion. T

Resources
Resource 1a: Narrative passage: Zainab’s dream
Resour Every time a plane flew across in the sky, Zainab Yakasai was reminded of her uncle. Zain
ce 1a worked as a pilot for many years until he retired three years ago. Although there were very
was excited about taking a plane off the ground like a bird, and visiting different cities wit
the pilot’s smart uniform, and the salary and respect that pilots got. They also had a very re
passengers and crew members aboard the plane. But Zainab’s father did not think a girl sh
future husband not liking it, about taking care of her children and even about a possible pla
they saw his daughter dressed like a man.

So Zainab went to speak to Uncle Musa. He was excited about her ambition and impressed
had been very nervous about being a pilot. The training at the flying school for pilots was
given up. But he was also determined to be able to fly planes and earn the attractive salary
remained committed. Eventually he completed his training as a pilot and passed with flyin
London, New York, Karachi, Brisbane and many other cities. Mr Yakasai encouraged Zain
fulfilling her dream. He promised to help her in every possible way.

Resource 1b: A narrative passage

 Resour Version A: Transcript
ce 1b This is uh… a short story called “Zainab’s Dream.” In the story, in the story describes … th
Zainab’s favourite uncle Wing Commander, Mr. Musa Yakasai was retired. He was a pilot
Zainab’s father was dead against her. Zainab loved the pilot’s smart uniform, and the salary
people think of my daughter? She will dress like a man. She will have a husband, children
plane to var… different countries without paying for the tickets. A pilot had a very respons
and the air hostesses on the plane.

So Zainab went to speak to Musa Yakasai. But he told her a secret — at first he did not wa
easy at all. He was… Umm… he was excited about her ambition and impressed by her cou
up because he wanted to get the attractive salary of pilots. So he had studied very hard and
with flying colours. During his long career, he had flown planes to London, New York, um
He promised to help her in every possible way. Mr Yakasai told Zainab to think positively
way.

Version B: Transcript
This passage narrates a short and touching story called “Zainab’s Dream” about a young gi
up. Every time an airplane flew overhead, she longed to be up there. Inspired by her uncle
off to different places without having to pay for it, wearing the smart pilot’s uniform, gettin
being a pilot was a great responsibility, as the lives of all the passengers and crew depende

But there was a big hurdle in Zainab’s path — her father was completely against her decisi
would say when they saw his daughter dressed in a man’s clothes. He even tried to frighten
husband and children, and might even face a plane crash.

Zainab was, however, a determined girl, and all her father’s tactics could not break her reso
Wing Commander Musa Yakasai, and shared her dream. Interestingly, Uncle Musa reacted
her what problems lay ahead, he appreciated her resolve, and was impressed by the young
and shared a secret with her — as a beginner, he was also scared, especially since a pilot’s

Resource files
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mvhkv7yyWz4
Audio http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYpRWbv4TyI
See in the enclosed DVD an audio recording of the activity:

Scripts\Module2\Unit5\Activity1\Resource1b\Audio\Zainab’s_Dream_vA.mp3
Scripts\Module2\Unit5\Activity1\Resource1b\Audio\Zainab’s_Dream_vB.mp3

Resource 1c: A narrative passage: Rikki-Tikki Tavi (adapted)

Resour Rikki-Tikki Tavi was a brave mongoose who was adopted by a very kind family after he w
ce 1c family fed him meat, bananas and boiled eggs, and tried everything to make him healthy a
child became so fond of the mongoose that he begged his parents to let him keep it. At firs
the mongoose would hurt her son. But her husband noticed that the mongoose was very we
son. So it happened that the mongoose began to live with the family.
 Now Rikki-Tikki Tavi, like all mongooses, was restless from the tip of his nose to the end
announcing his presence with a loud “Rick-tick-tikki-tikki-tav!” And this is how he go
Rikki-Tikki Tavi was always very curious to find out as much about his environment as po
evening he made a round of the grounds of the bungalow, especially the parts of the vast g
One day, while playing in the family garden, he heard the tailor-bird Darzee and his wife c
and had been eaten by a cobra. Rikki-Tikki Tavi’s tail bristled with anger when he heard th
the evil cobra. He had always hated snakes, anyway. That night, taking his daily watchman
cobras planning to kill the tailor-bird’s family. Rikki-Tikki Tavi knew that he could not let
kept a close watch over their movements.

The next day, Rikki-Tikki Tavi hid behind the large mango tree where the tailorbirds had t
slithering up to the nest, Rikki-Tikki Tavi pounced on the cobra. There was a terrible fight
end, Rikki-Tikki Tavi managed to kill Nag, the cobra.

Resource 2a: Reporting on an event (video)

Resour A hospital scene
ce 2a The scene: a busy hospital foyer, with receptionists, doctors, nurses and
to two people rushing in, looking anxious and flustered, a young woman
the woman bends over the counter to catch the attention of the busy rec
for the girl to hang up the phone, the young woman demands to know w
mumbling something about a car accident. Her father tries to calm her d
asks the girl at the counter for information about Peter Obama, his son-i
Kaduna, after receiving a phone call from the police about the car accide
informs them that Mr Obama is in very good hands. She confirms that he
speeding truck — but because he was brought in immediately, the surge
now in surgery for some injuries to his ribs. She gently reassures them th
and they should try to relax and sit in the lounge until there is more new
starts crying softly. Her father comforts her, thanks the receptionist and
the lounge.
Woman: Where’s my husband? Where’s my husband? Please, where’s m

Man: Calm down. Calm down.

Receptionist: Madam.

Woman: Please, where’s my husband?

Receptionist: Madam.

Man: Calm down, calm down. Excuse me, Ms.

Receptionist: Yes.

Man: We have come from Kaduna. We received a phone call from the p
 Peter Obama. Can you tell us something about him?

Receptionist: Mr Obama is being operated on for some injuries to his rib

to worry. So relax and have seat a in the lounge.

Man: Thank you, Ms, thank you. Thank you very much.

Receptionist: You are welcome.

Resource files

Video
See in the enclosed DVD a video recording of the activity:

Scripts\Module2\Unit5\Activity2\Resource2a\Video\Hospital_scene.mp4
Scripts\Module2\Unit5\Activity2\Resource2a\video\Hospital_scene_muted.mp4

Resource 2b: Guidelines on the language of reporting

Resour When we report on some event or scene we need to remember that we are helping our liste
ce 2b one that is objective; that is, it relates the factual details accurately without adding the repo
report:

1. A report contains both description and narrative. The reporter has to give the liste
either the gist or the details of the communication that took place between the people prese
2. The description should contain the nouns identifying the objects, and descriptive adjectives
objects such as their size, shape and volume, and their placement (their relative distance fro
use phrases such as a crowded corridor, a line of counters behind the recepti
patients on noisy stretchers, the operating theatre, blood report, a large
emergency doctor.
3. There should be discourse markers signalling the sequence of events: first, then, imme
4. To narrate the conversation exchanges, a report should use reported speech. Gramm
a. reporting verbs such as said, asked, requested, ordered, replied, shot back, crie
angrily…, He whispered softly…, They screamed in frustration…, She reto
b. third-person pronouns to refer to the speaker’s words — instead of, He said, “How do
c. the pronoun that: She replied that…, He answered that…, etc.
d. changes of verb tense: present tense changes to past, past to past perfect, etc. — instead of
Robin had given it to her.
e. connectives in interrogatives — instead of Did you know about this? use She aske
f. inverted word order in interrogatives — instead of Can she do it? use If she could d
5. A report should contain authentic details — that is, only what can be verified — and not th
should not contain any personal comments like The Chief Guest’s speech was very
 6. The events in a report should be narrated in the correct chronological order, or the listener

Resource 3: Matching definitions (worksheet)

Resour In the table below, Column 1 contains the names of some concepts that you study in variou
ce 3 with a partner and match the concepts to their definitions.

Column 1: Column 2: Definitions

Terms
Fixed capital A process in which original constituents undergo change to fo
properties. For example, when coal is burnt, carbon combines

Military coup An instrument used in the laboratory to observe living or dead

hand-held lens.

Pastoralism A group of similar or dissimilar cells that are held together by

themselves, and that perform a particular function. For examp

Microscope Tools, machines and buildings that can be used in the product
warehouses, computers, shredding machines.

Shifting Income below 1 (one) dollar a day; and showing the proportio
cultivation

Tissue A form of government in which the rulers consist of elected re

citizens themselves.

Chemical change A situation in which the armed forces of a country (especially

usually by arresting the leaders of government.

International A system of farming in which parts of a forest are cut and bur
poverty line after the first monsoon rain. For example, chitemene or ta

Democracy A way of life in which communities rear cattle, camels, goats,

animal skin, meat and other products obtained from animals f

Module objectives
The objectives of this module are to:

Objecti enable teachers to help their students develop the ability to speak English effectively and with confidence;
ves

help teachers develop activities to encourage students to express themselves fluently using appropriate gramma
 enable teachers to help students organise their ideas logically and to present them appropriately in various comm

help teachers make their students understand the importance of performing language functions in English such a

encourage English teachers to collaborate with teachers of other subjects to develop students’ academic skills su

Module outcomes
Upon completion of Module 2 — Speaking for Better Communication, you will be able to:
Outcom teach students how to express themselves effectively using appropriate grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation
es
show students how to describe people, events and objects appropriately in English;

teach students how to perform common language functions in social situations, such as making a request, askin

help students develop their oral skills for academic purposes (making presentations, participating in debates, ext

Time frame
How You will need approximately 15 weeks to finish this module — eight weeks for formal study and seven weeks fo
long?
This is a distance learning programme, thus the time frame is flexible and largely self-directed.

Study skills
As an adult learner your approach to learning will be different from that of your school days: you will choose wha
motivation for doing so and you will most likely be fitting your study activities around other professional or dome
Study sk
ills Essentially you will be taking control of your learning environment. As a consequence, you will need to consider
management, etc. Perhaps you will also need to reacquaint yourself with such things as essay planning, coping

Your most significant considerations will be time and space; that is, the time you dedicate to your learning and
We recommend that you take time now — before starting your self-directed study — to familiarise yourself with
example:

http://www.how-to-study.com/
The “How to Study” website is dedicated to study skills resources. You will find links for tips on study preparatio
for reading textbooks, using reference sources and coping with test anxiety.

http://www.ucc.vt.edu/stdysk/stdyhlp.html
This is the website of Virginia Tech’s Division of Student Affairs. You will find links to tips on time scheduling (inc
concentration techniques, how to take control of your study environment, note taking, how to read essays for an

http://www.howtostudy.org/resources.php
Another “How to Study” website with useful links to learning about time management, efficient reading, question
into practice, memory building, staying motivated and developing a learning plan.

The above links are our suggestions to start you on your way. At the time of writing these Web links were active
basics,” “self-study tips,” “self-study skills” or a similar combination.