Teaching Oral Communication: An Activity Based Approach Abstract The purpose of this paper is to help teachers to motivate learners

to speak English by using language games and activities in the language classroom. It argues against the misconception that learning can only be done in a silent atmosphere and noise in a class means no learning is taking place whereas in language learning classesmore noise means more communication. It also attempts to show that games are not only gap-filling activities; they are a useful device for teaching oral communication without being monotonous. This paper also emphasizes that games are one of the best examples of collaborative approach.

Introduction: Speaking is the process of building and sharing meaning through the use of verbal and non-verbal symbols, in a variety of contents (Chaney, 1998.p.13).Speaking is a crucial part of second language learning and teaching. Despite, its importance, for many years, teaching speaking has been undervalued and English language teachers have continued to teach speaking just as a repetition of drills or memorization of dialogues. However, todays world requires that the goal of teaching speaking should improve students communicative skills, because, only in that way ,students can express themselves and learn how to follow the social and cultural rules appropriate in each communicative circumstances. What is teaching speaking? Teaching speaking is to teach ESL learners to: Produce English speech sounds and sound patterns. Use words and sentence stress, intonation patterns and the rhythm of the second language. Select appropriate words and sentences according to the proper social settings, audience, situation and subject matter. Organize their thoughts in a meaningful and logical sequence. Use language as a means of expressing values and judgments. Use the language quickly and confidently with few unnatural pauses, which is called as fluency. (Nunan,2003)

How to teach speaking: Now many linguists and ESL teachers agree that students learn to speak the second language by interacting. Communicative language teaching and collaborative learning are the most suitable for this purpose. Communicative language teaching is based on real-life situations that require communication. By using this method in ESL classes, students will have the opportunity of communicating with each other in the target language. In brief, ESL teachers should create a classroom environment where students have real-life communication, authentic activities, and meaningful tasks that promote oral language. This can occur when students collaborate in groups to achieve a goal or to complete a task. Teaching speaking through language games and activities: By definition, games are full of fun and nearly everyone would agree that if learning is enjoyable, the students will learn more. Games provide an excellent opportunity to use grammar, build vocabulary network and choose appropriate word for their purpose and suitable for their context. We should discard the misconception which is that all learning should be solemn in nature and that if one is having fun and there is hilarity and enjoyment, it is not learning. This assertion is entirely faulty, simply because it is possible to learn a language as well as enjoy oneself at the same time. It appears that one of the best ways of doing it is through playing and participating in language learning games. The difficulties that teachers face in language learning classrooms are most of the time lack of motivation of students to learn English. To take up this challenge, teachers must permanently have recourse to language games and songs to enhance the learners desire to learn the language. It is obvious that a student is always a student no matter how old she/he is. Students learn better

when they have the feeling that they are making progress and realize that there is some achievement. This happens when the atmosphere in the classroom facilitates it. There are varieties of activities that create this kind of language learning games. Playing a game is a great opportunity to repeat the material in a way which is encouraging and not intimidating. If the teachers add the element of challenge and competition to it and take immense care so that the material caters to the needs of a larger range of students and learning techniques which suits them; the outcome will be great and satisfactiory. Games and songs are easy ways of learning without being monotonous. Learning should never generate boredom. Games therefore are relevant for adult classes too, provided they are adapted and geared up to the learners level. Games have been shown to possess advantages and effectiveness in learning vocabulary in various ways. First of all everyone knows that games bring relaxation and enjoyment for students. This can be simply inferred from for fact that they help learners learn and retain new words and structure more easily. Second, games usually invite friendly competition and keep learners interest level boosted up. In the same line, it is possible to say that the vocabulary games bring real world content and real life situations and enhance students use of the English language in a flexible and communicative way. There is one aspect that teachers should not overlook. Whenever a game is to be conducted, number of students, their proficiency level, their cultural context, duration, and learning topic and classroom settings are factors that really have to be taken into account.

Teaching language through games is task-based and has a certain purpose beyond the production of accurate speech. They are examples of the most preferable communicative activities. Games highlight not only the competence but also the performance of the learner. They have a purpose and are organized according to rules, and they are enjoyable. Most games require choral responses or group works. They are generally used after the presentation, in the practice part, because such communicative task can only be handled after mastering sufficient grammartical and lexical competence. Through well-planned games, learners can put into practice and internalize vocabulary, grammar and structures extensively. Play and competition that are provided by games enhance the motivation of the young learners. They also reduce the stress in the classroom. While playing games, the learners attention is on the message, not on language. For teachers using the games based platform in class is sometimes a real challenge. Games may have a number of potentials for foreign or second language learning. Most of these potentials are associated with the ability of games to provide learning environment that contextualize knowledge and provide immersive experiences for learners. As suggested by a recent review in languages, technology and learning (Milton, 2006) learning a language is different from any other subject in the curriculum as it combines explicit learning of vocabulary and language rules with unconscious skill development in the fluent application of both these things. For language learners this implies that they should be able to master both grammatical knowledge and fluency, the latter being often difficult to provide in classrooms where a couple of lessons a week may fail to provide the meaningful exposure to the foreign language required for learning. Games have been part of language learning for decades, and have had a role in supporting communicative approaches to language learning, i.e. in providing authentic and meaningful opportunities for language production and use.
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In addition to these puzzles and minigames such as hangman has been associated with a move from the teaching of discrete grammatical structures to the promotion of communicative ability (Warschaur & Kem 2000, 1). According to Mcedonia (2005) games may serve to proceduralize foreign language knowledge, i.e. to encourage and support fluency against the generally rule-based, declarative approach to foreign language teaching. In moving from declarative to procedural knowledge game-based language learning may serve to provide practice as well as a basis for the repetition of grammatical structures in the foreign language. In order to teach second language learners how to speak in the best way possible, some speaking activities are provided below. In learning any productive skills like speaking and writing; receptive skills like listening and reading come first. For teaching speaking, listening cannot be ignored.Listening is more than merely hearing words.Listening is an active process by which students receive, construct meaning from and respond to spoken and nonverbal messages (Emmert, 1994). As such it forms an integral part of communication and should not be isolated and ignored. Earlier it was not given due attention but it is a proven fact that the complicated process of speaking starts from ears. And it is rightly said that those who are deaf are unable to speak. Listening activities are first presented in this paper because it is necessary to do enough listening before speaking which is a productive skill. Listening activities: 1. Listening to an instruction:

Whos got what?

This activity is based on the Total Physical Response Method. Here, students are required to do the focussed listening and follow the instructions.Instructions are very helpful in teaching speaking; if the students can follow the instuctions, it means that learning is taking place and students will able to do the task. In this activity, we move from easy to advance level. Materials required: 1 copy, 1 pen, 1 coin, and 1 ball on a table. Each table should have four students numbering 1, 2, 3, and 4. Time needed: 15-20 mins Level: primary. The teacher should ensure that the students remember their numbers correctly. Instruction: Listen to the track and follow the instructions. Track 1: No.3 Pick up the book No.2 Pick up the pen and the coin No.1 Pick up the ball No.2 Hand the pen to no.1 No.1 Give the ball to no.4 No.3 Take the coin from no.2 No.3 Pass the book to no.4 No.4 Hand the book to no.2

No.3 Give the coin to no.4 No.1 Take the ball from no.4 No.2 Take the coin from no.4 No.3 Take the pen from no.1 And now you are done.

Now teacher will check by asking, whos got what and if the students have followed the instructions properly they should have: No.1 should have a ball No.2 should have a book and a coin No.3 should have a pen No.4 doesnot have anything Apart from listening, the teacher can also emphasize on the phrases like; pick up, take, get rid of, you are done... Track 2: Level: secondary. Instruction: Listen to the track and follow the instructions. Are you ready? No.1 Pick up the ball and give it to no.4 No.2 Pick up the pen and coin and hand the coin to no.1
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No.4 Take the pen from no.2 and give it to no.1 No.3 Get the book from the table. No.4 Trade your object with no.3. No.2 Take both objects from no.1 then give the pen to no.4 No.1 dont do anything, just be patient Now lets speed things up a little No.2 Give the coin to no.1 and take the book from no.4. No.1 get rid of that coin put it on the table. No.2 Take the pen from no.4 and pick up the coin. No.1 Take the coin from no.2 and trade it for what no.3 has got. No.4 Take the book from no.2 and the pen too. No.2 Take the book No.1 Take the pen. No.4 Take the coin No.2 and no.4 Trade. No.1 Give the ball to no.3 No.1 Give your thing to no.4 No.2 Trade with no.3 Now teacher will check- whos got what? No.1 doesnot have anything. No.2 should have a ball. No.3 should have a coin. No.4 doesnot have anything.

2. Arranging countries names: Materials required: CD player/tape recorder/computer, a copy and a pen Time needed: 5 -10 mins. Level: secondary. Students listen to the country names on CD and note down, this will improve their pronunciation and it is a dictation activity and it is good for ear-training. These are the country names played on a CD player: Part 1: Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, Sri Lankan, India, Nepal Part 2: Zambia, Tanzania, Liberia, Nigeria, Ghana Part 3: South Africa, Uganda, Jamaica, Kenya, Cameroon, Serra Lone, Zimbabwe, Ireland and the UK Part 4: Canada, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong and the USA, Trinidad and Tobago In order to check the teacher will play the C.D. again so that the students get the country names correctly as well as in correct order.

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2.

Actions: This is also based on Total Physical Response method, student will

follow the instructions played on C.D. by this activity teacher can simultaneously check the student. Material required: C.D. Time limit: 5 10 mins. Level: primary. Divide the class into equal number of students in rows. The students should have one arm distance between each other and play the C.D. The students will listen and do the activity together Clap your hands Jump on one leg And turn around Now jump on two legs Put your hands in ears Sit down Jump like a kangaroo Turn around Put your finger on your mouth Scratch your cheeks Pretend you are singing

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Laugh a lot SPEAKING ACTIVITIES: All the four skills are integrated; in language learning speaking always comes after listening. Of all the four skills (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing), Speaking seems to be the most important and is demand. Here are some of the activities for teaching speaking.

1. Picture sequencing: pictures are a good resource and a rich base and stimulus for the development of speaking.This is a creative activity, student will make their stories with the help of vocabulary provided.

Materials: picture strips. Time needed: 10- 15 mins. Level: secondary. Students are provided different pictures strips and they have to make stories by connecting the different blocks of pictures with the sentences. With each picture strips, vocabulary reinforcement is provided.For example: Vocabulary reinforcement- crow, thirsty, pebbles, jar, water, water-level, think, drink, clever. In the first slide, a thirsty crow is shown which is in search of water. In the second slide, he found water in a container. In the third, he tried to drink but couldnot drink it.
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In the fourth, he got an idea to raise the water level. In the fifth slide, he started bringing pebbles. In the sixth, he started throwing it into the container. In the last slide, he drank water.

2. Animal game: The class would be divided into pairs. One student will be showing picture and asking the questions and finding out the answers from his partner. Materials: pictures of animals Time needed: 10-15 mins. Students will ask questions about the animal picture they picked like cat; Student 1: What is its name? Student 2: Its a cat. Student 1: Where does it live? Student 2: It lives in homes. Student 1: What does it eat? Student 2: It eats mouse and drinks milk. Student 1: Is it a wild animal or a domestic animal? Student 2: Its a pet animal.

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3.Board game: Material: board, dices, tokens of different colour Time needed: 20 mins. Students are divided into teams each team will take one dice. Each player will select different tokens and the first player of the first team will roll the dice and select the block according to the number on dice and the game will go on with each student doing the activity in each block. Blocks of the board game can be based on the question of real life situation, vocabulary and they can also be on grammar. For example: the first student throws the dice and the displayed is say four. He has to do the language activity in the house four. Conclusion: Games are one of the best second language learning activities. Classes for adults which contain games and competitions, there is an element of team guessing which is refreshing, and apt for practicing communication skills in a classroom. Songs, pictures and games give students a lot of positive emotions and this is also a basic tool in studies. Games are useful devices by which one can create an interesting activity. Students learn grammar items without any hiccups. Moreover, it helps teachers to break open the cocoon to encourage their participation. Well-chosen games and songs are really invaluable as they give the students opportunities to practice language skills. They play a paramount role in English. Language teaching games are highly motivating and can be used to give practice in all language skills and can be used to practice real life communication.

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Bibliography:
1) Krause S.D (1988) .principle and practices in second language acquisition; oxford. O.U.P. 2) Welgo M.rivers (1987). Interactive language teaching. C.U.P.

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3) Lo, R & li, H.C. (1998). Songs enhance learners involvement. English teaching forum, 36, 8-11, 21. 4) Monreal, M.E. (1982). How I use songs. English teaching forum, 20, 44-45. 5) Nunan, D (2003).practical English teaching. NY: McGraw-hill. 6) Brown, G and G .Yule (1983). Teaching the spoken language. Cambridge: C.U.P. 7) Harmer, J (1984). The practice of English language teaching. London: Longman. 8) Mc Donough, J and C Shaw. (2003). Materials and methods in E.L.T.: a teachers guide. Malden, MA; oxford: Blackwell. 9) http://www marks-english-school.com/games html 10) http://a4esl org/a/c 3 html 11) http://www.manythings. Org/vocabulary/ 12) www.inglish.com/listening-activities.htm

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