Teaching English as a Foreign Language: Developing Speaking Skill Yessenia Cruz Salazar The teaching and learning of a language

is a complex task whether the language is acquired in infancy as a first language or later in life as a second or third language. It entails the developing of the four language learning skills: listening, writing, speaking and reading. Additionally, a language system consists of not only grammatical rules and vocabulary, but also the proper way to use language, such as requesting information, inviting a friend to a social event, thanking a person for a kind act, or greeting a stranger. poken language is one of several ways humans communicate with each other but in order to speak a language properly a lot of practice has to be done. The aim of this paper is to provide a description of the materials selected that will be used in preparing a !" to #$ minute lesson outline for %nglish teaching. In addition, it will include my rationale for the selection of the learning skill& speaking. peaking is the main skill to develop while learning a foreign language because it is the easiest way to communicate and it is probably the one that most language learners wish to perfect as soon as possible. '(any language learners regard speaking ability as the measure of knowing a language. These learners define fluency as the ability to converse with others, much more than the ability to read, write, or comprehend oral language. They regard speaking as the most important skill they can acquire, and they assess their progress in terms of their accomplishments in spoken communication.) Teaching speaking to language learners involves three areas of knowledge: mechanics *pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary+: using the right words in the right order with the correct pronunciation. ,unctions *transaction and

interaction+: knowing when clarity of message is essential and when precise understanding is not required. ocial and cultural rules and norms *turn-taking, rate of speech, length of pauses between speakers, relative roles of participants+: .nderstanding how to take into account who is speaking to whom, in what circumstances, about what, and for what reason. I chose the speaking skill because I believe it is the most important to develop, practice and use when learning a new language. It has many benefits such as talking to people that speaks the same language, traveling, and it helps to grow speakers/ self-confidence. The materials selected for this lesson plan are aimed to encourage students to speak in front of their classmates and to practice speaking. The first activity is based on the book called 0pen (ind 1 which is used to teach %nglish to young adults and according to the 2%,3 *2ommon %uropean ,ramework of 3eference+ at this level 1-A1 learners can understand sentences and frequently used expressions, communicate in simple and routine tasks, and describe in simple terms aspects of his4her background. ,rom the book chose activity from unit 5 because it has a language focus on reading: prediction and speaking: explaining what you mean. 6etailed information is stated clearly in the lesson plan template attached in the appendix section. The second activity is posted in a wiki space I created to complement the course, the wiki space can be used to create materials and upload them so students can work outside the classroom. It is very useful because it includes sections such as a course description, activity tracking, assignments, meeting agenda, review, and exercises for homework among many others that can be added and are filled by the teacher. Another characteristic from the wiki is that there are sections which students can edit such as to upload their work, ask question and add useful resources they find. The link to the wiki space I created is the following: http:44learningenglish1$.pbworks.com4w4page47!8##5"74,ront9age.

There are different methods and activities to teach the %nglish and in specific the speaking skill. :ut the most important part of teaching this skill is the role of the instructor& which I consider should be based on helping their students develop their body of knowledge by providing authentic practice that prepares students for real-life communication situations. tudents must be able to produce utterances grammatically correct, logically connected, context appropriate and if possible with accurate pronunciation so the listener can clearly comprehend what he4she is saying. The purpose of real communication is to accomplish a task, such as conveying a telephone message, obtaining information, or expressing an opinion. 'In real communication, participants must manage uncertainty about what the other person will say. Authentic communication involves an information gap& each participant has information that the other does not have. In addition, to achieve their purpose, participants may have to clarify their meaning or ask for confirmation of their own understanding.) ,oreign language teaching and learning requires both teachers and learners to understand each other. And while teaching speaking skill teachers should focus on being clear and understandable when talking because most of the times learners imitate teachers. ' tudents can only learn what they understand and in language teaching this means that the teacher must make content comprehensible.) In sum, getting to speak a new language requires dedication and a lot of practice. peaking is a productive skill which means that learners need to get a bunch of new vocabulary and the reception of input from teachers, peers, and the media. Thus, all four modes of expression are important elements in language learning, and their use is required in all formal classroom contexts. As :ialystok *1$$;+ has shown language input provided to language learners and the language output expected of them must be developmentally appropriate in two senses: *;+ appropriate to the developing level of second language learning that the person has attained, and *1+ appropriate to the cognitive and linguistic level of the student in his or her

first language. In first language acquisition research shows that parents simplify their language input to their young children by speaking slower, frequent repetition, and simplified vocabulary and grammar. <akuta *;=8"+ argues that good language teachers use these same strategies in the early stages of % > or ,> instruction. References :ialystok, %. *1$$;+. Bilingualism in Development: Language, Literacy, and Cognition . ?ew @ork: 2ambridge .niversity 9ress. :owen, T. *1$;$+ Open Mind 2: (ac(illan 9ublishers >td. Thailand 2ouncil of %urope *1$;;+. 2ommon %uropean ,ramework of 3eference for >anguages: >earning, Teaching, Assessment. The ?ational 2apital >anguage 3esource 2enter, *1$$!-1$$#+ Aashington, 62: http:44www.nclrc.org4essentials4speaking4spindex.htm. 9adilla, A. (. *1$$7+. econd language learning: Issues in research and teaching. In 9. A. Alexander and 9. <. Aine *%ds.+, Handbook of educational psyc ology *1nd %d.+. (ahwah, ?B: %rlbaum.

Appendix

Language Focus #opic

Reading: Prediction, Speaking: Explaining what you mean, Language use: writing a recipe. $ %ot &ompetition 'nit

Book

pen !ind "

(: $ )uestion o* taste

+,ecti-es

Ss can predict to aid understanding o* a longer text, can use circumlocution to co-er gaps, can write a recipe in a simple list o* points, can write and conduct a short sur-ey. #eacher.s +ook, Ss +ook, powerpoint presentation, screen, pro,ector, computer, white+oard, markers, eraser.

#eacher.s /essenia &ru0 name

!aterial

Ste p

Time

Task (Teacher)

Task (Pupils)

Interaction

Purpose

10

Introduce the characteristics and intention of prediction" using the powerpoint presentation.

Follow teachers instructions to practice prediction when reading

Open class

Practice predictions when reading and share their opinion

!s" #s to read the recipe in the $oo" and decide if the% li"e it or not &a"e #s wor" with the life#"ills section' gi(e instructions and )onitor their wor" !s" #s to wor" with the *anguage +rap,up' chec" answers writing the) on the white$oard

-ead the ingredients and steps in order to decide if the recipe is attracti(e for the) -ead the instructions and co)plete the tas". wor"ing with a sur(e% a$out eating ha$its

Indi(idual wor" Open class Pair wor" Open class

Practice reading' )a"ing decisions and e/plaining their reasons Practice preparing a sur(e% and inter(iewing people -einforce "nowledge related to the (oca$ular% and gra))ar in unit 0

10

!nswer the (oca$ular% and Indi(idual gra))ar tas"s' co)pare the wor" answers and correct if Open class necessar%