Structured language practice is an important part of learning any language. Students may be taught the vocabulary and sentence structure, but the key to speaking comes from oral language practice. Students need practice speaking before they can use the language.
Practice needs to take place in a safe environment. Students should not be worried about making mistakes. Newcomers benefit from a newcomer program because all students are at the same level. Newcomers entering a mainstream classroom tend to worry more about making mistakes in front of peers.
There are four structured language practice strategies that can be easily integrated into daily instruction. They provide frequent language practice before, during, and after a lesson. As students practice what they have learned, they begin to internalize the vocabulary and sentence structures until it becomes automatic.
Echo Talk
This strategy is sometimes called My Turn, Your Turn. Most teachers use this method with the whole class, although it can also be done with partners. The teacher models a sentence and the whole group repeats. With partners, one student generates an oral phrase and the partner echoes it. The partners switch and alternate roles so each student gets a chance to repeat.
The sentence structure should be visible for the entire class to see. An example could be “My favorite color is ______________.” Teachers should provide sentence structures from different language levels. An easier sentence might be “I like _________.” A more difficult sentence could be “I love __________ because it reminds me of _____________.”
Choral Response
This is the perfect strategy to keep students from blurting out answers before others are ready. Teachers can use this with an entire class or a small group. This allows many students to practice at the same time. The only drawback is that it only works with short, identical answers.
The teacher or another student asks a question. The teacher says, “Stop and think.” Everyone thinks of the answer quietly. Each student puts a thumb up in the air when he or she knows the answer. When the teacher asks, “What’s the verdict?” the group gives a choral group reply.
This works well with read alouds. After reading The Mitten by Jan Brett [Putnam Juvenile, 1989] the teacher might ask, “Which animal moved into the mitten first?” or “What color was the mitten?”
Talking Stick
This strategy allows every student a chance to speak. The strategy can be used with the entire class, but it works better in small groups. The talking stick can be any item from a toy flower to a teddy bear. The student with the talking stick gets to talk while everyone else listens. When the student is finished the talking stick is passed to the left. Students are allowed to “pass” one time. Students also have to option to repeat what another student has said.
The teacher puts up sentence frames and vocabulary from the lesson. After the teacher asks a question or gives a prompt, the talking stick is passed to the first student in each group. After reading The Surprise Family by Lynn Reiser [Harpercollins Children's Books, 1997] the teacher could ask, “What is the difference between a chicken and a duck?” Students could answer, “A chicken has sharp claws, but a duck has webbed feet.” The next student could answer, “A chicken has a sharp beak, but a duck has a flat beak.” To encourage students not to pass, they can repeat what another student said. So a student who wants to repeat could say, “I agree with Susan that a chicken has a sharp beak, but a duck has a flat beak.”
Lines of Communication
Students work in groups of about eight to ten and rotate with each turn. This can be done with two circles. One circle is on the outside and one circle is on the inside. When it is time to rotate, the students in the inside circle move one step to the left to find a new partner. The students in the outside circle do not need to move.
Another way to set it up is to form to straight lines. When it is time to rotate, the student on the far right of each line moves forward into the other line. Everyone else takes one step to the right to find a new partner. This works well if the classroom is small. Students can walk around the rows of tables with each line on either side of the tables.
The teacher gives a prompt and the students take turns responding to the prompt. Students have two to three minutes to respond and discuss answers.
When using structured language practice strategies in the classroom, students should be familiar with the proper social communication skills. Being able to listen attentively and provide feedback means they are focused on learning the sentence structures. Students need the benefit of oral practice in a low-stress situation in order to gain the confidence needed to become fluent speakers of English.
 |
