Microsoft Word M03 How To Teach Speaking 2002-03. doc

Articulation activities 

When students come to speak in a foreign language they often find themselves inhibited by 

the prospects of having to make what to them are strange and even comic sounds. One way to 

tackle this problem is to give students the opportunity to experiment with sounds. 

LISTEN AND RECORD 

LEVEL 

Elementary and above (from A2) 

TIME 

15-20 minutes 

AIM 

For students: making a recording after listening carefully to a taped 

model. 

PREPARATION 

Select a natural model for students to imitate. 

PROCEDURE 

Ask the students to listen to the tape and to repeat any of the utterances 

they have heard, until they are ready to be recorded. The activity is self-

directed, but you should be available for consultation. The finished product 

can be a subject of feedback and evaluation.  

REMARKS 

The activity is self-regulatory. This is important if students are not to be 

threatened by having to repeat something they feel uncertain about. This 

activity also fosters the notion of rehearsing what we are about to say, 

something many people do in their own language, anyway.