YLE Starters Speaking Part 1 Teachers Notes

Description This activity gives students practice in pointing to objects/ pictures they can see. Time required: Materials required: Aims: 10 minutes Procedure 1. Greet the students at the beginning of the activity. Say Hello (name) to different students in turn and have them greet you in return. This is an important aspect of the Starters Speaking Test and being able to respond to the examiner at the start of the test helps to put the children at ease. 2. Use the pictures and/ or objects you have in the classroom for this game. Choose about ten things before the start of the activity, e.g. door, floor, window, board, picture, desk, computer, bookcase, cupboard, wall. 3. Demonstrate the game first. Tell the students to stand up. Give quick instructions, one after another. Students follow the instructions each time, e.g. Point to the wall. Wheres the door? Show me. Where are the windows? Point to the picture. 4. Play a game of Simon says using the structures in Step 3. For example: Simon says Wheres the floor. Show me. Students point to the floor. Point to the board. Students dont point (because you didnt say Simon says). Sample Task, one copy for each student to introduce students to Part 1 of the Starters Speaking paper and to the task type to practise quick physical response to instructions.

Demonstrate a quick game with the class. 5. Play the game as in Step 4. Give instructions quickly one after another. Students listen and follow them only if you say Simon says. Repeat the same instruction immediately sometimes to make it more fun and challenging. 6. Students who a) do the action when you dont say Simon says b) point to the wrong part of the classroom have to sit down until the end of the game. 7. Stop the game when you have about four students standing. They are the winners. 8. Repeat the game using eight flashcards illustrating words from the Starters vocabulary list. Stick the flashcards around the room.
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YLE Starters Speaking Part 1 Teachers Notes

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9. Hand out the Sample Task to each student. Give them instructions to point at different objects and animals in the picture. Use different structures e.g. Wheres the crocodile? Where are the people? Point to the elephants. Students point at the appropriate part of the picture. They dont speak. In this part of the test, children dont need to say anything. They only need to point at things they can see in the picture. 10. Remind students of the language they can use to ask the examiner to repeat the question e.g. I dont understand. Can you repeat, please? Again, please? Sorry? You could practise this by giving some instructions very quickly or quietly so that they have to ask you to repeat them. Make sure children know that its good to ask for repetition in English in the test, and much better than sitting in silence because they dont know what to do.

Additional information There are three aspects that are assessed in the Starters Speaking Test:

Reception listening and interaction Production words and phrases Production pronunciation .

Each criterion carries a maximum mark of 3. In the Test, each student is taken into the examination room by an usher. The usher is someone who speaks the students first language and who is possibly known to the child, e.g. a teacher. The usher explains the test format in the childs first language before taking the child into the examination room and introducing him/her to the examiner. Starters is aimed at young children who are at the beginning of their English learning and probably also have little experience of test situations. Therefore, a major aim of the Speaking test at this level is for them to show their comprehension of what the examiner says. This may be through actions (pointing to something in the picture, for instance) or by producing a short phrase or a one-word answer to questions such as 'What is your teacher's name?' or 'How old are you?' At this level it is not necessary for candidates to say more than a few words or to be totally accurate in order to achieve a higher score.

UCLES 2009. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made. For further information see our Terms of Use at http://www.teachers.cambridgeESOL.org/ts/legalinfo

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YLE Starters Speaking Part 1 Sample Task

UCLES 2009. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made. For further information see our Terms of Use at http://www.teachers.cambridgeESOL.org/ts/legalinfo

YLE Starters Speaking Part 1 Sample Task

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