Speaking Cycle 11: Festival Time!

1. Activating

· How many different kinds of festivals can you think of?

· What kinds of activities do you associate with festivals?

2. Sharing

· Think about some festivals which you have been to or participated in.

· Work in groups of three. Tell your group about your experiences at some of these festivals. As you listen to your partners, decide if you have ever been to similar festivals yourself.

3. Preparing

· Choose one experience of one member of your group. One of you is going to tell the rest of the class about this experience (it doesn't matter if the person who speaks is the person who had the experience or if they talk about the experience of someone else in their group).

· Spend 15 minutes, as a group, preparing what the speaker is going to say. Think about a) information, such as what kind of festival it was; where and when it took place; who the person went to the festival with; what the person saw and did at the festival; and b) the organisation and structure of what the speaker will say.

4. Performing

· The speaker from each group talks to the rest of the class.

· As you are listening to other speakers, try to answer the following questions.

a) When and where did the festival take place?

b) Who did the person go to the festival with?

c) What did the person see and do at the festival?

d) How did the person feel before, during and after the festival?

e) Would you like to go to a similar festival yourself?

5. Reporting

· When you have heard the speaker from each group, check your answers to the questions with the other members of your group.

· As a group, decide which of the people you have heard about, in your opinion, most enjoys going to festivals.

Speaking Cycle 10: Happy Birthday!

1. Activating  

· What different things do people typically do in your country to celebrate their birthday?  

· What different ways do people celebrate birthdays in other countries?  

2. Sharing  

· Think about some of your past birthdays.  

· Work in groups of three. Tell your group what you did to celebrate these birthdays.

As you listen to your partners, decide if you have ever celebrated your own birthday in similar ways.  

3. Preparing  

· Choose one experience of one member of your group. One of you is going to tell the rest of the class about this experience (it doesn't matter if the person who speaks is the person who had the experience or if they talk about the experience of someone else in their group).  

· Spend 15 minutes, as a group, preparing what the speaker is going to say. Think about a) information, such as how old the person was (or when the birthday was, if the person's age is a sensitive issue); where the person was at the time; who the person celebrated the birthday with; what the person did to celebrate it; and how the person felt during the celebration; and b) the organisation and structure of what the speaker will say.  

4. Performing  

· The speaker from each group talks to the rest of the class.  

· As you are listening to other speakers, try to answer the following questions.  

a) When and where did the birthday celebration take place?  

b) Who did the person celebrate their birthday with?  

c) What did the birthday celebration consist of?  

d) How did the person feel during the birthday celebration?  

e) To what extent would you like to celebrate your own birthday in a similar way? 

5. Reporting  

· When you have heard the speaker from each group, check your answers to the questions with the other members of your group.  

· As a group, decide which of the people you have heard about, in your opinion, enjoyed their birthday celebration the most.

Speaking Cycle 9: Wacky Weather

1. Activating

· How many different kinds of weather can you think of?

· How do people usually cope with extreme weather conditions?

2. Sharing

· Think about some occasions when you experienced extreme or unusual weather conditions.

· Work in groups of three. Tell your group about these experiences. As you listen to your partners, decide if you have had similar experiences to theirs.

3. Preparing

· Choose one experience of one member of your group. One of you is going to tell the rest of the class about this experience (it doesn't matter if the person who speaks is the person who had the experience or if they talk about the experience of someone else in their group).

· Spend 15 minutes, as a group, preparing what the speaker is going to say. Think about a) information, such as where the person was and what they were doing; when the experience took place; what the weather was like and in what way it was extreme or unusual; and how the person reacted to the weather; and b) the organisation and structure of what the speaker will say.

4. Performing

· The speaker from each group talks to the rest of the class.

· As you are listening to other speakers, try to answer the following questions.

a) When and where did the experience take place?

b) What was the person doing at the time?

c) What kind of weather was it?

d) How did the person react to the weather conditions?

e) Do you think you would have reacted in a similar way?

5. Reporting

· When you have heard the speaker from each group, check your answers to the questions with the other members of your group.

· As a group, decide which of the people you have heard about was, in your opinion, the least well prepared for the weather conditions they experienced.

Speaking Cycle 8: Let's Celebrate!

1. Activating

· How many different situations can you think of when people celebrate?

· How do people usually celebrate on these occasions?

2. Sharing

· Think about some occasions when you celebrated something.

· Work in groups of three. Tell your group about these experiences. As you listen to your partners, decide if you have had similar experiences to theirs.

3. Preparing

· Choose one experience of one member of your group. One of you is going to tell the rest of the class about this experience (it doesn't matter if the person who speaks is the person who had the experience or if they talk about the experience of someone else in their group).

· Spend 15 minutes, as a group, preparing what the speaker is going to say. Think about a) information, such as what the occasion was; when and where the celebration took place; who else was involved; and what the celebration consisted of; and b) the organisation and structure of what the speaker will say.

4. Performing

· The speaker from each group talks to the rest of the class.

· As you are listening to other speakers, try to answer the following questions.

a) What was being celebrated?

b) When and where did each celebration take place?

c) Who else was involved in the celebration?

d) What did the celebration consist of?

e) Do you think you would have celebrated the same occasion in a similar way?

5. Reporting

· When you have heard the speaker from each group, check your answers to the questions with the other members of your group.

· As a group, decide which of the people you have heard about, in your opinion, most enjoys celebrating things.

Speaking Cycle 7: Getting All Emotional

1. Activating

· How many different emotions can you think of?

· In what situations do people express these emotions?

2. Sharing

· Think about a time when you expressed a particular emotion.

· Work in groups of three. Tell your group about this experience. As you listen to your partners, decide if you have had similar experiences to theirs.

3. Preparing

· Choose one experience of one member of your group. One of you is going to tell the rest of the class about this experience (it doesn't matter if the person who speaks is the person who had the experience or if they talk about the experience of someone else in their group).

· Spend 15 minutes, as a group, preparing what the speaker is going to say. Think about a) information, such as what the emotion was; when and where the person involved expressed the emotion; why they expressed this emotion and in what way they expressed it; and what the consequence was; and b) the organisation and structure of what the speaker will say.

4. Performing

· The speaker from each group talks to the rest of the class.

· As you are listening to other speakers, try to answer the following questions.

a) What emotion was expressed?

b) When and where did each situation take place?

c) What caused each person to express the emotion?

d) Were there any particular consequences in each case?

e) Do you think you would have expressed the same emotions, and in a similar way?

5. Reporting

· When you have heard the speaker from each group, check your answers to the questions with the other members of your group.

· As a group, decide which of the people you have heard about, in your opinion, expresses their emotions most clearly.

Speaking Cycle 6: The Best Of Friends

1. Activating

· What different ways do people typically make new friends?

· What different kinds of things do people enjoy doing with friends?

2. Sharing

· Think of different friends you had when you were growing up.

· Work in groups of three. Tell your group about some of these friends. As you listen to your partners, decide if you had similar friendships when you were growing up.

3. Preparing

· Choose one childhood friend of one member of your group. One of you is going to tell the rest of the class about this friend (it doesn't matter if the person who speaks is the person whose friend it was or if they talk about a friend of someone else in their group).

· Spend 15 minutes, as a group, preparing what the speaker is going to say. Think about a) information, such as what the friend's name was; when and how the friendship began; what kinds of things the two friends involved used to do together; how the friendship developed; and whether the two people involved are still friends now; and b) the organisation and structure of what the speaker will say.

4. Performing

· The speaker from each group talks to the rest of the class.

· As you are listening to other speakers, try to answer the following questions.

a) What was the name of the friend in each case?

b) When and how did each friendship begin?

c) How did each friendship develop?

d) Are the people involved in each friendship still friends now?

e) Which of the friendships is most similar to friendships you've had yourself?

5. Reporting

· When you have heard the speaker from each group, check your answers to the questions with the other members of your group.

· As a group, decide which of the friendships you have heard about was, in your opinion, the strongest.

Speaking Cycle 5: Unusual Hobbies

1. Activating

· What different kinds of hobbies do people normally have?

· Why do people enjoy hobbies like these?

2. Sharing

· Think of some examples of hobbies you have or used to have.

· Work in groups of three. Tell your group about your present and past hobbbies. As you listen to your partners, decide if you've ever had any similar hobbies.

3. Preparing

· Choose one hobby (present or past, and if possible an unusual one) of one member of your group. One of you is going to tell the rest of the class about this hobby (it doesn't matter if the person who speaks is the person whose hobby it is or if they talk about a hobby of someone else in their group).

· Spend 15 minutes, as a group, preparing what the speaker is going to say. Think about a) information, such as what the hobby is/was; when and why the person took up the hobby; what the hobby involves; how the person felt about the hobby when they first took it up, and how they feel about it now; and whether they would recommend the hobby to other people; and b) the organisation and structure of what the speaker will say.

4. Performing

· The speaker from each group talks to the rest of the class.

· As you are listening to other speakers, try to answer the following questions.

a) What was the hobby each speaker talked about?

b) When and why did the person take up the hobby in each case?

c) What does the hobby involve?

d) How has the way each person feels about the hobby changed since they first took it up?

e) How would you feel about trying each of the hobbies yourself?

5. Reporting

· When you have heard the speaker from each group, check your answers to the questions with the other members of your group.

· As a group, decide which of the hobbies you have heard about is, in your opinion, the most unusual.

Speaking Cycle 4: Speaking In Public

1. Activating

· How many situations can you think of when someone might be required to speak in public?

· How might people feel in situations like these?

2. Sharing

· Think of situations in your life where you had to speak in public.

· Work in groups of three. Tell your group about some of these situations. As you listen to your partners, decide whether you’ve ever had to speak in similar situations.

3. Preparing

· Choose one example of speaking in public which one member of your group has talked about. One of you is going to tell the rest of the class about this experience (it doesn't matter if the person who speaks is the person who had the experience or if they talk about the experience of someone else in their group).

· Spend 15 minutes, as a group, preparing what the speaker is going to say. Think about a) information, such as what the occasion was; when and where it took place; how the speaker felt before, during and after speaking; and how the audience reacted; and b) the organisation and structure of what the speaker will say.

4. Performing

· The speaker from each group talks to the rest of the class.

· As you are listening to other speakers, try to answer the following questions.

a) What was the occasion?

b) How did the speaker feel before they spoke?

c) How did the speaker feel while they were speaking, and after they had finished speaking?

d) What effect did the speech have on the audience?

e) How do you think you would feel in a similar situation?

5. Reporting

· When you have heard the speaker from each group, check your answers to the questions with the other members of your group.

· As a group, decide which of the people you have heard about is, in your opinion, most comfortable when speaking in public.