TEY 13.2

CREATE AN ORACY TOOLKIT Help practitioners in your setting make the most of interactions during continuous provision. You may want to think of the following prompts and print them onto a lanyard for a quick visual reminder… Modelling – model new vocabulary and skills. Ensure that, when using new vocabulary, you use objects of reference/pictures. Questioning – ask open-ended questions and “think out loud” when children are unsure of the answers. Offering suggestions – offer hints or partial solutions while encouraging children to complete the task themselves. Use prompts such as “I wonder what would happen if…?” Parallel talk/play – provide commentary on the child’s actions and play alongside. Build on language – this may involve rephrasing a sentence the child has said. For example, if a pupil says, “I goed to the shops,” remodel this in a positive way: “Yes, you went to the shops.” at an emergency. Interactions like these help children build their descriptive skills, which will later translate into their written work. Using the prompt “why?” supports them to extend their thinking, use more exciting vocabulary, and really imagine themselves as the character they are pretending to be. BOOK LANGUAGE Much of the focus with oracy is on conversational talk; however, an ongoing study by Read Oxford has turned the spotlight on the benefits of using “book language” to provide children with the extensive vocabulary and sentence structures not found in conversational talk. The early conclusions from the first stage of this research project have shown that “[b]ook language provides access to types of sentence structures that are rarely encountered in speech, but which are important for children’s own developing literacy skills.” (tinyurl.com/ TEYbookLNG) Repeating familiar sentence structures found in texts can really aid children’s written development. Try repeating these as a whole class and writing the sentence structures using symbols on story maps to give children opportunities to practise what they have learnt. You can also use books to highlight exciting language that you may not encounter in speech. Encourage children to be “synonym spotters” and write these words on whiteboard paper when you find new vocabulary in the books you read. It’s an excellent way to introduce new vocabulary in context, making it easier to understand. Remember to refer to the words you have found in books throughout the day in different situations that relate to the word. A common misconception is that “bigger” words are better; make sure children know this isn’t the case, and that instead we want to use interesting words that help us paint a picture in our imaginations. SMALL MOMENTS, BIG IMPACT Try involving children in speaking games during small pockets of time in the day. You can play “Would you rather…” to help children develop their sentences. Aim to get the whole staff team involved, from office staff to lunchtime supervisors, and use the CREATING A VERBAL ROUTINE Verbal routines can support language development and involve saying the same words in the same way many, many times! This approach helps children gain confidence, as they feel familiar with the routines, which in turn makes it more likely that they will use language independently. Here are some suggestions: Start each day with a familiar greeting and question that children have to answer. For example, create a “morning circle” and ask each pupil to complete a sentence, such as, “I feel happy today because…” Make time for songs and rhymes to be sung, and encourage children to participate. You may also want to include songs in your classroom timetable, e.g. at tidy-up time or home time. Many books feature repetitive language; these can be used to create verbal routines too. Remember to encourage group participation with plenty of praise and excitement! WHO WILL YOU BE TODAY? Imaginative play in the role play area can spark creative conversations and mimic the everyday interactions children experience in real life. Ask the children, “Who will you be today?” Whether it’s a shopkeeper, a train driver or a postal worker, there are several key questions you can ask to develop children’s oracy skills. Let’s explore these with the example of a firefighter. Firstly, ask the children, “What does a firefighter wear?” Children may reply that they wear a helmet to keep themselves safe in a burning building. Next, “How does a firefighter move?” They may respond that a firefighter moves quickly because they have to put out the fire fast! Next, you could ask, “How does a firefighter talk?” Children may say that a firefighter needs to talk loudly because they are following structure: the adult asks the child a “would you rather” question, and the child follows a sentence structure to reply. For example, a pupil is asked, “Would you rather live in the sky or under the sea?” and replies, “I would rather live under the sea because I enjoy swimming at the weekend.” Children will surprise you with their out-of-the-box thinking skills, and this helps them to develop their sentence structure, using their own ideas without needing prior knowledge of a subject. Voice 21’s classroom research (tinyurl.com/TEYtalkpt ) used this activity and concluded that significant improvements were made to children’s confidence and critical-thinking abilities. Repeating familiar sentence structures found in texts really aids children’s written development Teachearlyyears.com 47