1. Always ensure that the task involves listening with a purpose.
2. Give a focus for the task- e.g. listen out for certain information.
e.g. Get the pupils to put their hand up as soon as they hear a certain word or type of word.
3. Do the first item of a listening together as an example; doing takes less time than explaining.
4. The tabular format works well at any level. Pupils listen and fill in boxes such as :
Who when how old eyes hair height likes /dislikes other info

(The other info section is a way of catering for the able pupils who can cope with more open-ended tasks. This is differentiation.)

5. Isolate irrelevant elements. e.g. give the name of the persons speaking - it is not essentially part of the learning-process, unless you are teaching the alphabet and spelling.

6. Many listening extracts at KS4 and 5 can be reduced to the format:
Who, what, when , where, why

7. Visuals are really helpful to support listening work - filling in blanks on a plan, a map, following directions, matching pictures with a statement
8. Listening for real information - treasure hunt - hide an object in the classroom. Tell the volunteer searcher where it is. The searcher has 20 secs to find the object.
9. Treasure hunt round the school. In advance, Place selected objects 'treasure' in obscure places around the school. Instruct the volunteer searcher/ or team of searchers in the target language. They will listen intently and be keen to memorise and follow the instructions. Prepare necessary vocab in advance and maybe provide som written support.

Tape Tips

1. Play extracts at least twice
2. Pause tape and get pupils to repeat the last word / segment
3. Pause tape and get pupils to predict the next word (works well if pupils are fairly familiar with the recorded extract)
4. Pause the tape mid word - pupils then complete the word.
5. Pupils enjoy it if you keep playing a relevant piece of tape over and over again.

Many pupils find listening the most difficult skill. Doing plenty of practice does help. However, pupils still need to focus on certain aspects to overcome inherent problems.
Especially in French, learners can find it very hard to distinguish between sounds. Their ears need to be trained.
Quinze, cinq,
Aime j'ai aimé
Deux, dix, douze
Trois, treize, trente

Speaking
Natural communication - asking questions; saying yes, no, pardon, I don't know
Sometimes speaking tasks have to be quite mechanical to lead to more spontaneity later
e.g. say the opposite. Use the negative, substitute an element: time, a place an object
Aim to get pupils using more accurate and more extended chunks of language.

Lie or truth

Level gauge - hit the red for success

Lots of opinions and reasons

At GCSE higher level + Gap-Bridging to AS Level- pros and cons are good : supermarkets, computers, cars, camping hols, hols with parents, living at home, getting a part-time job, working abroad, living in town/country

Cards - use a vocab item in context
Beat the clock

Post GCSE - staged debate: give them statement cards - they have to agree or disagree and justify their opinion

Icon prompt cards stimulate longer utterances. Use mindmaps and spider diagrams to support and extend listening
Use video, OHP, powerpoint to present material.
Interview format
Puppet shows

Celebrity interviews - answer routine questions as though you were a real or fictional celebrity; as though you were your grandparents.

Pair work need not simply be the rather sterile enactment of a stilted conversation.

- information gap : Pupil A reads info about a timetable, daily routine etc.
Pupil B asks questions and fills in blanks on a grid

Battleships games can be used to practise vocabulary. Pupils draw grids and put in blocks of vocab. Without showing each other, they can then ask each other what where by saying the coordinates.

Pupils can practise lists and sequences in pairs - see the staircase/ladder idea.

They can do a joint presentation, practising sentences alternately e.g. about daily routine,
food and drink, what they eat and drink
(This means that the 'Nous' form can be used more naturally)

Codes can be used - pupils relay a set of numbers to each other. Each number corresponds to a letter - A=1, B=2, C=3 etc. Or they can make up more complex codes (mobile phone keypad - text messaging: 22 means press the 2 key twice: this generates the letter B)

Have a strict time limit for pairwork . 3 mins is about right

English detector - an imitation gun / water-pistol with which you circulate, picking up stray fragments of illicit English. Yhe pupils in Year 7/8 enjoy making these. It could have a slot in it for a 'fine' - pennies will do. The fines go to charity. Don't overdo the financial penalty aspect - it's rather unethical!

Eavesdrop and circulate.

Offer reward for good performance - this may not mean performing to the rest of the class. Many pupils would regard this as a punishment.

Have fun with mobiles, walkie talkies - if you're feeling brave!

Try musical chairs - pupil A faces away from the rest of the class and has a list of questions + control of a music tape. An old phone or toy mobile circulates round the class. When the music stops, the one with the phone has to answer the questions put by Pupil A. Pupil A has to guess who is speaking.