SPEAKING PROJECT SAMPLE

 

Hi everyone!

In this post I will introduce a project that I have put into practice with a group of 4th Compulsory Secondary Education. 

• Final Product 1: Create a padlet with reports about an Environmental Issue or a Natural Disaster that takes or has taken place in any part of the world. 

• Final Product 2: Present the Environmental Issue or Natural Disaster to the rest of the class. 

The aim was to apply environmental vocabulary, and use conditionals to create hypotheses related to the topic (possible, impossible, real facts, etc) to report an environmental issue or natural disaster.

SEQUENCE

1. Motivation

I introduced students to the topic with a video, and speaking questions about the topic, to activate their CRITICAL THINKING, and the vocabulary related to this topic.

2. Activation

At this stage, we worked on reading ("Mushroom to the rescue or Fooled you!) and listening (Ocean food chain tasks that activated previous knowledge related to this issue, and introduced them to the reality about it. 

Apart from that we were reviewing Conditionals

3. Exploration

I created a speaking activity to invite students to think about environmental issues in the town or province they live in. Thanks to others' arguments, some of them discovered things they did not know. We even researched on google those things we were curious about. 

Afterwards, I explained to them how to create a Report, by using a Google presentation with visual samples, which I shared on Google Classroom as well. And, we practiced on creating a cooperative Report, by using “Useful Report Expressions” in some kind of Story Telling Game. 

4. Organization

At this stage, I organized students into cooperative groups of 2 or 3 people. I tried to create balanced groups, so those who have a very good competence at language could help those who have difficulties.

Later, students, using a laptop from the high school, did some research and chose the topic they thought could be attractive regarding this issue. 

I provided them with a draft, like the one you can see below. And, they will devote 2 sessions to research on the topic and note down ideas. 

In addition, each group has a Learning Diary, so that they note down each group member task during each session, and the difficulties they found.

5. Application

First of all, students created the written report by using the application Padlet. In this link you will find my students' project.

I created the template, which is a map of the world, that I shared with them in Classroom, and they posted the report with an image in the place of the world they were talking about. 

Secondly, they created a presentation using Genially, and they shared their research with the rest of the class, including conditionals about real facts, hypotheses that experts had made, etc.

  

6. CONCLUSION

At this step, it was the moment for assessment. And, using a Rubric, we devoted time for teacher-student assessment, student-teacher assessment, co-assessment, and auto-assessment.

And, afterwards, both me and the students were analyzing and providing some oral feedback to the other students.

OPINION

Creating this type of projects have helped my student, not only developing their oral skill in the second language, but they have widen their knowledge about the real world and they have developed their critical thinking. What is more, working cooperatively, they have learnt when working in group, you can overcome bigger challenges. And cooperating to present their project to the rest of the class, they have improved their oral skills by asking for help to their mates in terms of pronunciation, and fluency, and supporting each other.