Integrated Listening and Speaking Activities

Are you looking for ways to build proficiency with your Spanish students? I have a great suggestion! Begin Integrated Listening and Speaking activities as soon as possible with your students!

What are Integrated Listening and Speaking Activities?

With ILS activities, students will hear a prompt, and then respond. The prompt is usually pretty short. Many times, the prompt will introduce a topic, and then ask the student a question. Other times, the prompt will introduce a topic and then request that the student ask questions related to the topic.

How are Integrated Listening and Speaking Activities Structured?

It depends! The earlier in a student’s language learning you begin, the quicker students can develop comfort and confidence with listening and speaking.

Personally, I start by giving very simple prompts related to the unit theme. For example, if our class is learning vocabulary related to clothing and shopping, I will create an ILS activity related to familiar vocabulary. This is one way to marry performance and proficiency.

As students progress in skill and proficiency, you can add challenge in many ways. For example:

-use prompts that require more than one time frame

-use longer prompts for students to listen to

-use more complex language in the prompts

-create prompts that span a variety of topics instead of just one

-create prompts that span a variety of topics and a variety of time frames

(by the way, this last suggestion is what the AAPPL test is like!)

How, Exactly, Do I Create an ILS Activity?

There are lots of options! Here are my top 3.

First, if you are creating your own, I suggest typing out the script for what students will hear. This way, if you make your own recording, if you lose it, you can quickly re-record. Typing or writing out your prompts allows you to edit before you record to make sure you have all the elements you want your students to practice. And, you are less likely to mess up your recording if you can read it!

Are you lucky enough to have a language lab at your school? The software will allow you to set up an activity where you record the audio prompt, and students will record their responses.

No language lab? No problem. To create Integrated Listening and Speaking Activities, choose your favorite recording software. Right now, mine is Speakpipe. It’s free and these links don’t expire. Record your prompts, and add them to a a document that you can share with your students. Ask them to use a recording device/software that produces a link. They can also use Speakpipe for free! They can copy and paste the link to their responses in the document.

Last, if you are not a “techie” person, if you need to see one with your own eyes, or if you are pressed for time and out of energy, you can check out one of mine!