Need a speaking lesson that lasts the whole class period for your language students? Speaking is the thing the majority of my students hate and avoid the most. It gets comical at times, the lengths they go to in order to avoid it! If you need a speaking lesson that lasts the whole class period, keep reading! I’ve found the secret sauce, and most of my students don’t even mind doing it!!
Preparing a Speaking Lesson That Lasts the Whole Class Period
This lesson requires between 15 and 20 minutes of prep time. However, if you use Google Slides, file this activity in a folder you can find it in next year, and link the activity into your lesson plans, those 15 minutes will serve you for years!
Open a Google Slides presentation and change the layout to just a blank page.
Then, search for images on Google. Change the setting to images so you can find what you need. Sometimes I use busy pictures, like this one.
Sometimes I try to stick to a theme, like the theme of our unit. For example, we do a unit on accidents and injuries. So I might show this picture. The students will be asked to tell a story about what they see.
Copy and paste these images into separate slides in your Google Docs presentation. To figure out how many you need, figure about 5 minutes per picture. So, if you have a 90 minute block, take away about 10 minutes for initiation and conclusion. That means you have 16 5-minute blocks. You can either find 16 images, or find 8. I’ll explain why later! This is all you need for a speaking lesson that lasts the whole class period!
Initiating the Lesson
Sometimes I love to add drama…. it captures a teen’s attention like nothing else! So, on a day that I want to have a speaking lesson that lasts the whole class period, I need to set the stage.
One way is to start by projecting the study guide for an upcoming speaking assessment. Instant attention! Most kids are frozen in fear- their LEAST favorite thing will now be graded!
And then I add fuel to the fire by telling them that today we will spend the whole class talking in Spanish. Groans abound! But then I explain that I have the secret sauce that will help them feel prepared and confident!
The Lesson
This is so easy to carry out! Have students sit right next to each other in pairs. My class still has individual desks, and it’s a small space, so they’re in rows. I ask students to slide their desks over so the sides of their desks are touching.
I choose either the students on the right or the left to be the “talkers”. The other side is the “listeners”. I display a picture, and I give a parameter. The parameters vary based on a lot of things. For example, the goal might be, you have 90 seconds and your goal is to say 3 sentences. Or, use the yo form. Or, use the present tense. There are a million choices! But the overall goal is to use language creatively to describe the picture. They are encouraged to add details that they cannot see.
I set a timer, and the talker has their turn. It ends up being pretty low-pressure because no one is in front of the class, and it’s a very short time they need to talk.
When the timer goes off, the listener gives feedback. I usually prompt them. Comment on their use of vocab. Tell them if they conjugated their verbs. Compliment them on something they did well.
Now, the one set of students (either the right or the left side) will shift seats. “Go back one seat, and if you’re at the end of the row, take the first seat in the next row.”
All students have a new partner. The speaker will get a different perspective on feedback. The listener will get new ideas on how to use language creatively! Repeat this process until you mark the halfway point in your lesson.
Then, students switch roles! When they switch, you can use another 8 pictures they haven’t seen (16 total) or you can reuse the original 8. It takes time for everyone to switch seats, talk and get their feedback. That’s why this is a speaking lesson that lasts the whole class period, no matter how long your class periods are!
Leveling Up Your Lesson
You will be amazed at how fast time goes by during this activity, and how few students seem to need to use the bathroom!
There are several tricks I’ve learned to make this lesson more effective and engaging.
I create a rubric of specific look-fors I want the listeners to notice. I ask them to tally things like transition words, vocab words from the unit, conjugated verbs… whatever I want students to focus and try to improve. This keeps the listeners engaged and it gives a written piece of feedback for the speakers.
Scaffold this activity by allowing students to use whatever they think they need. Vocab lists, grammar notes, etc! It’s like a pacifier. Most kids quickly realize that they don’t really need to look at those things, especially after a round or 2. But it makes them feel more confident to have them. And sometimes as we get towards the end of their turn, I ask them to turn those papers upside down!
As you change each picture, think about what you want your students to be able to do. I start small, with 1 minute on the timer. I work up to 2-3 minutes. I change the challenge or the person they’re speaking about.
Close the activity
For me, the perfect way to end a speaking lesson that lasts the whole class period is to have students reflect. This could be formal or informal.
Ask them, who thought this was really hard when it was their first time? Who found that some pictures were easier to describe than others? Did anyone notice that they were able to speak faster by the end of their turn? Who learned a way to use the vocabulary in a new way by listening to their partner?
Final Thoughts
Creating a speaking lesson that lasts the whole period doesn’t have to be hard or horrible for your students!
My students actually enjoy doing this and find that our class time flies by! And they are encouraged by the progress they make! I think it’s important to let the same student talk as many times in a row as you have time for. It warms up their facial muscles and allows them to get into a groove.
I hope you and your students enjoy this lesson idea as well!
Other Speaking Resources
Spanish Seal of Biliteracy AAPPL Test Interpersonal Speaking
Spanish Chat Cards Bundle for Present, Past and Future Speaking & Writing
Spanish Partner Conversations: Clothing and Shopping Novice & Intermediate
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How To Get Students Comfortable Speaking Spanish in Class
Speaking Activities in Spanish Class: Guided Conversations
Interpersonal Listening and Speaking Skills for the Seal of Biliteracy