A framework for productive skills lessons
| Lead in | To activate students’ existing knowledge of the topic To generate interest in the topic / theme of the lesson |
| Preparing to write / speak | (These stage aims will vary, depending on the lesson) To generate / provide ideas to speak / write about To provide an opportunity prepare for the task To provide an opportunity to organize their ideas logically and take notes To provide learners with a model of the task |
| Useful language | To provide and clarify language which learners may find useful for completing the speaking / writing task |
| Speaking / writing task | (These stage aims will vary.) To provide an opportunity to practice their speaking / writing skills in relation to… |
| Feedback and error correction on oral / written task | To allow learners to compare results of the task To provide content feedback on results of the task To provide language feedback based on the task |
Note: The staging for a productive skills lesson is fairly flexible as it depends on the nature of the speaking or writing skills task.
As with a receptive skills lesson, start with a lead in to create interest in the topic. Then, rather than launching straight into the speaking skills task, include time for students to prepare for the task. In the example above, this involved giving students a chance to think of four important events that they would like to talk about.
The ‘useful language’ stage, is not the same as a full-blown language presentation. It just involves providing students with grammar or vocabulary that they might find useful for completing the task – so in the example above, it included a quick review of question forms. The main aim of the lesson is to practice speaking skills (not to practice any particular target language), so it’s important to keep this stage ‘short and snappy.’
The focus of the lesson is on fluency rather than accuracy. For this reason, it’s important not to interrupt students while they are speaking. Instead, teachers should monitor and take notes and then provide feedback on both content and language.