If you are already familiar with the Oracy strand of the Framework, you will be aware that much emphasis is placed on developing listening skills, particularly in the early stages. To help ‘educate the ear’, we want children to have lots of opportunities to listen to good models of pronunciation and to have plenty of exposure to the sound patterns of the new language.

Also important in primary schools is developing children’s understanding of conventions such as taking turns to speak and valuing the contributions of others. By the time they reach Year 6 they should be confident enough to initiate and sustain a conversation and to understand longer pieces of spoken text.

Questions

- What sort of activities can you do to encourage active listening?

- How do you develop speaking skills in the early stages?

- How can you help children to begin to make longer utterances?

Activity

Read through the Listening and Responding objectives from Foundation stage to Year 6 in the Primary Framework for Literacy. 

How might these listening skills complement listening skills developed in the Key Stage 2 Framework for Languages?