Oracy
What is oracy?
Oracy is the ability to articulate ideas, develop understanding and engage with others through spoken language.
It’s not just learning to talk, it’s learning through talk.
Our vision for Oracy
At Castle Hill, we believe oracy is a fundamental skill in school and beyond. It underpins academic success, supports social and emotional development and prepares our children for the challenges of the future.
We understand that through developing children’s speaking and listening skills and embracing high-quality classroom talk, we can support pupils to articulate their thoughts, consolidate understanding, extend their vocabulary and ultimately give them the confidence to find their voice.
Oracy is incorporated everyday throughout the curriculum. From discussions and explorative conversational talk to performance and presentational talk; children gain many different experiences during their time with us.
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We aim to create a range of opportunities for our students to develop confidence in talk, such as:
Votes for Schools assemblies - giving children the opportunity to speak in front of a large audience of peers about worldly issues.
Fabulous Finishes - giving children the opportunity to speak to parents/carers and the wider community about their learning.
No Pens Day - giving children the opportunity to learn the importance of speaking and listening by learning completely through talk.
Talk partners and talk trios - children share and develop ideas with one or two peers in lessons.
Discussion guidelines
Here is an example of the Discussion Guidelines that we use within the classrooms. These guidelines ensure that children feel safe and confident to speak within the classroom.
Sentence Stems
Our pupils are encouraged to speak in full, coherent sentences when sharing their ideas and using spoken language. In all lessons, pupils have key sentence stems which they are encouraged to use to help them articulate their ideas.
Talk Tactics
Talk Tactics are used in all lessons to encourage pupils to think strategically about their contributions to group talk. Providing pupils with roles to play in discussions helps to manage talk and encourages the development of certain speaking and listening skills.
The Talk Tactics are progressively planned so that pupils learn one or two before learning a new one in the following year group.
Groupings
This year, we have introduced the Voice 21 groupings. The different groups are a great way to structure and support independent discussions in the classroom. Often, reluctant speakers find it easier to join in if they are able to initially listen and respond to an idea instigated by someone else.
The groupings are progressively planned so that children are able to speaking confidently in one or two of the different groupings before learning a new one the following year.
Here are some ideas to get talking at home!
7 ways to promote oracy at home
Try these techniques to help your child become a more confident communicator, in school and at home.
1. Read aloud to your child
Reading aloud to your child, well beyond the age they can read for themselves, combines the benefits of talking, listening and storytelling within one activity that helps children build their vocabulary, learn to express their thoughts, and understand the structure of language.
2. Record a video diary
Many children aspire to be vloggers or YouTube stars, so encourage them to start a video diary, either to chart their everyday life or to record special occasions like birthdays and holidays. For safety’s sake, keep these within the family rather than broadcasting them online.
3. Play word games
Games like 20 Questions, Guess Who? and I Spy are great for helping children use descriptive language and think critically about what they’re saying.
4. Talk about their day
Ask your child, ‘What did you do today?’ and they’ll often claim they can’t remember, so find different ways to talk about what they’ve been up to. Eating your evening meal as a family is a good way to encourage conversation, while older kids are often more chatty in the car, where they feel less like they’re being interrogated. You could also try our tips for asking the right questions to elicit information.
5. Phone a friend (or relative)
Persuade your child to take a break from screens and develop their speaking skills by making an actual phone call. Encouraging them to speak to different family members on the phone or on a video call will build confidence.
6. Go on a nature walk
This is a great pre-phonics activity for young children, who can be encouraged to listen carefully to the sounds they hear – from traffic to birdsong – and describe them. They can also describe the natural sights they see, such as trees, animals and birds and the sky.
7. Sign them up for a club
Joining extracurricular clubs is a good opportunity for your child to converse with different people outside the home or school environment. Many of them also involve taking instructions (such as being coached in sporting techniques or to complete science or art projects), and introduce them to different vocabulary relating to their new hobby.
Please contact Mrs Singh to find out more about Oracy at Castle Hill.