Speaking and Listening

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Intent
The National Curriculum for spoken language aims to ensure that pupils are taught to:
– Listen and respond appropriately to adults and their peers

– Ask relevant questions to extend their understanding and knowledge

– Use relevant strategies to build their vocabulary

– Articulate and justify answers, arguments and opinions

– Give well-structured descriptions, explanations and narratives for different purposes, including for expressing feelings

– Maintain attention and participate actively in collaborative conversations, staying on topic and initiating and responding to comments

– Use spoken language to develop understanding through speculating, hypothesising, imagining and exploring ideas

– Speak audibly and fluently with an increasing command of Standard English

– Participate in discussions, presentations, performances, role play, improvisations and debates

– Gain, maintain and monitor the interest of the listener(s)

– Consider and evaluate different viewpoints, attending to and building on the contributions of others

– Select and use appropriate registers for effective communication.

– Are competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate

At Sowe Valley, we believe spoken language to be fundamental to the achievement of our pupils. We provide our children with a range of cross-curricula speaking opportunities with an aim to enable children to improve their levels of speaking so that all pupils are able to communicate effectively and confidently in front of any type of audience.  Children at Sowe Valley are encouraged to explore ideas through talk; challenge each other’s opinions and develop their own reasoned arguments, as well as talking in full sentences with a clear and confident voice. We strive to develop spoken language skills through the taught curriculum, playtimes and lunchtimes, extra-curricular activities and the whole ethos of the school. As a staff, we therefore foster good communication amongst ourselves and with our pupils, their parents and carers, and with the wider community. We place a high priority on supporting the development of good speaking and listening skills amongst our pupils.

Immersion

  • Every child will have the opportunity to participate in a debate
  • Every child will have the opportunity to read to a younger child
  • Every child will have the opportunity to complete annual VIP presentations to their class

Every child will have the opportunity to perform to an audience e.g. End of year productions, Christmas productions and class assemblies