ESB Graded Examinations in Speech Teacher Guidance: Foundation

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Contents

About ESB

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Message from our Chief ExecuƟve The FoundaƟon Suite of Graded ExaminaƟons in Speech Guidance for AcƟvity 1: The Talk

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Guidance for AcƟvity 2: Speaking by Heart Guidance for AcƟvity 3: Reading Aloud/Reading to Listeners Guidance for AcƟvity 4: Open Exchange of Ideas

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Suggested choices

Seƫng up the assessment Marking the assessment

Final thoughts

                                                     © 2018 English Speaking Board (InternaƟonal) Ltd.

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About ESB English Speaking Board (InternaƟonal) Ltd. is a naƟonal   awarding organisaƟon offering accredited qualificaƟons in  speech and language. With over 65 years of experience, ESB  offers a wide range of flexible, Ofqual regulated qualificaƟons  which promote clear, effecƟve communicaƟon skills in the UK  and internaƟonally. Founded on a philosophy which values the  worth of every individual, ESB strives to stretch the most able  and support the least confident through the development of  speaking and listening skills.

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Message from our Chief ExecuƟve, Tina Renshaw

Thank you for wanƟng to put Oracy and its assessment into your teaching and  learning. ESB has been assessing communicaƟon skills for 65 years and we're  passionate about the impact we know Oracy has on the lives of children and  young people. ESB considers Oracy or speaking and listening as a set of key life  skills that unlocks potenƟal and is central to work and life.   Our assessments provide benchmarks for achievement with speaking and   listening, they outline what learners should be able to demonstrate in line with  NaƟonal Curriculum Spoken Language / Spoken English standards. By using an  external assessment model we provide an ‘expert’ validaƟon of your work with  your learners through their assessment outcomes. We also provide training  and feedback to you to support your preparaƟon of your learners to achieve  their potenƟal.  Whatever our route to employment, employers consistently tell us that   teamwork and communicaƟon skills are central to their success and need to be  of a higher standard when our young people enter the workforce. Our   assessments develop and validate those skills:   Confidence in formal communicaƟon seƫngs;   Audibility of voice, choice of vocabulary and use of pace to   communicate a message or informaƟon effecƟvely;   The pracƟce of engaging your listeners with eye contact;   Listening and asking quesƟons to demonstrate your   engagement with the subject or to secure your knowledge;   Ability to research a topic and present your research outlining   different perspecƟves;

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 CogniƟve skills to read out loud published pieces of English wriƩen in  a form that is less familiar to you and being able to convey their  meaning;    FacilitaƟng a small group to discuss a topic, play back and sum up the  viewpoints in the room.   Central to our assessment ethos is that of personal, social and emoƟonal   development and choice for the learner – finding their voice through   structured acƟviƟes, building on their interests.  Wouldn’t it be great if all our learners’ experiences of assessment contributed  to their confidence and sense of achievement, self‐respect and respect for the  views of others? We have the evidence from our centres and learners to say  that it does. Why don’t you watch this short clip to see our showcase of  achievement?

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The FoundaƟon Suite Our FoundaƟon suite of Graded ExaminaƟons in Speech promotes Oracy and is  designed to build students’ confidence in self‐expression by developing their  presentaƟonal and communicaƟon skills.  The suite contains the following  three qualificaƟons: 

ESB Level 1 Award in Speech (Grade 1)  ESB Level 1 Award in Speech (Grade 2)  ESB Level 1 Award in Speech (Grade 3) 

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The FoundaƟon suite of Graded ExaminaƟons in Speech is predominantly  aimed at pupils between Year 6 and Year 8. These qualificaƟons are mapped to  NaƟonal Curriculum requirements in Spoken Language at Key Stage 1‐2 or   Spoken English at Key Stage 3, and support the teaching of naƟonal curricula in  English and Literacy in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland .   This suite of qualificaƟons can also help you embed Oracy in a wide range of  Key Stage 3 curriculum topics. For example, students can choose to give a talk  that supports learning in subjects including:    History (for example, The Norman Conquest );    Geography ( Weather and Climate );    Biology ( The Structure and FuncƟons of the Human Skeleton ) ;  Chemistry ( The ProperƟes of Different States of MaƩer );   MathemaƟcs ( Pythagoras Theorem ).  Our porƞolio of Graded ExaminaƟons in Speech can help you to promote   Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural (SMSC) educaƟon and BriƟsh values,  which is an Ofsted requirement. By encouraging students to plan and give a  talk on a subject of interest, as well as parƟcipate in a discussion, these   qualificaƟons can help students to:  reflect ; use imaginaƟon and creaƟvity ;  offer reasoned views ; use a range of social skills ; appreciate different viewpoints ; and understand, accept, respect and celebrate diversity .

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In addiƟon, these qualificaƟons have been designed to inspire students to   engage with poetry and prose, which can help them to: explore beliefs and experience ;  respect faiths, feelings and values ;  invesƟgate moral and ethical issu es; and engage with the BriƟsh values of democracy, the rule of law, liberty, respect and tolerance. Each qualificaƟon can also be flexibly taught. They can be delivered during the  classroom study of a curriculum topic or as a standalone acƟvity as part of a  lunchƟme or aŌer school group.   Moreover, you can teach each qualificaƟon at a pace that works for you. It  could be taught in a full dedicated week as part of a literacy or oracy focus.   AlternaƟvely, it can be taught more slowly as part of a project. For example,  Black History Month or the commemoraƟon of the First World War.   QualificaƟons in our Graded ExaminaƟons in Speech porƞolio can be made  more accessible for pupils with addiƟonal educaƟonal needs. You can make a  reasonable adjustment applicaƟon for a pupil. Reasonable adjustments can   include, but are not limited to:    Changing usual assessment arrangements such as giving extra Ɵme to  complete an acƟvity such as a talk;   Re‐organising the assessment room, so that a pupil with a hearing impairment can sit closer to the assessor;   Choosing a pre‐selected reading passage.   For further informaƟon, please see our Reasonable Adjustments and Special ConsideraƟons Policy.

Each qualificaƟon contains the following four assessment secƟons:  

 A Talk – Structure and present a talk on a parƟcular subject (4  minutes).  Speaking by Heart – Introduce and perform a piece of poetry or dra‐ ma from memory (2 minutes).

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 Reading to Listeners – Introduce and deliver an extract from a book (2  minutes).  Open Exchange of Ideas – ParƟcipate in a group discussion, answering  quesƟons about your own work, and joining in with comments and  ideas about others’ work.  This guide is intended to support teachers in preparing their students for these  qualificaƟons and it contains a number of Ɵps on how to help them with each  of the four assessment secƟons.   In the guide, you will find informaƟon about how to help students to structure  and deliver a talk, introduce and present poetry and drama, introduce and   deliver an extract from a book with enthusiasm, and acƟvely parƟcipate in a  discussion.   The guide also contains a series of short bitesize videos from ESB specialists in  Oracy. Here, they will provide you with tailored advice in key areas of assess‐ ment. Below is the introductory video:

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Teaching Guidance AcƟvity 1: The Talk

Learning to deliver a talk helps to develop life‐long skills. It can support   students in the organising and structuring of informaƟon, allow them to   express their own ideas confidently, and provide factual detail to support  points made. It is important to allow students to speak about subjects and   topics that are of genuine interest to them – the process of preparing and   giving talks should be an enjoyable one, so that learning is exciƟng and   rewarding.   To help your students make the most of this secƟon, see our five top Ɵps   below:    Encourage students to create a scrapbook or folder, which can act as a  springboard for their talk. A scrapbook or folder should contain own  thoughts and ideas, as well as informaƟon from different sources.   Dissuade students from filling their scrapbooks solely with informaƟon  downloaded from the internet.   Advise students to Ɵme their talks when pracƟsing. This will ensure  that introducƟons are not rushed and that there is the necessary Ɵme  for a proper conclusion. PracƟsing to Ɵme also helps build confidence,  which encourages spontaneous delivery.    Students should not feel they need to apologise for being nervous. It  is perfectly natural to feel some nerves, but apologising can draw  aƩenƟon to that fact – it is much beƩer to just carry on.   If students use presentaƟon soŌware (such as Prezzi or PowerPoint) as  a visual aid, ensure that they do not read their talks from slides, or  face the screen, as this will limit their communicaƟon with the audi‐ ence. Students should stand to the side of the screen, facing the audi‐ ence.    When referring to an image, encourage students to talk about the  ‘hidden’ and liƩle‐known details, which cannot be seen by an  audience. For example, if there was an image which showed the   Statue of Liberty, the student might say something along the lines of:  ‘The Statue of Liberty was built by the French architect Gusteve Eiffel  and it was given by France to the United States of America in 1886’.

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For further guidance about structuring talks, please watch this video: 

For further guidance about how to speak spontaneously, please watch this   video:

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For further guidance about using visual aids, please watch this video: 

AcƟvity 2 : Speaking by Heart

Speaking by Heart gives students an opportunity to develop a real appreciaƟon  of poetry and drama, and to express themselves in a way that builds   confidence. PresenƟng poetry or drama has important educaƟonal benefits – it  can expose students to new and exciƟng vocabulary, figuraƟve language and  text structure.   Most fundamentally, poetry and drama allow us to connect with words in a way  we can't do with other wriƩen forms of language.    Ensure that students are genuinely interested in their selected poem  or monologues. The more students feel connected to their choice, the  more they will be able to interpret it with confidence and creaƟvity.   Poems and monologues need to meet the following criteria for length,   language and content. The piece should:   Length  – be of sufficient length to allow the student to show their  ability to establish and sustain their performance and   interpretaƟon.   Language  – contain a variety of expressive vocabulary and a range  of sentence structure that allows for interpretaƟon.  To help students make the most of this secƟon, see our top Ɵps:  

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 Content – (1) go beyond easily recognisable events and stories; (2)  give the opportunity to explore emoƟons, moods and   atmosphere outside the student’s immediate experience; and (3)  could contain imaginary people (and places for Grade 2 and Grade  3).   If students are struggling to make a choice, consider selecƟng a small  number of poems and monologues that contain the opportunity for  vocal variety. Allow each group (for example 6 students) to read and  pass the pieces round. Each student might then select one or two to  read aloud to their group. You could then ask students who have  chosen the same piece to work together.   Advise students to consider their introducƟon to their chosen piece.  Ask them to write down a list of reasons why they find their choice of  poetry interesƟng. Explaining these reasons in their introducƟon will  help them connect to the audience and awaken interest in their  choice.     Encourage students to pracƟse their piece oŌen. PracƟsing regularly  will help students to feel less hesitant about delivering it. Once a piece  is secure in the memory, students can also start to layer it by   experimenƟng with pitch, tone, pace and pause. This will help them to  begin to bring the poem or monologue to life.    Please see the Suggested Choices  secƟon for a list of recommended  pieces of poetry and drama.  For further guidance about choosing poetry, drama and prose, please watch  this video:

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For further guidance about performing poetry, drama and prose, please  watch this video:

AcƟvity 3: Reading Aloud (Grade 1) / Reading to Listeners (Grade 2‐3) Reading Aloud at Grade 1 and Reading to Listeners at Grade 2 and Grade 3 are  designed to help students read both fluently and criƟcally. Reading aloud assists  with enunciaƟon, extends vocabulary and develops understanding of the role  of plot, seƫng and characterisaƟon in literature.     As with  Speaking by Heart , students should always be interested in  their choice of book. A genuine interest in their choice will help  them give an enthusiasƟc and persuasive introducƟon, providing  the audience with a flavour of the text.    Extracts must contain dialogue, opportuniƟes for vocal variety,  and should be from an important or dramaƟc part of the book.  This should also give them opportuniƟes to sustain longer   sentences and the opportunity to explore phrasing.     Encourage students to think about the different characters in their  chosen extract – how they are feeling, and why they feel that way.  This will help them to bring the characters to life and convey  mood/atmosphere. For example, if a character feels parƟcularly  relieved, the student might choose to incorporate a sigh into that  character’s dialogue.   To help students make the most of this secƟon, see our top Ɵps below:  

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 Ask students to work towards developing eye contact ‐ from   looking up, to sharing the reading with the whole group. This will  help to involve the listening group in the story.    To know how to make effecƟve use of pause is one of the most  important lessons for the speaker. Silences are as necessary in   giving an intelligent interpretaƟon as are sounds. Encourage   students to use pause to separate phrases, renew breath, and for  dramaƟc effect. Pauses can be used to indicate intense feelings to  help in building up a climax.    Please see the Suggested Choices  secƟon for a list of   recommended texts.   For further guidance about how to read aloud to an audience, please watch this  video:

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AcƟvity 4: Open Exchange of Ideas

Open Exchange of Ideas is designed to promote shared learning and expand  students’ knowledge and understanding of a topic. AcƟve parƟcipaƟon in a   discussion can support the development of important life skills, including   aƩenƟve listening, asking direct quesƟons, making sense of new   informaƟon, and arƟculaƟng appropriate responses to queries.  

To help students make the most of this secƟon, see our top Ɵps below: 

 To promote shared learning, encourage students to provide both   factual informaƟon and own thoughts when answering a quesƟon.    SomeƟmes, a quesƟon can put students under pressure. If they are  not sure about an answer, it is completely acceptable to admit that.  Rather than giving a confused response, it is beƩer to say something  along the lines of: ‘That’s an interesƟng quesƟon. Unfortunately, I  don’t know the answer to it, but I’m certainly going to look into it.’     Always encourage students to ask open‐ended quesƟons. QuesƟons  should seek addiƟonal informaƟon or put forward a different   viewpoint.    Limit students to asking just one quesƟon at a Ɵme. It can be difficult  for a presenter to make sense of, and respond directly to, several   quesƟons.   It is vital that any criƟcism or challenging of a viewpoint must be   construcƟve. ESB assessments promote open, lively, posiƟve   discussion that encourages learning and understanding.  

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For further guidance about asking quesƟons, please watch this video:  

For further guidance about responding to quesƟons, please watch this video:

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For further guidance about parƟcipaƟng in a discussion, please watch this   video:

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Suggested choices ESB aims to encourage and realise the potenƟal of all learners and we recognise  the individuality of each learner. Students can choose any pieces of poetry,  prose and drama that they will enjoy presenƟng. However, if you are looking for  level appropriate choices for them, we suggest the following poets and authors:  Poets and Authors for Speaking by Heart: Allan Ahlberg  Louisa May AlcoƩ  for drama (LiƩle Women) Hilaire Belloc  Frances Hodgson BurneƩ  for drama (A LiƩle Princess) Charles Causley  CharloƩe Bronte  for drama (Jane Ayre) Norman MacCaig 

James Reeves   Shel Silverstein  Jeremy Strong   Benjamin Zephaniah

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Recommended Authors for Reading Aloud (Grade 1) /Reading to Listeners (Grade 2/3): Sophia Acheampong  (Growing Yams in London) David Almond  (Skellig) Ade Adepitan  (Ade’s Amazing Adventures: BaƩle of the Cyborg Cat)

Yaba Badoe  (A Jigsaw of Fire and Stars) Malorie Blackman  (Noughts and Crosses) Sita Brahmachari  (Corey's Rock) Suzanne Collins  (The Hunger Games trilogy) Siohan Dowd  (The London Eye Mystery) Cornelia Funke  (Inkheart trilogy) Neil Gaiman  (Coraline) Kenneth Grahame  (Wind in the Willows) Michelle Magorian  (Goodnight Mr Tom) Michael Morpurgo  Edith Nesbit  (The Railway Children) Grace Nichols   Philippa Pierce (Tom’s Midnight Garden) R J Palacio  (Wonder) Philip Pullman  Rick Riordan  (Percy Jackson series) Louis Sachar  (Holes) Jacqueline Wilson  (Tracy Beaker series)

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Seƫng up the assessment Each learner should present to a minimum group of 5. This permits full   interacƟon for the assessment as a whole.   The assessment group should be seated in a horseshoe with the assessor at  one end and the speaker in the mouth of the horseshoe. This allows for easy  eye contact across the group and ensures the assessor is part of the audience.  Please see the diagram below for an example: 

Visual aids, whether it be a display board or presentaƟon soŌware such as   Prezzi or PowerPoint, should be situated close to the speaker. It should be  clearly seen by both the assessor and assessment group. It is always worth  tesƟng any audio/visual equipment prior to the assessment and we find that  learners who have their material on a pen drive manage to accomplish a quick  changeover.

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Marking the assessment

During the assessment, an ESB assessor will review a learner’s performance in  each of the four acƟviƟes. In the process, an assessor will mark a learner  against a set of grading criteria for each acƟvity. The set of criteria for each   acƟvity is mapped to the qualificaƟon learning outcomes and assessment   criteria.  For a specific acƟvity, an ESB assessor will review a learner’s performance in   relaƟon to each criterion (for example, Visual Aids in the Talk) and allocate a  grade of either: 

Unsuccessful 

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Pass  

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Good Pass 

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Merit  

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Merit Plus  DisƟncƟon 

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Each criterion in an acƟvity is reviewed by the assessor in order to determine a  learner’s overall performance. Our assessments aim to promote clear, effecƟve  and confident oral communicaƟon amongst all learners, and subsequently,  they have been designed to encourage learners to reach a minimum ‘Pass’  standard in speaking, listening and responding.  The tables in this secƟon of the guide show the broad requirements of a ‘Pass’,  ‘Merit’ and ‘DisƟncƟon’ grade for each of the four assessments. However,  please note that the tables refer to a shortened interpretaƟon of the full   grading criteria. In addiƟon, the grading criteria of each qualificaƟon is slightly   different. So, please do check individual specificaƟons if you are unsure about  anything.  

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AcƟvity 1 (40% of assessment): The Talk

AcƟvity 2 (20%): Speaking by Heart

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AcƟvity 3 (20%): Reading Aloud (Grade 1‐2)/ Reading to Listeners (Grade 3)

AcƟvity 4 (20%): Open Exchange of Ideas

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Final thoughts ESB is keen to ensure that your experience of teaching ESB is enjoyable and   rewarding. Our aim is to recognise and fulfil the potenƟal of all students as we  fully recognise the important role of Oracy in the development of life skills.  Our final thoughts to successfully teaching these qualificaƟons are:    Ensure that students genuinely enjoy the topic of their talk and  choice for Speaking by Heart.    Encourage students to voice their own opinion as much as possible.  ESB encourages talks that are rich in individuality and personal   involvement.   Ensure that the words of poetry and drama choices are totally secure.  Once the words are secure, the piece can be layered in a fun way  through experimentaƟon with tone, pitch, pace, pause and power.    Book extracts must contain dialogue, opportuniƟes for vocal variety,  and should be from an interesƟng part of the story.    Encourage students to ask open quesƟons and contribute ideas  whenever they have the opportunity.  

For further informaƟon, please contact English Speaking Board (InternaƟonal)  Ltd. at  teacherquesƟons@esbuk.org.uk

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