What is Oracy?
Oracy is the ability to articulate ideas, develop understanding and engage with others through spoken language and listening (Voice 21) At Wistaston Church Lane Academy, we aim for children to have the ability to communicate effectively through speech, using language to express thoughts, ideas and feelings and to interact with those around them effectively. The national curriculum states that fluency in the English Language is an essential foundation for success in all subjects, it is therefore imperative that Oracy is embedded throughout the whole curriculum. At Wistaston Church Lane Academy, we teach Oracy explicitly through Oracy assemblies alongside specific activities planned throughout the curriculum allowing children a wide range of opportunities to develop spoken language.
Intent
At Wistaston Church Lane Academy, we aim for all children to be confident, articulate speakers and avid listeners. We aim to inspire children to develop their enthusiasm for Oracy alongside ensuring opportunities to develop Oracy skills and improve communication is provided for all learners. Our aim is that through teaching Oracy explicitly we are preparing children for the future, improving their ability to articulate their thoughts, feelings and opinions. Through explicit teaching of Oracy across the curriculum, we are providing children with the skills, knowledge and understanding of Oracy and encouraging them to apply the skills and knowledge across the curriculum. Children at Wistaston Church Lane Academy are encouraged to develop their vocabulary and use this confidently when speaking on specific topics, using sentence stems to support with articulating answers. We provide a wide range of opportunities for discussion across all subjects, encouraging children to discuss in partners, trios and groups.
Implementation –
At Wistaston Church Lane Academy we aim for Oracy opportunities to be provided across the curriculum. We believe that providing children the opportunities to articulate their thoughts, feelings and opinions prepares children for the future and supports children’s development across the curriculum.
The National Curriculum states that pupils should be 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.
Oracy at Wistaston Church Lane Academy
Opportunities for Oracy are weaved across the curriculum from EYFS to Year 6. We dedicate protected time each week to ensure that Oracy is taught explicitly, with a wide range of activities that enhance Oracy skills, improving communication and listening skills. In each classroom, you will find discussion guidelines agreed across the class that children are aware of and refer to when completing Oracy activities, ensuring that children are aware of the shared agreement to have their voice heard as well as understanding the importance of listening and responding to both peers and adults. Children are also made familiar with the listening ladder that shows children how we can actively listen to our peers and provides a visual reminder of the importance of listening as well as talking. Children are regularly taught new vocabulary in all subjects which they are encouraged to use when sharing answers, with sentences stems used to encourage accurate use of new vocabulary. Children are taught the talk tactics; instigate, probe, challenge, build, summarise and clarify with progressive sentence stems provided to support the children’s Oracy skills. A wide range of activities designed to encourage discussion in the classroom are used across the curriculum, with a wide variety of groupings used to ensure that children have the opportunity to communicate with different people in their class.
Impact –
We aim that through teaching of Oracy we provide opportunities for children to articulate their thoughts, feelings and ideas and develop the confidence that prepares them for the rest of their lives. We believe that through working on communication skills, we are providing our children the foundation that is needed for their future, preparing them for high school, further education and employment. Oracy is monitored by the Oracy lead, Oracy champions and the senior leadership team. We monitor children’s ability to effectively use the talk tactics and adhere to the discussion guidelines agreed in the classroom, we look to the Oracy Framework to establish the effectiveness of Oracy teaching at Church Lane. Our aim is that children are able to
· Listen carefully and respond appropriately.
· Use appropriate tone when speaking.
· Use appropriate facial expressions to acknowledge the speaker and maintain appropriate eye contact.
· Make appropriate vocabulary choices.
· Use the correct register and grammar.
· Choose content effectively to convey meaning.
· Build, challenge, probe and clarify the views of others.
· Summarise ideas and instigate conversations.
· Structure and organise talk effectively.
· Maintain focus on the task and manage time appropriately.
· Give reasons for their views.
· Take turns.
· Have confidence in themselves and what they are trying to convey.
At Church Lane, our aim is that children are provided with the speaking and listening skills required to give them the best opportunity in the future and allow them to flourish in later life. Confident communication is vital in preparing children for the challenges they may face in life and we believe that leaving Church Lane equipped with outstanding communication skills will prepare the children to be successful, articulate and resilient members of society.
Suggested activities for parents
- Read aloud to your child
Once you have read together, discuss the book. You could ask:
What do you think will happen next?
What can you tell me about the story so far?
Can you predict how the story will end?
Why do you think the character did _______?
What would you have done if you were the character?
How would you have felt if you were the character? (use different characters)
As I read____________, it made me picture________ in my head. What pictures do you see in your head?
As you read, what are you wondering about?
Can you put what you’ve just read in your own words?
Discuss key vocabulary
When reading with your child, ensure there are regular opportunities to discuss unfamiliar vocabulary. Encourage children to use the word in a sentence once they have grasped the definition of a word!
Play word games.
Games such as 20 questions, Guess Who? And I Spy are great for encouraging children to use descriptive language.
Talk about your day.
Discuss your day and ask further questions to clarify information.
- Go on a nature walk
This is a great activity for young children, who can be encouraged to listen carefully to the sounds they hear and describe them and they where they may have come from. They can also provide descriptions of what they see.
If I could change the world….
Discuss with your child, if they could change the world what would they do? Encourage them to provide justification for their decision and use the time to ask questions and probe further information.
Choose a topic.
Choose a topic that they have been learning about at school or something they are interested in at home. Take it in turns to share information on the topic.
Talk like an expert
Ask your child to choose a topic, it could be something they are learning about at school or something they have enjoyed at home. Ask them to present information about the topic to their family.
Tell me the story.
Find an image that looks interesting and ask your child to verbally create a story about that image. They can present this to family, or just discuss with you.
Would you rather?
Go to the beach or go skiing? Eat spicy food for the next week or eat cold food for the next week?
Encourage your child to justify their decisions and use the magic word ‘because’ to tell you why!