AO of the year

Group Speaking

ESB’s Group Speaking grades are a great way to encourage young learners to speak together and to explore verse and prose in an imaginative, collaborative, and enjoyable way. Often Group Speaking is a good entry qualification for learners who are not yet confident enough to speak on their own, but you wish them to have the opportunity to develop the skills and have the experience.

This is a group assessment. Each successful group receives one report form from the assessor, and one certificate per group of learners.

Skills

Through the completion of our Group Speaking qualifications, your learners will develop their skills in speaking and listening, teamwork, and in literacy. Predominantly aimed at Key Stages 1-3, your learners will work together to: Speak from Memory; Tell a Story; and Listen and Respond.

Group Speaking encourages learners to work collaboratively and support one another, cultivating a culture of co-operation and empathy. These qualifications provide a great starting point for learners who may need to build confidence and take the first steps on their oracy journey. Although there is a minimum requirement of six learners, there is no upper limit and ESB encourages whole group entries of different ages and abilities, enabling an inclusive and supportive environment for your oracy assessments.

Experience

On the day, our ESB assessor will assess each group in turn, in the presence of the other groups, as appropriate. The assessor will provide general oral feedback to the group at the end of the assessment. We will also provide a specific written report for each group on each section of the assessment, with guidance, where needed, for future progress. These reports are returned to the centre following assessment.

Outcomes

Speaking from Memory

  • Express emotion through another’s words, connect and empathise.
  • Explore different forms of creative language.
  • Practise memory and recall techniques.
  • Develop vocabulary through committing poetry to memory.
  • Speak poetry from memory, allowing learners to focus on rhythm, cadence and subtleties of language.

Telling a Story

  • Encourage reading for pleasure. Expose learners to a range of literature through their peers’ choices.
  • Create discussion centred on reading and enjoyment of reading.
  • Rehearse a piece of text to be read aloud, build confidence, and develop natural reading rhythm and fluency.
  • Being able to rehearse, practise and prepare a reading can allow nervous readers to feel less anxious.

Listen and Respond

  • Develop questioning and thinking skills.
  • Build turn-taking and discussion skills.
  • Collaborate with peers, respecting each other’s views and building on each other’s ideas.

What happens next?