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1. Reading to Speak: Integrating Oral Communication Skills

   In: English Teaching Forum 2009, Volume 47, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   Although students want to practice speaking English, they do not have many opportunities to do so in the Chinese EFL system. This often results in something called 'mute English.' This article suggests a greater integration of skills through reading to speak activities. The author includes activities for reading to act, reading to debate, and reading to interview. These activities move students away from a focus on form, allowing students to be creative and build fluency.

2. Adaptable Speaking Activities for Pairs and Groups

   In: American English Webinars Format(s): Text, Video

   This session, “Adaptable Speaking Activities for Pairs and Groups,” explores several motivating speaking-focused activities that can be easily modified for different levels, student interests, and teaching contexts.

3. Let's Talk about It: Strategies for Integrating Writing and Speaking in the Classroom

   In: English Teaching Forum 2020, Volume 58, Number 4 Format(s): Text

   The authors describe a number of strategies for integrating speaking into writing-focused classes, with the goal of increasing students’ competence in both language skills.

4. Hidden Pictures: An Integrated Speaking and Listening Activity

   In: English Teaching Forum 2024, Volume 62, Number 3 Format(s): Text

   Author Heather Gaddis provides a detailed, step-by-step description of an original activity in which students examine and describe pictures that are similar to one another. The author includes suggestions for adapting the activity for different purposes and for integrating themes—which teachers can choose—into the activity for targeted practice.

5. Integrating Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking with Visuals

   In: English Teaching Forum 2018, Volume 56, Number 2 Format(s): Text

   This Teaching Technique gives suggestions for using pictures and other images to give students practice in the “four skills” and using authentic English to communicate.

6. Poetry Corner: Reading and Reacting to a Michigan Poem

   In: English Teaching Forum 2009, Volume 47, Number 4 Format(s): Text

   “Poetry Corner: Reading and Reacting to a Michigan Poem” consists of activities targeting reading, listening, speaking, and writing skills using a Michigan poem called “How Is It That the Snow,” written by poet Robert Haight, who lives in Michigan.

7. A Judicious Lesson: A Whole-learning Reading Activity

   In: English Teaching Forum 2001, Volume 39, Number 2 Format(s): Text

   This article discusses the use of whole-reading activities in a university level reading and speaking course. The author used a magazine article about a murder and a trial to develop a four-week unit in which students investigated ideas about crime, punishment, rhetorical strategies, idiomatic language, and the United States' judicial system. Through the use of this unit, the author advocates for readings and activities that challenge students to move beyond comprehension of a text.

8. Information Gap in Communicative Classrooms

   In: English Teaching Forum 2001, Volume 39, Number 4 Format(s): Text

   The author argues that exchanges in the classroom must go beyond display questions and should be based on the information gap that occurs when one speaker does not know in advance what the other is going to say. The author provides examples of information gap activities to promote a communicative classroom. Activity types include practical situations, guessing games, role plays, opinion gap activities, and reasoning gap activities. The author argues that these activities have real communicative value.

9. First Road to Learning: Language through Stories

   In: English Teaching Forum 2006, Volume 44, Number 2 Format(s): Text

   This article discusses the benefits of using stories in language teaching and ideas of how to use stories in the classroom. The authors believe that stories can help solve the problems caused by limited resources and are good ways to teach culture. They describe types of stories and how they can be used in teaching speaking, listening, reading, writing, integrated skills, and critical thinking.

10. Teacher Talk: Presentation Skills for Teachers

    In: American English Webinars Format(s): Text, Video

    This webinar, "Teacher Talk: Presentation Skills for Teachers," explores the notions of Teacher Talk Time and Teacher Wait Time.

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