Elementary short talks

Introduction
Aims

The aim of the Elementary short talks lessons is simply to have students speak for
up to 1 minute on a familiar topic. The intention of these three lessons is to work on
the fluency and confidence of Elementary students in speaking before a group/class
and to introduce them to some of the skills and lexis they will need before they can
progress to conducting confident presentations at the Pre-Intermediate and
Intermediate levels. The three main components of Elementary short talks are:
brainstorming, non-language communication skills (such as gestures, eye contact
and so on), and basic lexis for presentations (such as minimal introductions,
sequencers and conclusions). The first lesson will run for a minimum of 45 minutes,
the second for 90 minutes and the third for 90 minutes.

Topics

This is a list of topics that can be used for practice exercises during the short talks
lessons. The structure of the short talks lessons will be the same across the
Elementary sub-levels, but what will change is the topics that students will be basing
their talks on. This is only a guide, and teachers are always free to include extra
level-appropriate topics as appropriate.

Elementary 1: about me, my family, a friend, my daily routines, a famous person, my

work/studies, my typical weekend,

Elementary 2: my home town, my hobbies, what I did last weekend, a party I went to,
a day I will never forget, things I can do well, a good place to go out in Hanoi, my
favourite time of the year, my favourite singer/band, my house/apartment

Elementary 3: my future plans, my favourite dish/meal, my diet, a famous person, my

favourite place in Vietnam, comparing Vietnam and the USA (or another familiar
country), a film I've seen this year, typical Vietnamese people, my ambitions in life.
 Elementary Short Talks Lesson 1 (all levels)
(at least 45 minutes)

1. Lead in: (Optional lead in - talk for 1-2 minutes using the relevant topic below and
get students to listen and make notes - take feedback at end). Draw a spider
diagram on the board as appropriate for the level (see below for initial topics/level).
Elicit some extra ideas from the whole class to fill the gaps on the diagram (you can
have as many "branches" as you like). For example, for Elementary 1 ("me"): job,
studies, family, language, likes/dislikes, appearance, personality... Elementary 2
("my home town"): food, culture, environment, industries, entertainment...
Elementary 3 ("my future plans"): family, shopping, relationships, children, location...
address/home town
name/age ............................
(Elementary 1)
About me

............................ ............................

............................

about the people

(Elementary 2)
My home town
where it is ............................

............................

travel

(Elementary 2)
My future plans
work/study ............................

............................