LISTENING

&
SPEAKING

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 OVERVIEW
Listening and speaking are seen as core skills of early literacy.
As such, pupils should be taught:

how to listen carefully;

to speak from the basic level of sound, word, phrase and

structural sentences in various situational contexts;

the stress, rhythm and intonation patterns and how to use them
correctly;

to recognise, understand and use not only verbal but also non-
verbal communication; and

oral communication practice by means of repeating, responding,

understanding and applying structures of language in order to
prepare them for communication.

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By the end of primary schooling, pupils should be
able to:

1.2 listen and respond

1.1 pronounce words and appropriately in formal
speak confidently with and informal situations
the correct stress, for a variety of
rhythm and intonation. purposes.
 listen and respond to  participate in daily conversations.
stimulus with guidance.
 listen, follow and give instructions
 talk about related topics with and directions.
guidance.
 participate in guided
 enjoy stories, poems, tongue conversations with peers
twisters and songs.

1.3 understand and respond

to oral texts in a variety 
listen and demonstrate
of contexts.
understanding of oral texts.
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 CONTENT AND LEARNING STANDARDS
CONTENT STANDARDS
1.1 By the end of the 6-year primary
schooling, pupils will be able to
pronounce words and speak
confidently with the correct stress,
rhythm and intonation.
LEARNING STANDARDS
1.1.1 Able to speak with correct word
stress.
1.1.2 Able to listen to and enjoy stories.
1.1.3 Able to listen to and recite poems,
tongue twisters, and sing songs paying
attention to pronunciation, rhythm and
intonation.
1.1.4 Able to talk about related topics with
guidance.
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 CONTENT AND LEARNING STANDARDS
CONTENT STANDARDS
1.2 By the end of the 6-year primary
schooling, pupils will be able to
listen and respond appropriately in
formal and informal situations for a
variety of purposes.
LEARNING STANDARDS
1.2.1 Able to participate in daily conversations:
(a) extend an invitation
(b) accept an invitation
(c) decline an invitation
(d) express sympathy
1.2.2 Able to listen to, follow, and give
instructions.
1.2.3 Able to listen to, follow and give directions
around the neighbourhood.
1.2.4 Able to participate in guided
conversations with peers.
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 CONTENT AND LEARNING STANDARDS
CONTENT STANDARDS LEARNING STANDARDS

1.3 By the end of the 6-year primary
schooling, pupils will be able to
understand and respond to oral texts in
a variety of contexts.
1.3.1 Able to listen to and demonstrate
understanding of oral texts by:
(a) asking and answering questions
(b) sequencing
(c) predicting

with guidance.

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 ACTIVITY 1
Say these words:
cat
burger dog red
chicken cow blue
nuggets goat yellow
french fries rabbit green
ice cream mouse orange
chocolate tiger toy
apple lion doll
banana horse car
watermelon snake bicycle
water cheetah motorcycle
coffee elephant teddy bear
tea hippopotamus
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 Where is the stress???
`cat
`burger `dog `red
`chicken `cow `blue
`nuggets `goat `yellow
french `fries `rabbit `green
ice `cream `mouse `orange
`chocolate `tiger `toy
`apple `lion `doll
Ba`nana `horse `car
`watermelon `snake `bicycle
`water `cheetah `motorcycle
`coffee `elephant `teddy bear
`tea hippo`potamus

Can you name the learning standard? 8

 Tips on word stress
Why word stress is important
Mistakes in word stress are a common cause of misunderstanding in English.
Stressing the wrong syllable in a word can make the word very difficult to hear
and understand.

Even if the speaker can be understood, mistakes with word stress can make the
listener feel irritated, or perhaps even amused, and could prevent good
communication from taking place.

A stressed syllable combines five features:

It is l-o-n-g-e-r - com p-u-ter

It is LOUDER - comPUTer
It has a change in pitch from the syllables coming before and afterwards. The
pitch of a stressed syllable is usually higher.
It is said more clearly -The vowel sound is purer. Compare the first and last
vowel sounds with the stressed sound.
It uses larger facial movements - Look in the mirror when you say the word.
Look at your jaw and lips in particular.

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/articles/word-stress 9
 Tips on word stress
Some 'rules' of word stress

There are patterns in word stress in English but, as a rule (!), it is dangerous to
say there are fixed rules. Exceptions can usually be found.

Here are some general tips for word stress in English:

Word Type of Word Exceptions

Stress Pattern
stress on the first
apple
two-syllable nouns and syllable hotel
table
adjectives Oo lagoon
happy
apple
the noun has stress on
the first syllable
Oo
suspect words which can be
"You are the suspect!" respect
import used as both
the verb has stress on witness
insult nouns and verbs
the second syllable
oO
"I suspect you."
fairly equally balanced
but with stronger
hairbrush stress
compound nouns
football on the first part
Oo
hairbrush 10
 ACTIVITY 2

Which do you like? Choose one. 11

 Provide guided words/phrases
colour
play cycling
like cycling

favourite bought a red bicycle

park
birthday gift
brothers
cycle in the
and sisters
evening
siblings at the park

friends cycle with my

siblings
every day
my hobby
hobby
evening 12
Sample:

I like cycling. My father bought a red bicycle

for me. It was my birthday gift. Red is my
favourite colour. In the evening, I usually
cycle around the house. Sometimes, my
mother takes us to the park. I cycle with my
brother and sister. My friend, Devan also
likes cycling. Sometimes we meet him at the
park. We cycle together. Cycling is my
hobby.

Can you name the learning standard?

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 Tips on guiding pupils to talk about
related topics
 choose a topic close to children;
 provide visual aids;
 provide guidance in the form of phrases and
words;
 practise sentence structures first with pupils;
 teacher should show a sample first;
 encourage pupils to carry out the activity in groups
first;
 gradually get pupils to do it the activity in pairs; and
 give lots of encouragement and motivation.
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 ACTIVITY 3
How do I get there?
1. Rehman lives in Taman Rainbow. He walks to school.
Which is the shortest way to his school?

2. Mrs. Lee wants to go to Tesco after school. Please tell

her how to get there.

3. En. Salim wants to go to the hospital. He is in the bank

now. How can he get there?

4. Where is the post office?

5. Where is the field?

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 Cue words for directions

go straight turn lef turn right

in front of behind across

Tips for teaching directions

 use a map/ model of the neighbourhood;

 it is easier for children to connect to their immediate surroundings; and

 cue words and sentence structure should be taught first;

Can you name the learning standard?

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 ACTIVITY 4
A new family moves into the house next door.
You welcome them to the neighbourhood.

CUE
Hello WORDS What is your
name?

Welcome to the
neighbourhood Where are you from?

How old are you?

Thank you.

I am ten years old. My name is …….

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In the beginning, you may need to give lots of
guidance:

Adi: Hello, welcome to the neighbourhood.

Lim: Thank you. What is your name?

Adi: I am Adi Putra. What about you?

Lim: I am Lim Cheng Soon.

Adi: Where are you from?

Lim: My family and I are from Bukit Mertajam. My father is a teacher.

He is teaching in SK Simpang Lima now.

Adi: Oh great! That’s my school.

Lim: My father will be your new headmaster.

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Tips on guiding pupils to participate in guided
conversations with peers

 You could get pupils to practice the dialogue in pairs before

they begin to start their own conversations.

 Communication begins by listening first then speaking

thoughts.

 Need to listen carefully and respond to what others say and

think about the needs of their listeners.

 Social conventions in listening and speaking such as turn

taking, politeness and courtesy need to be observed.

Can you name the learning standard?

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 ACTIVITY 5
Listen to the story.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWwbXRA__g8

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Listen carefully. Answer these questions.

1. Were there four little pigs in the story?

2. Which pig built a house with sticks? This activity

should be done
orally.
3. Who said, “Little pig, little pig, let me come in.”?

Form the questions based on the statements heard.

1. The first pig built a house with straw.

2. The wolf said, “I will huff and I will puff and blow your
house in.”

Can you name the learning standard? 21

 Regina Joseph Cyril
regina.joseph@moe.gov.my

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