Oracy is increasingly on the agenda for schools and while ‘speaking and listening’ might encapsulate the same idea, the word ‘oracy’ elevates the skill to the same level as literacy and numeracy. In fact, these disciplines can be interlinked, as suggested by James Britton’s much-cited quote: ‘Reading and writing float on a sea of talk’. For Voice 21, oracy’s impact goes beyond the classroom, acting as ‘a route to social mobility, empowering all students, not just some, to find their voice to succeed in school and life’.
How our Oracy Opportunities work:
After a now>press>play Experience, the children are eager to discuss and debate the journey they have just been through – and so every single of one of now>press>play’s Experiences is accompanied by our Oracy Opportunities.
Key Stage 1 Oracy Opportunities
At Key Stage 1, these include lots of ‘Sentence Stem’ exercises which break phrases down into their constituent parts, and adding challenge slowly in steps:
Our KS1 content includes lots of oracy games, often supported by images or flashcards:
Key Stage 2 Oracy Opportunities
Meanwhile our KS2 Oracy Opportunities frequently include debates. Using different groupings is important in oracy as it creates different conversational dynamics. Debates can be done in pairs, small groups, by splitting the class in two, or even with the teacher debating against the rest of their class:
Since our Experiences are stories acted out by the children, we also give children the chance to role-play the characters, such as chat shows and hot-seating exercises. Extending this theatrical concept, we finish every Oracy Opportunities resource with a short scene, adapted from the script itself. These can be rehearsed in small groups and even performed in assembly. Here’s an excerpt from our Mission to Mars scene:
Finally, it is worth remembering that our Oracy Opportunities sit alongside our other oracy-focused resource which is Recap, Discuss & Quiz, the slideshow we recommend doing immediately after every Experience.
now>press>play’s founders met while putting on a play at university and therefore we’re really excited that persuading, performing and presenting skills are being so widely promoted again. We believe our Experiences are the perfect diving board into the ‘sea of talk’ – and can inspire your children to grow as confident communicators as well as excellent listeners.
