Should we or shouldn’t we assess speaking at the novice level? Is there a way to do it without raising their affective filter?

After reflecting on my own journey learning Spanish and how the emphasis placed on accuracy got in the way of my trying to just speak the language, at first, I hesitated to do any speaking assessments whatsoever. I didn’t want to do anything to cause kids to have elevated self-consciousness in my classroom, especially when middle schoolers already are steeped in awkwardness.

Maintaining a safe space for kids to let their guards down and access the input was my goal…yet did I take things too far? Was I missing a chance to BUILD confidence?

While we know that input builds acquisition in the brain, output does have a vital role in language development. According to Common Ground: Second Language Acquisition Theory Goes to the Classroom, research shows that it can both identify gaps in input and practice the language retrieval system needed for communication. (Henshaw and Hawkins). Kids benefit from opportunities to practice making meaning whether written or spoken.

I decided to spend the first 3/4 of the year letting them practice speaking with zero grades attached other than just habits of learning (participation), or maybe a stamp or sticker on their paper. Loading them up with praise and celebration of their efforts, speaking became a fun time where they could just practice without penalty.

***Sample Question Grid - students use these for the Turn and Talk with Numbers***

Later in the Year

The games and activities we’d done all year turned into opportunities for a grade. At first, kids panicked since they associate grades with being “right or wrong”, but soon they realized I wasn’t changing the setup. They could still make errors; the goal was communicating and/or responding to messages.

They became so accustomed to these activities that the conversations felt familiar. They were used to accessing their language reserves and began to fill in the gaps in their acquisition - a true reason to celebrate!

Easy Prep

The tools I use for the informal speaking activities are:

🛠️Chat Mats: contain vocabulary boxes and images with question and answer prompts to give students conversational support

🛠️Question Grids: Projectable grids with numbers and questions or statements that require a response. I use these for turn-and-talks. I’ll call out a number, ‘¡ciento treinta!’ and they need to turn and talk and ask/answer the prompt in that grid.

🛠️Freestyle: I let them talk using just word walls in my classroom. They refer to the sweet 16, question words, and other anchor charts we’ve co-created. This one I use sparingly in level 1.

🛠️Special Person Interview Slides: This one is so easy because it’s just random slides I use for Special Person Interviews. I love the ones that provide lots of variety, like the ¿Qué te gusta hacer? or ¿Tienes una mascota? ones because all the answers can vary.

Informal Speaking Activities

While they do these activities, I keep an informal record of who asked and answered questions freely. Usually, I print a roster and tally beside their names as we play. Then, I reward participation card points to the kids who spoke a lot.

IMPORTANT: Find a reason to give everyone a point! We are showering them with PRAISE when they produce any meaning in the language.

Puppet shows - kids loved this because they don’t have to be in front; they can hide behind the table I cover with a tablecloth. After the show, I ask students in the class comprehension questions for additional input, and reward participation card points.
Turn and Talk with Numbers: I project the question grids containing 9 or 12 boxes. Each box has a random number and a question or statement that requires a response. I’ll call out a number, ‘¡ciento treinta!’ and they need to turn and talk and ask/answer the prompt in that grid. This is super quick and a great way to keep recycling in higher numbers.
Fruit Salad - kids sit in a circle with one less chair than the number of players. Either using a question or topic grid on the projector or just freestyle, the student in the center would say something about themselves, like “Tengo un perro y dos gatos, y tú?” Everyone who can say “Yo también” needs to rush to get a new chair.
Hachi Pachi with a Twist - I first learned about this game from La Maestra Loca, but I changed it up a bit for this activity. Using a chat mat, question grid, or freestyle, kids sit in a circle with one chair fewer than the number of players. One person stands in the middle of the circle (usually me to start). Everyone closes their eyes. The teacher (or kid in the center) silently taps a person who becomes the Hachi Pachi. The student in the center tosses a ball or stuffed animal to someone in the circle and asks a question like “¿Qué mascota tienes?” or “¿Qué programa te gusta?”. After responding and asking “y tú?”, they toss the ball back. Play continues until the student who is the Hachi Patchi catches the ball and shouts “HACHI PACHI”! Then, everyone has to scramble to get a chair.

***Speed Dating using Chat Mats for Language Support***

Speed Dating - kids sit in two rows, and one row shifts each time the timer rings. Using a question grid, topic grid, or freestyle, kids ask and answer questions. I usually give 30 seconds to a minute, depending on the topic.

A Few Modifications

Even though we’d practiced all year, some kids were still just so nervous to be in front of the whole class for something like this. Public speaking is nerve-wracking even when it’s something you can rehearse ahead of time, but the unpredictable conversational interaction bothers some kids. To help ease their nerves, I provided options.

Provide various settings - sometimes I formed two smaller groups where they could be grouped with friends to lower anxiety. I often had groups come for advisory or flex time for it, too.
Narrow down choices - for some kids, I pre-selected one or two topics I’d be using for their informal assessment, so they could practice and feel more ready.

Takeaways

I noticed an excitement to try and communicate in Spanish, even if it was a mix of occasional English words. This code-switching is excellent for the brain and thrilling to see develop.

Kids would try speaking outside at recess, at field day, and more. Confidence grew, hopefully laying the foundation for upper-level assessments to just GO FOR IT, and not worry about errors.

If meaning is conveyed, it’s a win!

Wishing you all the best,