HomeEducationSimple, Fun Ways to...

Simple, Fun Ways to Support Students’ Communication Skills

Speaking and listening skills are a key aspect of every subject and every part of the day. Since the pandemic, schools have been facing challenges in trying to help students develop these skills, so this area has taken on a special urgency. In my school district, there is active encouragement to have less “teacher talk” and more academic conversation and interaction between students, which both honors their perspective and increases their opportunities to speak and listen to each other. 

Encourage Daily Gratitude

This year, I’m weaving together one new and three updated practices that encourage student conversation and listening. The first practice is new, and it was inspired by my summer holiday reading of the wonderful Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teaching of Plants, by Robin Wall Kimmerer. In the book, Kimmerer talks about how the Haudenosaunee Confederacy start meetings with lengthy expressions of gratitude toward specific and diverse aspects of nature. 

At the start of the school day, I have a few minutes to spare when taking attendance, and I thought it seemed like an opportunity to have the students speak and listen. So, each day, I ask a student to suggest something specific we can be grateful for. Examples have been books, oxygen, the color yellow, friends, water bottles, buses, and trees. While partners discuss the day’s suggestion at their table, I take attendance. At the start of the year, I had every student share how they were grateful, which was powerful for establishing good listening practices but too time-consuming, given the need to launch into other required curriculum lessons. So, now I have the kid class president pick one or two pairs to share.

Kid CLASS President is Back!

Two years ago when I was teaching grade one, I launched the kid class president. At that time, it linked well with our writing curriculum. I had no plans to resurrect it, since we have a new curriculum. However, now that I’m teaching grade three, a number of my former grade one students are in my class. One of them independently wrote a speech (using what she had learned about opinion writing in grade one) and asked if she could share it. Suddenly, she had relaunched the kid class president, citing that one of her reasons for doing so was her hope that it would inspire others. It did, and now a third of the class are signed up to be the president.

Having a class kid president is a wonderful opportunity for students to engage with responsibility. It’s also perfectly timed for an election year, as it allows us to talk about the functions and procedures of American democracy (without getting into any party politics). For the class presidency, I have the following procedures and privileges:

  1. The president can “rule” for the entire week.

  2. They can use my big green teacher chair.

  3. They can pick students who want to share ideas or answer questions (as long as they have a fair system for doing so). 

  4. They can have a vice president, but vice presidential nominees must also write their own speech.

  5. They can delegate privileges to their vice president.

  6. They lead a “tidy table” inspection once per presidency.

  7. They can select the order of which people line up and who takes the lunch cart.

  8. They ring my “attention please” Tibetan singing bell, and it can stay on their desk.

  9. Presidents can write a second speech if they want to go for reelection.

  10. The only actual voting we do is to decide the order of nominees if more than one student gives a speech at a time. If they have written a speech explaining their reasons to be president, then they will have a chance to lead.

Choice Writing 

Our new reading and writing curriculum is rigorous and intense, and there are fewer opportunities for creative writing than there were previously. This is a shame, as I have found that the most fun the students have with language is when they are given permission to use their imagination and share with their peers. Luckily, we have at least one spare writing lesson a week and some small windows of time where I allow the students to choose what they write about. At first, only my most confident writers knew how to occupy this time, but now every student is enthusiastically using the time, either on solo or team writing projects. The secret inspiration? Storytelling!

Storytelling is always the fun choice

I have long been promoting the benefits of storytelling in elementary school classrooms, especially in how it promotes speaking, listening, and writing. The only window in my busy day for storytelling is during my snack break. As usual, I start by telling stories in the normal interactive way, with student volunteers called up to act out the story as it unfolds. This always inspires students to write stories at home and become storytellers themselves.

Being in the same wing as the kindergarten classes allows me to continue a practice I began when I was a grade one teacher: having student storytellers first practice with their peers and then tell their stories to a kindergarten class. This increases students’ opportunities for listening and speaking and helps develop the same skills in the youngest students. In mid-October, we celebrated our first kindergarten storyteller who wrote a story at home and told it to his classmates. 

Purpose and Fun

The key to increasing speaking and listening is to find ways to make it academically purposeful but also fun. The average class contains a wide range of skills, from the students who can’t contain themselves to the painfully shy ones. But hopefully, with the above techniques, all of your students will find a structure and a scaffold to help them develop skills that they‘ll need for the rest of their lives.

Cre: Edutopia

- A word from our sponsors -

spot_img

Most Popular

More from Author

My Middle School Students Can’t Read!

These strategies for building foundational reading skills can help when students...

Using Weekly Routines to Build Speaking Skills

These six strategies guide students to build confidence in their speaking...

3 Strategies for Asking Better Questions

As a high school English teacher, I see it all the...

- A word from our sponsors -

spot_img

Read Now

The Vietnamese entrepreneur community gathering at the Top 100 International Business Style 2025 Commencement Ceremony

On the afternoon of March 26, more than 300 entrepreneurs and women leaders from various provinces gathered in Ho Chi Minh City to attend the commencement ceremony of the Top 100 International Business Style 2025 under the theme "Pioneers". The event not only marked the beginning of...

My Middle School Students Can’t Read!

These strategies for building foundational reading skills can help when students struggle with grade-level texts. It’s third period and a middle school math teacher has just asked me, an instructional coach, for classroom support, as her students are struggling to meet behavior expectations. Over the 47-minute class period,...

Using Weekly Routines to Build Speaking Skills

These six strategies guide students to build confidence in their speaking skills through low-stakes, highly engaging discussions. The week after Super Bowl LIX, my students came to class greeted by images of Saquon Barkley and Cooper DeJean. Realizing the topic of our “daily check-in,” they took their seats...

3 Strategies for Asking Better Questions

As a high school English teacher, I see it all the time: A student stares at their paper, pencil hovering above the page. “I don’t know what to write,” they say. When I ask, “What do you want to communicate?” they shrug. But when I shift the...

The Science of Student Motivation

Noted author and psychologist David Yeager on the common mistakes we make when giving feedback to students, and how to tap into purpose and belonging to make classroom work more meaningful. David Yeager will never forget his first year of teaching middle school. Eager to make a difference...

Your Student Finished Early—Now What?

In every class, there’s always that student who finishes at warp speed—requiring you to figure out how to redirect one restless learner while the rest are still mid-task. How can you create flexible routines that keep speed racers engaged without your constant intervention? Whether you’re in an elementary,...

The Joys of Subbing for Another Principal

School leaders are busy. Between managing daily operations, strategic planning, district meetings, and community engagement, stepping away from the building often feels impossible. Most districts do not have a system of subbing for principals, which adds another layer of challenges. When a leader steps away, it’s more than...

How Letting Go of Perfectionism Made Me a Better Teacher

I used to believe that great teaching meant having everything under control. My lessons had to be airtight, my grading meticulous, and my students’ success—or failure—felt like a direct reflection of my competence. I stayed up late fine-tuning lesson plans, rewriting feedback, and making sure that every...

AI Tutors Can Work—With the Right Guardrails

On its surface, AI seems like a poor teacher. In a 2024 study from the University of Pennsylvania, 1,000 high school math students were given a math lesson, then asked to solve a set of post-lesson practice problems with the aid of either their class notes or ChatGPT. The students...

Question: What Brilliant Uses of Tech Have You Seen This Year?

When used thoughtfully, technology can transform teaching and learning. But let’s be honest—not every strategy hits the mark. That’s why we want to hear about what you consider the best of the best: the uses of tech that truly elevate classroom experiences. For an upcoming story, we’re looking for...

Light Lift Strategies for Incorporating Digital Citizenship Into Lesson Plans

Teaching students responsible online engagement is an essential academic and life skill. Unfortunately, teachers face multiple challenges in incorporating digital citizenship into existing curricula. The rapid advancement of technology can feel overwhelming, making it difficult to determine what content to prioritize. Additionally, digital citizenship can feel like...

Using Discussions to Inspire Active Participation in Learning

By tracking academic conversations with a visual map and sharing it in class, teachers can encourage more students to contribute. https://youtu.be/2W2B3HuB7Hg Students come to The Greene School in West Greenwich, Rhode Island, from all over the state to attend high school. Its unique campus and focus on environmental education brings...