Purpose:The development and use of spoken communication skills (oracy) is an essential part of language learning in the National Curriculum.
Children acquire listening, speaking, presenting and debating skills. Teaching oracy also enhances interpersonal skills, including self-confidence, self-awareness, resilience and empathy.
Physical
Nursery
Reception
Year1
Year2
Year3
Year4
Year5
Year6
Speak clearly with appropriate volumeLook at who is talking and who you are talking to Begin to use gestures to support delivery meaning e.g. pointing at parts of a plant
Speak clearly with appropriate volumeLook at who is talking and who you are talking to.
Look at who is talking to you and you are talking toSpeak clearly and confidently in a range of contextsUse appropriate tone of voice for context (projecting voice for large audience)Use hand gestures to support delivery in presentational talk (pointing to something being discussed)
Look at who is talking to you and you are talking to. Use body language to show active listening (nodding along, facial expressions)Speak clearly and confidently with appropriate volume and pace.Hand gestures when speaking become increasingly natural (such as pointing as someone when referencing their idea.)
Deliberately selects gestures that support the delivery of ideas e.g. gesturing towards someone if referencing their ideas.Deliberately varies tone of voice in order to convey meaning e.g. speaking authoritatively during an expert talkConsider position and posture when addressing an audienceConsider movement when addressing an audience
Deliberately select movement and gesture when addressing an audienceUse pauses for effect in presentational talk.Use the appropriate tone of voice in the right context e.g. speaking calmly when resolving an issue in the playground
Deliberately varies tone of voice in order to convey meaning e.g. speaking authoritatively during an expert talk, or speaking with pathos when telling a sad part of a storyProject their voice to a large audienceGestures become increasingly natural Consciously adapt tone, pace and volume of voice within a single context.
Speak fluently in front of an audience.Have a stage presenceConsciously adapt, tone, pace and volume of voice
Linguistic
Nursery
Reception
Year1
Year2
Year3
Year4
Year5
Year6
– Use talk in play to practise new vocabulary: e.g: “That’s light, that’s heavy, more orless.”
Begin to speak in sentences, joining phrases with words such as “if, because, so, could, but.”Use key vocabulary from class texts in verbal communication
Speak in sentences using joining phrases to link ideasUsing vocabulary appropriately specific to the topic in hand e.g. lighter/heavier rather than bigger and smallerTake opportunities to try out new language, even if it is not always correctly usedUse sentence stems to link to other’s ideas in groupdiscussion e.g. ‘I agree with… because…’Use conjunctions to organise and sequence ideas e.g. firstly, secondly, finally
Speaking in sentences using joining phrases to create longer sentencesAdapt how to speak in different situations according to the audience e.g. asking questions of a museum curator or having a conversation with a visitor to the classroomUse sentence stems to signal when they are building orchallenging others’ ideas in group’
Be able to use specialist language to describe their own and others’ talkUse specialist vocabulary e.g. speak like an archaeologistMake precise language choicese.g. instead of describing a cake as ‘nice’ using‘delectable’
– Carefully consider the words and phrasing they use to express their ideas and how this supports the purpose of the talke.g. to persuade or to entertain
Use an increasingly sophisticated range of sentence stems with fluency and accuracy to cite evidence and ask probing questionsConsider the words and phrases used to express their ideas and how this supports the purpose of talk
Use and innovate an increasingly sophisticated range of sentence stems with fluency and accuracyVary sentence structures and length for effect when speaking
Cognitive
Nursery
Reception
Year1
Year2
Year3
Year4
Year5
Year6
Ask simple questionsStart to provide contributions which match what has been asked
Contributions that match what has been askedExpanding on ideasusing “why”Use ‘because’ todevelop their ideas
Use ‘because’ todevelop their ideasMake relevant contributions that match what has been askedAsk simple questionsDescribe events that have happened to them in detail
Offer reasons for their opinionsRecognise when they haven’t understood something and ask a questionDisagree with someone else’s opinion politelyExplain ideas and events in chronological order
Ask questions to find out more about a subjectBuild on others’ideas in discussionsMake connections between what has been said and their own and others’ experiencesOffer opinions that aren’t their own e.g. taking on a specific role in group workBegin to reflect on discussions and own oracy skills and identify areas of strength and areas to improve
Reach shared agreement in discussionsGive supporting evidence e.g. citing a text (using sentence stems) a previous example or a historical eventAsk probing questionsReflect on their own oracy skills and identify areas of strength and areas to improve and begin to set own targets.
Draw upon knowledge of the world to support their own point of view and explore different perspectivesTo be able to give supporting evidencee.g. citing a text, a previous example or a historical event- Identify when a discussion is going off topic and be able to bring it back on track with support and use of sentence stems e.g. That might be true, however what do you think about …?
Construct a detailed argument or complex narrativeSpontaneously respond to and offer increasingly complex questions, citing evidence where appropriateReflect on their own and others’ oracy skills and identify how to improve.
Social/Emotional
Nursery
Reception
Year1
Year2
Year3
Year4
Year5
Year6
Look at someone who is speaking to you.Waiting to speak,until it’s your turn.
Reinforcing looking at someone who is speaking to you.Reinforcing waiting for a turn – take turns to speak when feeding back to a group.
Listen and respond appropriately to othersBe willing to change their mind based on what they have heardBegin to organise group discussions independently of an adult
Start to develop an awareness of audience e.g. what might interest a certain groupStart to show awareness of others who have not spoken and invite them into the discussion e.g. saying their name, asking them a question, turning to themRecite/deliver short pre-prepared material to an audience
Speak with confidence in front of an audienceBegin to recognise different roles within group talk e.g. chairpersonAdapt the content of their speech for a specific audience
Use more natural and subtle prompts for turn takingStart to develop empathy with an audienceConsider the impact of their words on others when giving feedback
Listen for extended periods of time including notetaking, drawing visualAdapt the content of their speech for a specific audiencee.g. use of humour- Speak with flair and passion
Use humour effectivelyBegin to be able to read a room or a group and act accordingly e.g. if everyone looks disengaged, moving on or changing topic, or if people look confused stopping to take questions
