LISTENING

&
SPEAKING
1

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
nonverbal communication; and
oral communication practice by means of repeating,
2
responding,

By the end of primary schooling, pupils should be

able to:
1.1

pronounce words and

speak confidently with
the correct stress,
rhythm and intonation.

1.2

listen and respond

appropriately in formal
and informal situations for
a variety of purposes.

listen and respond to

stimulus with guidance.

participate in daily
conversations.

talk about related topics with

guidance.

enjoy stories, poems, tongue

twisters and songs.

listen, follow and give

instructions
and directions.

participate in guided
conversations with peers

1.3

understand and respond

to oral texts in a variety
of contexts.

listen and demonstrate

understanding of oral texts.
3

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.
4

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.
5

CONTENT AND LEARNING STANDARDS

CONTENT 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.

LEARNING STANDARDS
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.

ACTIVITY 1

Say these words:

burger
chicken
nuggets
french fries
ice cream
chocolate
apple
banana
watermelon
water
coffee
tea

cat
dog
cow
goat
rabbit
mouse
tiger
lion
horse
snake
cheetah
elephant
hippopotamus

red
blue
yellow
green
orange
toy
doll
car
bicycle
motorcycle
teddy bear

7``

Where is the stress???

burger
`burger
`chicken
chicken
`nuggets
nuggets
french fries
`fries
ice cream
`cream
`chocolate
chocolate
`apple
apple
ba`nana
banana
`watermelon
watermelon
`water
water
`coffee
coffee
`tea
tea

`cat
cat
`dog
dog
`cow
cow
`goat
goat
`rabbit
rabbit
`mouse
mouse
`tiger
tiger
`lion
lion
`horse
horse
`snake
snake
`cheetah
cheetah
`elephant
elephant
hippo`potamus
hippopotamus

red
`red
`blue
blue
`yellow
yellow
`green
green
`orange
orange
`toy
toy
`doll
doll
`car
car
`bicycle
bicycle
`motorcycle
motorcycle
`teddybear
teddy
bear

8
Can you name the learning standard?

1.1.1 Able to speak with correct word

stress.

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.
9

Tips on word stress

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

10

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

Stress
Pattern

apple
table
happy

two-syllable
nouns and
adjectives

stress on
the first
syllable
Oo
apple

Exceptions
hotel
lagoon

11

Tips on word stress

Word

Type of Word

suspect
import
insult

words which
can be used
as both
nouns and
verbs

Stress
Pattern
the noun has
stress on the
first syllable
Oo
"You are
the suspect!"
the verb has
stress on the
second
syllable
oO
"I
suspect you."

Exceptions
respect
witness

12

Tips on word stress

Word

hairbrush
football

Type of
Word

Stress
Pattern

Exceptions

fairly equally
balanced
but with
stronger
compound
stress
nouns
on the first
part
Oo
hairbrush

13

ACTIVITY 2

Which do you like? Choose one.

14

Provide guided words/phrases

colour

cycling
play

bought a red bicycle

favourite
park

birthday gift

brothers and
sisters

cycle in the
evening

siblings
friends
every day
hobby

like cycling

at the park
cycle with my
siblings
my hobby

evening
15

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?
1.1.4 Able to talk about related topics with
guidance.

16

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;
practice 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
17

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?
TESCO

hospital

post office

JALAN HOSPITAL

Taman Rainbow
fire station
restaurant

bank

J
A
L
A
N
U
T
A
M
A

school

field

JALAN SEKOLAH

18

ACTIVITY 3
How do I get there?
2. Mrs. Lee wants to go to Tesco after school. Please
tell her how to get there.
TESCO

hospital

post office

JALAN HOSPITAL

Taman Rainbow
fire station
restaurant

bank

J
A
L
A
N
U
T
A
M
A

school

field

JALAN SEKOLAH

19

ACTIVITY 3
How do I get there?
3. En. Salim wants to go to the hospital. He is in the
bank now. How can he get there?
TESCO

hospital

post office

JALAN HOSPITAL

Taman Rainbow
fire station
restaurant

bank

J
A
L
A
N
U
T
A
M
A

school

field

JALAN SEKOLAH

20

ACTIVITY 3
How do I get there?
4. Where is the post office?

TESCO

hospital

post office

JALAN HOSPITAL

Taman Rainbow
fire station
restaurant

bank

J
A
L
A
N
U
T
A
M
A

school

field

JALAN SEKOLAH

21

ACTIVITY 3
How do I get there?
5. Where is the field?

TESCO

hospital

post office

JALAN HOSPITAL

Taman Rainbow
fire station
restaurant

bank

J
A
L
A
N
U
T
A
M
A

school

field

JALAN SEKOLAH

22

Cue words for directions

go straight
in front of

turn left

turn right

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?

1.2.3 Able to listen to, follow and give directions around the
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neighbourhood.

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

Hello

Welcome to the
neighbourhood
How old are you?
I am ten years old.

What is your
name?
Where are you from?

Thank you.
My name is .

24

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! Thats my school.

Lim:

My father will be your new headmaster.

Can you name the learning standard?

1.2.4 Able to participate in guided conversations with
25
peers.

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.

26

ACTIVITY 5

Listen to the story.

27

Listen carefully. Answer these questions.

1. Were there four little pigs in the story?

This activity
should be
done orally.

2. Which pig built a house with sticks?

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?

1.3.1 Able to listen to and demonstrate understanding
28
of oral texts by: