Speaking Tests

For some people, the fear of public speaking is worse than death.  Imagine having a spoken exam in another language!  That is exactly what our elementary and middle school Spanish students do on a regular basis, and they pass with flying colors.

Every semester I have college students tell me that they studied Spanish in high school, but that they couldn't actually speak it if their lives depended on it.  That is such a tragic waste of time!  Many universities and colleges are moving to oral proficiency exams, with good reason.  Most of the time when you use Spanish outside of the classroom, you will be speaking it.

In our middle school Spanish classes, Tuesdays are speaking practice.  We try to make sure that a good portion of our class time is spent speaking, whether in small groups or to the entire class.

For every chapter test, the students came out in the hall one by one, and I asked them a series of questions in Spanish.  They do not know in advance what questions I will be asking, and there is no paper to look at.  They are graded on their comprehension of the question, grammar and pronunciation. Although it is brief, it is excellent practice with "real life" Spanish.

It isn't just our middle school kids.  Mrs. Stafford's second graders are tested each year on speaking some of the prayers that they learn in Spanish (check out these pictures of their ice cream party!).  My third and fourth graders also get spoken quizzes to practice both their listening comprehension and their speaking skills.

Regardless of what career paths our kids eventually choose, the ability to express themselves with confidence and clarity while speaking before an audience will be an asset.  And Spanish is definitely not the only class where they practice--Ms. Copsey does outstanding work teaching them to give presentations, Mrs. Stafford's Speech and Debate teams are amazing, and many other classes also emphasize speaking skills.

It is fascinating to see how different learning styles shine with different forms of assessment.  Some of the students who struggle more with the written exams excel at speaking Spanish.   I love seeing our students developing communicative competence!