Empowering ELLs Through Speaking: 5 Practical Oracy Routines

Supporting English Language Learners (ELLs) in the classroom goes beyond grammar worksheets and vocabulary lists. One of the most powerful ways to help your ELL students thrive is by giving them the tools, confidence, and regular opportunities to speak.

In Episode 169 of the Equipping ELLs Podcast, Beth dives into practical ways educators can prioritize the speaking domain and help students overcome the fear and anxiety that often come with using a new language aloud.

Whether you’re working with newcomers or advanced learners, these five easy-to-implement speaking routines will transform your classroom into a space where students feel safe, empowered, and excited to use their voices. Let’s explore why speaking is so critical and how to make it a natural, daily part of your lessons.

Why Speaking Must Be a Priority for ELLs

Speaking is often the most intimidating language domain for English learners. While listening is a foundational first step, producing language aloud—especially in front of peers—requires vulnerability and courage. Many ELLs hold back out of fear of making mistakes, mispronouncing words, or feeling embarrassed. Unfortunately, when students don’t regularly practice speaking, they lose opportunities to solidify vocabulary, refine grammar, and engage deeply with academic content.

Speaking also supports:

Pronunciation and fluency
Vocabulary development
Academic discussion skills
Processing and clarifying new information
Expressing thoughts, ideas, and questions clearly

To create classrooms where ELLs thrive, educators must intentionally design environments where speaking feels safe and exciting—not stressful.

What Is Oracy, and Why Does It Matter?

Before diving into specific routines, it’s important to highlight oracy—a term that refers to the ability to express oneself fluently and effectively in spoken language. Oracy is more than just talking; it’s about building strong communication skills that students will use in every part of their lives, from school projects to job interviews.

The Oracy Skills Framework includes four key areas:

Physical Skills: Voice clarity, pace, and eye contact.
Linguistic Skills: Vocabulary, grammar, and rhetorical techniques.
Cognitive Skills: Organizing thoughts and summarizing ideas.
Social-Emotional Skills: Turn-taking, active listening, and managing group discussions.

Prioritizing oracy supports all students—not just ELLs—by creating a culture of thoughtful, respectful communication.

5 Easy Speaking Routines to Implement Now

Ready to help your ELLs become confident speakers? These simple routines can be integrated into your day immediately, without adding extra work to your already-full plate.

1. Daily Speaking Warm-Ups

Start each lesson with a quick 5-minute speaking activity. It could be a “Question of the Day,” a funny picture prompt, or a chance to share a personal favorite. This gets students’ brains and mouths working while building community and easing into academic language.

2. Add a Speaking Objective to Every Lesson

Make speaking an explicit goal. Before your lesson, share what students will be expected to discuss, and give them sentence frames or key vocabulary. This ensures students have time to think, process, and feel prepared when it’s their turn to speak.

Example:

“After reading the story, you will share one event using the sentence frame: ‘One thing that happened in the story was…'”

3. Use Sentence Starters and Frames

Help students overcome the “I don’t know” barrier by providing clear sentence stems such as:

“I agree with ___ because…”
“One thing I noticed was…”
“I would like to add…”

Introduce these gradually and model them often to build comfort and fluency.

4. Roll the Dice Conversations

Turn speaking into a game! Assign questions or tasks to each number on a die. When students roll, they answer the corresponding question, whether it’s about a story, vocabulary word, or fun fact about themselves. This keeps conversations dynamic and spontaneous.

5. The Mystery Box

Place an object in a box and let students ask yes-or-no questions to figure out what’s inside. This playful activity encourages descriptive language, questioning skills, and group engagement—all while building excitement and curiosity.

Additional Speaking Tips for ELL Success

Beyond these core routines, consider layering in other strategies like:

Vocabulary brainstorming before speaking tasks.
Modeling conversations and expectations through your own speech.
Picture prompts to spark discussion.
Talking chips to balance participation.
Role-playing to reduce anxiety through playful scenarios.
Self-assessment reflections after speaking tasks.

And remember—creating a safe, supportive classroom environment is the foundation for all successful speaking practice. When students feel secure, they are far more likely to take the risks necessary to grow as communicators.

Make Speaking Practice Effortless

If you’re ready to streamline these routines with done-for-you resources, the Equipping ELLs membership is packed with over 350 resources, including daily speaking cards, listening lessons, newcomer curricula, and so much more. With these tools at your fingertips, you can help your ELLs develop their speaking skills with ease.

Take Action This Week!

Pick one or two of these speaking routines to try out in your classroom. Start small, be consistent, and watch your students’ confidence grow. We’d love to hear how it’s going! Tag us on Instagram @equippingELLs or email us at hello@equippingELLs.com.

Remember, small steps lead to big growth. Keep showing up for your ELLs, and you’ll see incredible progress over time.

Resources and Links:

Connect with Beth:

More about Equipping ELLs:

We all know that teaching isn’t easy, but it doesn’t have to be this hard. Equipping ELLs is a podcast for both ESL specialists and homeroom teachers who are looking for effective and engaging ways to support their English Language Learners without adding to their endless to-do list. Tune in each week to hear tips, strategies, and inspirational stories that will empower you to better reach your ELL students, equip them with life-long skills, and strengthen relationships with colleagues and parents.

Your host, Beth Vaucher, is the founder of Inspiring Young Learners. She is an ESL certified homeroom teacher with over 10 years of experience teaching in the US and internationally. Her background of M.Ed in ESL and Curriculum and Instruction combined with her experience has led her to develop a bestselling newcomer curriculum that has sold in over 90 countries around the globe. She brings a different perspective to teaching ELLs from her years teaching and living abroad and working with ELLs from around the world. You will walk away from each episode with the ideas and tools you need to transform your experience as a teacher and cultivate a thriving and welcoming environment for your ELL students.

Beth

SHOP THE RESOURCES

Find a variety of best selling resources created specifically with the diverse needs of ELLs in mind.

Click Here

Listen to My Latest Podcast Episode:

MENU