Three KS3 English teachers share their most successful lesson ideas for encouraging the speaking and listening dimension of English teaching. Leigh Beauchamp's Year 9 lesson is an extension of work the class has been doing on Robert Swindells' book 'Stone Cold'. After exploring the subject of society's attitudes to homelessness, a variety of speaking and listening activities culminate in the creation of performance poems. For Year 9s studying war poetry, Sarah Touhey has an interesting and effective way of introducing Wilfred Owen's poem 'Dulce Et Decorum Est'. A small group of pupils give a presentation of the poem, then by acting as war correspondents pupils feedback on what they have understood from the poem. The third idea comes from Danica Hines with Year 7s, showing the importance of starting speaking and listening activities as early as possible in KS3. Pupils in groups create stories inspired by a bag of interesting items, and then present to the class.

Video Series: Great Lesson Ideas
Release Date 2010