Every card in Spoken English, Year 8: more practice
The whole deck, in order — so you can read it through before your child ever sees it.
- “So far we agree on the budget, but we have not decided on the date.” Is this speaker summarising, interrupting or changing the subject?
Summarising
HintThey are gathering the threads together.
WhySummarising helps a group see where it has got to and what is left.
- Which phrase politely challenges an idea: 'That's a silly idea' or 'What evidence do we have for that?'
'What evidence do we have for that?'
HintAsk for support rather than insult.
WhyA challenge should test the idea, not the person.
- One pupil talks for ten minutes and nobody else gets a word in. What is this behaviour called?
Dominating the discussion
HintFair shares matter in a group.
WhyA good discussion shares speaking time among everyone.
- In a discussion, what is a 'devil's advocate'?
Someone who argues against an idea to test it
HintA role for testing, not for winning.
WhyThey may agree with the idea but argue against it to find weaknesses.
- In rehearsing a scene, what does 'blocking' mean: where and how actors move on stage, or what they say?
Where and how actors move on stage
HintThink of a plan marked out on the boards.
WhyBlocking is decided in rehearsal so that movement helps tell the story.
- What is the name for the last words or action that signal to an actor that it is their turn to speak?
A cue
HintMiss it and there is an awkward silence.
WhyActors learn their cues so scenes run without gaps.
- In a scene, an actor holds a deliberate silence before delivering an important line. What is this technique called?
A pause
HintIt is also the name of a button on a music player.
WhyA pause gives the line extra weight and makes the audience wait for it. Silence is part of the performance, not a gap in it.
- A presentation has a clear 'through-line'. What does that mean?
One main message runs through every section
HintA thread holds beads together.
WhyEach part of the presentation should connect back to that central idea.
- How many main ideas can an audience usually remember from a short presentation: about three, or about ten?
About three
HintFewer than you might think.
WhyToo many points blur together, so choose the few that matter most.
- A slide shows a graph. What should you do when it appears: tell the audience the point it makes, or read every number aloud?
Tell the audience the point it makes
HintA visual should earn its place.
WhyThe graph gives the evidence, and you explain what it means.
1★ KS3-ENLA-SPO-0035
2★ KS3-ENLA-SPO-0036
3★ KS3-ENLA-SPO-0037
4★ KS3-ENLA-SPO-0038
5★ KS3-ENLA-SPO-0039
6★ KS3-ENLA-SPO-0040
7★ KS3-ENLA-SPO-0041
8★ KS3-ENLA-SPO-0042
9★ KS3-ENLA-SPO-0043
10★ KS3-ENLA-SPO-0044
Keep what you learn
Here, nothing is saved. In your child’s own sky every card is scheduled — it comes back just before they’d forget it — and the professor who wrote it is one tap away.