SKKN Guiding students in Quan Son high school to improve their communicating skill through the activities of school English speaking club

MỤC LỤC
Content
Page
PART I. THE INTRODUCTION
2
THE REASONS FOR CHOOSING THE THEME
2
THE PURPOSE FOR THE INITIATIVE
2
THE RESEARCHED SUBJECTS
2
PART II. THE CONTENT
2
THE THEORICAL FOUNDATION OF THE THEME
2
CURRENT SITUATION OF THE THEME
3
THE METHODS TO SOLVE THE PROBLEMS
How can I start an English club
3
Choose where to hold the meeting
4
 3.When and how often should we meet for our English Club?
5
4.What can we do in our English Club?
6
5.Some warm-up Activities for an English Club
7
The specific Schedule for Quan Son English Club and some evidences
10
Some real acitvities according to the topic
11
PART III. THE CONCLUSION
16
PART I. THE INTRODUCTION
I. THE REASONS FOR CHOOSING THE THEME.
English play an important role in life nowadays. If we can speak English well, we will have an opportunity to get a great deal of benefit, a good job with high salary, a chance to go abroad and access new civilization. Correspondently with the development of science and technology, the demand of learning English is dramatically increasing. As a result, English centers are mushrooming everywhere in our country especially in big cities. So, everyone at any age has chance to learn foreign languages. For students in high school, they have a professional learning environment, and they are taught carefully by well-trained teachers. However, due to exam pressure, students usually focus on tests and grammatical points rather than speaking skill. Having thought of this problems a lot, I decide to find out some ways to create an English environment where students can practise speaking English besides main lessons in the class. And the solution I found out is setting up an English club in each school. Starting an English Club is a great way to make new lasting friendships. It is important to have good ESL friends because your confidence will increase if you do. You will feel more comfortable using English around people you trust and have fun with. Don't limit your friends to the people in your class. Because of above reasons I make a decision of choosing the initiative named “Guiding students in Quan Son high school to improve their communicating skill through the activities of school English speaking club”.
II. THE PURPOSE OF THE INITIATIVE.
	The purpose of this theme is to find out a suitable place so that students can practise speaking English, share learning experience and exchange the difficulties they have met during learning process. Furthermore, each school needs to have an English Club which enables students to show their abilities and use English in a real environment. When student coming the English club, they have chances to learn English in different ways, not with a book and a pen. They can sing English songs, role-play some short stories, play games etc And students will also experience new learning style, not only in a class but it may be also in a restaurant, a café or even in the playground. Everywhere they can talk naturally.
III. THE REEARCHED SUBJECTS.
When researching this theme, I want to work with all the people regardless of age or career, who likes English especially students in high school. The youth generation who are interested in English and enjoy using English. So as to find out the main members for the club I invite anyone to join your English Club, including friends, family members, fellow students, co-workers, and people from other schools. English Clubs tend to be more fun when they are multigenerational and multicultural. If your best friend is joining, why not ask her grandmother to join too? English Club members also work well when members have varying English language abilities. One member may be able to teach you something new, and another may benefit from a skill that you can share. Teaching someone else a grammar point or explaining how to use a new 
word is one of the best ways to review your skills.
PART II. THE CONTENT
I.THE THEORICAL FOUNDATION OF THIS THEME.
Anyone can speak English well whether you are intelligent or stupid, rich or poor, a child or an adult. The most important is that we have a suitable environment to speak naturally. It will be convenient for someone living in native speaking English countries. Besides that, people can also attend English centres with full facilities. What about people who live in our country and desire communicating well. They may attend English centres or English speaking club. An English Club is a place for language learners to use English in a casual setting. Practising your skills in the classroom is important, but it is not like real life. In the classroom, you often focus on one skill and one item (for example: grammar - future tense). After learning the rules your teacher gives you time to practise using the item. You have your papers in front of you and the rules are fresh in your mind. Will you remember how to use your skills next week, or next year? In an English Club, you get a chance to practise many different skills in a setting that is more like real life. Though your English teacher understands your English, your English Club friends will require you to speak more clearly and listen more carefully.
II. THE CURRENT SITUATION OF THE THEME
It is the fact that if we want to communicate well in English, we have to practise day by day. It is no use learning English without using it in daily life. A lot of students and even teachers complain that they have no English environment to show their idea, and they lack of real situations to react naturally in communication. It is undeniable that the more you practise, the more fluently you speak English. And it is true that learners need a good environment to practise English
III. THE METHODS TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. 
When researching this theme, I have studied and found out the best way to set up an English club and how to organize and maintain its activities. Furthermore, I also make a specific plan for the whole year activities of the club. In this initiative I will share the steps I did and some games or activities applied when we hold an English club. And the most important thing is how to maintain the club during the school year as well as organizing the club effectively.
How can I start an English Club?
To set up the club you need a permision from your school and some money to buy necessary documents and decorations. So ask for your leaders for an allowance and others for money such as the Society of students’ parents. You may need some help from people who are good at English from outside your school like teachers of English, or students of foreign languageAbout the members of the club, an English club does not require a lot about its members as well as the number of members, as long as they are keen on learning English. You can invite anyone to join your English Club, including friends, family members, fellow students, co-workers, and people from other schools. English Clubs tend to be more fun when they are multigenerational and multicultural. If your best friend is joining, why not ask her grandmother to join too? English Club members also work well when members have varying English language abilities. One member may be able to teach you something new, and another may benefit from a skill that you can share. Teaching someone else a grammar point or explaining how to use a new word is one of the best ways to review your skills.
Post a sign-up form
After finding the way to starting an English club, send some sign-up forms and deliver them to all the classes in your school or sticking the form on a local library bulletin board of your school so that everybody knows about your plan. Don’t forget to write your email address and telephone number at the top so that people can email me with any ideas they might have. Make sure they write down their phone numbers or email addresses so that you can contact them about the time and place of the club meetings.
Seek help
To activate the club, you can’t do it on your own so don't try to do everything yourself but exchange with your friends or colleagues. Each member should contribute to the club. You may even want to find a fluent English speaker who will volunteer to come to your meetings. New teachers or a high school student may be willing to help you for free because the experience will help them find a job. 
Hold an introductory meeting
After you have enough people sign up (6-10 people is a good number) you will need to hold an introductory meeting. At the first meeting, members can learn each other's names and you can talk about what kind of club people are interested in. One way to organize the club is by putting one member in charge of being the leader each week. You can organize the weeks in terms of themes (music/food/travel...), or skills (reading/writing/listening...).
Create rules and routines
At your meeting you can discuss what types of rules and routines the club should have. For example, English Clubs usually have an "English only" rule. Will people be allowed to drink and eat during the meeting? What about bringing a friend? It is a good idea to conduct each club meeting in a similar way. When people know what to expect, they are more likely to attend.
2.Choose where to hold the meeting
Different from the class, an English club doesn’t require a certain place to have a meeting. It may happen everywhere as long as its members have a natural environment, a large enough space to sit around and talk to each other.
At an English School
The easiest place to hold an English Club is in a spare classroom at an English school. After classroom hours, most schools remain open for an hour or two so that teachers can prepare for their classes. This is also a convenient location because some or all of the members will already be in the school and will have no excuses for missing a club meeting. You will also have access to materials and television equipment.
In members' homes
You may want to take your club out of the classroom in order to make it feel less academic and more social. If you decide to operate your club from a personal home, try to find more than one person who is willing to host the meetings. You will need to choose homes that are in a central location. Within the home, choose a room with a lot of space and few distractions. Don't forget to turn off the telephone. You may want to serve coffee or tea.
At a cafe or restaurant
This type of setting will likely involve a fee. The manager may allow you to reserve a small room in the back if you choose a time of day when there are few customers. You will likely be expected to purchase beverages and tip a server (depending on what country you are in). Operating your club out of a cafe may make it difficult to incorporate movies, music, and other listening practice. A cafe is a good option for a small conversation club (less than 6 people).
Outdoors
One of the best places to hold an English Club is outside. This may only be possible during certain warm months depending on what country you are in. Choose a location where shelter can be found in case of rain. Though the beach might sound like a great place to practise your English, remember that you will probably be using papers and books which will be difficult in the breeze. A park with picnic tables and shady trees might be better.
Consider atmosphere
Wherever you hold your club, remember that it is a club, not a class. To change the atmosphere in a classroom you might want to open windows or have background music or candles (if the school permits). A pot of coffee or a bowl of popcorn can also make the meeting feel more like a club than a class. Why not encourage members to take off their shoes when they walk in the door, or sit on the floor instead of chairs. Remember, the purpose of the club is to use English in a life-like situation. Do what feels natural and comfortable.
3.When and how often should we meet for our English Club?
About once a week
Some clubs fail because they expect too much of the members. It is hard to find time to commit to something outside of school, work, and family. Meeting once a week for about two hours is a good start. Some English Clubs also meet for an additional excursion once a month. As you make friends you will probably begin to get together in pairs or smaller groups outside of the club meetings.
The best time of day
Choose a meeting time that is convenient for the group. Usually late afternoons, evenings, or weekend days are chosen so that the meetings don't conflict with work or school. The time that you choose will also depend on when the room/space is available. During your introductory meeting, find out when the most convenient time is for the majority of the members. If you make your meetings too early or too late you may find that people come to the first few meetings and then drop out.
Stop and begin again
Start a new club session approximately every three months. This will keep the club alive! Another good time to take a break is during holiday times, such as New Year's or Summer holiday. Some members will return and others will move on to other things. Invite new people to join to fill the empty spots. Change activities/themes that didn't work the first time. Keep adding new ideas, but try to maintain a club identity.
4.What can we do in our English Club?
Establish a warm-up routine
You will notice that teachers often start class with a game or conversation exercise. They do this to wake you up! They also want to help you focus on a classroom activity that will follow. In a club that tends to have more of an academic focus the warm up could be three new vocabulary words. The leader could teach a noun, a verb, and an adjective each session. The group practises making sentences with the new words. In a club that is more social in nature, find an activity that makes people laugh. This will bring positive energy into the room. I will provide some useful games that are guaranteed to turn your brains to English quickly!
Choose themes or skills
You can organize your club in many ways. Some clubs will be full of members that only want to practise one skill, such as conversation. Conversation club meetings are often very casual and require little planning. Everyone can write down a topic that they want to debate, or you can talk about popular culture and current events. Someone can bring in a newspaper article and everyone can read it together and discuss it. Reading clubs are another type of English Club. Each person reads the same book (outside of group time) and the club discusses aspects such as what they liked about it, who their favourite characters were, etc.
The majority of English Clubs, however, are designed for people who want to improve their English in all skill areas. If this is the type of club you want to create it is useful to divide the meetings in terms of themes or skills. Each member of the club can choose from a list of dates. You can suggest topic ideas, or ask members to come up with their own. Always give members the option of bringing in their own idea (leave a blank space for OTHER on the theme/skill schedule). The leader for each meeting is in charge of everything including the warm-up, the focus, and the dividing of members into groups or pairs. This gives everyone in the group an opportunity to show their leadership and creative skills. If someone is extremely shy and unwilling to be a leader, you can still allow them to join the club. Perhaps they will agree to be a leader a few months later in the next session when they have more confidence in English.
Have backup ideas on hand
What if your leader for the day doesn't show up? In a classroom, you usually get a substitute teacher when your instructor is sick or unavailable. This should be the same in a club. If members know they are going to miss a meeting that they are supposed to lead, they should call another member and give them instructions about what was planned. However, it is likely that a day will come when no leader shows up at all. It is a good idea to have a back up plan in case of this problem.
The easiest thing to do is keep a list of discussion questions in the location of the meetings. Put them in an envelope or in the classroom, or give one to each member to keep in their notebook. You can cut them up and put them in a hat and take turns picking questions. Another idea is to get out a dictionary and learn ten new words. The group can practise using them and then write a group play that involves all ten words. A deck of playing cards is also a good thing to keep in case of extra time. You can play a game of cards in English. Teaching each other rules in English is a great way to practise speaking and listening. You will also have to ask lots of questions when you learn a new game.
Use a suggestion box
If it's possible, keep a suggestion box in the room where you hold your club meetings. At the end of each meeting the leader should encourage members to write a comment or suggestion for the group.
Examples: I want to practice pronunciation more. Let's keep track of our new vocabulary. Does anyone want to practice idioms with me? It's too cold in this room! Why don't we all bring a snack to share next week?
Go on excursions as a group
Outside of your weekly meetings, it is a good idea to have one excursion a month. This helps create stronger bonds within the group. It is always fun to have something to look forward to as well. Go out to a movie. Play a sport. Do community service together. Give blood. Go sightseeing. Have a picnic. Go dancing. Have a potluck dinner. Whatever you decide to do, everyone should speak English at all times.
5.Some warm-up Activities for an English Club
(reference books: games for teaching Vocabulary)
20 Questions
One person thinks of an object (person, place, or thing). Everyone takes turns asking yes/no questions until someone can guess correctly (or until 20 questions are asked). The difficult part is that you cannot ask "wh" questions!
Example: PINEAPPLE. 
1. Does it talk? 	-> No. 
2. Does it make life easier? 	->No. 
3. Do you eat it? 	-> Yes. 
4. Is it something you would eat for dinner? 	-> No. 
Etc...
If someone makes a mistake in forming the question, other club members can help turn it into a proper question.
Can't Say Yes or No
In this game everyone is given a certain number of coins or squares of paper (about 10). Everyone moves around the room starting conversations and asking each other questions. The only rule is that you cannot say the words YES or NO. If you accidentally say one of these words, you have to give a coin or square to the person who you said it to. Try to trick each other by asking questions that you would almost always answer with a yes or no. Think of other ways to trick your friends. Sometimes asking two quick questions in a row works well. (Especially tag questions: Are you new here? This is your first time in America, isn't it?). This game is a great way to practise using small talk and to add variety to your vocabulary. It also makes everyone laugh. 
Example.
1. Do you go to the market today?	-> Yeah, I went to buy some food
2. Did you buy some fish?	-> Of course, I like eating fish
3. You went with Mai, didn’t you?	-> Oh, never. I went alone
Etc
Fact or Fiction
In this game, one person tells a short story about themselves or someone they know or heard about. Usually it is something funny or crazy. It can be a true story, or something made up.
Example: Josh tells a story about his Uncle Leo who sleeps in the nude. One day Uncle Leo was sleepwalking and he went outside and took his dog for a walk. The next door neighbor was coming home late from work and saw him! She called the police and he got arrested for being naked in public.
Everyone around the room has to say whether they think Josh's story is fact (true) or fiction (mad