⬡ Speaking Practice Task
Welcome!
Below are criteria to help you think about what you can do when you are speaking this language. How well do they describe your ability?
Vocabulary & Fluency: I can participate fully and confidently in all conversations about topics and activities related to home, work/school, personal and community interests. My vocabulary is appropriate for the subjects I talk about; I can provide a full range of details related to what I talk about.
Complexity: I can provide information and ask questions on a variety of subjects, both personal and academic. I can explain and elaborate when making a point. My speech generally consists of interconnected sentences organized in paragraph-length discourse. I can use cohesive devices.
Accuracy & Comprehensibility: I have sufficient control of basic structures to talk about about things that have happened, are happening, and will happen. A native speaker unaccustomed to interacting with non-natives can understand me without difficulty.
Communicative Strategies: I can handle an everyday situation with a complication and successfully resolve it. I can use the appropriate form of address when needed. If I don't know a specific word or expression, I try to find a way to get around it in order to get my meaning across.
Learning a language enhances your opportunities in the global community. Using language to communicate effectively is one of the College of Liberal Arts' learning objectives for students.
In this activity, you will record yourself speaking the language you study in situations that will give you the opportunity to compare your skills to the Advanced Low level of proficiency on the ACTFL scale. It will give you a chance to reflect on what you can do now, and what you need to work on in order to reach the Advanced Low level.
Doing this activity can also help you feel more comfortable if you take the ACTFL OPIc or another speaking exam in which you would talk with an avatar (not a real person). Try imagining that you are speaking with a real person on this practice activity so you will sound natural when you listen to your recordings afterward.
This isn't a test. It's an activity to benefit you. It's designed to help you meet your objectives and class goals, not to point out your weaknesses or errors. Remember: the only one who will hear your recordings is you!
- You can record yourself with your phone or software like Quicktime on a computer.
- When you are done, you can listen to your recordings and reflect on how well you completed each task.
- All of this will help you to feel more confident and prepared for the ACTFL OPIc!