3 Speaking Routines You Can Set Up in the First Week of School

3 Speaking Routines You Can Set Up in the First Week of School

The first week of school sets the tone for the rest of the year. It’s your chance to build routines, foster confidence, and make student voice a regular part of learning. And when it comes to speaking, one of the most challenging skills to practice consistently, starting early makes a significant difference.

These three routines are designed to be simple, effective, and flexible enough for any language class. Whether you teach Spanish, French, ESL, or another world language, these ideas help you turn the first week into the foundation for stronger communication all year long.

Don’t wait any longer, start now!

→ Create a Team

💬 1. Start Class with a Daily Warm-Up

Why it works: Speaking becomes less intimidating when it’s quick, consistent, and expected.

A daily warm-up—just 2–3 minutes-helps students build comfort over time. Prompts can be simple:

• “Say one thing you did this morning using the past tense.”
• “Describe the weather and how you feel today.”
• “Answer this or that: beach or mountains?”

Keep it light, low-pressure, and repetitive at first. You’ll build both fluency and confidence without needing elaborate prep.

✅ Tip: Let students record themselves on tools like Speakable to reduce performance anxiety and make progress visible over time.

🗓️ 2. End the Week with a Personal Reflection

Why it works: Reflection supports metacognition and gives students a chance to own their growth.

Set a Friday routine where students answer 1–2 prompts out loud:

• “What’s one thing you learned this week?”
• “What was most challenging for you and why?”
• “How did you feel using the target language this week?”

This routine builds speaking stamina and invites authentic communication. It's also a great chance to check in on student mindset and confidence.

✅ Tip: Use AI feedback to give students immediate responses on clarity, fluency, and pronunciation—so they can reflect and improve.

👥 3. Make Peer-to-Peer Speaking the Norm

Why it works: Language is social. Students need space to practice speaking to each other, not just the teacher.

Try partner or small-group routines by Day 3. Ideas include:

• Question of the day: Give pairs 1 question to ask and answer.
• Mini role-plays: One orders at a café, the other takes their order.
• Guessing games: Describe a word without saying it directly.

Keep roles clear, rotate partners often, and celebrate communication over perfection.

✅ Tip: Scaffold support with sentence starters or sample audio if students feel stuck.

‍

Ready to Make Speaking a Weekly Habit?

Routines don’t just save time; they give students a clear structure to grow from. And when you combine structure with tools that scale (like AI-powered feedback or speaking libraries), you make it easier to keep speaking at the center of learning.

Speakable helps teachers turn speaking into a weekly habit with:

• Ready-to-use prompts and templates
• AI-generated rubrics and feedback
• Progress tracking for every student

Get ready to build strong routines with the tools that won’t add more to the plate!

→ Create a Team

‍