Is English really important?

The Importance of Speaking Practice

There are 4 key skills when you learn a language:

1. listening
2. speaking
3. reading
4. writing

Which one of these is the "Odd-One-Out"? Which one of these is different from the other three? The answer is speaking. The other three you can do alone, on your own, without anyone else. You can listen to the radio alone. You can read a book alone. You can write a letter alone. But you can't really speak alone! Speaking to yourself can be "dangerous" because men in white coats may come and take you away!!
That is why you should make every effort possible to find somebody to speak with. Where can you find people who can speak English with you? And how can you practice speaking when you are alone?

Language is all around You

Everywhere you go you find language. Shop names, street names, advertisements, notices on buses and trains... Even if you are not in an English-speaking country, there are often a lot of English words you can see when walking in the street, especially in big cities. And there are always numbers. Car numbers, telephone numbers, house numbers... How can this help you? When you walk down the street, practise reading the words and numbers that you see. Say them to yourself. It's not exactly a conversation, but it will help you to "think" in English. For example, if you walk along a line of parked cars, say the number on each car quickly as you pass it. Test yourself, to see how fast you can walk and still say each number. But don't speak too loud!

Speaking Exams

Every Term, students from 6th and 7th basic make an oral presentation in front of parents in order to express their opinions using the language they had acquired so far.

This report is also graded, which gives parents and students an idea of how good their English is becoming, and also to know which skill they still need to improve.

Students are divided in 3 different groups that will have the exam in the three terms along the year...... Before the exam, children are explained what they need to know in order to answer the questions correctly.

Parents feel excited when they hear their children speaking in a foreign language, and to use their own vocabulary to make themselves understood, and this is the most important reason to do this kind of exam: to show parents what their children are learning at school.

Do these exams help children in their future life? Of course, they are not only learning another language, but they are also acquiring the ability to speak in front of a public.

How can English help you in the future life??? Explain.