Just Speak

Just Speak is an aid to facilitate English speaking for students who do not speak English as their first language. The book is divided into 3 sections, each section requiring 2 years to complete: The Foundation and Higher levels are suitable to be used worldwide, whilst the Academic levels specifically target the central European market.

Just Speak took around eight years to complete and has since been tested and used in schools in Liberec, (North Bohemia) Jablonne, (Eagle Mountains) Prerov and Kromeriz (Central Moravia).

Just Speak stands on two main legs. Firstly, the book is essentially a collection of games and activities knitted together by following a list of vocabulary of the most useful words in English, ultimately forming a list of approximately 3000 words. The authors consulted many of the seemingly endless resources dealing with the most useful words in English and compiled a list that complements the aims of Just Speak.

The second leg of the book relates to the order of topics. These were specifically selected to appeal to a specific age group, rather than to a group with a specific level of English. The theory is that if the group is interested in the topic, they will be encouraged to speak. It is up to the teacher, therefore, to select an appropriate grammar book to accompany Just Speak.

The methodology of the book is relatively basic: firstly, students are given a list of vocabulary to study. Inevitably they already know many of the words and they simply have to familiarise themselves with the unknown ones. Secondly, all the words are practised in practical situations and finally, students are tested both in written form (by making short sentences with words from their vocabulary lists) and in verbal form (by making short presentations relating to the given topic). As far as is reasonably possible, the teacher leads by example, giving students clearly defined and attainable goals.