Speaking is the hardest skill to teach English language learners because of the language factor involved. It is also the most overlooked. Some ELL need time to acquire the language in order to product anything but that doesn't mean you should start teaching speaking. With a few tips and practice, your ELLs will begin to feel more comfortable speaking.

First, begin gathering an inventory of your students' speaking abilities by taking a pre-assessment. This can be a 5-10 minute oral informal assessment. There are a number of ways in which to do this. I usually use picture prompts for eliciting their knowledge on the word level and then do a a quick interview. I try to make the interaction as communicative as possible, because I believe that ELLs learn better in a communicative environment. Remember, you are asking ELls to product language, not to read words or sentences.

Structure speaking activities in your lesson plan. How much time do you want to work on speaking activities? A good way to do this is to figure out the number of lessons you have and structure speaking activities usually either before or after a reading or listening activity. I like the brainstorming technique as an introductory speaking activity because ELLs read a text. They usually brainstorm in pairs and then share their answers. By the time they read the text, they have already shared their prior knowledge on the subject.

Pair students up when doing a speaking activity. This often makes students feel more comfortable and not too self-conscious of their language abilities.

Give a time limit with most speaking activities. Ten minutes is the maximum for most activities. Gradually, aim for activities that involve more of a dialogue and interaction based on authentic topics. For example, students can scan a menu and then take turns itemizing favorite foods according to preferences. The higher performing students can role play a waiter/waitress and customer.

Start with a very small activity and then work your way up.Brainstorming is a good activity for all levels because each student can participant at the level s/he feels comfortable with. Wherever possible use lots of pictures especially for lower level performing students or very young ELLs.