E5 E - Speaking strategies when a word is missing

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E5 E - Speaking strategies when a word is missing

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E5 E - Speaking strategies when a word is missing

Mini-Beschreibung: Bleibe im Gespräch, auch wenn Dir ein Wort fehlt. Nutze Gestik, einfache Umschreibungen, Nachfragen oder den Satz I don’t know the word.

Zielgruppe: Englisch als erste Fremdsprache, Klasse 5, E-Niveau, Baden-Württemberg.

Look. Listen. Speak. You do not need every word. You need a way to keep talking.

Bild- und Audio-Einstieg

Listen two or three times. Then repeat.

Say: I don’t know the word.

Now add one more sentence: It’s a thing you use to …

Lernziele

Nach diesem kurzen aiMOOC kannst Du:

1. keep talking, wenn Dir ein englisches Wort fehlt.
2. mit gesture und einfachen Wörtern etwas erklären.
3. mit Can you say that again, please? nachfragen.
4. eine fehlende Vokabel mit What’s the word for …? erfragen.

Vorwissen-Check

Quick check – no dictionary.

1. Say one English sentence about your school bag.
2. Point to an object and describe it without saying its name.
3. Say one English question you can use when you need help.

Deutsch-Hilfe: Wenn Du noch keine Idee hast, ist das okay. Nutze gleich die Chunks im nächsten Abschnitt.

Six useful chunks

English	Use it when ...
I don’t know the word.	a word is missing.
It’s a thing you use to ...	you describe an object.
You can ... with it.	you explain what it does.
It looks like ...	you describe its form.
What’s the word for ...?	you ask for the word.
Can you say that again, please?	you need repetition.

Speak in chunks. Short, clear sentences are good English.

Strategy 1: Use gesture

You can point, show a size, make a movement or use your hands.

Example:

A: I need the ... I don’t know the word. B: Show me. A: It’s small. You write with it. [gesture: writing] B: A pen? A: Yes! A pen.

Try it: Show open, big, small or write with a gesture. Your partner guesses.

Strategy 2: Describe the word

Use words you already know.

Easy pattern:

It’s a thing/person/place ... + You use it to ... + It looks like ...

Examples:

A: I don’t know the word. It’s a thing. You use it to open a door. B: A key? A: Yes.

A: What’s the word for a place with many books? B: Library. A: Thanks.

Deutsch-Hilfe: Eine Umschreibung muss nicht perfekt sein. Nenne Funktion, Form, Ort oder ein Beispiel.

Strategy 3: Ask for help

Useful questions:

What’s the word for ...?

How do you say ... in English?

Can you help me?

Can you say that again, please?

Can you speak more slowly, please?

Grammar in action: Can you ...? and Could you ...? are useful request patterns. For this course, practise the short form Can you ...? first.

Listen and repeat

First: listen for the main idea. Second: listen for useful phrases. Third: pause and repeat.

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YouTube

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Fortfahren Ausblenden

Task: Listen for ways to continue when a word is missing. Do not try to understand every word. Write down one useful short phrase.

Optional help: Ask your teacher to select a short part of the video if the full video is too difficult.

Mini-dialogue: Keep going

Maya and Leo are fictional.

Maya: Look! I have a new ... I don’t know the word. Leo: What is it for? Maya: You use it with a computer. You move it with your hand. Leo: A mouse? Maya: Yes, a mouse! Thanks. Leo: No problem.

Listen in your head. Then speak the dialogue with a partner. Change one object.

Ideas: key, ruler, bottle, bag, phone, chair.

Learning loop

See → hear → understand → repeat → use → feedback → use again.

1. See: Look at the picture or object.
2. Hear: Listen to the chunk.
3. Understand: Find the main meaning.
4. Repeat: Say the chunk twice.
5. Use: Put the chunk into a mini-dialogue.
6. Feedback: Your partner says one thing that was clear.
7. Use again: Say the dialogue one more time, a little better.

Feedback sentence: I understood you because ...

Help card

When you stop, choose ONE:

1. Gesture: show it.
2. Describe: It’s a thing you use to ...
3. Ask: What’s the word for ...?
4. Say it: I don’t know the word.
5. Check: Can you say that again, please?

Remember: Verständlichkeit ist wichtiger als Akzentfreiheit.

Safe and fair learning

Use fictional names and invented personal data in practice tasks. Recordings are voluntary and should stay private unless you and your teacher clearly agree otherwise. Do not upload recordings without permission.

If you use an AI language helper, first make your own sentence. Then check the suggestion. Keep words you understand and can use yourself. Do not send private data, voice recordings or other people’s information to external AI tools without clear permission.

Mini-Wiederholung

Finish these aloud:

1. I don’t know ...
2. It’s a thing ...
3. You use it ...
4. What’s the word ...
5. Can you say ...

Then choose an object near you and speak for 20–30 seconds without saying its name.

I-can-Check

I can ...	Check
keep talking when one word is missing.	□ yes □ almost □ not yet
describe a simple object with easy English.	□ yes □ almost □ not yet
ask for a word or repetition.	□ yes □ almost □ not yet
use gesture to support my meaning.	□ yes □ almost □ not yet

If you tick “almost” or “not yet”: Repeat one mini-dialogue and use the Help card.

Folgekurs

Next step: E5 E - Asking for clarification and checking understanding.

Interaktive Aufgaben

Quiz: Teste Dein Wissen

What can you say when you do not know a word? (I don’t know the word.) (!I stop now.) (!No English today.) (!You know my word.)

Which sentence describes an object? (It’s a thing you use to write.) (!Repeat my homework.) (!I am eleven years old.) (!My name is Sam.)

What can gesture help you do? (Show your meaning.) (!Learn every word at once.) (!Make the other person silent.) (!Translate every sentence.)

Which question asks for repetition? (Can you say that again, please?) (!What colour is your bag?) (!Where is my book?) (!Do you like football?)

Which question asks for a missing word? (What’s the word for this?) (!What time is it?) (!Where do you live?) (!How old are you?)

What is a good first step when a word is missing? (Keep talking with simple words.) (!End the conversation.) (!Say nothing.) (!Change to a long difficult sentence.)

Which sentence explains what an object does? (You can open a door with it.) (!It is Monday today.) (!I have two sisters.) (!The classroom is big.)

Which phrase asks someone to speak less fast? (Can you speak more slowly, please?) (!Can you run faster, please?) (!Can you close the window?) (!Can you draw a cat?)

What is most important in this lesson? (Making your meaning clear.) (!Having a perfect accent.) (!Using very long words.) (!Never making a mistake.)

What should you do after feedback? (Use the phrase again.) (!Forget the phrase.) (!Stop speaking.) (!Delete every sentence.)

Memory

Gesture	Show meaning with your hands
Describe	Say what something is like
Repeat	Say something again
Slowly	Not fast
Chunk	A short useful phrase
Clarify	Make the meaning clearer

Drag and Drop

Ordne die richtigen Begriffe zu.	Speaking strategy
I don’t know the word.	Say openly that a word is missing
It’s a thing you use to ...	Describe an object
Can you say that again, please?	Ask for repetition
What’s the word for ...?	Ask for a missing word
Point and show	Use gesture

Kreuzworträtsel

Umschreibung	Wie heißt eine Erklärung mit anderen Wörtern?
Gestik	Wie heißt Kommunikation mit Händen und Körper?
Repeat	Welches englische Wort bedeutet etwas noch einmal sagen?
Slowly	Welches englische Wort bedeutet nicht schnell?
Object	Welches englische Wort bedeutet Gegenstand?
Question	Welches englische Wort bedeutet Frage?

Lückentext

Vervollständige den Text.

When a word is missing, I can keep . I can use a to show my meaning. I can say, “I don’t know the .” I can describe an object with simple . I can ask, “Can you say that ?” After feedback, I use the phrase .

Offene Aufgaben

Leicht

1. Gesture challenge: Show three simple actions without speaking. Your partner says the English word.
2. Help card: Make a small paper card with three chunks from this course.
3. Object riddle: Describe one classroom object in two simple English sentences without naming it.
4. Mini-dialogue: Write a four-line dialogue with “I don’t know the word.”

Standard

1. Partner speaking: Speak for 30 seconds about an object. If a word is missing, use one strategy and continue.
2. Change the dialogue: Replace the computer mouse in the Maya-and-Leo dialogue with another object and perform the new version.
3. Question practice: Create four situations in which “What’s the word for ...?” or “Can you say that again, please?” is useful.
4. Private recording: Optional: record a 30-second practice on a school-approved device and keep it private. Listen once and choose one sentence to improve.

Schwer

1. Strategy mix: Speak for one minute about your school day and use at least two speaking strategies when you need them.
2. Information gap: Work with a partner. Each person describes two hidden objects. Ask follow-up questions before guessing.
3. Feedback round: Give a partner feedback with “I understood you because ...” and one useful next step. Then repeat the conversation.
4. Mini presentation: Give a short presentation called “My three rescue phrases for English”. Use examples and explain when each phrase helps.

Lernkontrolle

1. Transfergespräch: You want to borrow an object, but you do not know its English name. Create a short dialogue in which you keep the conversation going without using German.
2. Strategiewahl: Explain which strategy is most useful in three different situations: you forget a noun, you do not hear a sentence, and your partner does not understand you. Give a reason each time.
3. Umschreiben: Describe three everyday words without naming them. Use function, place, shape or an example.
4. Reparatur im Gespräch: Improve a dialogue in which one speaker stops after forgetting a word. Add useful chunks, a question and a clear ending.
5. Feedback und Wiederholung: Perform a short dialogue twice. Between the two versions, use partner feedback to improve clarity, pace or wording.
6. Neue Situation: Imagine you are in an English-speaking school exchange and need something from the classroom. Show how you can communicate successfully even with a vocabulary gap.

Lernnachweis

Für einen Lernnachweis ist wichtig:

1. Du kannst ein kurzes Gespräch trotz einer Wortschatzlücke fortsetzen.
2. Du nutzt mindestens zwei passende Strategien: Gestik, Umschreibung, Nachfragen oder einen Hilfe-Chunk.
3. Du kannst einfache verbundene Sätze bilden.
4. Du reagierst auf Deinen Gesprächspartner und fragst bei Bedarf nach.
5. Du sprichst verständlich; ein bestimmter Akzent ist nicht erforderlich.
6. Du kannst Feedback aufnehmen und eine zweite Version verbessern.
7. Deine Beispiele und Profile sind fiktiv oder datensparsam.

OERs zum Thema

Wikipedia: Paraphrase – Sprache mit anderen Worten ausdrücken

Freie Medien in diesem aiMOOC: Die eingebundenen Bilder und die Audiodatei stammen von Wikimedia Commons. Lizenzangaben stehen auf den jeweiligen Dateiseiten.

Weiteres Hör-/Sprechmaterial: Der eingebundene YouTube-Beitrag behandelt Strategien für den Fall, dass beim Sprechen ein Wort fehlt.

Verknüpfte Lernbereiche

E5 E - Speaking strategies when a word is missing Sprechen – an Gesprächen teilnehmen Hörverstehen Wortschatz Kommunikationsstrategie Paraphrase Gestik Aussprache