Are there ready-made speaking materials? Can I create my own speaking exercises? Here are two of the most frequently asked questions from new teachers!
Welcome to Sensay Knowledge Corner, where we answer real questions from real educatorsâclearly and practicallyâto help you get the most out of Sensay and teach more effectively.
After talking to many frontline teachers, we noticed two questions that come up time and again. If youâre new to Sensay, this post is your perfect quick-start guide. Letâs dive in!
â Q1: Does Sensay provide ready-made speaking exercises that teachers can assign to students right away?
Yes, absolutely! Sensay offers a growing library of downloadable Practice Packs that teachers can use instantly. These packs feature fun and engaging speaking activities organized by theme, CEFR level, and grade level.
New content is added every monthâcovering seasonal topics (like Motherâs Day or Earth Day), everyday themes (like family, jobs, or school life), and even speaking tasks for adult learners, such as preparing for job interviews. Thereâs always something new to explore!
đ§âđŤ This is actually the most common question we get from teachers who are new to Sensay!
That said, Sensay is designed as an open platform centered around teacher-created content. This means the platform starts out mostly emptyâgiving you the freedom to create your own speaking tasks, tailored to your lessons and studentsâ needs.
But donât worry! We know teachers are incredibly busy and donât always have time to start from scratch. Thatâs why we created these Practice Packsâto make planning faster and spark fresh ideas.
đĄ Sensay gives you a blank canvasâwith flexible tools and regular content updates to support your creativity and teaching goals. Learn how to download and use the Practice Packs.
â Q2: Can I create my own exercises or upload custom content?
Absolutely! Sensay is designed with teacher creativity in mind. You can easily create your own speaking tasks that align with your curriculum, teaching goals, and your studentsâ level.
The platform supports seven different types of speaking exercises, giving you flexibility to tailor each activity:
- Reading – Students read a short sentence or passage provided by the teacher. Great for improving fluency, pronunciation, and confidence in reading aloud.
- Reading with Image – Just like Reading, but with an image attachedâperfect for flashcard-style practice or combining words with images for stronger recall.
- Question with Answer – Pose a question and set a fixed, correct answer. Students are evaluated based on how closely their spoken response matches the target answer.
- Question (Open-Ended) – Ask students to respond to an open-ended question. Thereâs no fixed answerâjust their thoughts and opinions in English.
- Image – Upload an image and ask students to describe it, tell a story, or answer a related question. A powerful way to link language to visuals and encourage free speaking.
- Video – Paste a YouTube link and ask students to watch, then respond to a question about the video. This format works well for listening comprehension and real-world content discussion.
- Self-Practice – Let students type their own text and practice saying it aloudâor leave it blank to record freely. Ideal for warm-ups, shadowing, or independent speaking practice.
Whether you’re assigning daily speaking practice or preparing students for oral exams, Sensay lets your students practice exactly what you teachâyour way.
đĄ Whatever you want to teach, your students can practice it. Sensay is here to support your unique teaching goals. Create your first exercise now!
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