This study aimed to investigate the impact of active learning, incorporating poetry recitation, picture reading, and drama, on enhancing the speaking skills of fourth-grade elementary students. The research was applied in purpose and employed a semi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest and a control group. The statistical population consisted of all male fourth-grade students in Nazarabad County during the 2024–2025 academic year. A convenience sampling method was used, and two classes of 20 students each were randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups.The research instrument was a 20-item researcher-made checklist assessing speaking skills, whose validity was confirmed by five experts, and reliability was calculated with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.87. The experimental group participated in eight 60-minute sessions of active learning, including poetry recitation, picture reading, and drama. Sample activities involved performing poems with attention to tone and rhythm, analyzing and retelling images using the "See, Think, Say" approach, and performing short plays to strengthen public speaking and speech coherence.
Data were analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) in SPSS. The findings revealed that active learning based on these three approaches significantly improved the students’ performance in all components of speaking skills, including coherent speech, public speaking, context- and audience-appropriate communication, tone and rhythm, and comprehension of visual messages. These results highlight that active and interactive teaching methods are effective tools for empowering students’ oral communication skills.