Language Arts

Grade 1: Oral Communication	Planning: Term # Tracking: Ach. Level
Overall Expectations	1	2	3	4
1. listen in order to understand and respond appropriately in a variety of situations for a variety of purposes;
2. use speaking skills and strategies appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes;
3. reflect on and identify their strengths as listeners and speakers, areas for improvement, and the strategies they found most helpful in oral communication situations.
Specific Expectations
1. Listening to Understand
Purpose: 1.1 identify purposes for listening in a few different situations, formal and informal (e.g., to hear the sounds of language in songs, chants, and poems; to interact socially with classmates; to enjoy and understand a story read aloud by the teacher; to follow simple directions in large- and small-group settings; to exchange ideas with a peer in a paired sharing or small group)
Active Listening Strategies: 1.2 demonstrate an understanding of appropriate listening behaviour by using active listening strategies in a few different situations (e.g., listen without interrupting and wait their turn to speak; show that they are paying attention and are interested by looking at the speaker, nodding, or asking relevant questions)
Comprehension Strategies: 1.3 identify a few listening comprehension strategies and use them before, during, and after listening in order to understand and clarify the meaning of oral texts, initially with support and direction (e.g., use background knowledge, familiar word order, and context to make predictions about content or vocabulary before listening to an oral text; think about what known words might be related to the topic; ask questions to check understanding during and after listening; create mental pictures while listening to a read-aloud and draw or talk about what they visualized; retell the important information presented in a class discussion or a think-pair-share activity)
Demonstrating Understanding: 1.4 demonstrate an understanding of the information and ideas in oral texts by retelling the story or restating the information, including the main idea (e.g., use time-order words, such as first, then, next, finally, to retell a story they have heard; restate information from a movie about community workers, including a topic statement and several supporting details)
Making Inferences/Interpreting Texts: 1.5 use stated and implied information and ideas in oral texts, initially with support and direction, to make simple inferences and reasonable predictions (e.g., attend to the words being spoken and also use personal experience and the speaker's intonation and facial expression to understand what is being said) Teacher prompt: "The boy said, 'You broke my airplane!' What helps you understand how he might be feeling? What do you think he might do next?"
Extending Understanding: 1.6 extend understanding of oral texts by connecting the ideas in them to their own knowledge and experience; to other familiar texts, including print and visual texts; and to the world around them (e.g., make personal connections between their own ideas about a topic and the ideas in an oral text; identify other texts that have similar elements or content)
Analysing Texts: 1.7 identify words or phrases that indicate whether an oral text is fact or fiction, initially with support and direction (e.g., a personal recount might start "Last year in the summer holidays..." while a fictional story might start "Once upon a time...")
Point of View: 1.8 begin to identify, with support and direction, who is speaking in an oral text and the point of view expressed by the speaker (e.g., the narrator may be a character in a story or an expert on the topic of an informational talk; the speaker may be recounting a personal anecdote or sharing a personal opinion) Teacher prompts: "Who is telling this story/presenting this information? What words/clues helped you figure that out?" "What do we know about the speaker?" "How might the story be different if another character were telling it?"
Presentation Strategies: 1.9 begin to identify some of the presentation strategies used in oral texts and explain how they influence the audience (e.g., the use of differences in tone and pitch for different characters in a story; the use of props to engage the audience) Teacher prompts: "How did the speaker use his/her voice to make you like/not like a character?" "Why do you think the speaker used the puppets when he was speaking?"
2. Speaking to Communicate
Purpose: 2.1 identify a few purposes for speaking (e.g., to express needs to peers and the teacher; to establish positive personal and learning relationships with peers; to activate prior knowledge and make connections before listening; to retell stories and recount personal experiences to the class; to ask questions or explore solutions to problems in small-group and paired activities; to share ideas and information that contribute to understanding in large and small groups; to manipulate the sounds of language in songs, chants, and poems)
Interactive Strategies: 2.2 demonstrate an understanding of appropriate speaking behaviour in a few different situations, including paired sharing and small- and large-group discussions (e.g., give other group members an opportunity to speak; respond positively to the contributions of others; stay on topic and speak to the point)
Clarity and Coherence: 2.3 communicate ideas and information orally in a clear, coherent manner (e.g., use a logical framework such as a beginning, middle, and end sequence to retell a story read aloud by the teacher)
Appropriate Language: 2.4 choose appropriate words to communicate their meaning accurately and engage the interest of their audience (e.g., choose words relevant to the topic from the full range of their vocabulary, including new words used regularly in the classroom; use descriptive adjectives to clarify and add interest to a narrative; use inclusive language that conveys respect for all people)
Vocal Skills and Strategies: 2.5 begin to identify some vocal effects, including tone, pace, pitch, and volume, and use them appropriately to help communicate their meaning (e.g., increase volume to emphasize important points or to communicate to a large audience)
Non-Verbal Cues: 2.6 identify some non-verbal cues, including facial expression, gestures, and eye contact, and use them in oral communications, appropriately and with sensitivity towards cultural differences, to help convey their meaning
Visual Aids: 2.7 use one or more appropriate visual aids (e.g., pictures, photographs, props, puppets, masks) to support or enhance oral presentations (e.g., use a set of plastic animals during an oral recount about a visit to a zoo)
3. Reflecting on Oral Communication Skills and Strategies
Metacognition: 3.1 begin to identify, with support and direction, a few strategies they found helpful before, during, and after listening and speaking. Teacher prompts: "How do you know what to listen for?" "What could you do after you listen to check and see if you understood what you heard?" "What could you do if you didn't understand what you heard?" "What do you think about before you begin to talk?" "When you are talking, how can you tell if the audience understands?" "What could you do to help the audience understand what you are saying?"
Interconnected Skills: 3.2 begin to identify how their skills as viewers, representers, readers, and writers help them improve their oral communication skills. Teacher prompts: "How do you learn new words that you can use when you are speaking?" "What words have you learned in the books you are reading that help you understand what you hear or that you can use while you are speaking?"
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Expectations: Copyright The Queen's Printer for Ontario, 2006.  Format: Copyright B.Phillips, 1998.