Language Arts

Grade 6: 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 a range of purposes for listening in a variety of situations, formal and informal, and set goals related to specific listening tasks (e.g., to identify the perspective in an oral presentation; to identify the strategies and devices used to enhance the impact of a speech; to describe stated and implied ideas in the lyrics of a song)
Active Listening Strategies: 1.2 demonstrate an understanding of appropriate listening behaviour by adapting active listening strategies to suit a variety of situations, including work in groups (e.g., ask questions to deepen understanding and make connections to the ideas of others; summarize or paraphrase information and ideas to focus or clarify understanding; use vocal prompts in dialogues or conversations to express empathy, interest, and personal regard: That's really interesting. You must have been excited.)
Comprehension Strategies: 1.3 identify a variety of listening comprehension strategies and use them appropriately before, during, and after listening in order to understand and clarify the meaning of increasingly complex oral texts (e.g., use self-questioning to monitor understanding; visualize different elements of an oral text; use note-taking strategies to record important ideas, key words, questions, and predictions)
Demonstrating Understanding: 1.4 demonstrate an understanding of the information and ideas in increasingly complex oral texts in a variety of ways (e.g., summarize and explain information and ideas from an oral text, citing important details; ask questions to confirm inferences and value judgements during discussions after listening)
Making Inferences/Interpreting Texts: 1.5 interpret oral texts by using stated and implied ideas from the texts. Teacher prompts: "What messages did you get from the speaker's tone of voice/body language/facial expressions?" "How does paying attention to a speaker's body language help you interpret what is being said?"
Extending Understanding: 1.6 extend understanding of oral texts by connecting, comparing, and contrasting the ideas and information in them to their own knowledge, experience, and insights; to other texts, including print and visual texts; and to the world around them (e.g., use dialogue or drama to explore similarities and differences between ideas in oral texts and their own ideas)
Analysing Texts: 1.7 analyse oral texts in order to evaluate how well they communicate ideas, opinions, themes, and information (e.g., compare their own response to an oral text with a partner's response, citing details from the text to support their own view; explain what makes a war veteran's Remembrance Day speech effective)
Point of View: 1.8 identify the point of view presented in oral texts, determine whether they agree with the point of view, and suggest other possible perspectives (e.g., ask questions about the values that are stated and implied by the perspective taken and those that are ignored; use role play or drama to express alternative views). Teacher prompts: "Whose point of view is being explored in this text?" "Whose voice do we not hear? Is this fair?"
Presentation Strategies: 1.9 identify a variety of presentation strategies used in oral texts and analyse their effect on the audience (e.g., the unexpected use of humour or of changes in pace). Teacher prompt: "Why do you think the speaker paused for so long at that point in the story?"
2. Speaking to Communicate
Purpose: 2.1 identify a variety of purposes for speaking and explain how the purpose and intended audience influence the choice of form (e.g., to clarify thinking through dialogue; to explore different points of view through drama and role playing; to present information to a group)
Interactive Strategies: 2.2 demonstrate an increasingly sophisticated understanding of appropriate speaking behaviour in a variety of situations, including paired sharing, dialogue, and small- and large-group discussions (e.g., acknowledge different points of view; paraphrase to clarify meaning; adjust the level of formality to suit the audience and purpose for speaking)
Clarity and Coherence: 2.3 communicate orally in a clear, coherent manner, using appropriate organizing strategies and formats to link and sequence ideas and information (e.g., present an argument in favour of one point of view on an issue, with an opening statement, sequence of points with supporting evidence, and summary/conclusion)
Appropriate Language: 2.4 use appropriate words and phrases from the full range of their vocabulary including inclusive and non-discriminatory language, and stylistic devices appropriate to the purpose and context, to communicate their meaning accurately and engage the interest of their intended audience (e.g., use similes, personification, and comparative adjectives and adverbs to achieve a desired effect)
Vocal Skills and Strategies: 2.5 identify a range of vocal effects, including tone, pace, pitch, volume, and a variety of sound effects, and use them appropriately and with sensitivity towards cultural differences to help communicate their meaning (e.g., create different-sounding "voices"for the characters in a dramatization of a story)
Non-Verbal Cues: 2.6 identify a variety of 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 (e.g., count off on their fingers as they present each point in an argument)
Visual Aids: 2.7 use a variety of appropriate visual aids, (e.g., video images, maps, posters, charts, costumes) to support or enhance oral presentations (e.g., wear a costume to help portray the speaker in a monologue; create a slide show to accompany a report)
3. Reflecting on Oral Communication Skills and Strategies
Metacognition: 3.1 identify, in conversation with the teacher and peers, what strategies they found most helpful before, during, and after listening and speaking and what steps they can take to improve their oral communication skills. Teacher prompts: "What strategies do you use to help you understand and follow a discussion among several people?" "What strategies do you use to recall important information after listening?" "What factors do you consider when deciding whether to use an informal or a formal approach when speaking?"
Interconnected Skills: 3.2 identify, in conversation with the teacher and peers, how their skills as viewers, representers, readers, and writers help them improve their oral communication skills. Teacher prompt: "What strategies that you use when preparing to write help you organize your ideas before speaking?"

Expectations: Copyright The Queen's Printer for Ontario, 2006.  Format: Copyright B.Phillips, 1998.