Academic Standard
Communication
Initiative:
Tennessee Diploma Project
Set:
English Language Arts
Type:
Standard
Code:
2
Grade range:
8
Communication is the practice of conveying information from one person to another. The language arts are all essential to the communication process. Listening and speaking are fundamental to oral communication. Reading and writing are vital to written communication; viewing and visually representing are critical to visual communication. Listening, reading, and viewing are ways to receive information. Speaking, writing, and visually representing are ways of sharing information.Conceptual StrandEffective communication through clear and persuasive expression and attentive listening is necessary for success in school, the workplace, and the larger community. Guiding QuestionHow do good listening and speaking skills help to communicate clearly and persuasively in all interactive settings?
Grade Level Expectation
Demonstrate critical listening skills essential for comprehension, evaluation,
problem solving, and task completion.
Distinguish among summaries, paraphrases, and critiques.
Identify the thesis and main points of a speech.
Analyze the organizational structure of a speech.
Understand strategies for expressing ideas clearly and effectively in a variety of oral contexts.
Deliver effective oral presentations.
Participate in work teams and group discussions.
Check For Understanding
Follow multi-step oral instructions to perform single tasks, to answer questions,
and to solve problems.
Identify the thesis of a speech in which the main idea may be explicitly or
implicitly stated, concepts may be more abstract, and extended metaphors may be…
Summarize information presented orally by others in which the main ideas may
be explicitly or implicitly stated, including the purposes, major ideas, and…
Paraphrase accurately ideas and information presented orally by others.
Construct a summary and a paraphrase of a speech.
Construct a critique of a speech.
Identify and analyze the structure of a speech (e.g., sequential, chronological,
problem-solution, comparison-contrast, cause-effect).
Begin to analyze the ways in which the style and structure of a speech support
or confound its meaning and purpose.
Listen actively in group discussions by asking clarifying and elaborating
questions and by managing internal barriers (e.g., emotional state, prejudices) and…
Include relevant facts, reasons, details, and examples to support a relatively
complicated thesis.
Organize oral presentations maintaining a relatively simple three-part
structure, previewing the content of presentation in introduction, offering ideas…
Use an organizational pattern appropriate for a topic and purpose (e.g.,
sequential, chronological, problem-solution, comparison-contrast, cause-effect).
Arrange ideas logically and group related ideas in ways that enhance a topic.
Connect ideas using a variety of transition strategies that signal addition of
information and relationships between ideas (e.g., use listing words such as…
Provide an effective conclusion that reinforces the focus of the presentation.
Explore effective rhetorical devices such as rhetorical questions and anecdotes
(to engage an audience), repetition (to reinforce ideas), and analogies (to…
Employ presentation skills such as good eye contact, clear enunciation,
effective speaking rate/volume, and natural gestures.
Participate productively in self-directed work teams for a particular purpose
(e.g., to interpret literature, to solve a problem, to make a decision) by…
State Performance Indicator
Identify the purpose of a speech (i.e., to inform, to describe, to explain, to
persuade, to entertain).
Identify the targeted audience of a speech.
Identify the thesis and main points of a speech.
Determine the most effective methods of engaging an audience during an oral
presentation (e.g., making eye contact, adjusting speaking rate).
Organize a series of note cards in the most effective order for an oral
presentation.
Identify and analyze the organizational structure of a speech (e.g., sequential,
chronological, problem-solution, comparison-contrast, cause-effect).
Select the most appropriate strategies for participating productively in a team
(e.g., gain the floor in orderly ways, meet or set deadlines for completing each…
Identify the functions and responsibilities of individuals within an organized group (i.e., reporter, recorder, information gatherer, leader, timekeeper).
Distinguish between a summary and a critique.
eduToolbox® is a resource-sharing portal developed by the Ayers Institute for Learning & Innovation with collaborative support and funding from the Tennessee Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Education's Math & Science Partnership program.
