Oral Language, it’s not just for Language Learners
February 20, 2008 by alicemercer
Bless » The Skeptic Responds The Line for her kind praise of my earlier twin pieces on using technology to meeting the listening and speaking component of the English Language Learner standards.
I discussed how doing audio projects online (or just doing them period), is critical to key standards for English Language Learners that they are tested on (learner level/redesignation tests have a listening and speaking component that where they actually have to listen and speak). Now, I share a part of the Language Arts standards for my state, that cover listening and speaking (see appendix B). These are for all students, not just language learners. Here are some findings:
- For Kinder through Second Grade students are supposed to retell stories in logical sequence with an increasing level of detail and complexity as they get older.
- For Third Grade make narrative presentations
- For Fourth through Sixth Grade make descriptive presentations with increasing levels of detail and complexity as they get older.
- For Seventh Grade deliver narrative presentations with detail and complexity.
- For Eighth Grade oral response to literature
- For Ninth Grade expository presentations
- For Tenth and Eleventh Grade persuasive oral argument
Now, there are a number of choices here. They could do presentations reading from index cards in front of the class. They could make posters, and use those to add visual pizzaz, they could do PowerPoints (I’m sure at a variety of different levels of quality) and present to their class, they could do stuff online, or video a standup presentation and post it on the Web. These are all different possibilities. Questions to ask…
- Where will it be more motivating for them to do their report?
- Is it worth the time and effort to have them do it online?
- What other skills will you need? What skills will they need to be taught?
- How will you structure whatever they do, wherever they do it?
The one thing that should NOT be avoided is having students do listening and speaking activities. ANSWERING QUESTIONS DURING A TEACHER LECTURE IS NOT MEETING THE STANDARD!
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My sixth grade teacher had us do speeches once a week for the class. It was scary but I got over that, even looked forward to it. Those experiences have made me comfortable with public speaking today. My current school has 3rd through 5th graders give speeches for a competition.
So many teachers don’t give students a chance to speak. I think you’re right that there’s a difference between simply answering and speaking.
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