Language Arts

Grade 7: 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 appropriate for specific listening tasks (e.g., to analyse the arguments on both sides of a class debate; to create a character sketch based on a sound clip from a film or an audiotape of an interview; to synthesize ideas in a literature circle)
Active Listening Strategies: 1.2 demonstrate an understanding of appropriate listening behaviour by adapting active listening strategies to suit a wide variety of situations, including work in groups (e.g., take turns without interrupting or overlapping during a class debate or panel discussion; ask questions to make connections to the ideas of others; use vocal prompts in dialogue to express empathy, interest, and personal regard: After an experience like that, I can imagine how you felt.)
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 or challenging oral texts (e.g., use background knowledge about the structure of oral texts such as debates, interviews, speeches, monologues, lectures, and plays to make predictions and identify important ideas while listening; ask questions for clarification or further information; visualize scenes suggested by evocative or descriptive language in a text; use note-taking strategies to keep track of or summarize important points made by a speaker)
Demonstrating Understanding: 1.4 demonstrate an understanding of the information and ideas in increasingly complex oral texts in a variety of ways (e.g., briefly outline the main ideas in a text; accurately carry out a procedure or follow instructions; use a graphic form of expression, such as drawing or tableaux, to depict the important ideas in an oral text)
Making Inferences/Interpreting Texts: 1.5 develop and explain interpretations of oral texts using stated and implied ideas from the texts to support their interpretation. Teacher prompt: "Explain what evidence you used to determine the theme(s) in this oral text."
Extending Understanding: 1.6 extend understanding of oral texts, including increasingly complex 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., activate prior knowledge in order to assess the credibility of a speaker's assertions; assess the validity of other speakers' ideas in relation to their own and modify their own ideas if appropriate; compare the information or ideas in an oral text to those in another text on the same topic)
Analysing Texts: 1.7 analyse oral texts in order to evaluate how effectively they communicate ideas, opinions, themes, or experiences, and suggest possible improvements (e.g., listen to two sides of an argument in a debate, make a judgement, and develop a personal position on the topic)
Point of View: 1.8 explain the connection between a speaker's tone and the point of view or perspective presented in oral texts (e.g., the reason why a speaker might employ humour to present a serious theme). Teacher prompts: "How does the use of humour in this text influence the audience?" "Why do you think the speaker uses sarcasm? Is it effective? Why, or why not?"
Presentation Strategies: 1.9 identify a wide variety of presentation strategies used in oral texts and evaluate their effectiveness (e.g., the use of humour, body language, visual aids, vocal effects)
2. Speaking to Communicate
Purpose: 2.1 identify a range of purposes for speaking and explain how the purpose and intended audience might influence the choice of speaking strategies (e.g., to present conclusions about a research project through dramatization, a role play, or a monologue; to interest classmates in a social issue through a debate; to solve problems or investigate issues and ideas through a group brainstorming session)
Interactive Strategies: 2.2 demonstrate an understanding of appropriate speaking behaviour in most situations, adapting contributions and responses to suit the purpose and audience (e.g., ask questions and paraphrase to confirm understanding; request repetition or an explanation from other group members when meaning is unclear; use language and forms of address that are appropriate to the formality or informality of the situation)
Clarity and Coherence: 2.3 communicate orally in a clear, coherent manner, using a structure and style appropriate to both the topic and the intended audience (e.g., use a formal structure of opening statement, enumeration of points, and summary/conclusion, and a straightforward, impersonal style, to present a position statement on an issue)
Appropriate Language: 2.4 use appropriate words, phrases, and terminology from the full range of their vocabulary, including inclusive and non-discriminatory language, and a range of stylistic devices, to communicate their meaning accurately and engage the interest of their intended audience (e.g., use the technical vocabulary of the subject area during a scientific investigation in a group setting; incorporate literary language and structures into personal anecdotes or imaginative narratives; use emotive language in a persuasive appeal to a large group)
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 communicate their meaning (e.g., use pauses and changes of pace to highlight the introduction of each new point in a speech to the student body)
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., lean into a group to make a point; make eye contact with the person to whom the response/question is directed)
Visual Aids: 2.7 use a variety of appropriate visual aids (e.g., charts, videos, props, multimedia) to support and enhance oral presentations (e.g., use a short video clip to support a formal presentation)
3. Reflecting on Oral Communication Skills and Strategies
Metacognition: 3.1 identify 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 do you try to find out before you begin to listen to an oral text?" "How can a partner help you clarify your ideas after listening to an oral text?" "What steps help you prepare to speak in a formal situation?"
Interconnected Skills: 3.2 identify how their skills as viewers, representers, readers, and writers help them improve their oral communication skills. Teacher prompt: "How does reading about an issue help you participate in a discussion about it?"

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