Language Arts

Grade 8: 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 to specific listening tasks (e.g., to evaluate the effectiveness of the arguments on both sides of a class debate on an environmental, social, or global issue; to respond to feedback in peer conferences and student/teacher conferences)
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., follow the conversation and make relevant contributions in a group discussion; express interest in what is being said by commenting and questioning)
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 and 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; use a range of note-taking strategies to keep track of or summarize important points; use self-questioning to monitor understanding of what is being said)
Demonstrating Understanding: 1.4 demonstrate an understanding of the information and ideas in increasingly complex and difficult oral texts in a variety of ways (e.g., compare views about an oral text with two other classmates and prepare a joint summary to present to the class; cite details from an oral text to support their opinions about it in a small-group discussion; use visual art, music, or drama to represent important ideas in an oral text)
Making Inferences/Interpreting Texts: 1.5 develop and explain interpretations of oral texts using the language of the text and oral and visual cues to support their interpretations. Teacher prompt: "Why might different audiences interpret the same oral text in different ways? Give examples to support your opinion."
Extending Understanding: 1.6 extend understanding of oral texts, including increasingly complex or difficult 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., respond in role as a character from an oral text while being interviewed by another student; discuss similarities and differences between oral and print texts on the same topic, focusing on specific elements such as the accuracy and relevance of information; debate the wisdom of the choices made by a historical personage depicted in an oral biography, based on ideas about what their own choices might have been)
Analysing Texts: 1.7 analyse a variety of complex or challenging oral texts in order to identify the strategies that have been used to inform, persuade, or entertain, and evaluate the effectiveness of those strategies (e.g., compare the tone and the ideas emphasized in speeches about non-smoking regulations by a tobacco company representative and a person with asthma and suggest how each approach would influence an audience)
Point of View: 1.8 explain what the use of irony or satire in an oral text reveals about the speaker's purpose and perspective. Teacher prompts: "What cues help you to recognize the use of irony or satire in a text?" "How does recognizing irony or satire help you to understand what is being said?"
Presentation Strategies: 1.9 identify a wide variety of presentation strategies used in oral texts, evaluate their effectiveness, and suggest other strategies that might have been as effective or more so (e.g., compare two oral presentations, with a focus on the effectiveness of the presentation strategies used by each speaker). Teacher prompt: "Did the speakers use facial expressions, vocal effects, and body language appropriately? Did the use of these strategies make the message more convincing?"
2. Speaking to Communicate
Purpose: 2.1 identify a range of purposes for speaking in a variety of situations, both straightforward and more complex, and explain how the purpose and intended audience might influence the choice of speaking strategies (e.g., to introduce a speaker; to support the resolution in a debate; to dramatize a favourite poem; to explain a complex procedure to an individual or group; to work towards the solution to a problem with a partner)
Interactive Strategies: 2.2 demonstrate an understanding of appropriate speaking behaviour in most situations, using a variety of speaking strategies and adapting them to suit the purpose and audience (e.g., paraphrase different points of view on an issue to clarify alternative perspectives; affirm the contributions of others before responding; avoid making highly personal remarks in public or in formal situations)
Clarity and Coherence: 2.3 communicate in a clear, coherent manner, using a structure and style appropriate to the purpose, the subject matter, and the intended audience (e.g., combine logic with an appeal to emotion in a charity fund-raising speech; use a cause-andeffect structure in a report on the rise of a political movement or the emergence of a contentious Aboriginal 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 effectively and engage the interest of their intended audience (e.g., use imagery, figurative language such as similes and analogies, and other stylistic elements such as idioms and onomatopoeia to evoke a particular mood in a dramatic monologue or an appeal for support)
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 changes in pitch to differentiate voices in a storytelling session; use tone and volume to clarify implied messages in a rap poem)
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., rehearse and use hand gestures and increased volume to emphasize points during a formal presentation)
Visual Aids: 2.7 use a variety of appropriate visual aids (e.g., photographs, multimedia, diagrams, graphs, charts, costumes, props, artefacts) to support and enhance oral presentations (e.g., use a chart to clarify the order of events in a report about a scientific breakthrough; use a video clip from an animated cartoon to show how sound is used to complement the image)
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 listening strategies help you to contribute effectively in a group discussion?" "What questions do you ask yourself to check whether you are understanding what is being said?" "Can you identify the most effective elements in your oral presentation? How do you know they were effective?" "What would you do differently next time?"
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 your experience of creating media texts help you understand oral texts?"

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