Content Area: Language Arts Literacy

 

Index: 3.3 A Grade 8 CPI 2

 

Standard: 3.3 Speaking

 

Strand: A - Discussion

 

Cumulative Progress Indicator: 2 -  The student will present ideas and opinions spontaneously in response to a topic or other speakers.

 

Grade: 8

 

Sample Activities:

 

·               Students spend time discussing some of their favorite storybooks and the authors’ use of poetic qualities, illustrations, and themes. They identify books they would like to read to a first grader and develop guidelines for book sharing, e.g., how to hold the book; voice intonation; how to handle children’s comments while reading. They practice reading the stories to each other and then visit a first-grade class where each student reads the selected book to one child. Afterwards, the class discusses the children’s reactions and the experience of book sharing.

 

·               The teacher assigns (or students choose) a topic that affects their lives, such as the following: “Should students be required to wear school uniforms?” “Do eighth graders need curfews?” “Should eighth graders have open campus?” Students review elements of persuasive speech and then conduct research in the library media center using the Internet and other sources to find support for their opinions. Finally, they present their arguments to the class.

 

·               To introduce the elements of extemporaneous speaking, the teacher gives students a phrase, such as “If I had a million dollars…” or “If I could go anywhere I wanted…” and gives each student the opportunity to speak before the class for a minute on this topic. As the semester goes on, this activity can be made more challenging by using topic sentences that require specific supporting statements, such as “My favorite book is…” or “This product is the best because….” The final stage of the exercise requires students to base their statements on supporting information or facts, such as “The greatest problem we have in America is…” or “If only people would_________, then ________ would not be such a problem for America.”