#5thchat Archive
#5thchat is for people interested in chatting about topics in education, especially as they relate to Grade 5. The goal is to connect people who enjoy learning & sharing, plus supporting & creating partnerships worldwide!
Tuesday May 17, 2016
Hi , I'm Angela from Alberta & I teach 6th grade. Excited to be part of the conversation!
Welcome! Tough to take time for chats at this time of year!
I agree, but this is a great topic!
It is the #1 language art. 75% of adult communication is listening & speaking.
Yet it gets so VERY little instructional time and attention!
Teachers who speak well are more effective with kids.
I believe it! Great communicators are able to connect with their students & are more interesting to listen to as well!
So many YouTube videos that teachers post prove that we have not taught kids to speak well.
All of these tools are designed for oral communication. Gotta have that down before hitting record.
A1: Shamefully, I would have to say between 5-10% of my instructional time is spent on this skill. It's not enough!
Hi there I'm krystin Rines I teach 3rd 4th and 5th grade in Virginia I am looking forward to learning more about teaching speaking
What % of your class is based on oral communication? You talking, kids asking...
A2: I believe oral communication is becoming more dominant, but the lack of instruction is becoming more glaring as well.
I am tired of teachers doing Ignite & TED talks w/out teaching kids to speak well first. The kids can do way better than we think.
Don’t use any of these tools until Ss are taught to speak well.
and giving specific instruction about what to look for...
ME TOO! I am currently reading your book, Well Spoken, & your newest one is on my wishlist!
I know that with my group of sped SS who all receive speech services I do focus a lot on speaking but want to do more
I'd say students are talking about 25-30%, I'm still talking TOO much at 25%.
Contest! $100 for “informal” student speaking if one of those activities shows good speaking. https://t.co/2rEAArKLVf .
So over half of class time is oral communication and yet no one teaches speaking!
A3 I hardly ever assign speaking tasks. Definitely an area for growth
A3: We have some form of speaking activity assigned at least several times a day, mostly informal & small group sharing.
But they talk all the time, right? Informal speaking counts!! Just teach them to do it well.
We have to think beyond "public speaking"--that formal thing. Informal & small group counts, too, & should be done well.
I believe this is very important, but I have given it very little consideration on HOW to teach it well. I'm READY :)
It's actually pretty easy & fun. But no one taught us how to teach it. Not one workshop in your district, right?
We share how to communicate in Class Meetings & on how to share information (Give Me 5), but so much more needs to be addressed!
Most Ts see poor writing & offer lots of help to fix it. Most see poor/mediocre speaking & go on to the next unit anyhow.
Are students in the audience totally engaged & inspired?
2 days later, how many listeners could tell you anything a classmate presented? Don’t waste Ss time with weak presentations.
A4: Sadly, very few Ss are engaging/inspiring speakers. When they tend to be, it is because they are passionate about their topic!
Join the club. It drives me crazy that we all see the same thing yet pretend it's OK.
If 1 of 10 passes your test, YOU failed, not them. If 1 of 10 presenters is impressive, YOU failed.
I apologize for being harsh.
We have Oral Communication standards but I can't recall anyone planning lessons to really address them.
We sell Ss short. They can do much better. We have to stop “Oh well, that’s just how they talk.”
A1 Although Oral language is developed, visual language is the basis of communication-hence cave painting to picture books
So humbling! I don't plan to continue failing! ;P
Great point! We have Oral Communication standards as well in Alberta with the same problem!
Funny that we tend to ignore the core communication skills. And listening and speaking are way before writing & reading
The truth can be a bitter pill, it's not the doctor's fault :)
Books with ACTIVITIES do not count. I need LESSONS!
For example, “in 3rd grade, we teach EMPHATIC HAND GESTURES; in 4th grade, DESCRIPTIVE HAND GESTURES…
I never see "reading, writing, & speaking" just "readinganwriting" as if it's one word.
Most speaking is an afterthought to some other unit. AFTER reading the book, a 3 minute talk. AFTER poetry unit, some recitation.
agree-emotion is expressed before words; body language/facial expressions; we read ppl more from those than from words
We have oral communication in our Program of Studies, but not this specifically.
And yet find me one teacher with specific lessons about hand gestures, facial gestures, body gestures...!
The more I am thinking about it. The shameful thing is, I don't think it is taught because it isn't tested.
So much better to teach all along the way. For my Ss, speaking practice is just what we do. https://t.co/5ej4f9t9HG
Most speaking is an afterthought to some other unit. AFTER reading the book, a 3 minute talk. AFTER poetry unit, some recitation.
A5 Most oral presentation by students don't encourage other Ss to listen; consider peer assessments as part of the grade
True! But everything that IS tested is learned w/ oral language.
Here's one of our standards: Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to manage ideas and information.
I do...because of you and your books. #
A4 Most oral presentation by students don't encourage other Ss to listen; consider peer assessments as part of the grade
I believe that ALL learning improves if speaking improves. Read aloud is death and kills reading unless...
I totally am! I know you had a hand in it as well, Sandy :)
My Ss just took their district Rdg test. Not one speaking/listening standard on it, yet most important.
Peer assessments MUST be part of the grade. All speaking is for an audience. Did they get it?
A4 Ss emulate what they see--if we don't like how they present-perhaps we need to reflect on how we present to them
DON’T SHARE ACTIVITIES! We all have activities but how do you teach them to do those well?
Jordan from Princeton, NJ checking in late tonight
Before assigning the essay, you (or others before you) taught capitalization & had Ss practice.
You taught comma usage & had Ss practice; sentence fragments & had students practice; topic sentences &,,,.
Not all Ss will be engage b/c the subject matter does not interest them or does not pertain to them
Ha! Just came for the prize giveaways, eh?
My Ss have rubric out when listening to peers present.Always on our minds when speaking/listening. https://t.co/OkMrw2TzB3
A4 Most oral presentation by students don't encourage other Ss to listen; consider peer assessments as part of the grade
A6: We share our prepared speeches with peers for feedback, we do talk about great speakers & create rubrics together.
Before assigning the speech, what SPECIFIC LESSONS did you give the Ss? How to be poised & then chances to practice?
Styles and Strategies: A Review of Educational Leadership by definition educational leadership.
How to use speed well and then time to practice with little speeches that call for changing pace?
Chances to practice are SO important! We have been using video to practice as well!
I'm such a believer in this now. Why would I ever assess something I hadn't taught and had Ss practice? https://t.co/ngg2lWtkQU
You taught comma usage & had Ss practice; sentence fragments & had students practice; topic sentences &,,,.
Nope, for the company! But if you're giving 'em out, I'll take 'em!
Thanks for sharing this as well! Very helpful!
A 5th grade teacher in CA demonstrates TEACHING eye contact instead of just telling Ss to do it: https://t.co/lXJ3D75rK7
Bumble Bee Bump Multiply: Free now until May 20th! An engaging app to practice multiplication skills! https://t.co/J5kHEmOkVs
SO true! I will be doing LOTS of reading to be ready for next year!
You DO require rough drafts, right? Ss hand in rough drafts before writing assignments are due, so of course the same for talks.
A7: Audioboom has been one of my favorites.
Anxious to hear others' answers because my answer is none....for shame.
Every device has recording capability. Photo Booth on all Mac devices. “Record & send me the rough draft so I can comment/teach.”
A7 I've tried and in the past. Now using .
I need to go and read to my son before bed. Thank you for the chat
Every smart phone can record audio/video. “Record & send me the rough draft so I can comment/teach.”
Too wet to go out, too cold to play, so we sat in the house all that cold cold wet day...The Cat in the Hat!
Haven't used it in a while; used to be a paying customer.
Google Voice is free. “Here’s my number, Ss. Call & leave me 30 seconds of your talk so I can comment/teach.”
https://t.co/K7kHGx4MjY is free. “Go online, record, send me the practice of your reader’s theater so I can comment/teach.”
I haven't tried this one, I keep forgetting about it!
DON’T THINK OF POSTING TO YOUTUBE UNTIL Ss HAVE DONE ROUGH DRAFTS SUCH AS THESE.
Enunciation, elocution, articulation, volume, projection, loudly, slowly, vocal modulation, inflection, enthusiasm--too many!
A8: We make the rubric together as a class. I will be focusing on PVLEGS next year for sure!
A consistent language school-wide is needed.
I'm very lucky, I'm in a K-12 school, so I can help spear-head this!
BTW, never put “Speak loudly” on your rubric. Speaking loudly is annoying. That’s not what you really mean.
A8 fluency, preparedness, eye contact, speed, still body (not fidgeting, swaying...)
Next year I will be on a ELA team for vertical alignment at my school. Hoping to make this a vertical initiative
BTW, never put “Speak slowly” on your rubric. BORING. You mean “Pay attention to speed. Fast parts & slow parts are cool.”
Let me know how I can help!
I definitely will once we begin!
Nothing better than getting help from THE expert :)
And that...ladies and gentlement...is why I love twitter.
