Overview

Lesson Procedure

60-60 minutes of class time across 5 phases.

1. Warm-Up5 minutes
2. Direct Instruction20 minutes
3. Guided Practice15 minutes
4. Independent Practice15 minutes
5. Closure5 minutes

1. Warm-Up5 minutes

   Warm-Up Prompt

   "Think of a time someone explained something to you and you got lost. What did the speaker do, or not do, that made it hard to follow?"

   Sort the answers on the board into two columns: what they said (out of order, too many details, no main point) and how they said it (too quiet, never looked up, mumbled). SL.6.4 covers both columns: what a presenter says and how the presenter delivers it.

2. Direct Instruction20 minutes

   Part 1: The words of the standard. Give students the table below to keep.

   The words of SL.6.4

   Term	What it means
   Claim	A statement you want listeners to accept, such as "The dart flies farthest" or "The theme of this story is ..."
   Finding	Something you found out by testing, counting, surveying or reading
   Sequence logically	Put ideas in an order listeners can follow: the main claim first, then each finding or reason with its support, then a conclusion
   Pertinent	Connected to the point you are making; a detail that is not pertinent is off the point, even if it is true or funny
   Accentuate	Make something stand out, the way a vivid comparison makes a number easy to picture
   Main idea or theme	The main idea is the most important point of a report; a theme is a message or lesson about life in a story
   Eye contact	Looking up at listeners, in different parts of the room, for most of the talk and glancing at notes only briefly
   Volume	How loud you speak; adequate volume means the back row hears without straining, and nobody is shouted at
   Pronunciation	Saying each word fully and correctly; practice names and hard words aloud before you present

   Part 2: A first draft. A sixth grader's science club tested three paper airplane designs. Read Model Presentation A aloud yourself and act out the bracketed notes: look down, speak softly, rush "aerodynamic." Students listen first, then read it. Ask: "What did Maya find out?" Most students can't say, and that is the point.

   1[Maya looks down at her notes the whole time.] Um, so, our science club made paper airplanes. I used blue paper for mine, because blue is my favorite color, and we got the paper from the art room.

   2[Maya speaks softly. Students in the back row lean forward.] The glider stayed in the air for 2.4 seconds. The dart went 7.2, 8.1, 6.8, 7.5 and 7.9 meters. The square-wing plane kept doing loops, which was really funny. My friend Sam's glider hit the ceiling light once.

   3We threw each plane five times in the gym from the same line. [Maya rushes the word "aerodynamic," and it sounds like "arrow-namic."] I think the dart is more aerodynamic.

   4The glider went 5.1, 5.8, 4.6, 5.5 and 5.0 meters. So, yeah. That's it.

   Table 1: Paper airplane test results (invented data: five throws of each design from the same line in a gym)

   Design	Distance of each throw (m)	Average distance (m)	Average time in the air (s)
   Dart	7.2, 8.1, 6.8, 7.5, 7.9	7.5	1.3
   Glider	5.1, 5.8, 4.6, 5.5, 5.0	5.2	2.4
   Square-wing	2.0, 2.4, 1.8, 2.2, 2.1	2.1	1.0

   Part 3: The revision. Now read Model Presentation B, the same findings after Maya revised her talk, and act out its bracketed notes. Work through the four examples below with the class, comparing the two versions.

   1[Maya waits until the room is quiet, looks at the class and speaks loudly enough for the back row to hear.] Which paper airplane design flies best? Our science club tested three designs, and here is our main finding: the dart flies the farthest, but the glider stays in the air the longest. So the best design depends on what you want your plane to do.

   2First, here's how we tested. Each of us folded a dart, a glider and a square-wing plane from the same kind of paper. We threw each plane five times in the gym from the same line. We measured how far it landed with a tape measure, and we timed how long it stayed in the air.

   3Our first finding is about distance. [Maya looks at the left side of the room, then the right.] The dart flew the farthest: 7.5 meters on average. That's about as long as five sixth graders lying head to toe. The glider averaged 5.2 meters, and the square-wing plane did loops, so it never flew far.

   4Our second finding is about time in the air. The glider stayed up the longest: 2.4 seconds on average, almost twice as long as the dart's 1.3 seconds. Its wide wings let it float down slowly, like a falling leaf. [Maya slows down and says each part of the word clearly: "aer-o-dy-nam-ic."] The dart is more aerodynamic, which means air flows smoothly around its narrow, pointed shape, so it keeps its speed.

   5So which plane is best? If you want distance, fold a dart. If you want a long, slow flight, fold a glider. [Maya looks around the whole room.] Next month, we'll test whether a paper clip on the nose changes these results. Thank you.

   • Presenting the claim and findings first (Model Presentation B, paragraph 1)

     Where does each version tell listeners what the club found?

     Result: Draft A never states it; listeners have to work it out from lists of numbers. Revision B states the question and the main finding in paragraph 1: "the dart flies the farthest, but the glider stays in the air the longest." Every later paragraph supports that claim, and paragraph 5 returns to it.

   • Sequencing ideas logically (paragraphs 1-5)

     In what order does Revision B present its ideas, and why does that order work?

     Result: Claim (paragraph 1), how the club tested (paragraph 2), finding 1 on distance (paragraph 3), finding 2 on time in the air (paragraph 4), conclusion (paragraph 5). Draft A gives a glider time, then dart distances, then the method, then glider distances, so listeners hear results before they know how they were measured. Signal words ("First," "Our first finding," "Our second finding," "So") mark each step.

   • Choosing pertinent facts and descriptions (paragraph 3 and Table 1)

     Which facts from Table 1 does Maya use, and how does she make the main finding stand out?

     Result: She gives each plane's average instead of reading all 15 throws: the dart averaged (7.2 + 8.1 + 6.8 + 7.5 + 7.9) / 5 = 37.5 / 5 = 7.5 m, and the glider averaged 26.0 / 5 = 5.2 m, so the dart flew 2.3 m farther. The description "about as long as five sixth graders lying head to toe" (5 × 1.5 m = 7.5 m) helps listeners picture the distance. She cuts details that are true but not pertinent: the blue paper, the art room and the ceiling light.

   • Delivering with eye contact, volume and pronunciation (the bracketed notes)

     What does Maya change in how she speaks?

     Result: Eye contact: in A she looks down the whole time; in B she looks up at the start, looks left and then right, and looks around the room at the end. Volume: in A the back row leans forward; in B she speaks so the back row can hear. Pronunciation: in A she rushes "aerodynamic" into "arrow-namic"; in B she slows down and says each part, "aer-o-dy-nam-ic," and explains what it means.

3. Guided Practice15 minutes

   Pairs label each paragraph of Model Presentation B with its job (claim, method, finding, conclusion) and check their labels against Diagram 1. Then each partner delivers paragraphs 1 and 2 of B to the other from 3 meters away. The listener gives one piece of feedback for each delivery skill, using the checklist below, and the speaker tries again.

   Delivery checklist for a listener

   Skill	What to watch or listen for	Quick fix
   Eye contact	Does the speaker look up at the start of each sentence and at different parts of the room?	Put a dot on the note card after each sentence as a reminder to look up
   Volume	Can you hear every word from where you sit without leaning forward?	Speak to the back wall, not to the front row
   Pronunciation	Is any word rushed, dropped or hard to understand?	Circle hard words on the card and say them aloud three times before presenting

   Debrief. Ask pairs which skill was hardest to fix on the second try. Point out that Maya's revision is longer than her draft, not shorter: she cut the details that were off the point but added what listeners needed (the question, the method, the averages and a description), and every sentence now serves the claim.

4. Independent Practice15 minutes

   Students now apply the standard to a talk about a story's theme. A theme is a message about life that a story shows, and a fable is a very short story, often with animals or forces of nature as characters, that teaches a lesson. First read the fable aloud. Then read Model Presentation C, a sixth grader's one-minute talk claiming a theme for the fable, acting out the bracketed notes. Students then work alone on the quiz: questions 1-10, 18 and 19 are about the talk and the fable, question 17 uses Table 1, and the rest ask them to use the standard in new situations.

   1A dispute arose between the North Wind and the Sun, each claiming that he was stronger than the other. At last they agreed to try their powers upon a traveller, to see which could soonest strip him of his cloak. The North Wind had the first try; and, gathering up all his force for the attack, he came whirling furiously down upon the man, and caught up his cloak as though he would wrest it from him by one single effort: but the harder he blew, the more closely the man wrapped it round himself. Then came the turn of the Sun. At first he beamed gently upon the traveller, who soon unclasped his cloak and walked on with it hanging loosely about his shoulders: then he shone forth in his full strength, and the man, before he had gone many steps, was glad to throw his cloak right off and complete his journey more lightly clad.

   2Persuasion is better than force

   1[Leo walks to the front, waits until the room is quiet, and looks around at the class.] Good morning. My claim is that the theme of Aesop's fable "The North Wind and the Sun" is that persuading someone works better than forcing them. I'll show you three details from the fable that support my claim.

   2[Leo reads from his note card without looking up.] Aesop's fables are very old. People say Aesop lived in ancient Greece more than two thousand years ago. My copy of the fable comes from a book printed in 1912, and it has really nice pictures.

   3[Leo looks up.] First, the North Wind uses force. He comes "whirling furiously down upon the man" and tries to grab the cloak in one single effort. But the fable says that "the harder he blew, the more closely the man wrapped it round himself." The more the Wind forced him, the tighter the traveler held on.

   4Second, the Sun does not grab at all. At first he only "beamed gently" on the traveler, and the traveler "soon unclasped his cloak" by himself. [Leo's voice drops, and students in the back row lean forward.] Then the Sun shone in his full strength, and the man "was glad to throw his cloak right off." He was glad. Nobody had to pull it off him.

   5Third, the fable ends with a moral, a short lesson that the storyteller states. [Leo rushes the word "persuasion," and it sounds like "per-shun."] It says, "Persuasion is better than force."

   6My cousin has a cloak like that for Halloween, but his is purple.

   7[Leo looks up at the class again and speaks loudly and clearly.] So the North Wind's force failed, and the Sun won by making the traveler want to take off his cloak. That's why I think the theme is that persuading works better than forcing. Thank you.

5. Closure5 minutes

   Exit ticket: "Name the delivery skill (eye contact, volume or pronunciation) you will work on hardest in your next presentation, and one thing you will do to practice it." Keep the tickets and return them before the homework presentations.

   Teacher note. The fable is quoted exactly from a 1912 translation and keeps its British spelling ("traveller") and older words such as "wrest" (pull away) and "clad" (dressed). The three model presentations, the students and the airplane data are invented for teaching, and each transcript says so. Some students are anxious about eye contact or speaking loudly; let them rehearse with one partner first and build up to the class, and accept looking at foreheads or the tops of heads as a first step.

   Homework. Tonight students plan, rehearse and deliver a two-minute presentation of their own claim and findings to a family member or friend. Show them the directions and the rubric before they leave.

Differentiation Strategies

Assessment Guidance

1. Question 1 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   What is Leo's claim in Model Presentation C?

   AAesop's fables are very old and first came from storytellers in ancient Greece BThe theme of the fable is that persuading works better than forcing CThe North Wind is stronger than the Sun in the fable DHis copy of the fable has really nice pictures in it

2. Question 2 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Why are the details in paragraph 2 of Model Presentation C not pertinent to Leo's claim?

   AThey are false, because Aesop's fables were first printed in a book in 1912 BThey are too short to count as details in a presentation CThey are about the story's characters instead of its theme DThey describe the fable's age and the book's pictures, not the theme

3. Question 3 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   In paragraph 3, which quotation from the fable does Leo use to show that force does not work?

   A"A dispute arose between the North Wind and the Sun" B"the harder he blew, the more closely the man wrapped it round himself" C"each claiming that he was stronger than the other" D"complete his journey more lightly clad"

4. Question 4 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   In paragraph 4, Leo repeats "He was glad." Why is this detail pertinent to his claim?

   AIt shows the traveler chose to take off the cloak, which is the difference between persuading and forcing BIt shows that the traveler still had the rest of his journey to walk, as the fable says at the end CIt shows that the Sun was stronger and hotter than the North Wind from the very start DIt shows how the traveler felt about the North Wind when the Wind blew at him

5. Question 5 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Why does Leo present the North Wind (paragraph 3) before the Sun (paragraph 4)?

   ABecause a presenter should always put the shortest paragraph first BBecause the North Wind is the most important character in the fable CBecause it follows the fable's order, so the Sun's success comes after the Wind's failure DBecause the moral in paragraph 5 is about the North Wind and not about the Sun

6. Question 6 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   According to the bracketed notes, which delivery problem does Leo have in paragraph 2?

   AHe speaks too loudly, so listeners cover their ears BHe reads from his card without looking up at listeners CHe mispronounces the name "Aesop" several times in a row DHe walks to the front before the room is quiet

7. Question 7 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   In paragraph 4, Leo's "voice drops, and students in the back row lean forward." What should he do next time?

   ASpeak to the back wall so that every listener can hear without straining BShout the whole talk so that nobody could possibly miss even a single word CSpeed up during that paragraph so that it is over before anyone notices DLook down at the note card so that he can read the quotations correctly

8. Question 8 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   In paragraph 5, Leo rushes "persuasion" so that it sounds like "per-shun." Which fix is best?

   AReplace it with "force," because that word is shorter and easier BSay the word louder, but just as quickly as before CLeave the word out, since listeners can guess what it means DPractice it aloud beforehand, saying each part: per-SWAY-zhun

9. Question 9 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   What does paragraph 7 of Model Presentation C do?

   AIt adds a new finding that the talk has not mentioned before BIt explains how old Aesop's fables are and where they come from CIt sums up the two main details and returns to the claim DIt asks listeners a question and leaves the answer open

10. Question 10 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Besides paragraph 2, which paragraph of Model Presentation C could Leo cut without losing any support for his claim?

    AParagraph 3 BParagraph 4 CParagraph 5 DParagraph 6

11. Question 11 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    A student surveyed 30 classmates about school lunches. Which opening presents her claim most clearly?

    A"Um, so I asked some people some questions about lunch and stuff." B"My survey shows that most of our class wants a salad bar: 21 of 30 classmates said yes." C"Lunch is at 11:45, and the cafeteria has twelve tables and two long serving lines." D"I like pizza the best, but my brother likes tacos, and my dad likes soup."

12. Question 12 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    A student presents the finding "Our school's cafeteria throws away about 40 kilograms of food a day." Which description would best accentuate this finding?

    A"That's about as heavy as a sixth grader, thrown away every single day." B"The cafeteria opened in 1998 and was painted blue last summer." C"Kilograms are part of the metric system, which scientists use all over the world." D"I think food waste is a really bad and sad thing to have."

13. Question 13 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    A student presents her findings to her group in the library while another class is working at the next tables. Which volume is appropriate?

    AAs loud as she would speak in the gym, so her voice carries over everything BA whisper, so that nobody at the other tables can hear anything she says CSoft at first, then louder at the end when she gives her conclusion DLoud enough for everyone in her group to hear, without disturbing the other class

14. Question 14 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Jaden has memorized the first sentence of each part of his talk. How does this help his eye contact?

    AHe can stare at the teacher the whole time, since the teacher is grading him BHe can look up at listeners while he says each opening sentence CHe will not need to speak loudly, because his listeners will already know the words DHe can talk much faster, so the presentation will be over sooner

15. Question 15 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Which of these is a pronunciation problem, not an eye-contact or volume problem?

    ASaying "libary" when the word is "library" BLooking at the floor during the whole talk CSpeaking so softly that the back row leans in DStaring at one friend and ignoring everyone else

16. Question 16 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    A student's findings talk has four parts: (1) the conclusion, (2) the findings with facts, (3) the question and main finding, and (4) how the test was done. In which order should she present them?

    A1, 2, 3, 4 B4, 2, 1, 3 C2, 4, 3, 1 D3, 4, 2, 1

17. Question 17 of 20 · Short Answer

    Using Table 1, write two sentences that Maya could add to present a finding about the square-wing plane. Include its average distance and one description that makes the number easy to picture.

    Show model answer

18. Question 18 of 20 · Short Answer

    Leo wants to add one real-life detail, just before his conclusion, that accentuates his theme. Write the one or two sentences he could add, and explain in one sentence why your detail is pertinent.

    Show model answer

19. Question 19 of 20 · Short Answer

    Leo's delivery is strongest in paragraphs 1 and 7. Quote one bracketed note that shows good eye contact and one that shows good volume. Then give Leo a pronunciation tip for one word in his paragraph 3 quotations that a sixth grader might rush.

    Show model answer

20. Question 20 of 20 · Short Answer

    A student has these notes about a bird-feeder test (invented): "Feeder by the window: 34 bird visits in one week. Feeder by the fence: 12 visits. Both feeders had the same seed. I painted the fence feeder green. Question: where should the class put its new feeder?" Write an opening sentence that presents the claim, then list the rest of the talk in a logical order. Say which note you would leave out and why.

    Show model answer

These standards connect to SL.6.4: prerequisites to review first, parallel standards at the same level, and next steps that build on it.

Standard text: Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy. © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.