SL.7.4: Presenting Claims and Findings with Salient Points
In plain English: SL.7.4 is the Common Core grade 7 ELA standard that asks students to present claims and findings in a focused, coherent way that makes the most important (salient) points stand out, using pertinent descriptions, facts, details and examples. It also asks for appropriate eye contact, adequate volume and clear pronunciation. It builds on SL.6.4 and leads to SL.8.4.
Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with pertinent descriptions, facts, details, and examples; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy · Domain: Speaking and Listening Standards · Cluster: Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas · Official standard
In grade 6, students learned to put their findings in a logical order. SL.7.4 asks for more control: a presenter must emphasize salient points, the few most important points that listeners should remember, and keep the whole talk focused (every part serves the claim) and coherent (each part connects clearly to the next). A claim is a statement the presenter wants listeners to accept, and a finding is something the presenter found out by measuring, counting, surveying or reading. The support must be pertinent, meaning connected to the point: descriptions that help listeners picture it, facts and details that prove it, and examples that show it in real life. The standard also asks for appropriate eye contact, adequate volume and clear pronunciation.
The lesson is built on two model presentations written for this page, with invented students and data. In Model Presentation A, a seventh grader reports her science class's measurements of how hot the ground gets at lunch and asks the school site council for a shade cover; it shows strong choices, and Table 1 shows the data she chose from. In Model Presentation B, a seventh grader reports his class's interviews with grandparents about after-school life around 1975; it mixes strong and weak choices and is the basis of the quiz. Because the page cannot play sound, bracketed notes in each transcript describe the delivery.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
Present a claim and the findings behind it, stating the main finding early and returning to it at the end
Choose the salient points from a set of findings and emphasize them with pertinent facts, descriptions, details and examples
Keep a presentation focused by cutting details that do not serve the claim, and coherent by linking each part to the next
Use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume and clear pronunciation, and give a classmate specific feedback on each
Prior Knowledge Required
Students should already be comfortable with:
Presenting claims and findings in a logical order with pertinent descriptions, facts and details SL.6.4
Writing informative texts that develop a topic with relevant facts, definitions, details and examples W.6.2
Finding a percent of a quantity as a rate per 100 6.RP.A.3
"Think of an announcement, a video or a talk you heard this week. What is the one thing you still remember from it? Why do you think that part stuck?"
Collect a few answers. Most of what sticks has something in common: the speaker said it early or said it twice, gave a number or a picture to go with it, or slowed down for it. Write salient on the board and define it: standing out as the most important. Today students learn to make their own main points salient, both in what they say and in how they say it.
Direct Instruction20 minutes
Part 1: The words of the standard. Students keep this table for the activities and the homework.
The words of SL.7.4
Term
What it means
In a presentation
Claim and findings
What you want listeners to accept, and what you found out that backs it up
State the main finding in the first 30 seconds
Salient point
One of the few most important points; the part listeners must remember
Two or three per talk, each said clearly and repeated at the end
Focused
Every part serves the claim
Cut details that are true but off the point
Coherent
Each part connects to the one before it
Use signal words: "Our first finding," "That is why," "So"
Pertinent
Connected to the point you are making
Ask of each detail: does this help prove or picture my claim?
Descriptions, facts, details, examples
Words that help listeners picture it; numbers and facts that prove it; small specifics; real cases that show it
Pair each salient fact with a description or an example
Eye contact
Looking at listeners, in different parts of the room, most of the time
Look up for every salient sentence; glance at notes between sentences
Adequate volume
Loud enough for the farthest listener to hear without straining
Wait for quiet; speak a little louder, not faster, for key points
Clear pronunciation
Saying every sound of every word so listeners understand it
Practice hard words aloud in syllables before presenting
Part 2: The data behind a talk. Jada's science class measured six surfaces around the school at lunch (invented data, Table 1 and Diagram 1). Ask: "If you had one minute, which of these numbers would you tell the council, and why?" Take two or three answers, then read Model Presentation A aloud, acting out the bracketed notes. Students listen first with the text face down, then read it.
Table 1: Surface temperatures at Jada's school (invented data: measured with an infrared thermometer at 1:00 p.m. on a sunny September day, air temperature 88°F)
Surface
Temperature (°F)
Used at lunch?
Artificial turf field
146
Yes
Blacktop basketball court
131
Yes
Metal bleacher seat
127
No (used at games)
Concrete walkway, in sun
112
Only to walk through
Grass field
92
No (closed at lunch)
Concrete under the lunch-area roof
89
Yes
1[Jada waits until the room is quiet, then looks at the council members one by one.] Good afternoon. Our science class measured how hot the ground gets where students spend lunch. Our main finding is this: the open places where most of us play at lunch are the hottest places we measured, and shade makes a big difference. So we are asking the council to put a shade cover over the blacktop court.
2Here is how we measured. On a sunny afternoon in September, when the air was 88 degrees Fahrenheit, we used an infrared thermometer, a tool that measures how hot a surface is without touching it. At 1:00, in the middle of lunch, we measured six surfaces around the school.
3Our first finding is that the places where we play at lunch are the hottest. [Jada points to the chart, then turns back to face the council before she speaks again.] The artificial turf field measured 146 degrees. That's 58 degrees hotter than the air. The blacktop basketball court measured 131 degrees. Those are the two places where most students play at lunch. When Mr. Dunn held PE class on the turf last week, students told him they could feel the heat through their sneakers.
4Our second finding is that shade makes a big difference. [Jada slows down and speaks a little louder.] Look at the concrete. The concrete walkway in the sun measured 112 degrees. The same kind of concrete under the roof of the lunch area measured 89 degrees. Same material, same time of day. The only difference is shade, and it made the concrete 23 degrees cooler.
5[Jada says the word "asphalt" slowly and clearly: AS-fawlt.] The blacktop court is made of asphalt, which is dark and soaks up sunlight. A shade cover would block that sunlight, the same way the roof over the lunch area already does.
6So here is what we found. The places where we play at lunch are the hottest places we measured, and shade made the same concrete 23 degrees cooler. Please put a shade cover over the blacktop court. [Jada looks around the whole room.] Thank you. We're happy to answer questions.
Written for this page (the student, teacher, school, council and all measurements are invented), Where Lunch Gets Hot (Model Presentation A: a seventh grader's findings for the school site council). Original passage written for this page.
Presenting the claim and findings (paragraph 1)
Compare an unfocused opening, "Um, so our class did a thing with a thermometer, and it's really cool because it has a laser," with Jada's paragraph 1. What does hers do that the other does not?
Result: Jada states the main finding in her first few sentences ("the open places where most of us play at lunch are the hottest places we measured, and shade makes a big difference") and then the claim, her request for a shade cover. Listeners know from the start what the numbers will prove. The unfocused opening names the tool and a detail about the laser, but no finding and no claim.
Emphasizing salient points with pertinent facts (paragraphs 3-4 and Table 1)
Table 1 has six numbers. Which does Jada use, and how does she make them stand out?
Result: She uses the four that prove her two salient points. Point 1: the turf (146°F) and the blacktop (131°F) are the hottest places, and she turns 146 into a comparison listeners can feel: 146 - 88 = 58 degrees hotter than the air. Point 2: the same concrete measured 112°F in the sun and 89°F in the shade, so 112 - 89 = 23 degrees of cooling came from shade alone. She leaves out the bleachers (127°F), which are hot but not used at lunch, so they would pull listeners away from her claim.
Focused and coherent with an example and a description (paragraphs 2-6)
How does each paragraph connect to the next, and where does Jada use an example and a description?
Result: Claim (1), method (2), finding 1 (3), finding 2 (4), why shade works (5), conclusion (6). Signal words link the parts: "Here is how we measured," "Our first finding," "Our second finding," "So here is what we found." The example in paragraph 3 (students in PE could feel the heat through their sneakers) shows the finding in real life. The description in paragraph 5 (asphalt is dark and soaks up sunlight) helps listeners picture why a cover would work. Paragraph 6 repeats both salient points and the request.
Delivery: eye contact, volume and pronunciation (the bracketed notes)
What delivery choices does Jada make, and why do they fit a presentation to a council?
Result: Eye contact: she looks at each council member before she starts, turns back to face them after pointing to the chart, and looks around the room at the end. Volume: she waits for quiet so that she does not have to shout, and she speaks a little louder, and slower, for her second salient point. Pronunciation: she says "asphalt" slowly and clearly as AS-fawlt, a word many people say as "ash-fault."
Show Diagram 1, the bar chart of Table 1, and Diagram 2, the structure of Model Presentation A. Point out that the chart makes the salient points visible: the two tallest bars are the lunch play areas, and the two concrete bars differ only by shade. Stress that emphasizing is not the same as repeating: Jada says each salient point once with its evidence and once in the conclusion.
Guided Practice15 minutes
Pairs do two things with Model Presentation A. First, they highlight the two salient points wherever they appear and circle the example and the description. Then they discuss: "Table 1 shows the grass field at 92°F. Jada left it out. Was that a fair choice?" Second, each partner delivers paragraph 4 to the other from across the room, pausing for a beat before "23 degrees cooler" and looking up for that sentence. The listener gives one piece of feedback for each delivery skill.
Debrief. Pairs should find the salient points in paragraphs 1, 3, 4 and 6. On the grass field, accept both sides when students give reasons: leaving it out keeps the talk focused on the lunch play areas, but a council member could ask "Why not let students eat on the grass?", so Jada should be ready to answer (it is closed at lunch). A focused talk leaves details out on purpose, and a good presenter still knows them. Ask a few pairs to show paragraph 4 with the pause; the class names what made "23 degrees cooler" stand out.
Independent Practice15 minutes
Students now work alone on Model Presentation B, an interview report with strong and weak choices. Read it aloud once, acting out the bracketed notes, while students listen with the text face down. Then they read it and answer the quiz: questions 1-10 and 16-19 are about Model Presentation B, and the rest use the standard in new situations.
1[Marcus walks to the front and starts talking while the class is still settling down.] Our class interviewed 12 grandparents and older neighbors about what they did after school when they were our age, around 1975. Our main finding is that they spent a lot more time playing outside than we do, but they had fewer organized activities, like teams and lessons.
2[Marcus looks up at the class.] First, they played outside almost every day. Ten of the 12 people we interviewed said they played outside most afternoons until dinner. Mrs. Petrakis told us, "We made up our own games in the alley, and nobody's mom knew exactly where we were." Picture a whole street full of kids at four o'clock, and not one parent watching.
3Second, they had fewer organized activities. Only 3 of the 12 were on a team or took lessons after school. In our class, 19 of 26 students are on a team or take lessons. [Marcus reads the numbers from his notes without looking up, and his voice drops.] So kids today have more activities, but less time to make up their own games.
4Mr. Hale also told me that his first car was a green station wagon. It broke down on the highway on the way to his wedding, and he had to walk two miles in his suit.
5Television was different too. [Marcus rushes the word "especially," and it sounds like "ex-specially."] There were only a few channels, especially on Saturday mornings, when the cartoons were on. Also, some people walked to the library after school. [He says "library" as "lie-berry."] Five of them said they had chores.
6[Marcus looks around the room and speaks loudly enough for the back row.] So here's what we learned. When our grandparents were our age, they spent their afternoons outside, making up their own games. We have more teams and lessons, but maybe we should save some time just to play. Thank you.
Written for this page (the student, the class, the people interviewed, their words and all counts are invented), After School Around 1975 (Model Presentation B: a seventh grader reports his class's interview findings). Original passage written for this page.
Closure5 minutes
Exit ticket: "Write the one sentence you would want listeners to remember from your next presentation. Then name the delivery move you will use to make that sentence stand out." Keep the tickets for the homework conference.
Teacher note. Both model presentations, their speakers and all data are invented for teaching, and each transcript says so. Clear pronunciation is not the same as losing an accent: students with regional or home-language accents meet the standard when listeners can understand every word. Some students find sustained eye contact uncomfortable, including some autistic students and some students from cultures in which direct eye contact with an adult can seem disrespectful; looking at foreheads or at different parts of the room is appropriate, and the goal is connecting with the audience rather than staring.
Homework. Tonight students plan, rehearse and give a two- to three-minute presentation of their own findings to a family member or friend. Go over the directions and the rubric before they leave.
Differentiation Strategies
For Struggling Students
Give a presentation frame with sentence starters: "Our main finding is ...," "Here is how we found out ...," "Our first finding is ...," "Our second finding is ...," "So ..."
Let students mark their note card with a star next to each salient sentence as a reminder to look up and slow down
Have students rehearse with one partner before presenting to a group, and let them record a practice run to hear their own volume
For Advanced Students
Write a 20-second answer Jada could give if a council member asked why she left out the grass field
Revise Model Presentation B into a talk of about 60 seconds that keeps both salient points and adds one pertinent example
Present one finding two ways, once with only a number and once with the number and a description, and ask listeners which they remember an hour later
Assessment Guidance
What to Look For
Strong presentations state the claim and the main finding early, keep every part tied to them, and pair each salient point with a pertinent fact and a description or example. Watch for talks that list every finding with equal weight, talks that save the main point for the end, and "interesting" details that pull listeners off the point. In delivery, watch whether the student looks up for the key sentences, whether the farthest listener can hear without straining, and whether hard words are practiced. Give feedback on one content skill and one delivery skill at a time.
02
Classroom Activities
3 Activities
1
Salient or Not?
12 minPairs
Pairs get a findings card with 8 facts from an invented class study, choose the salient points, cut what does not fit, and write a focused 20-second opening.
The Findings Card: Steps During the School Day (invented)
Fact 1: 24 seventh graders wore step counters from 8:00 to 3:00 on one school day.
Fact 2: The 24 students averaged about 5,400 steps during the school day.
Fact 3: The 10 students who had PE that day averaged 7,900 steps; the 14 who did not averaged 3,600.
Fact 4: Each of the 6 passing periods added about 250 steps.
Fact 5: The step counters were borrowed from the PE department, and they are purple.
Fact 6: The most steps were 10,850, by a student who had PE and ran two errands to the office.
Fact 7: One student's counter fell off at lunch and was found under a table.
Fact 8: The fewest steps were 2,100, by a student who had no PE and spent lunch in the library.
Procedure
Decide on one claim the card supports and write it in one sentence
Choose the two salient points and the facts that prove each one
Cross out the 2 facts that are not pertinent to any claim about steps
Write a 20-second opening that states the main finding first and adds one description or comparison; then read it aloud to your partner
Discussion Questions
Fact 3 shows that PE students took more than twice as many steps. Why is that more salient than the average in Fact 2?
Facts 5 and 7 are true and a little funny. Why cut them anyway?
2
Say It So It Sticks
15 minGroups of 3
Students rotate through three roles, speaker, eye-contact coach and voice coach, while each delivers the 20-second opening from Activity 1.
Hard-Words Warm-Up
Each group says these words aloud together, first slowly in syllables and then at normal speed: asphalt (AS-fawlt, not "ash-fault"), probably (PROB-ub-lee, all three syllables), specific (spih-SIF-ik, not "pacific"), recognize (REK-ug-nize, with the g) and government (GUV-ern-ment, with the n).
Procedure
The speaker stands at one end of the room, and the voice coach sits at the farthest seat
The eye-contact coach tallies each sentence: did the speaker look up for it or not?
The voice coach raises a hand whenever a word is too soft or unclear, and writes that word down
Each speaker delivers the opening twice, the second time pausing before the salient sentence and looking up for all of it; then rotate roles
Discussion Questions
How did the tallies change from the first run to the second?
What can a speaker do in a noisy room, other than shouting?
Variation for Online Classes
Speakers present on camera; the eye-contact coach tallies the sentences in which the speaker seems to be looking at the viewers, and the voice coach listens through speakers set to a low volume.
3
One-Minute Findings Talk
15 minGroups of 4
Each group turns a research notes card with more facts than it needs into a focused, coherent one-minute talk, and the class checks whether the salient points came through.
The Research Notes Cards (invented)
Card A, Batteries: A class ran three brands of AA batteries in identical flashlights until they went dark. Brand X lasted 11 hours and costs $1.25 a battery; Brand Y lasted 9.5 hours and costs $1.00; the store brand lasted 10.5 hours and costs $0.60. The store brand's package is green. Brand X has a cartoon mascot.
Card B, Paper towels: A class soaked single sheets of three paper towel brands and measured the water each held. Brand P held 28 mL, Brand Q held 41 mL and Brand R held 34 mL. A roll of Q has 60 sheets; a roll of P and a roll of R each have 90. One student spilled the water twice. Brand R's roll has a flower pattern.
Procedure
Agree on a claim and two salient points, and cross out the details that are not pertinent
Split the talk: claim, finding 1, finding 2, conclusion; each member presents one part and links it to the part before with a signal word
Add one description or example that makes a salient point easy to picture
After the talk, every listener writes the salient points on an index card; the group counts how many cards name them
Discussion Questions
On Card A, Brand X lasted longest. Why might a group's salient point still be about the store brand?
What did the most successful group do to make its salient points stick?
Modification for Large Classes
Give two groups the same card and have them present one after the other; the class compares which salient points each group chose.
03
Diagrams & Visual Aids
2 diagrams
Diagram 1: The Data Behind Model Presentation A
A bar chart of Table 1 (invented data), drawn to scale from 0°F, with the air temperature as a dashed line. The two tallest bars are the lunch play areas, the turf and the blacktop, and the two concrete bars differ only by shade. These are Jada's two salient points.
Diagram 2: How Model Presentation A Is Built
The six paragraphs of Model Presentation A (invented) in order, following the arrows: the job and content of each, and in blue its delivery move or signal words. The conclusion returns to the claim, which keeps the talk focused and coherent. Use it in Direct Instruction and Guided Practice.
04
Homework Assignment
~30 min
SL.7.4 Homework: Give a Findings Talk at Home
Directions: Find something out tonight with a small test, a count or a short survey of at least five people (for example, "Which room in our home gets the most sunlight?" or "How long do the people in my family spend getting ready in the morning?"). Then plan, rehearse and give a presentation of two to three minutes to a family member or friend. Answer in complete sentences.
Part 1: Claim and Salient Points (Problems 1-2)
Write your question, how you found the answer, and every finding you collected. Then write your claim in one sentence.
Choose the two salient points. For each, write the fact or number that proves it and one description or example that makes it easy to picture.
Part 2: Focus and Coherence (Problems 3-4)
List two true details you decided to leave out, and explain in a sentence each why they would pull listeners away from your claim.
Make a note card with key words only for each part: claim, method, finding 1, finding 2, conclusion. Write the signal word or phrase you will use to link each part to the one before.
Part 3: Deliver and Reflect (Problems 5-6)
Circle every hard word on your note card and practice each aloud in syllables. Then give your presentation. Ask your listener to say back your two salient points and to rate your eye contact, volume and pronunciation from 1 to 3. Record what the listener said.
In four or five sentences, reflect: did your listener name both salient points? Which delivery skill was strongest, which was weakest, and what exactly will you change next time?
Rubric
Criterion
Full Credit (2 pts)
Partial Credit (1 pt)
No Credit (0 pts)
Claim and Findings
A clear claim stated early, with findings from a real test, count or survey
A claim that is vague or appears only at the end
No claim or no findings
Salient Points
Two salient points, each with a pertinent fact and a description or example
Salient points named, but one lacks a fact or a description
Findings listed with equal weight
Focus and Coherence
Two cut details explained, and a note card with a signal word linking every part
Details cut without reasons, or links missing for some parts
Off-topic details kept and no links
Delivery
Hard words practiced, listener ratings and feedback recorded, and a specific reflection
Ratings recorded but reflection general
Presentation not given
05
Quiz: 20 Questions
Interactive, with answers
Instructions
Questions 1-10 and 16-19 are about Model Presentation B, the interview report in the Independent Practice phase of the lesson plan. Questions 11-15 and 20 ask you to use the standard in new situations. All students, people and data are invented. Your score updates as you answer, and Reset quiz clears everything so you or your students can try again.
Multiple choice: pick an option to check it. Short answer: write your answer, then reveal the model answer.
0 of 20 answered · 0 correct
Question 1 of 20 · Multiple Choice
What main finding does Marcus present in paragraph 1 of Model Presentation B?
Answer: C
Paragraph 1 says, "Our main finding is that they spent a lot more time playing outside than we do, but they had fewer organized activities, like teams and lessons." Choice A takes an off-focus detail from paragraph 5. Choice B overstates the gentler suggestion in paragraph 6. Choice D describes the method, how the class found out, not the finding.
Question 2 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which paragraph is least focused, because none of it serves Marcus's claim?
Answer: A
The station wagon story may be true and funny, but it is about a car and a wedding, not about after-school time, so it pulls listeners away from both salient points. Choices B and C each prove one of the two findings from paragraph 1. Choice D is the conclusion, which returns to the claim.
Question 3 of 20 · Multiple Choice
What is the main problem with paragraph 5?
Answer: B
Paragraph 5 is not coherent: it jumps from television to the library to chores, and no signal word or sentence ties television, the library or chores to the main finding. Choice A is wrong because length is not the problem; a short paragraph can hold a finding. Choice C is wrong because a number ("Five of them") is pertinent support when it proves a point. Choice D is wrong because paragraph 5 never mentions playing outside.
Question 4 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Marcus wants to state his first finding (paragraph 2) as a percent. What percent of the 12 people said they played outside most afternoons?
Answer: D
10 out of 12 is 10 ÷ 12 ≈ 0.83, or about 83%. Choice A finds the share who did not: 2 ÷ 12 ≈ 17%. Choice B divides the wrong way: 12 ÷ 10 = 1.2, or 120%, which is impossible for a share of a group. Choice C reads the count, 10, as if it were a percent.
Question 5 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which detail in Model Presentation B is an example that supports the finding about playing outside?
Answer: C
Mrs. Petrakis's words, "We made up our own games in the alley," are a real case that shows the first finding in action. Choice A is from the off-focus paragraph 4. Choice B is a fact that supports the second finding, not the first. Choice D is a detail from paragraph 5 that is not tied to either finding.
Question 6 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In paragraph 2, Marcus says, "Picture a whole street full of kids at four o'clock, and not one parent watching." What does this sentence add?
Answer: A
The sentence asks listeners to imagine the scene, which makes the first finding vivid and memorable; that is what a pertinent description does. Choice B is wrong because nobody counted the kids on a street. Choice C is wrong because the image is about the finding. Choice D is wrong because this is Marcus speaking; the quotation is Mrs. Petrakis's, in the sentence before.
Question 7 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In paragraph 3, Marcus compares 3 of 12 grandparents then with 19 of 26 students in his class now. Which percents should he give to make the comparison clear?
Answer: D
3 ÷ 12 = 0.25, or 25%, and 19 ÷ 26 ≈ 0.73, or about 73%. Percents let listeners compare groups of different sizes. Choice A reads the counts as percents. Choice B divides 3 by 9, the number who were not on a team, instead of by all 12. Choice C divides the wrong way: 12 ÷ 3 = 4 and 26 ÷ 19 ≈ 1.37.
Question 8 of 20 · Multiple Choice
According to the bracketed note in paragraph 1, Marcus "starts talking while the class is still settling down." What should he do next time?
Answer: B
Starting in a noisy room means his main finding, the most salient sentence, is lost. Waiting for quiet lets an ordinary speaking voice carry to the back row, and looking up first makes contact with listeners. Choice A makes words harder to understand. Choice C gives up the claim. Choice D is not adequate volume; the goal is to be heard, not to shout.
Question 9 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In paragraph 3, Marcus "reads the numbers from his notes without looking up, and his voice drops." Why does this hurt his presentation most?
Answer: C
The counts in paragraph 3 are the evidence for his second salient point, so they are the sentences where he most needs eye contact and adequate volume. A better move is to glance at the numbers, look up, and say them clearly. Choice A is too strict; glancing at notes for exact numbers is fine. Choice B invents a grading rule. Choice D is not true; four numbers take only seconds.
Question 10 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In paragraph 5, Marcus says "library" as "lie-berry." Which advice would best fix this?
Answer: D
Practicing a hard word slowly in syllables, with both r sounds, and then at normal speed is the usual fix for a pronunciation slip. Choice A is not needed; "library" is the right word, it just needs practice. Choice B makes the slip worse. Choice C avoids the problem instead of fixing it, although in this case the sentence is off focus anyway.
Question 11 of 20 · Multiple Choice
A student will present findings from a survey about school start times. Which opening is the most focused?
Answer: B
Choice B states a finding with a fact and the claim it supports in one sentence, so listeners know the point from the start. Choice A names a topic but gives no finding. Choice C drifts to a gym and a pool, which are not pertinent. Choice D is about the method before listeners know why it matters.
Question 12 of 20 · Multiple Choice
A student claims, "Our town should add a crossing guard at Oak Street and Fifth Avenue." Which detail is most pertinent?
Answer: C
The count shows that many students cross there, which is the reason a guard is needed, so it is connected to the claim. Choices A and D are about the street and the neighborhood, not about safety. Choice B is about a different school's guard and only describes a vest.
Question 13 of 20 · Multiple Choice
A student is presenting to her class on a video call. What is appropriate eye contact?
Answer: A
On a video call, listeners see a speaker as looking at them only when she looks into the camera lens. Choice B looks at the screen, which appears to viewers as looking down or away. Choice C means no eye contact at all. Choice D avoids the audience.
Question 14 of 20 · Multiple Choice
A student will present to about 150 people in the school gym with no microphone. What is the best way to reach adequate volume?
Answer: D
Facing the audience and aiming the voice at the farthest listeners makes it carry, and slowing down keeps words clear in a large room with echoes. Choice A will not reach the back of a gym. Choice B is too loud and strains the voice. Choice C blocks the sound instead of aiming it.
Question 15 of 20 · Multiple Choice
A student's first finding is that the school's recycling bins are often full by noon. Which sentence best links this to her second finding, that most of what is in the bins is paper?
Answer: C
Choice C turns the first finding into a question that the second finding answers, which makes the talk coherent. Choice A is off the point. Choice B is a general statement that links nothing. Choice D tells listeners that the talk is about to lose its connection.
Question 16 of 20 · Short Answer
Rewrite paragraph 5 of Model Presentation B so that it is focused and coherent, or explain why Marcus should cut it. Either way, give a reason tied to his claim.
Model answer (revise): "That free time outside came partly because there was less to do indoors. Several people told us that there were only a few TV channels, so after the Saturday cartoons, kids went back outside." This version links television to the main finding with "That free time outside came partly because." Model answer (cut): Marcus should cut paragraph 5, because television, the library and chores do not prove either salient point, and cutting it lets him get to his conclusion sooner. Rubric: full credit for a revision that connects to the claim with a signal word, or a cut explained by the claim; partial credit for a revision that is focused but has no link; no credit for keeping all three topics.
Question 17 of 20 · Short Answer
Write a new conclusion for Marcus of two or three sentences that repeats both salient points, each with one pertinent fact from his talk.
Model answer: "So here's what we learned. Around 1975, 10 of the 12 people we interviewed played outside most afternoons, but only 3 of 12 were on a team or took lessons. Today, 19 of the 26 students in our class have a team or lessons, so maybe we should save some time just to play." Rubric: full credit for both salient points, each with an accurate fact from paragraphs 2 and 3; partial credit for both points with only one fact, or one point with its fact; no credit for a conclusion that adds a new, unsupported point.
Question 18 of 20 · Short Answer
Give Marcus one specific delivery tip for each skill: eye contact, volume and pronunciation. For each, quote the bracketed note that shows the problem.
Model answer: Eye contact: "reads the numbers from his notes without looking up" (paragraph 3); glance at the numbers, then look up and say them to the room. Volume: "his voice drops" (paragraph 3) and "starts talking while the class is still settling down" (paragraph 1); wait for quiet and keep his voice as strong in the middle as at the end, where he "speaks loudly enough for the back row." Pronunciation: "it sounds like 'ex-specially'" (paragraph 5); practice "especially" in syllables, ih-SPESH-uh-lee, with no x sound. Rubric: full credit for three accurate quotations of bracketed notes with a specific tip each; partial credit for two; no credit for tips with no quotations.
Question 19 of 20 · Short Answer
Marcus's talk has one example and one description. Write one more pertinent example he could add to paragraph 3 to make the second salient point easy to picture, and explain in one sentence why it fits.
Model answer: "For example, my own week has soccer on Monday and Wednesday, piano on Tuesday and swim team on Friday, so the only free afternoon I have is Thursday." It fits because it shows in one real week what "more organized activities" means for a seventh grader today, the second half of his finding. Rubric: full credit for an example tied to organized activities then or now and a clear reason; partial credit for an example that fits but is not explained; no credit for an example about a different topic.
Question 20 of 20 · Short Answer
A student's notes for a talk claiming "Our school should start a book swap shelf" include: (1) 38 of 50 students surveyed said they have books at home they have finished; (2) the student's favorite book has a blue cover; (3) a nearby library's swap shelf traded 400 books in its first year; (4) the student once read a book in one night. Which two notes should the talk keep as salient support, and why?
Model answer: Keep notes 1 and 3. Note 1 is a fact that shows students have books to share (38 of 50, or 76%), and note 3 is an example of a swap shelf that worked, which helps listeners picture the idea. Notes 2 and 4 are true but not pertinent: a book cover and reading speed say nothing about whether a swap shelf would work. Rubric: full credit for choosing notes 1 and 3 with a reason tied to the claim for each; partial credit for the right notes without reasons; no credit for keeping note 2 or 4 as salient support.
0 of 20 answered · 0 correct
06
Frequently Asked Questions
10 Questions
What does SL.7.4 mean?
SL.7.4 means that seventh graders can present a claim and their findings so that the most important points stand out, the talk stays on topic and each part connects to the next. They support those points with pertinent descriptions, facts, details and examples, and they deliver the talk with appropriate eye contact, adequate volume and clear pronunciation.
What does "salient points" mean in SL.7.4?
Salient points are the few most important points of a presentation, the ones listeners must remember. A presenter makes them salient by stating them early, pairing each with a strong fact and a description or example, slowing down for them, and repeating them in the conclusion.
How is SL.7.4 different from SL.6.4?
SL.6.4 asks students to sequence ideas logically; SL.7.4 asks them to emphasize salient points in a focused, coherent manner. In grade 7, putting findings in order is no longer enough: students decide which points matter most, cut what does not serve the claim, and add examples to the descriptions, facts and details. The delivery skills stay the same.
What is the difference between focused and coherent?
Focused means everything in the talk serves the claim; coherent means each part connects clearly to the next. A talk can be focused but not coherent, with every point on topic but no links between them, or coherent but not focused, flowing smoothly into a story that is off the point.
Does clear pronunciation mean speaking without an accent?
No. Clear pronunciation means listeners can understand every word, and every accent can do that. The goal is to say each sound of each word, practice hard words and names beforehand, and avoid rushing or mumbling.
What if a student is uncomfortable making eye contact?
Offer other ways to connect with the audience. Looking at foreheads, at different parts of the room or at friendly faces meets the purpose of the skill. Build up from presenting to one partner, to a small group, to the class, and let the student look up at least for the salient sentences.
Does SL.7.4 require slides or visuals?
No. SL.7.4 is about what the presenter says and how. Using multimedia and visual displays to clarify claims and emphasize salient points is the next standard, SL.7.5. A chart like Diagram 1 on this page can support a talk, but the talk must make its points without one.
How long should a grade 7 presentation be?
There is no length in the standard; two to four minutes is a common range for a classroom presentation. Shorter talks make focus easier to practice: a one-minute talk with two salient points is a good first goal, as in Activity 3.
How do I grade SL.7.4 presentations?
Grade content and delivery separately. For content, check whether the claim comes early, whether two or three salient points each have pertinent support, and whether every part serves the claim and links to the next. For delivery, rate eye contact, volume and pronunciation. The homework rubric on this page covers all of these, and a listener who can repeat the salient points is good evidence that they came through.
How can parents help with SL.7.4 at home?
Be the audience. Ask your child to present something they found out, then say back the main points you heard; if you cannot, the talk needs more focus. Sit across the room so that they practice volume, and ask them to say any hard words slowly first.
07
Related Standards
5 standards
These standards connect to SL.7.4: prerequisites to review first, parallel standards at the same level, and next steps that build on it.
Before this lesson
SL.6.4Prerequisite
Present claims and findings in logical order with pertinent descriptions and facts
