Overview

Lesson Procedure

65-75 minutes of class time across 5 phases.

1. Warm-Up10 minutes
2. Direct Instruction20 minutes
3. Guided Practice15 minutes
4. Independent Practice15-20 minutes
5. Closure5-10 minutes

1. Warm-Up10 minutes

   Warm-Up Prompt

   "Think of two people you talked to yesterday who are very different, for example a friend and a teacher, or a coach and a store clerk. Write down how you said hello to each one. What else about the way you talked changed, besides the greeting?"

   Give students three minutes to write, then collect answers on the board in four columns: words ("hey" or "good morning"), grammar (full sentences or fragments), length and tone. Students usually find they already change the way they speak many times a day without planning it.

   Name the idea: a register is the variety of language a speaker chooses for a particular context, from the relaxed register of friends to the formal register of an interview or a ceremony. SL.9-10.6 asks students to make that change on purpose: to adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, and to show command of formal English when the situation indicates it or makes it appropriate. Informal speech is not a mistake; the skill is choosing well.

2. Direct Instruction20 minutes

   Part 1: The words in the standard. Walk through the table. Stress two points. First, context has four parts students can check before they speak: who is listening, why they are speaking, where it happens and through what medium (face to face, phone, microphone, video). Second, the standard points to the grades 9-10 Language standards for what "command of formal English" means: the grammar and usage conventions of L.9-10.1 and the choices for meaning and style in L.9-10.3.

   The key terms in SL.9-10.6

   Term	What it means when you speak	Question to ask
   Context	The audience, purpose, setting and medium of a speaking situation	"Who is listening, why, where and how?"
   Task	The job the speech must do: answer, request, inform, thank, persuade	"What should happen when I finish?"
   Register	How formal or informal the language is	"How would a respected speaker sound here?"
   Formal English	Standard grammar and usage, precise words, complete answers, no slang	"Would this hold up in an interview?"
   When indicated	Someone or something tells you: a rubric, an invitation, the other speaker's formality	"What cue have I been given?"
   When appropriate	No one says so, but the situation calls for it: an interview, an official meeting, a ceremony	"What does this setting expect?"
   Command	Using the conventions reliably, without stopping, and with choices that fit the purpose (L.9-10.1, L.9-10.3)	"Can I do it under pressure?"

   Part 2: One interview, two runs. Tomás Reyes, an invented ninth grader, is practicing for a junior counselor job at a city day camp with Ms. Adeyemi, the school's career counselor (also invented), who plays the interviewer. Two students read Transcript 1 aloud, then Transcript 2. The questions are identical, and so are the facts in the answers. After each reading, ask: "Would you hire him?" and "What exactly changed your mind?" Then work through the examples and Diagram 2.

   1Ms. Adeyemi: Good morning, Tomás. Thank you for coming in. To start, could you tell me why you applied for the junior counselor position?

   2Tomás: Yeah, so, honestly, my mom kind of saw the flyer and was like, you should do this. And I was like, okay, sure. I like kids and stuff, so.

   3Ms. Adeyemi: Tell me about a time you worked with younger children.

   4Tomás: Me and my cousin was watching his little brothers all last summer. They're lowkey a handful. We did like games, swimming, and we took them to get ice cream sometimes and reading to them.

   5Ms. Adeyemi: What would you do if two campers started arguing over a ball?

   6Tomás: I'd just be like, guys, chill. Figure it out. Usually they do.

   7Ms. Adeyemi: Do you have any questions for me?

   8Tomás: Nah, I'm good. Oh wait, do we get paid every week or what?

   1Ms. Adeyemi: Good morning, Tomás. Thank you for coming in. To start, could you tell me why you applied for the junior counselor position?

   2Tomás: Good morning, and thank you for meeting with me. I applied because I enjoy working with children, and I want to learn how a day camp runs. My mother saw the posting first, but when I read the job description, I realized it matched what I already do at home.

   3Ms. Adeyemi: Tell me about a time you worked with younger children.

   4Tomás: Last summer, my cousin and I looked after his two younger brothers, who were six and eight, three days a week. We planned games, took them swimming and read to them every afternoon. The hardest part was keeping them on a schedule, so we made a picture chart of the day, and that helped a lot.

   5Ms. Adeyemi: What would you do if two campers started arguing over a ball?

   6Tomás: First, I would make sure nobody was hurt. Then I would ask each camper to tell me what happened, one at a time. If they couldn't agree, I would set a timer so they could take turns, and I would tell the lead counselor if it kept happening.

   7Ms. Adeyemi: Do you have any questions for me?

   8Tomás: Yes, two. What does a typical day look like for a junior counselor? And when do you expect to make your hiring decisions?

   • Reading the cue (paragraph 1 of each)

     Ms. Adeyemi opens both runs the same way: "Good morning, Tomás. Thank you for coming in." In Transcript 1, Tomás answers, "Yeah, so, honestly, my mom kind of saw the flyer." In Transcript 2, he answers, "Good morning, and thank you for meeting with me."

     Result: The interviewer's greeting, the setting and the purpose all indicate formal English before Tomás says a word. In the second run he matches her greeting and thanks her, which tells her he has read the situation. The first run answers a formal question in the register he would use with a friend at lunch.

   • Pronoun case and agreement (paragraph 4 of each)

     Transcript 1: "Me and my cousin was watching his little brothers all last summer." Transcript 2: "Last summer, my cousin and I looked after his two younger brothers."

     Result: "Me" is an object pronoun used as a subject, and a compound subject (two people joined by "and") takes a plural verb, so "was" does not agree. The formal version uses the subject pronoun "I," puts the other person first by convention, and chooses a past-tense verb, "looked after," that fits either subject. These are conventions of standard English grammar and usage (L.9-10.1).

   • Parallel structure in a spoken list (paragraph 4 of each)

     Transcript 1: "We did like games, swimming, and we took them to get ice cream sometimes and reading to them." Transcript 2: "We planned games, took them swimming and read to them every afternoon."

     Result: The first list mixes a noun ("games"), a gerund ("swimming"), a whole clause ("we took them ...") and another gerund ("reading"). The second list uses three past-tense verbs in a row: planned, took, read. A listener hears the pattern and can count the three activities. Parallel structure is the skill L.9-10.1a names, and it matters even more by ear than on the page.

   • Clauses that make an answer specific (paragraph 6 of each)

     Transcript 1: "I'd just be like, guys, chill. Figure it out." Transcript 2: "First, I would make sure nobody was hurt. [...] If they couldn't agree, I would set a timer so they could take turns."

     Result: The interviewer asked what Tomás would do, and the second run answers with steps in order (First, Then) and two dependent clauses that carry meaning: "If they couldn't agree" gives a condition, and "so they could take turns" gives a purpose. L.9-10.1b asks students to use clauses like these to convey specific meanings. The first run gives no plan the interviewer can judge.

   • Formal, not stiff (paragraphs 2 and 8 of Transcript 2)

     Transcript 2 keeps contractions and plain words: "If they couldn't agree" and "that helped a lot." It closes with "Yes, two. What does a typical day look like for a junior counselor?" Transcript 1 closes with "Nah, I'm good. Oh wait, do we get paid every week or what?"

     Result: Formal English in speech is not the language of a legal document. Contractions and short, direct sentences are normal in a formal interview; slang ("lowkey"), fillers ("like," "so") and tag-ons ("or what?") are not. The pay question is fair to ask, but in the first run it comes as an afterthought. Choosing what to ask, and how, is the "effective choices for meaning or style" that L.9-10.3 names.

3. Guided Practice15 minutes

   Tomás got the job. Now he has a schedule problem: his chemistry final falls on the morning of the counselor orientation. He leaves two voicemails about the same facts, one to the camp director and one to his friend Dev, whom he was supposed to meet that morning. Pairs read both, then fill in the context card below for each one.

   1Hello, Ms. Lindqvist. This is Tomás Reyes, one of the new junior counselors for the summer day camp. I'm calling about this Friday's counselor orientation.

   2I have a chemistry final that morning, so I won't be able to attend the first session, which runs from nine to eleven. I can be there by eleven thirty, or I could make up the first session on another day, if that works better for you.

   3Could you please let me know which you would prefer? My number is 555-0142. Again, that's 555-0142. Thank you, and I'm looking forward to starting.

   1Hey Dev, it's me. So, bad news. I can't do the beach thing Friday morning. Chem final, and then I have to run straight to camp orientation. Yeah, I know. Worst timing ever.

   2Could we do Saturday instead? Same time, same spot? Text me back. Oh, and good luck on your driving test! You've got this.

   Context card for the two voicemails (students fill in the last row)

   	Transcript 3: to the camp director	Transcript 4: to a friend
   Audience	Ms. Lindqvist, his new employer, who does not know his voice	Dev, a close friend
   Purpose	Explain the conflict and ask how to make up the session	Cancel plans and suggest another day
   Medium	Voicemail: no face, and the listener may be writing down a number	Voicemail, but Dev can text back
   Register	Formal but warm	Informal
   One choice that shows it	Students write one	Students write one

   Debrief with three questions. (1) Why does Tomás give his full name and role in the first sentence of Transcript 3, but only "it's me" to Dev? The director may have hired many counselors and cannot see him; Dev knows his voice. (2) Transcript 3 repeats the phone number. Is that wordy? No. It is a choice for the medium: a listener writing down ten digits may miss some the first time. (3) Transcript 4 uses fragments ("Chem final"). Is that an error? Not here. Formal English is neither indicated nor appropriate in a message to a friend, and a fragment that the listener understands is normal informal speech. The same fragment in Transcript 3 would sound careless. Point out that adapting goes in both directions: a message to Dev in the register of Transcript 3 would sound cold or even sarcastic.

   Show Diagram 1. It places the interview and the two voicemails on a line from more informal to more formal, with two everyday contexts between them. Ask pairs whether they agree with each placement and what would move a point left or right (a different listener, a different medium). In Independent Practice, students will decide for themselves where Aaliyah's two transcripts belong.

4. Independent Practice15-20 minutes

   Students read two transcripts from one invented student, Aaliyah Brooks, who coordinates her school's winter coat drive. Transcript 5 is her morning announcement to the whole school. Transcript 6 is her request at a faculty meeting the same week, where the principal, Dr. Hollis, has given her a few minutes. Each transcript has one or more places where Aaliyah's choices do not fit the context. Students answer quiz questions 1-10 with both transcripts open, then questions 11-20, which apply the standard to new short situations.

   1Good morning, Cedar Grove! This is Aaliyah Brooks from student council with a quick announcement.

   2Our winter coat drive starts Monday. Got a coat, a hat or gloves that don't fit anymore? Bring them in clean, and drop them in the blue bins by the main office or the gym.

   3Pursuant to the student council's resolution of November 3, all donated garments shall be deposited in the designated receptacles no later than the conclusion of the collection period.

   4Everything goes to the Eastside Family Center, where families can pick out what they need before the cold weather hits. The advisory that brings in the most items wins a pancake breakfast.

   5One more time: coat drive, starts Monday, blue bins, main office or gym. Thanks, and have a great day!

   1Good afternoon, and thank you, Dr. Hollis, for letting me speak. My name is Aaliyah Brooks, and I am the student council's coordinator for this year's winter coat drive.

   2I have one request. We would like to place a collection box in each advisory classroom for the two weeks of the drive, from Monday, December 1, through Friday, December 12.

   3Last year, we collected 186 items using only two bins by the main office. The Eastside Family Center told us that every coat was given away within a week and that families were still on a waiting list. A box in every advisory would make it easier to donate, especially for students who never pass the office.

   4Me and Jordan Park will handle everything else. Each of the boxes have a sign on it, and we will be collecting them, sorting the items and deliver them to the center on December 13.

   5Your part would take about one minute a day: a reminder at the start of advisory. If you have questions, I will stay after the meeting, or you can leave a note in the student council mailbox. Thank you for your time.

5. Closure5-10 minutes

   Exit ticket: "Write the first sentence you would say in two situations: calling a store to ask whether they are hiring, and telling a friend you got the job. Circle one word you changed and explain why." Read a few pairs aloud and ask the class to place each sentence on the line in Diagram 1.

   Teacher note on language varieties. Present formal English as one register that students add to the ways they already speak, not as a replacement for them. Linguists describe regional dialects and varieties such as African American English as systematic and rule-governed, not as collections of errors and not simply as "informal" speech; each has formal and informal styles of its own. What this lesson calls formal English is the standard variety expected in settings such as interviews and official meetings. The standard asks for command of formal English "when indicated or appropriate," which assumes that other registers are right in other contexts. Avoid correcting a student's everyday speech in front of the class; correct the formal tasks the lesson assigns.

   Homework. Tonight students plan three short speaking tasks from the situation notes below, each for a different listener. The notes end with three draft lines that need to be edited into formal English. Show students the directions and rubric before they leave.

   1You volunteer at the Westfield Public Library's spring book sale, which runs on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the community room. You signed up for the morning shift, 8:00 to 11:30, which includes setting up the tables.

   2The problem: your brother's band concert has moved to Saturday morning, and you promised your family you would be there. The afternoon shift, 11:30 to 3:00, still needs two people.

   3Task A: Call the volunteer coordinator, Mr. Daniel Osei, and leave a voicemail asking to switch to the afternoon shift. His office line is 555-0187. Your number is 555-0163.

   4Task B: Your English teacher has given you 30 seconds at the start of class to find one more afternoon volunteer. Volunteers get a free tote bag and service hours.

   5Task C: The Friends of the Library board has invited volunteers to say a few words at its thank-you breakfast after the sale. You will have one minute to speak to the board members, the head librarian and about twenty other volunteers.

   6Your first-draft lines, which need work: (1) "Me and my friend Sam was going to do setup." (2) "The sale needs people to set up tables, carrying boxes and who can make change." (3) "Between you and I, the morning shift is kind of dead anyway."

Differentiation Strategies

Assessment Guidance

1. Question 1 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Who is the audience of Transcript 5, and which register does Aaliyah choose for most of it?

   AThe faculty, so she uses a formal register with titles and full sentences BThe family center staff, so she uses the technical language of donations and the drive's paperwork CThe whole student body, so she uses a friendly, informal register with clear facts DThe student council, so she uses the language of its official resolutions

2. Question 2 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Which paragraph of Transcript 5 does not fit its audience and purpose?

   AParagraph 3, because its legal-sounding words hide a simple deadline from students BParagraph 2, because a question like "Got a coat ...?" is not a complete sentence CParagraph 4, because a prize should never be mentioned in a school announcement DParagraph 5, because repeating the key facts wastes the listeners' limited time in the morning

3. Question 3 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Paragraph 5 of Transcript 5 says, "One more time: coat drive, starts Monday, blue bins, main office or gym." How should a listener judge these fragments?

   AThey are errors, because every sentence in a school announcement must be grammatically complete and formal BThey are errors, because a speaker should never say the same facts more than once CThey fit, because any fragment is correct as long as the speaker speaks with confidence DThey fit, because a spoken recap to students does not call for formal English and is easy to hold

4. Question 4 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   In paragraph 1 of Transcript 6, what shows that Aaliyah has recognized that formal English is appropriate at the faculty meeting?

   AShe tells a joke so that the teachers feel relaxed before she makes her request BShe greets the room, thanks the principal by title and states her full name and role CShe repeats the same opening she used in the morning announcement to the students DShe explains how the student council passed its resolution about the drive in November

5. Question 5 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Paragraph 4 of Transcript 6 begins, "Me and Jordan Park will handle everything else." Which revision uses standard pronoun case for this formal setting?

   A"Myself and Jordan Park will handle everything else." B"Jordan Park and me will handle everything else." C"Me and Jordan Park is going to handle everything else." D"Jordan Park and I will handle everything else."

6. Question 6 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Aaliyah also says, "Each of the boxes have a sign on it." Which statement explains the correct formal version?

   A"Each of the boxes has a sign on it," because the subject is "each," which is singular B"Each of the boxes have signs on them," because "boxes" is the word closest to the verb C"Each of the boxes having a sign on it," because an -ing verb avoids the problem DThe sentence is already correct, because "of the boxes" makes the whole subject plural

7. Question 7 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Which revision of the rest of paragraph 4 uses parallel structure? "... and we will be collecting them, sorting the items and deliver them to the center on December 13."

   A"... and we will be collecting them, the sorting of the items and delivery to the center on December 13." B"... and we will collect the boxes, sort the items and deliver them to the center on December 13." C"... and we will be collecting them, to sort the items and delivering them to the center on December 13." D"... and collecting them, we will sort the items and then deliver them to the center on December 13."

8. Question 8 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Transcript 5 mentions a pancake breakfast for the winning advisory. Transcript 6 mentions last year's 186 items and the family center's waiting list instead. Why?

   AAaliyah simply forgot to mention the prize at the faculty meeting, which weakens her request to the teachers BThe prize was cancelled between the morning announcement and the faculty meeting CStudents need a reason to donate; teachers need evidence that the boxes are worth their time DTeachers are more interested in pancakes than in the number of coats collected last year

9. Question 9 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Why is "Your part would take about one minute a day: a reminder at the start of advisory" (paragraph 5 of Transcript 6) a good choice for this audience?

   AIt proves that the coat drive will collect more items than last year BIt tells busy teachers exactly what the request costs them before they decide CIt uses a more informal register so that the teachers will like Aaliyah more DIt shows that Aaliyah has memorized the whole school schedule for the month of December

10. Question 10 of 20 · Short Answer

    Rewrite paragraph 3 of Transcript 5 so that it fits the morning announcement. Keep its information, and add the one fact the paragraph leaves unclear. Then explain your changes in one or two sentences.

    Show model answer

11. Question 11 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    SL.9-10.6 asks for formal English "when indicated or appropriate." In which situation is formal English indicated by an explicit instruction, not only suggested by the setting?

    AA job interview at a bank, where no one tells you how to speak BA mock trial whose rubric says, "Use formal English throughout" CAn awards ceremony where you thank the judges from the stage DA meeting with the principal about starting a new club

12. Question 12 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Which situation calls for an informal register?

    AAnswering a question from a college admissions officer at a school visit BThanking the judges after winning a regional science fair award CLeaving a voicemail for your dentist's office to move an appointment DExplaining to your younger brother at home how to restart the Wi-Fi router

13. Question 13 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    A student is describing her debate training at a scholarship interview. Which ending keeps the sentence parallel? "At the debate tournament, I learned to research both sides, to speak from notes and ______."

    A"listening carefully before I answered" B"how I should listen before answering" C"to listen before I answered" D"that listening comes before answering"

14. Question 14 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    At a meeting with the principal, a student wants to say who will present first. Which sentence uses standard pronoun case?

    A"The principal asked Maya and I to present first." B"The principal asked Maya and me to present first." C"The principal asked Maya and we to present first." D"The principal asked Maya and myself to present first."

15. Question 15 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    At an interview for a grocery store job, the manager asks, "Why should we hire you?" Which answer best fits the context?

    A"It would be most advantageous for your esteemed establishment to secure my services." B"Honestly, I'm a hard worker, like, for real, and I really need the money right now." C"I'm not totally sure, but I think I could probably do most of the job pretty okay." D"I'm reliable, and I learn quickly. At the food bank, I trained two new volunteers."

16. Question 16 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    A student leaves this voicemail for a dentist's office: "Hi, it's me. I need to move my appointment, so call me back, okay? Thanks." What should the student fix first?

    AGive a full name, the appointment day and a callback number, since the office cannot tell who called BAdd a longer apology for the change, so that the office staff will not be annoyed with the caller CRemove "Thanks," because thanking the listener is too informal for a message to a business DSpeak faster, so that the whole message takes up fewer seconds of the office's voicemail

17. Question 17 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    A student tells her club adviser, "I missed the meeting. My bus broke down." Which revision joins the ideas with a dependent clause that shows the reason?

    A"I missed the meeting, my bus broke down." B"Breaking down on the way, I missed the meeting." C"I missed the meeting because my bus broke down." D"I missed the meeting and my bus broke down."

18. Question 18 of 20 · Short Answer

    A friend says, "Switching into formal English is fake. You should talk the same way to everyone." Answer your friend in three or four sentences, using what SL.9-10.6 says about contexts.

    Show model answer

19. Question 19 of 20 · Short Answer

    At a scholarship interview, a student says: "Honestly, I'm super into robotics. Me and my team built this robot thing that was lowkey amazing, and we got third at regionals." Rewrite the answer in formal English, keeping all its facts, and name two changes you made.

    Show model answer

20. Question 20 of 20 · Short Answer

    Aaliyah also has to report her faculty-meeting request to the other student council members at their weekly lunch meeting. Write the 20- to 30-word version she might say there, and explain two ways it differs from Transcript 6.

    Show model answer

These standards connect to SL.9-10.6: 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.