Grade 10 Orals

8/20/08

4:04 PM

Page 1

ORALS
A DISCUSSION
LEARNING OUTCOMES AND ASSESSMENT STANDARDS
Learning Outcome 1: Listening and Speaking The learner is able to listen and speak for a variety of purposes, audiences and contexts. We know this when the learner is able to: demonstrate knowledge of different forms of oral communication for social purposes: learn about and share ideas, show an understanding of concepts, comment on experiences, defend a position, make an unprepared response, tell a story; initiate and sustain conversation by developing appropriate turn-taking conventions, filling in gaps and encouraging where appropriate; give and follow directions and instructions accurately; participate in group discussions by expressing own ideas and opinions and listening to and respecting those of others, while engaging with issues such as inclusivity and power relations, and environmental, ethical, socio-cultural and human rights issues; use negotiation skills to reach consensus. demonstrate planning and research skills for oral presentations: research a topic by referring to a range of sources, with guidance; organise material coherently by choosing main ideas and relevant details or examples for support; identify and choose appropriate formats, vocabulary and language structures and conventions. demonstrate the skills of listening to and delivery of fluent and expressive oral presentations: identify and use rhetorical devices such as rhetorical questions, pauses and repetition; use tone, voice projection, pace, eye contact, posture and gestures correctly and respond appropriately; pronounce words without distorting meaning; demonstrate comprehension of oral texts by recording main and/or supporting ideas by making notes, checklists, summaries and/or by retelling and explaining; listen and respond to questions for clarification. demonstrate critical awareness of language use in oral situations: use and evaluate appropriate styles and registers to suit purpose, audience and context; recognise and explain language varieties with growing understanding and appreciation.

Lesson

Grade 10 Orals

8/20/08

4:04 PM

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LESSON OVERVIEW
The first area that you will focus on is learning about and sharing ideas. There will be occasions throughout your school life and your life outside school where you need to work in a group or team. The members of your group or team will need to understand one another. You will need to have the words and the confidence to comment on your experiences, defend your position and make a response in a sincere and spontaneous way. Of course, depending who you speak to, you will change your vocabulary level and your tone of voice.

LESSON
Let us remind ourselves of the concept of register. This concept was covered in the writing lesson on letters, but here is a quick recap: Register Register means the suitability of a particular style for a particular purpose. If you were speaking or writing to your friend, you would use a different sort of language compared to when you speak or write to the school principal. Here is a range of descriptions for different sorts of language: Eloquent Formal Colloquial or casual Slang Swearing At church or assembly A speech or presentation Chatting to a friend with teachers nearby Chatting to friends during break no teachers in sight! In anger or in a rap song

Standard correct language An English test/letter/essay

We do not want any of our oral activities to include slang or swearing, so let us look at other oral situations when speaking or listening. Here is a guide for when you would use specific registers. Eloquent: Formal: Standard: Colloquial: Valedictorian/prize winner/eulogy A final matric oral/a toast at a wedding A request for a favour from a teacher Sitting with friends at break or a social

ACTIVITY 1
PEER ASSESSMENT Create a table with two columns and four rows. Use the headings above (eloquent, formal, standard and colloquial). Give an example from your experience of each type of register. Example:

Eloquent: Formal: Standard: Colloquial:

Grade 10 Orals

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Here are some (laughable) examples of the wrong register for certain situations. Create and complete your own table that looks like this: Register type Eloquent Example During break: Salutations, fellow learners. My, arent we privileged to be embarking on a course of higher learning at an institution such as this. I sense a higher, nobler destiny for us all. At family breakfast: Greetings, kinsmen and kinswomen. We are gathered here today to consume the cornflakes and porridge. I trust that such consumption will be done with efficacy because tardiness prior to school would be inappropriate. At a funeral: Ishmael is dead and we feel sad. He was a good friend, but sometimes he let us down. He was basically a nice person and his family loved him. He had a sense of humour. That is just the way he was. To your English teacher: Check it out, dude: Im like so stressed, Im just gonna crack, I tell you. Its hectic, man. Score me a break and make the speech for next of next week? Why it is incorrect

Formal

Standard

Colloquial

Your examples should include a range of contexts. The activities that we have completed together should show you that it is very important to use the right register. You will need to look at the context of speaking or writing and assess for yourself what sort of register is required. In English, we look at a wide range of registers. We do not expect everything to be eloquent.

ACTIVITY 2
PEER ASSESSMENT Try to work with 4 - 6 people you do not know so well. Mind map a problem that is causing some concern in your school community. Work together, ensuring that you give everyone a chance to speak. Respectfully add some ideas from every person to build up a large and detailed mind map. Using a different-coloured pen/koki, start thinking of solutions to the problem. Example: litter; lack of school spirit; bad Grade 9 results; low morale of teachers Remember that this is just the foundation for your oral. This is a way of gathering ideas quickly and efficiently. Once you are more used to orals, you will probably be able to do this verbally.

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8/20/08

4:04 PM

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Position your chairs (no desks) in a semi-circle, and start to discuss the topic of concern. Your aim is to speak for about 10 minutes. The conversation must flow naturally. Here are some tips: Everyone must have a chance! Do not interrupt. Do not dominate the discussion. Encourage everyone to speak. Use body language and gestures (e.g. a nod or head shake) to show your view. Be attentive when others speak.

ACTIVITY 3
SELF-ASSESSMENT Your discussion will be assessed according to the criteria below. View a television programme or radio programme talk show. Consider the following issues while watching or listening: Is it interesting to listen to? Does the subject interest you? Are you biased towards or against anyone and why? Is there evidence that the host of the show has done research? How would you describe the guest/s? rude? e.g. interrupting/ignoring a participant What did you learn from the show? How does body language and/or tone of voice change your impressions about the speaker?

ANSWERS AND ASSESSMENT

Everyones responses will be different because each speaker will have a unique insight into the problem and some original ideas for solutions. Let us look at how you will be assessed. Level Per cent Criteria Comment 7 80100 A relaxed, enthusiastic, fascinating speaker; wide general knowledge 6 7079 Evidence of interest; speaks with focus and interest; logical and reasonable 5 6069 A little predictable at times, but still a reasonable understanding; generally sound Lacking in confidence and so speaking hesitantly or shyly; or confident but 4 5059 lacking in sound general knowledge 3 4049 Confused, with little to offer; too dominating or too silent for proper conversation to occur yet not 2 3039 Not littlepassable; hassaid fully understood the task; little to offer the group; too or too much No evidence of communication or social skills; needs urgent support and 1 029 further practice

TIPS FOR TEACHERS

When you do this activity in class for the first few times, permit the group membe rs to mind map the topic and briefly plan how they will tackle it. Once the class members are more used to the idea of discussion in a group like this, you can give them the topics and permit only one minute for them to huddle, after which they should start discussion without having had time to mind map or plan.