South Dakota ELA 5.SL.6
The Standard
Adapt speech to a variety of contexts, audience, and tasks, using feedback from self and others and demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.
South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025)
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students change their words and tone to fit their audience and purpose. They use feedback from a listener or their own recording to improve a second try. They use formal English when the setting calls for it.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can explain a recycling plan casually to a friend, then present it in formal English to the principal. After a partner asks for more detail, the student adds a clear example on the next try.
Common Misconceptions
- Some students think every conversation needs formal English. Others change only their volume, not their words or level of detail. They may listen to feedback but repeat the same speech without changing it.
How to Assess It
- In pairs, have students explain why the class needs a recycling bin to a friend, then as if speaking to the principal. Partners suggest one wording change, and speakers try it.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs audience cards marked classmate and principal; have them role-play requesting a field trip and change their wording when the cards switch.
Ask, 'Which words would you change when telling a friend versus the principal about a broken water fountain, and why?' Discuss in pairs.
Play audience switch: students draw a new audience card mid-speech, adjust their wording, and use a partner's feedback on the next turn.
Have students record a 30-second morning announcement, listen back for unclear or informal wording, then record a revised version for the school.
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Printable 5.SL.6 Worksheet
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