South Dakota ELA 7.SL.4.b

ELA7th GradeSpeaking & Listening

The Standard

7.SL.4: Present claims and findings appropriate to the purpose and audience.

Use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.

South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025)

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students look at listeners while they speak, rather than reading only from notes. They speak loudly enough to be heard and say words clearly.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student gives a short talk and looks at people in different parts of the room. Listeners in the back can hear and repeat the key points.
Common Misconceptions: Some students think eye contact means staring at one person. Others shout instead of speaking clearly, or rush and drop word endings. A different accent is not unclear pronunciation.
How to Assess It: Have each student give a 20-second announcement from the front of the room. Ask a listener in the back to repeat the time and place, and note whether the speaker looked up from their card.

Lesson moves

Give each speaker a three-point note card and seat listeners around the room for a 20-second pitch.
Ask students to write two ways a speaker can tell whether the back row can hear without shouting.
In pairs, read a 10-word message while a partner writes it down, then retry any words the partner missed.
Role-play a school club announcement and ask a classmate in the back to repeat the meeting time and place.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 7.SL.4.b, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.

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