South Dakota ELA 8.SL.6
The Standard
Adapt speech to a variety of contexts, audiences, and tasks, using self-reflection and feedback to and from others and demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. (See grade 8 Language standards 1 and 3 for specific expectations.)
South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025)
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students change how they speak to fit the listener and the task. They use feedback and their own notes to improve a second attempt. They use formal English when the situation calls for it.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can explain the same idea to a friend and to the principal using different word choices and tone. After a partner points out an unclear phrase, the student replaces it in a second attempt.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think formal speech means using long words, even when those words make the message less clear. They may change only their volume, not their wording or tone. Some treat feedback as a score rather than something to act on.
How to Assess It
- Ask students to explain a proposed lunch schedule change to a friend, then to the principal. After one partner comment, have them repeat the principal version and name the change they made.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs cards marked friend and principal; have them record the same lunch schedule announcement twice and compare word choice.
Ask, "Which words would you change when telling the principal instead of a friend about a late assignment, and why?"
Run a feedback relay: students make a 20-second request, partners suggest one change, and speakers try again.
Have students record a voicemail asking library staff about an overdue book, get feedback on tone, then record a revised version.
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