School Administrative District #4
Unity of purpose
K-12 ORAL AND VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS PROGRAM
Developed: Summer, 1997
Revised: Summer, 1998
Curriculum Team:
Elementary Schools:
Abbie Fowler, Cambridge, Guilford Primary, McKusick, Wellington
David Pratt
Cindy Quimby (1998)
Melissa Stearns
Margaret Templet
Rachel Ulman (1998)
Piscataquis Community Middle School
Peggy Cleaves (1997)
Ellen Haley (1997)
Brenda Monahan (1997)
Thelma Regan
Robyn Rich (1998)
Piscataquis Community High School
Jody DiFrederico
Sue Stewart
Donna Vigue
School Administrative District #4
Unity of purpose
Department: English Language Arts
THE ORAL AND VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS PROGRAM
Oral and visual communications, as understood by the S.A.D. #4 English language-arts program, include the development and use of skills in three areas: speaking, listening, and viewing Since both oral and visual communication require a message, one who sends the message, and one who receives and responds to and/or is affected by the message, skill in speaking, listening, and viewing needs to be cultivated.
Speech is related to all other language activities. Formal and informal discussions grow from thinking, viewing, listening, reading, and writing. Therefore, any classroom situation offers numerous opportunities for the teacher to guide students in the development of good speech habits. Teachers will direct students' attention to the technical aspects of speaking: posture, voice control, body language, etc. They will especially direct students' attention to the communication of ideas, i.e., the organization and development of content.
Training in speech is only possible in a classroom situation which fosters active discussion. Students should be made to realize that their contributions are welcomed, that those contributions will be listened to with courteous attention, and that they merit a reaction from the group. They should be confident that they can disagree with the group and with their teacher with impunity. At the same time, they should be prepared to support their points of view.
Students should be challenged to organize their ideas and to present them effectively. Through their efforts to communicate ideas orally and through the feedback they receive from teachers and classmates, they will learn to evaluate the formal and informal speech and visual presentations of others. They will seek out the meaning of what they hear and see, separating sound thinking from faulty thinking or from mere verbalization/visual presentation. The ability to make this distinction and to apply it to speaking, listening, and viewing situations is fundamental.
Although participation in classroom discussion where there is a give and take among members of a group is the most frequent occasion for speech instruction, there are many occasions which require more careful preparation, e.g., reports, interviews, or debates. Still other occasions require that students use interpretive expression, e.g., story telling, oral interpretation, public speaking, etc. Regardless of the occasion, the teacher must assess the individual potential of students for
oral expression and help them achieve their maximum development in terms of ability and personal needs. Obviously, the speech that students hear at home, in the community, and through media will continue to influence them; but as teachers provide models of effective speech, students will be expected to adopt effective speech habits.
In addition to training in speaking, students require training in listening and viewing. Sometimes this instruction is planned, but more often it is a by-product of other activities. Classroom teachers must build an atmosphere for listening and viewing by arranging classrooms so that they are conducive to both; by setting a relaxed, yet orderly, tone; and by maintaining class standards of courtesy for audience and speakers. Teachers will then be able to help students gain listening and viewing skills through setting varied purposes, providing a variety of contexts, and establishing appropriate behaviors for both. Teachers should guide students to evaluate what they hear and see and to learn to recognize facial expressions, vocal tricks, and false emotional appeals which are often used to disguise partial truths and false claims. Students should also be taught to listen and to respond appropriately and meaningfully to one another, as well as to their teachers.
School Administrative District #4
Unity of purpose
CORE CURRICULUM: SCOPE AND SEQUENCE
Department: English Language Arts
CONTENT STANDARD: ORAL AND VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS
Oral communication includes skills traditionally referred to as speaking and listening. All students are expected to demonstrate the ability to speak and to listen in order to explore ideas; to present lines of thought; to represent and reflect upon human experience; and to communicate feelings, knowledge, and opinions. Visual communication includes critical viewing skills needed to make sense of the information presented in the media. All students are expected to demonstrate the ability to analyze, interpret, and evaluate what they see and hear in the media.
Performance Indicators: The learner will·
|
Kindergarten-Grade 4 |
1. Review and extend prior learning
2. Listen and respond courteously when others are reading or speaking (B 3-4)-3
3. Listen to and follow one- and two-step directions
4. Demonstrate the ability to listen and view
á Appreciatively
á Attentively
á Marginally
5. Demonstrate an initial understanding of critical listening and viewing
6. Listen to and record information
7. Orally identify and manipulate phonemes in syllables and multi-syllabic words
8. Initiate and maintain appropriate conversations with peers and adults
9. Use oral language appropriate to the level of formality required (CK2)-1, (FK-2)-2, (F 3-4)-2
10. Use increasingly complex sentence structures and vocabulary in oral communication
11. Use oral language for diverse purposes (e.g., to inform, to persuade, to entertain) (G 3-4)-5
12. Participate in choral speaking and recite short poems, rhymes, songs, and stories with repeated patterns
13. Participate in creative dramatics
14. Contribute to group discussions
15. Seek the ideas and opinions of others
16. Begin to use evidence to support opinions
17. Report orally and summarize personal discoveries he/she has made as a result of reading, listening, and viewing (AM)-9, (B 3-4)-4, (EK-2)-2, (EK-2)-3, (E 3-4)-4
18. Summarize/paraphrase central concepts from oral and visual presentations (E 3-4)-6
19. Ask and seek answers to questions (H 3-4)-1, (AK-2)-7
20. Demonstrate an initial understanding of verbal communication skills
á Word choice
á Voice control
á Projection
á Pace
á Tone
á Inflection
á Pronunciation
á Articulation
21. Demonstrate an initial understanding of non-verbal communication skills (C 3-4)-3, (G 3-4)-6
á Poise
á Posture
á Hand control
á Facial expression
á Body language
á Eye contact
á Appearance
22. Use a variety of media and technological resources to make creative and expository oral presentations (G 3-4)-7
|
Grades 5-8 |
1. Review and extend prior learning
2. Listen to and follow multi-step and sometimes complex directions
3. Demonstrate the ability to listen and view
á Critically
4. Adjust listening and viewing strategies in order to comprehend material heard and viewed (AM)-10
5. Generate and evaluate the notes taken from course-related listening and viewing (AM)-11
6. Demonstrate an understanding of how situation may dictate language usage (CM)-1, (CM)-2, (FH)-2
7. Use verbal communication skills effectively
á Word choice
á Voice control
á Projection
á Pace
á Tone
á Inflection
á Pronunciation
á Articulation
8. Use non-verbal communication skills effectively
á Poise
á Posture
á Hand control
á Facial expression
á Body language
á Eye contact
á Appearance
9. Compare and contrast a speaker's verbal and non-verbal messages
10. Speak effectively in a variety of contexts
á Impromptu
á Extemporaneous
á Role-playing (individually and as part of a group)
á Dramatic skits
11. Compare and contrast ideas shared orally and visually
12. Value the right of others to express a point of view without fear of being criticized personally
13. Ask questions and apply personal interpretations in class discussions after reading, listening, and/or viewing (EM)-3
14. Give and seek information in group discussions
15. Use discussions with peers as a way of understanding information presented orally and/or visually
16. Use interviewing techniques to gain information, compile the information gained from the interview, and evaluate the effectiveness of the interview (HH)-3
17. Deliver oral presentations that (FM)-2, (GM)-3, (GM)-4, (GM)-5, (GM)-6, (GM)-7, (GM)-8, (GM)-2-9, (GM)-9, (GM)-10
á Effectively use descriptive language to clarify, enhance, and develop ideas
á Effectively use inflection and body language to convey meaning
á Include a variety of sentence structures and lengths
á Are targeted for various audiences
á Achieve distinct purposes (e.g., to persuade, evaluate, analyze, defend)
á Effectively employ explicit transitional devices in order to organize ideas sequentially, change a situation, or move the listener
á Effectively engage peers during presentation and field responses afterward
á Incorporate appropriate visual aids
|
Grades 9-12 |
1. Review and extend prior learning
2. Listen and view effectively by overcoming factors that contribute to defective listening and viewing
á Speed of reception
á Hasty judgments
á Physical conditions
á Psychological factors
á Experiential background
á Emotional filters
á Listening anxiety
3. Use verbal and non-verbal communication skills to speak effectively in a variety of contexts (HH)-12
á Memorized
á Oral interpretation
á Mock trials
á Informal debates
á Multi-media presentation of the results of a research project
4. Deliver oral presentations that (GH)-11
á Hold together so that the organization follows from the purpose
á Exhibit a personal style with a discernible voice and effective wording
á Reliably support and provide details for explicitly stated generalizations
á Make effective use of a variety of techniques to provide supporting detail
á Make effective use of a variety of techniques for introducing and representing ideas and for communicating substantive insights
5. Demonstrate ever-increasing ease in delivering formal speeches (FH)-3
á Job interview
á Round-table discussions
á Panel discussions
á Forums
á Organizational meetings
6. Evaluate the remarks and oral/visual presentations of others to find the key ideas, and explain the ways these ideas were developed (EH)-4
7. Demonstrate an understanding of when oral or visual language is being used to persuade and/or coerce and develop strategies for responding appropriately to such language
8. Demonstrate an understanding that medium and persons making decisions about a particular medium affect the message