Grade 8 - Communicate Ideas and Information (Presenting and Valuing)

This sub-organizer contains the following sections:
Prescribed Learning Outcomes
Suggested Instructional Strategies
Suggested Assessment Strategies
Recommended Learning Resources

PRESCRIBED LEARNING OUTCOMES

It is expected that students will demonstrate their understanding of and abilities to use a variety of forms and styles of communication that are relevant to specific purposes and audiences.

It is expected that students will:

demonstrate pride and satisfaction in using language to create and express their thoughts, ideas, and feelings
demonstrate a willingness to experiment with language and enjoy the ways in which language is used in popular culture
create a variety of academic, technical, and personal communications, including poems, stories, personal essays, oral and written reports, group presentations, and informal dramatizations

To view the prescribed learning outcomes for Communicate Ideas and Information (Presenting and Valuing) in other grades click on an icon below.

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

Students develop proficiency in their use of language for different purposes and audiences by planning what they want to achieve, presenting their products, and thinking critically about their audiences' responses.

Have students write and present school announcements. Discuss with the class how background effects, tone of voice, wording, and other techniques can capture students' attention.
Set up an e-mail exchange with another class or school. Have students select a "best-way" topic (e.g., to tie a shoe, organize the contents of a school locker, pack a drink in a lunch so it won't spill) and try to persuade their e-mail correspondents about the advantages of their techniques.
Ask students to write reviews of new novels, plays, CDs, films, or just-performed concerts and submit them to the local newspaper or a school publication. Encourage students to use sophisticated techniques such as comparing a novel to a movie that is based on it and to write reviews that convincingly praise or pan the selected work.
Ask pairs of students to discuss a school issue (e.g., cafeteria lunches, garbage in the halls, graffiti). Instruct each pair to brainstorm, reach an opinion on the issue, and organize information to support the opinion (e.g., by surveying students). When they have gathered all their information, have students develop presentations to convince the principal that the issues need to be addressed.

SUGGESTED ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES

Grade 8 students often believe, incorrectly, that they cannot improve their work or presentations and therefore work ineffectively on some assignments (e.g., poetry writing because they do not consider themselves "creative" or oral presentations because they think that they are not "good speakers"). Students need frequent, repeated discussions about the outcomes they are expected to achieve and the implied criteria. They also need many opportunities to practise and receive constructive feedback in supportive, non-threatening situations, before being expected to demonstrate proficiency.

Use performance rating scales, such as the reference set Evaluating Writing Across Curriculum and the examples included in Appendix D, to assess student presentations.
When students write reviews, consider the extent to which they are able to:
- focus their comments on key features
- provide logical and specific reasons and examples to support their views
- note subtleties
- make connections to other performances (where appropriate)
- sustain a balanced and objective tone
- offer a general conclusion that is supported by the ideas they have developed
From time to time, have students review and reflect on the written, oral, and visual presentations they have created. (This may be part of a portfolio review or self-assessment.) Ask them to select and comment on:
- two works they are particularly satisfied with
- the presentation that was most influential in leading them to develop or refine new skills
Students' analyses can become part of their personal profiles or achievement records.