Oral & Visual Communication ~ Grade 4
Miss Berndl's Fab Fours
Speaking/Communicating   Talk About   Formal Presentations   Oral Presentation Guide   Speech   How to Write A Speech   Group Work
Listening   Developing Auditory Memory
Visual  Information Presentation Devices
 

Oral & Visual Communication is often just thought as talking and giving presentations. Although that is part of it, there is much more to this important part of communication. And like all other parts of language, skills can be improved with practice and training. In the FabFour classroom the following are done & evaluated:

Speaking / Communicating

1. Talk About - informal presentations -  talking about self-selected topics
   • every student is expected to stand up & talk to class once a week for 8 weeks each term
   • topic is up to the student
   • each student has a regular day during the week
   • if the day is missed due to absence, the student talks on the day they return
   • students may bring items to school to talk about
2. Formal Presentations - on assigned topics
   • Poetry recital
   • Rock Collection - what you like & why, description of characteristics & uses
   • Life in the Middle Ages -  what life was like for a person of a particular rank and occupation
   • Light, Color or Sound Experiment / Demonstration - description of scientific principle observed, why it works, what was learned from "mucking about"
   • Junk Art Sculpture - how it was built & how it works
   • Canadian Province 0r Territory - tourism report - why it is a great place to visit - using self made triptych & books & magazines to "show"
   • Although every presentation is on a different topic, the Oral Presentation Evaluation Guide should be used as a guideline by students in their preparation.
3. Speech
   • All students present a 3 to 5 minute speech. It is a formal activity with specific guidelines.
   • Click here for more information on how speeches are written and possible topics.
4. Explanations - of work and projects
5. Participation in class discussions
6. Group participation - Group Work & Co-operation Expectations
   • Stay on task, talk about assignment
   • Encourage other people to stay on task
   • Listen when other people are speaking
   • Contribute ideas
   • Try your best
   • Help the group move along to get work done
   • Speak nicely to other group members
   • Make people feel worthwhile, encourage ideas
   • Try to get people to agree
   • Do your fair share of the work
7. Being able to express self in conversations with the teacher
8. Polite interactions with peers & adults - speech as well as body language
9. Dramatic presentations - using voice & body language to convey meaning
10. Enunciation of words &  projection of voice

Listening

Listening and understanding what is heard are important skills. Time is spent in the class to develop these skills through listening comprehension and other aural activities.

1. Listening comprehension - understanding material presented orally
   • Getting the Main Idea - Listening ComprehensionDaily readings of short paragraphs with multiple choice answers to see if students are able to figure out the main idea of a passage. SRA readers are used.
2. Development of auditory memory through listening exercises. These can be done at home. Click here for some suggestions for home.
3. Following multi-step instructions
4. Understanding oral instructions in class
5. Listening for entertainment - stories, poetry, novels & music
   • Talking Books Talking books are novels that are read aloud by an actor of the author. We listen to 1 novel per term. Students listen to a chapter a day and then write a short 4 to 6 sentence summary about that chapter.
     1. The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks   topics: cultures, friendship
     2. Company of Fools by Deborah Ellis  topics: Medieval times, friendship
     3. Trumpet of the Swan by E. B. White   topics: different abilities, habitats, friendship
   • Music Appreciation
6. Listening politely to student & teacher presentations
   • Being a polite and receptive audience. Students are required to demonstrate polite listening during student presentations. Their attention is encouraged through having Questions & Comments at the end of most student presentations.
7. Focus on information while listening
   •  Listening & Note Taking - Social Studies
   • Mental Math Number Chains ~ MMNC In term 3, students are required to do arithmetic computations in their heads. Not only does this test their knowledge of number facts but it also promotes listening skills.

Visual

1. Using Information Presentation Devices (IPDs) during presentations
2. Using props & costumes for drama
3. Locating & presenting pictures to supplement information given orally
4. Gather information from pictures & diagrams
5. Use & draw pictures & diagrams to convey information