Oral and Written Communication; Public Speaking/Presenting, Listening

Children at WMS are writing articles for their classroom newspapers, posting on Edmodo, sharing a reader’s theater performance of The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, creating keynote presentations about the continents and sharing the events of their daily lives. Students have many opportunities of listening, presenting and speaking to a group. They begin at very early ages as they share at morning meeting. They learn how to stand up, provide information to the group and ask for questions or comments. They practice and learn from one another. They observe others and offer feedback. The take note of what they might do the next time they have the floor. Even the most reluctant child eventually stands up and shares.

These practice runs prepare students for opportunities later in school and in future jobs. They learn how to communicate their ideas in writing or in speech. They discover the benefit of revision and having “another set of eyes” look at their work. As we move into the remaining few months of this school year, children will present their research on their biome, share their talent at the talent show, explain their thinking and connections to their learning and on the last day of the year, the sixth-grade class will share their poetry reflecting on their lives to this point. They will speak and engage an audience, further laying the foundation for the children who are in the classes behind them and practicing skills they will take with them as they graduate and move on to another school.