Oral Language Instruction and Assessment

Self-Assessment

process where individuals reflect on their own performance, abilities, or understanding of a topic, typically using criteria or standards to evaluate themselves, fostering self-awareness, self-regulation, and continuous improvement

Rhetorical Situation

context that shapes an argument: speaker, purpose, audience, context, and exigence; guides the author's language and persuasive choices

Example.

The basic rhetorical situation of MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech:

Speaker: Martin Luther King, Jr.

Purpose: To end economic and employment inequalities for African Americans

Audience: March on Washington participants and millions across the nation

Context: The Civil Rights Movement

Syntax

rules that govern the construction of words in order to make phrases, clauses, and sentences

Argumentation

to prove the author’s point through reasoning and evidence

Pragmatics

the study of how we understand the meaning of language based on the situation it's used in

Overgeneralization

the application of a grammar rule in a place where it doesn’t apply

Example.

A student adds -s to make everything plural, even irregular plural nouns. "I brushed my tooths this morning."

Nonverbal Communication

facial expressions, gestures, physical actions

Oral Language Assessment

listen to, analyze, and record brief episodes of students' oral language to assess needs, strengths, interests, and next steps to support growth

Audience (Rhetorical Situation)

the intended recipient of a written or verbal communication

Example.

When writing lesson plans, your students are your audience. A student writing a research presentation would have both his classmates and the teacher as an audience