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COMPREHENSION AND COLLABORATION

EIGHTH GRADE

Cornerstone: Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media formats, such as visual, quantitative, and oral formats.  

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Grade 8.SL.CC.2 
Speaking and Listening Standards:  Comprehension and Collaboration
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Analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse media formats; evaluate the motives, such as social, commercial, and political, behind its presentation.   

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ESSSENTIAL UNDERSTANDING

Enduring Understandings in Media 6-8

• Having strategies to understanding media and its various uses will help us better understand what we read, see, and hear.
• Critical thinkers use print as well as non-print media to form opinions and make decisions.

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ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS IN MEDIA

• What must one consider when viewing or listening to media messages?
• How are different types of media used to communicate different ideas to different audiences?
• How can media be used to persuade an audience? 

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ESSENTIAL SKILLS TO BE TAUGHT
• analyze and use media
• analyze strategies used in and by media to elicit various responses and reactions

• use electronic texts to locate information
• read and use information gathered from reading online text, or viewing online video clips, artwork, and web graphics.
• plan and deliver informal speeches or presentations that employ appropriate visual materials and/or multi-media 

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TEACHING MEDIA LITERACY

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WHAT THE STUDENT DOES:

Incorporate and assess the quality of information conveyed in different media and formats (e.g., visual, audio, oral, quantitative, and mixed media), describing how this information, regardless of its media or format, supports and adds to our understanding of the text, topic, or issue being studied.

• What is the topic of the presentation?
• What different media or formats are appropriate to this text, task, topic, or purpose?
• What questions should you ask to interpret or explain the meaning and importance of this content? 

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RELEVANT GAMES & ACTIVITIES

Educational computer games that introduce kids to key ideas in media and digital literacy. These games are a great way to start a conversation on media issues in the home or classroom, and you can play most of them right here on our website.

​Online games that teach kids critical digital citizenship and online life skills. 

​Learn key consumer concepts, such as how advertising affects you, how you benefit when businesses compete, how (and why) to protect your information, and how to spot scams. What better place to do it than at the mall!

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MEDIA LITERACY SKILL BUILDERS

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TEACHING CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF MEDIA

Critically analyze a McDonald's commercial to compose a short video deconstructing the ad using the five critical questions of media literacy.

Take a close look at iCarly to examine the use of humor and the representation of social roles and the ethical use of digital technologies.

In these three lessons, students will discover Edward Adelson’s checkerboard illusion and discuss what this illusion reveals about our brain’s ability to perceive “objective” reality. They will then use this discovery to reflect on the way they communicate with each other, including their use of mediated forms of communication. 

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CROSS-CURRICULUM RESOURCES

Technology has made it so easy for people to get health-related information. But not all of the information is accurate. The following discussion questions and activities will help your students learn to evaluate health-related information so they can make healthy choices in their lives. 

Published on Jan 29, 2013

The previous EN version (now removed) counted already more than 18.000 views!!
Visit our website to learn more about media literacy: http://www.eavi.eu/

EAVI EN - A Journey to Media Literacy

Published on Mar 15, 2016

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/5-tips-to-i...
Every day, a sea of decisions stretches before us, and it’s impossible to make a perfect choice every time. But there are many ways to improve our chances — and one particularly effective technique is critical thinking. Samantha Agoos describes a 5-step process that may help you with any number of problems. 
Lesson by Samantha Agoos, animation by Nick Hilditch.

5 tips to improve your critical thinking - Samantha Agoos

Published on Nov 3, 2015

National Media Literacy Week (November 2-6, 2015). Hosted by the National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE). Written by Alicia Haywood. Featuring Joey Papa. Produced by Skies Fall.

What IS Media Literacy?

Published on Apr 12, 2016

This is a remix video created under creative Common Licence. Originally published on Apr 16, 2014, credit to Sonja Delafosse, https://youtu.be/bzd8r-uEjY8

Digital Literacy Skills

Published on Oct 15, 2016

Media and Information Literacy

SPEAKING AND LISTENING

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

// OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
  • Facebook Round
  • Twitter Round
  • YouTube - Black Circle
  • Google+ - Black Circle
  • LinkedIn Round

Speaking and listening skills are necessary for young people to be successful in the post- secondary, workforce, and creative endeavors they pursue. To this end, the Speaking and Listening standards serve as a bridge between reading and writing skills: in the ELA classroom, students share their understandings and ideas gleaned from reading and develop their written voice through presentations, public speaking, and participation in classroom discussions. 

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Grade 8

Language Standards Standard Conventions of Standard English: Speaking and Listening

8.SL SPEAKING AND LISTENING

8.SL. ACADEMIC STANDARDS:  Speaking and Listening

 

PRACTICE SPEAKING AND LISTENING WITH TECHNOLOGY

LITERACY:  LTA Toolkit:  Tennessee 6th Grade Speaking and Listening Standards for Technology

LiteracyTA provides speaking and listening skills that Tennessee educators use to teach Tennessee 6th Grade Speaking and Listening Standards for Technology.  The Tennessee literacy standards are the what. The skills below and the related eCoach discussions are the how. In the table below, you will find next to each Tennessee speaking and listening standard practical skills, classroom resources, rich conversations and teaching ideas that move all students toward achieving Tennessee standards!

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LITERACY:  LTA Toolkit:  Tennessee 6th Grade Speaking and Listening Standards for History/Social Studies

LiteracyTA provides speaking and listening skills that Tennessee educators use to teach Tennessee 6th Grade Speaking and Listening Standards for History/Social Studies.  The Tennessee literacy standards are the what. The skills below and the related eCoach discussions are the how. In the table below, you will find next to each Tennessee speaking and listening standard practical skills, classroom resources, rich conversations and teaching ideas that move all students toward achieving Tennessee standards!

QUOTATION

BRAINYQUOTE:  Listening Quotes

BRAINYQUOTE:  Speaking Quote

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"Of all of our inventions for mass communication, pictures still speak the most universally understood language."  ~ Walt Disney
 

ENDURING UNDERSTANDING STUDENTS WILL UNDERSTAND

LISTENING

Listening skills are critical for learning and communicating.

  • How do you listen?

  • What impact does listening have?

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SPEAKING

People communicate through speaking.

  • How do you speak effectively?

  • In what ways are ideas communicated orally?

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VIEWING

Visual materials enhance understanding.

  • How do the visual materials send messages?

  • How do visuals impact our thoughts and actions?

  • How does one analyze and evaluate visual materials?

INFOGRAPHICS
PRESENTATION OF KNOWLEDGE AND IDEAS

EIGHTH GRADE

Cornerstone:  Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding of presentations. 

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Grade 8.SL.PKI.5
Speaking and Listening Standards:  Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
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Include multimedia components and visual displays in presentations to clarify claims and findings and to emphasize major points. 

​What are your personal media habits, and how much time do you spend with different forms of media?

​What steps can help you find what you're looking for when you search online?

​What is the place of digital media in our lives?

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TEACHING VISUAL LITERACY

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DIGITAL LITERACY AND CITIZENSHIP IN A CONNECTED CULTURE - Alignment Chart

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PRODUCTION TOOLS

RESOURCES FOR VIDEO, MUSIC & SOUND EFFECTS



RESOURCES FOR IMAGES​



OTHER RESOURCES

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CROSS-CURRICULAR RESOURCES KEY RESEARCH LINKS

Published on Mar 16, 2015

What is Multimedia Techonology

What is Multimedia Techonology

Published on Jan 19, 2016

Short animation explaining the history of multimedia and what it is now.

What is Multimedia?

Published on Aug 17, 2010

Creative Idea by: Junior Chamber International PETALING JAYA with animation support from Adcom

CREATIVITY starts from a BELIEF

Published on Apr 18, 2017

Third video for UMW QEP's Editing and Revision module.

Editing and Revision: Peer Editing & Revision

Published on Mar 4, 2017

Piper is a 2016 computer-animated short film produced by Pixar Animation Studios. Written and directed by Alan Barillaro, it was theatrically released alongside Pixar's Finding Dory on June 17, 2016. At the 89th Academy Awards, it won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film.
 

PIPER : An Inspirational Short Film | Oscar for Best Animated Short Film

Published on Jul 27, 2015

Video #2 for the QEP Effective Visual Aids module.

The Purpose of Visual Aids and Effective Design Tips

The short involves a hungry baby sandpiper learning to overcome her fear of water. The inspiration came from less than a mile away from Pixar Studios in Emeryville, California, where Barillaro, a veteran Pixar animator, would run alongside the shore and notice birds by the thousands fleeing from the water but returning between waves to eat.

PRESENTATION OF KNOWLEDGE AND IDEAS

EIGHTH GRADE

Cornerstone: Adapt speech to a variety of contents and communicative tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. 

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Grade 8.SL.PKI.6 
Speaking and Listening Standards:  Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
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Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. 

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CROSS-CURRICULAR RESOURCES

Published on Jul 22, 2014

If we look at our communication as if we're preparing a meal, we'll find 5 ingredients present in every meal we prepare: Clarity, Brevity, Context, Impact, and Value. But how much of each ingredient do we need?

The Recipe for Great Communication

Published on Apr 21, 2017

Ask anyone who performs at a high level: athletes, dancers, singers, etc. They all prepare and practice their skills the same way. They break their skill down into smaller "sub-skills," then practice each one individually, then put them all back together, and their overall skill level has improved. The same is true with communication. "Great communication" is a big topic -- a big skill to try to master. But if we break that down into smaller sub-skills, improvement becomes much easier. The 4 communication sub-skills we identify in our workshops are Assess, Message, Document, and Deliver. When you can master each of these sub-skills, overall communication becomes more polished!

The 4 Skills of Great Communication
Non-Verbal Communication

Published on May 17, 2013

An Introduction to the world of non-verbal communication. Check out the Sluis Video Library!

INCREASING HIGHER ORDER THINKING

Higher order thinking (HOT) is thinking on a level that is higher than memorizing facts or telling something back to someone exactly the way it was told to you. HOT takes thinking to higher levels than restating the facts and requires students to do something with the facts — understand them, infer from them, connect them to other facts and concepts, categorize them, manipulate them, put them together in new or novel ways, and apply them as we seek new solutions to new problems.

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PRESENTATION OF KNOWLEDGE AND IDEAS

EIGHTH GRADE

Cornerstone:  Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning; the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. 

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Grade 8.SL.PKI.4 
Speaking and Listening Standards:  Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
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Present claims and findings in a focused, coherent manner with relevant evidence; sound, valid reasoning, and well-chosen details; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation. 

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​PUBLIC SPEAKING OBJECTIVES

* Develop self-confidence in talking with others 
* Learn how to organize, write, and give a speech 
* Learn how to do your best before an audience 
* Understand the parts of a speech (Introduction, body, conclusion) 
* Use evidence-based claims to construct persuasive arguments 

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ESSENTIAL UNDERSTANDING "I CAN" STATEMENTS

  • I can engage in collaborative discussions and build on other’s ideas.

  • I can come to discussions prepared, refer to the evidence on the topic, and reflect on the discussion.

  • I can interpret information presented in different formats and media and explain how it contributes to the topic.

  • I can review the key ideas and demonstrate multiple perspectives through reflection and paraphrasing.

  • I can describe a speaker’s argument or claims by identifying the evidence.

  • I can organize and present claims and findings using description, facts, and details.

  • I can present and respond to questions with elaboration and detail.

  • I can use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation during a presentation.

  • I can include multimedia and visual displays in presentations to clarify information.

  • I can adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks while demonstrating a command of formal English. 

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PRESENTATION SKILLS

There are several things you can do to "fool-proof" your speaking event so that you present well every single time!
1. Take the time to prepare well for your presentation
2. Begin and end your presentation on time.
3. Know your audience.
4. Dress appropriately for your audience.
5. Have a backup plan for visual aids used in your presentation.
6. Tone down information overload.
7. Don't use inappropriate humor.
8. Vary your speech tones.

9.  Watch your posture
10. Relate your topic back to your audience.
11. Solidify your message.

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KEY RESOURCES FOR GIVING A PRESENTATION

Published on Oct 6, 2015

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/3-tips-to-b...

3 Tips to Boost Your Confidence

Published on Jun 1, 2015

Alpha M. Confidence Course: http://aaronmarino.com/confidence-cou...

5 Eye Contact Tips | How To Communicate With Your Eyes

Published on Apr 6, 2012

www.theperfectvoice.com Volume is a huge key to sounding confident and secure. But most people have no concept of how loud they should actually speak. I believe that we've become a nation of whisperers, and for the most part, we speak way too softly. When someone comes into my studio they're usually surprised by how loud I ask them to speak. I always say, "All speaking is public speaking". Whether you're talking to your mother, your girlfriend, boyfriend, boss, teacher, or 500 people at a convention, you're still a public speaker. You need to learn to stop speaking as if you were speaking to yourself. Using the proper amount of volume is critical when speaking. Volume enables the audience to hear you and better process what you are saying. In this video, Roger Love shows you how to use volume to your advantage and get your message heard.
For more information and free video training, visit www.theperfectvoice.com

Speaking: The proper use of volume in your speaking voice.

Published on Apr 27, 2015

How do actors sound so clear when they speak? The secret is to warm up by doing vocal exercises. In this lesson, I'll share with you some exercises to make your English sound clear, confident, and correct. You will start with a physical warm up and then move on to vocal exercises and tongue twisters. How fast can you say, "Peter piper picked a peck of pickled peppers"? Get your workout clothes on, and turn up the volume. Are you ready for some fun? BADAGABADAGA let’s go! http://www.engvid.com/speak-as-clearl...

Speak as Clearly as an Actor

Published on Mar 3, 2014

This quick animation provides a fun and engaging introduction to identify major events in a sequence, a key skill of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.

Introduction to Reading Skills: Identifying Major Events in a Sequence

Published on Apr 19, 2016

There's no single formula for a great talk, but there is a secret ingredient that all the best ones have in common. TED Curator Chris Anderson shares this secret — along with four ways to make it work for you. Do you have what it takes to share an idea worth spreading?

TED's secret to great public speaking | Chris Anderson

Published on Nov 25, 2013

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/making-a-te...
View original lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/exploration...

Making a TED-Ed Lesson: Visualizing big ideas

Published on Dec 14, 2012

Sign up for our WellCast newsletter for more of the love, lolz and happy! http://goo.gl/GTLhb
Check out today's worksheet: http://bit.ly/XhcEMV
If public speaking sounds like your worst nightmare, you're not alone. You're one of the estimated 70 percent of the population that has an intense fear of public speaking. That's OK. On today's WellCast, we've got our Triple P method that will keep you calm during that next oral report and keep your breakfast where it belongs. Ready?

Be a More Confident Public Speaker

Published on May 13, 2015

Reading and learning memory strategies utilized by the some of the brightest minds of all time.
The structure strategy was designed by Dr. Bonnie J.F.Meyer in the 1970s and has been tested extensively with exemplary results in reading comprehension.  This animation provides a fun and engaging introduction to identify major events in a sequence, a key skill of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.

Text Structure Techniques - Sequence & Description
COMPREHENSION AND COLLABORATION

EIGHTH GRADE

Cornerstone: Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric. 

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Grade 8.SL.CC.3
Speaking and Listening Standards:  Comprehension and Collaboration
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Delineate a speaker’s argument and specific claims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning and relevance and sufficiency of the evidence; identify when irrelevant evidence is introduced. 

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ESSENTIAL UNDERSTANDING

Communication: Oral and Visual

  1. Use effective listening strategies, summarize major ideas and draw logical inferences from presentations and visual media.

  2. Explain a speaker’s point of view and use of persuasive techniques in presentations and visual media.

  3. Vary language choice and use effective presentation techniques including voice modulation and enunciation.

  4. Select an organizational structure appropriate to the topic, audience, setting and purpose.

  5. Present ideas in a logical sequence and use effective introductions and conclusions that guide and inform a listener’s understanding of key ideas.

  6. Give presentations using a variety of delivery methods, visual materials and technology.

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EXTENDED UNDERSTANDING

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SPEARKER'S POINT OF VIEW RESOURCES

Identifying the narrator’s view point in a variety of texts is an essential reading skill. 

​Tone is the narrator’s attitude toward his or her subject. It is like tone of voice in that people use the same words to describe them. 

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LITERACY STANDARDS WITH TECHNOLOGY​

Published on Nov 13, 2016

This is a quick explanation on how to use the process of claim, evidence and reasoning in a social studies classroom. 

Claim Evidence Reasoning...in Five Minutes or Less

Published on May 19, 2015

Rarely seen footage of Martin Luther King, Jr., speaking to students at Barratt Junior High School in Philadelphia on October 26, 1967, where he delivered his speech "What Is Your Life's Blueprint?"

Martin Luther King, Jr., "What Is Your Life's Blueprint?"

Published on Jan 14, 2013

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-aristo...
Imagine you are one of the world's greatest violin players, and you decide to conduct an experiment: play inside a subway station and see if anyone stops to appreciate when you are stripped of a concert hall and name recognition. Joshua Bell did this, and Conor Neill channels Aristotle to understand why the context mattered.
Lesson by Conor Neill, animation by Animationhaus.

What Aristotle and Joshua Bell can teach us about persuasion - Conor Neill

Published on Oct 20, 2016

An explanation of the three persuasive appeals: logos, ethos, and pathos

The Three Persuasive Appeals: Logos, Ethos, and Pathos

Published on Jan 15, 2015

Support claims with evidence and reasoning.  Writing about Art: Objective vs. Subjective  http://www.getty.edu/education/teache...

Claims, Evidence, Reasoning

Published on Jun 14, 2013

There are two different ways to use reasoning: deductive and inductive. Deductive reasoning starts with a general theory, statement, or hypothesis and then works its way down to a conclusion based on evidence. Inductive reasoning starts with a small observation or question and works it's way to a theory by examining the related issues.

Inductive VS Deductive Reasoning by Shmoop
EVIDENCE-BASED SPEAKING AND LISTENING INSTRUCTIONAL ROUTINES
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  • Readers' Theatre in which students practice reading and rereading a script, either one that was prepared for them or one they developed collaboratively, based on an informational text they have studied (e.g., Young & Rasinski, 2009). Students are expected to present that text to the rest of the class while others listen. To ensure that students are listening, teachers often ask them to take notes, write down questions, or retell the information presented to a partner.

  • Presentations in which students research a topic and then share their findings with their peers, either in a small group or a large group (Fisher, McDonald, & Frey, 2013). Often, students are asked to provide their peers with feedback about their presentation skills.

  • Listening stations in which students listen to digital recordings of their teacher reading a complex informational text aloud, then discuss the questions the teacher poses at the end of the recording (Skouge, Rao, & Boisvert, 2007). These readings including instructions for students (e.g., “Put your finger on the title. Check your partner. Does he or she have the title identified correctly?”) as well as explanations of difficult words and concepts (e.g., “The word stabilizing means to hold still. So, the author is saying that the Slinky was invented to hold ships more still so that they wouldn't rock so much”).

  • Reciprocal teaching in which students read chunks of a given text and then take turns with various comprehension strategies such as predicting, questioning, clarifying, and summarizing (Palincsar & Brown, 1986). To ensure that students actually listen to one another, teachers create note-taking tools that require students to maintain a written record of the conversation. 

  • Listening Gallery Walk in which students create a visual image, record themselves talking about the image, and then code it with a symbol that will allow others to access the digital file. One way to do this is with QR codes that can be printed and included in the image itself. Alternatively, students can use the Aurasma app. This is an augmented-reality application that allows users to create and post video to enhance a viewing experience.

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Read More at Reading Rockets:  Speaking and Listening in Content Area Learning

Published on Sep 30, 2014

There are some little tricks of the trade you can use when trying to bring readers around to your point of view. And none of them involve dangling a watch in front of their eyes or asking them to stare a spinning, spiraling wheel. Ethos, Pathos, and Logos are rhetorical devices. Ethos is moral character, meaning when ethos is used the writer is trying to persuade the reader that the character is a good guy. Pathos is emotion. It gets the reader to stop thinking and start feeling. Logos means reason. Logos is logic, where all the details come together and make sense.
EssayGuide Terminology: http://www.shmoop.com/literature-glos...

How to Identify Ethos, Logos and Pathos by Shmoop

Published on Sep 20, 2016

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-to-use-...
How do you get what you want, using just your words? Aristotle set out to answer exactly that question over two thousand years ago with a treatise on rhetoric. Camille A. Langston describes the fundamentals of deliberative rhetoric and shares some tips for appealing to an audience’s ethos, logos, and pathos in your next speech. 
Lesson by Camille A. Langston, animation by TOGETHER.

How to Use Rhetoric to Get What You Want - Camille A. Langston
COMPREHENSION AND COLLABORATION

EIGHTH GRADE

Cornerstone: Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with varied partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. 

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Grade 8.SL.CC.1
Speaking and Listening Standards:  Comprehension and Collaboration
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Prepare for collaborative discussions on 8th grade level topics and texts; engage effectively with varied partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own ideas clearly. 


A.  Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion.

  • UEN:  Utah Education Network:  Lesson Plans​


B.  Follow rules for collegial discussions, set specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed.

  • UEN:  Utah Education Network:  Lesson Plans

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C.  Pose and respond to specific questions with elaboration and detail by making comments that contribute to the topic, text, or issue under discussion.

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D.  Review the key ideas expressed and demonstrate understanding of multiple perspectives through reflection and paraphrasing.

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ESSENTIAL UNDERSTANDING

1. Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion.

2. Follow rules for collegial discussions, set specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed.

3. Pose and respond to specific questions with elaboration and detail by making comments that contribute to the topic, text, or issue under discussion.

4. Review the key ideas expressed and demonstrate understanding of multiple perspectives through reflection and paraphrasing. 

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WHAT THE STUDENT DOES:

Participate in different discussions (pairs, groups, full-class) with a range of peers about grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, adding to others’ ideas while contributing their own. Arriving at these discussions prepared to discuss what they read or studied, students draw from what they learned, citing evidence in those texts during the discussion. As they participate and collaborate, students make goals, meet deadlines, and follow all guidelines for such academic discussions and their role in them. Also, when discussing or collaborating with others, students ask and answer questions, elaborating in some detail about how their remarks relate to the topic, text, or issue the class is studying. Finally, students restate and show they understand the different points of view raised by reflecting on and paraphrasing the most important ideas discussed.

• What topic, text, or issue is being discussed and what questions can you contribute?

• How can you best prepare to discuss this text, topic, or issue?
• What are the rules and roles for this discussion or collaboration? 

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EXTENDED UNDERSTANDING

Modify others’ views during discussion 

Published on Feb 22, 2016

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-to-avoi...
Have you ever talked with a friend about a problem, only to realize that he just doesn’t seem to grasp why the issue is so important to you? Have you ever presented an idea to a group, and it’s met with utter confusion? What’s going on here? Katherine Hampsten describes why miscommunication occurs so frequently, and how we can minimize frustration while expressing ourselves better. Lesson by Katherine Hampsten, animation by Andrew Foerster.

How miscommunication happens (and how to avoid it) - Katherine Hampsten

Published on Feb 27, 2013

Active listening is a lot easier with a few properly played ice breakers beforehand. Learn about ice breakers for active listening with help from an education professional in this free video clip.
Expert: Kevin Roberts
Filmmaker: Jerome Sawyer

Ice Breakers for Active Listening : Teaching & Learning Styles
The Power of Teamwork - Funny Animation.

Published on Jan 30, 2013

The Power of Teamwork - Funny Animation.

Published on Mar 11, 2012

Long, fancy words designed to show off your intelligence and vocabulary are all very well, but they aren't always the best words. In this short, playful video Terin Izil explains why simple, punchy language is often the clearest way to convey a message.

The Power of Simple Words - Terin Izil

Published on Feb 6, 2014

As we educate our students for the 21st century, we must teach them some vital skills to succeed. This video explains what collaboration is and why it important for both teachers and students to collaborate more in and outside of the school setting.

Education- Collaboration

Published on May 2, 2016

We hear a lot about how to speak well in public, but very little about how to learn the equally important art of listening properly to others.

Being A Good Listener
How to be a Good Listener

Published on Jun 14, 2017

Listening is something we’re very reluctant to do, not because we’re lazy, but because we have never actually been taught how to do it properly, in a way that can be interesting and rewarding for us.

LITERACY IN THE DIGITAL AGE:  NINE GREAT SPEAKING AND LISTENING TOOLS
SPEAKING AND LISTENING RESOURCES

LISTENING

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  1. Listening & Speaking:

    Enduring Understandings in Listening & Speaking 6-8

    • Strong listening and speaking skill allows us to better understand our world and each other.
    • The message sent is not always the message received.
    • Understanding audience will improve communication.

    • Fundamental understanding of the connection between reading, writing, and language will enhance listening and oral communication.

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ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS IN SPEAKING AND LISTENING

• How do improved listening and speaking skills foster clear communication?
• What does clear and effective communication look and sound like?

Regarding questioning strategies in listening, the student will:

• respond to persuasive messages with appropriate questions, challenges, or affirmations regarding the evidence that supports the speaker's claims and conclusions
• ask clarifying questions

• identify and explain propaganda techniques

Developing active listening skills, the student will:

• demonstrate active listening strategies: -ask focused questions
-respond to cues
-make visual contact

• gather and convey information from listening to a speaker support an idea.

Developing communication skills, the student will:

• adjust content and speaking style according to the needs of the situation, setting, and audience
• participate in discussions and solicit another person's opinions or comments

• respond appropriately to comments and questions and apply feedback to improve effectiveness of communication
• demonstrate an understanding of the rules of the English language and select language appropriate to purpose and audience
• analyze and evaluate a speech
• analyze speech delivery
• analyze speech organization
• rehearse and deliver a speech or oral presentation
• use verbal and nonverbal techniques
• deliver an informative speech, oral narrative, oral problem/solution essay, oral response to literature, and persuasive speech.

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Speaking and Listening:  Enduring Understandings
  • Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6-8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

  • Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how it contributes to a topic, text, or issue under study.

  • Delineate a speaker’s argument, specific claims, and intended audience, distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not.

  • Present claims and findings, respect intellectual properties, sequence ideas logically and using pertinent descriptions, facts, and details to accentuate main ideas or themes; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.

  • Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, images, music, sound) and visual displays in presentations to clarify information.

  • Adapt speech to a variety of contexts, audiences, tasks, and feedback from self and others, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. (See grade 6 Language standards 1 and 3 for specific expectations.)

  • Understand, analyze, and use different types of print, digital, and multimodal media.

  • As an individual or in collaboration, create an informative multimedia work or a piece of digital communication or contribute to an online collaboration for a specific purpose.

Introduction to Digital Presentations

Published on Apr 16, 2014

Help us caption & translate this video!

Published on May 13, 2015

Reading and learning memory strategies utilized by the some of the brightest minds of all time.  The structure strategy was designed by Dr. Bonnie J.F.Meyer in the 1970s and has been tested extensively with exemplary results in reading comprehension.

Visual Displays of Data Purpose, Type & Tools

Published on Mar 25, 2012

Humorous scenarios using non-verbal communication. 

MR Bean Non verbal communication

COMPREHENSIVE SPEAKING AND LISTENING WORKSHEETS

ACADEMIC VOCABULARY:  Key Words and Phrases
  • Acknowledge new information expressed by others: During academic discussions, which are intended to generate new ideas and understandings about a topic or a text, students will inevitably encounter other views or new information that con icts with their understanding, interpretation, or position.

  • Building on others’ ideas: When one student makes a comment or observation, students “build on” it by adding connections and other insights that often begin with phrases such as “Picking up on what Martha just said, I noticed . . .” or “Marco made a good point about . . .”

  • Clearly: This means using the language appropriate to the discipline, topic, or text in ways that ensure precision, clarity, and accuracy.

  • Collegial discussions: This refers to discussing ideas, some of them contentious, with mutual respect for your colleagues even if you do not agree.

  • Diverse partners (and perspectives): This refers to people and ideas from different backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives than students’ own; the idea is that one must know how and be able to converse with all people.

  • Explicitly draw on that preparation: This means to make use of the notes, ideas, and any materials the student prepared speci cally for the discussion; this shows how thoroughly the student prepared and how well they anticipated the demands and directions of the discussion.

  • Expressing: This refers to articulating or conveying students’ ideas instead of merely parroting back classmates’ or the author’s ideas.

  • Ideas that bring the discussion back on topic: Discussions inevitably raise new questions or connections that can easily lead the group away from the appointed topic or task; the group in general and those with such roles are responsible for nding ideas or questions that can be used to steer the conversation back on track.

  • Individual roles: This refers to the speci c role students play or cultivate for themselves in academic discussions.

  • Pose questions: To “pose” is to ask; students ask each other or the teacher questions about the text, task, or topic during a discussion.

  • Qualify or justify their views in light of the evidence: When one encounters views or information that con ict with one’s own, that person has to explain why they think as they do about a subject or text and, when necessary, justify their view or interpretation with evidence from the text or some other reliable source.

  • Questions that elicit elaboration and respond to others’ ideas: During a legitimate, healthy conversation, all are responsible for including other views and making all in the group feel involved; sometimes a member is reluctant to join in, at which point the group or an appointed discussion leader should pose questions that help such people to join in and share or otherwise expand on their ideas.

  • Relevant observations: Any comments or questions that distract the group from the task or topic run the risk of undermining the discussion; though observations and ideas may seem off-topic, they are worth including so long as they are relevant and advance the discussion.

  • Warranted: This means when needed, appropriate, or otherwise called for; it is different from warrant, which is a rhetorical term that alerts readers to your assumptions.

ACADEMIC VOCABULARY:  Key Words and Phrases
  • Analyze the main ideas and supporting details: It is asking students to break down the different elements to reveal the main ideas and their relationship to the supporting details; this might include examining how structures, grammar, syntax, or more media-based features serve to emphasize the main or supporting ideas in the text you are studying.

  • Evaluate the motives behind the presentation:  Anyone presenting to us has some motivation, be it to persuade, explain, or entertain; at times, such motives can be masked, the evaluator mistaking an attempt to explain for an effort to persuade, thus making it crucial to view the motives in context.

  • Evaluate: This means to determine the quality, value, use, or importance of data, details, or other forms of information one might include in one’s presentation as evidence to support a position.

  • Explain how it contributes to a topic: This refers speci cally to the way presenters and others can use diverse media and other formats when presenting information; in choosing to use other formats, such as a visual explanation, one necessarily contributes more (e.g., more clarity, structure, aesthetic impact, persuasion, or emotion).

  • Format: This is included as part of a speech or presentation charts, slides, graphics, or images, as well as multiple media, all of which allow the speaker to represent their ideas more fully and effectively.

  • Information presented in diverse media and formats:  The content of presentations and speeches these days comes in many different modes, including still and video images, colors, and shapes, as well as more quantitative techniques such as charts, tables, and graphs.

  • Integrate: This means to join the different sources or data from them into one cohesive body of evidence used to support one’s claims about what a speaker or author said or meant about a topic.

  • Interpret: Though related, to interpret is not the same thing as to translate, which calls for one to move something in one language or sign system into another; instead, to interpret means to make sense of what something is, does, or means. It is necessarily subjective, though more reliable interpretations will be based on reasonable judgments and informed opinions.

  • Media: This includes all the different forms your ideas and information, evidence, and data come in: print, audio, video, photograph; but also, mixed media, such as websites or presentation slides with embedded digital imagery (still photographs, videos, and animations) and audio.

  • The motives (e.g., social, commercial, or political):  A social motive would mean to do something for the good of the society or community of which one is a part; a commercial motive, however, would mean one was driven to sell, to earn, or to promote a service, product, or business.

  • Visually, quantitatively, orally: This refers to images, video, art, or graphics of any other sort intended to convey the ideas the speaker wants to communicate; measureable means numerical, quanti able data that is displayed or formatted so as to suit the speaker’s purpose; spoken means whether in front of a live audience or for an anonymous listener viewing a slide show online with a voice-over instead.

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