Unit Plan 15 (Grade 6 ELA): Performance Reading & Speaking

Focus: Prosody; performing poems/dramatic scenes; multimedia supports

Grade Level: 6

Subject Area: English Language Arts (Speaking & Listening; Reading Literature)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 45–60 minutes per session

I. Introduction

Great speakers lift text off the page. This week, students develop prosody (pace, pausing, pitch, emphasis) to perform short poems or dramatic scenes. They will plan and deliver a brief presentation with clear organization and delivery and integrate multimedia to clarify meaning. They will also compare the experience of reading a text to watching/listening to a performance and explain how choices in voice, movement, and visuals shape understanding.

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to…

1. Plan and deliver a coherent oral performance that sequences ideas logically and uses appropriate eye contact, volume, and pronunciation (SL.6.4).
2. Design and integrate multimedia elements (images, simple graphics, sound/music) that clarify or enhance meaning (SL.6.5).
3. Compare and contrast reading a poem/scene with viewing or hearing a performance version, citing what they see and hear that changes understanding (RL.6.7).
4. Apply prosody and text evidence (tone, stage directions, line breaks) to make intentional performance choices.

Standards Alignment — CCSS Grade 6

• Speaking & Listening 6.4 (SL.6.4): Present claims and findings, sequencing ideas logically and using pertinent descriptions, facts, and details to accentuate main ideas or themes; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.
• Speaking & Listening 6.5 (SL.6.5): Include multimedia components (graphics, images, music, sound) and visual displays in presentations to clarify information.
• Reading Literature 6.7 (RL.6.7): Compare and contrast the experience of reading a story, drama, or poem to listening to or viewing an audio/video/live version, including contrasting what they see and hear when reading the text with what they perceive when they listen or watch.

Success Criteria — student language

• I can mark a text for prosody and perform it so the meaning is clear.
• I can present with organization, eye contact, volume, and pronunciation that fit my audience.
• I can choose multimedia that helps listeners understand the text (not distracts).
• I can explain how a performance changes what the audience notices compared with silent reading.