Over time, oral communication skills develop from social and less complex to more academic and complex as students progress through grade levels. Students reach higher levels of language complexity by regularly engaging with the language through listening, speaking, and participating in discussions. Students should have the opportunity to act as both the recipient (so they can practice listening to understand the meaning), and as the presenter of verbal messages (so they can practice constructing language to convey meaning).

This knowledge and skills statement is unique in that it focuses exclusively on the first two domains of language, listening and speaking, which are precursors to reading and writing. In the oral language substrand, students should develop and enhance their skills in active listening, following and giving instructions, collaborating, and giving oral presentations.