English Language Arts and Reading.8.6.H

The student is expected to

respond orally or in writing with appropriate register, vocabulary, tone, and voice;

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Knowledge and Skills Statement

Response skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts. The student responds to an increasingly challenging variety of sources that are read, heard, or viewed.

Task students with sharing a response to a text in small groups using appropriate register, vocabulary, tone, and voice. Then, elicit a conversation in which students explain how they determined the vocabulary, tone, and voice they felt was most appropriate for the context and audience.

Further Explanation

This SE requires students to demonstrate their understanding of effective communication. As students consider the recipient(s) of the ideas they are trying to convey, they should adjust how formal or informal the delivery should be, the words that will best resonate with the audience, the most effective way to express their attitudes toward the subject or topic, and how to capture their unique perspectives in the style of their responses. Ample opportunities should be provided for students to refine their oral and written response skills.

the degree of formality in language (e.g., formal, informal, academic, etc.)
Students at this grade level should understand that communication can be more effective when the message or information is tailored to the occasion and audience. When students are able to consider the recipient of the ideas they are trying to convey, they can adjust how formal or informal the delivery should be, the words that will best resonate with the audience, the most effective way to express their attitude toward the subject or topic, and how to capture their unique perspective in the style of their response.
the reflection of an author’s or speaker’s particular attitude, either stated or implied, toward the subject
a familiar set of words within a person’s written and oral language; usually developed over time and serves as a tool to communicate and acquire new knowledge
the distinctive way the writer expresses ideas with respect to style, form, content, purpose, etc.; the distinctive features of a person’s writing or speech patterns

Research

1. Kinsey, B., & Comerchero, V. A. (2012). Language in style: Formal language and tone. Communique, 41(1), 37. Retrieved from https://www.nasponline.org/publications/periodicals/communique/issues/volume-41-issue-1

Summary:  This one-pager addresses how language and words imply assumptions, beliefs, and biases. The one-pager provides examples of how word choice and the sequence of words significantly change the meaning and the underlying questions posed by the use of language. The authors advocate that writing should be appropriate for its audience and the writing style generally should be formal. 

2. VanDerHeide, J., & Juzwik, M. M. (2018). Argument as conversation: Students responding through writing to significant conversations across time and place. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 62(1), 67–77. doi:10.1002/jaal.754

Summary:  In this article, the author presents an instructional model that reconnects to the why of writing. The model of information reasoning requires students to learn how to make claims, provide supporting evidence of that claim, and create additional examples of the claim through the use of analogies and stories. Students were asked to write a letter in response to an ongoing conversation that was important to them. Personal experience helps to develop the students' ability to advocate for a position through writing. The approach requires scaffolding on argumentative writing instruction. The study includes multiple templates to guide the writing of the responses. This approach fosters the opportunity for students to participate in conversations that have a historical background. In doing so, students engage in topics of debate that have continued over time and in various spaces. Students are invited to participate in these discussions through their writing positions as arguing for or against a position.