https://padlet.com/isaacrichert/80gh46935nvjxpm3 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.6 Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. en-us 2022-07-04 04:31:18 UTC 2025-06-16 20:10:04 UTC hello@padlet.com isaacrichert https://padlet.com/isaacrichert/80gh46935nvjxpm3/wish/2236195380
Giving students a quick video to discuss with partners is a great way to get conversation going on a topic students may have many feelings about, but have never had time to sit with those feelings. Ms. Tovar's experiences being punished for speaking Spanish as an elementary student are extreme, but will allow students to sit with the concept that in education, one form of speech (formal White English) is often held as superior to other forms. The intent is for students to realize that there are multiple forms of speech within a school in terms of language, dialect, and level of formality, and to get a quick glimpse into some of the history surrounding non-white speakers.]]> 2022-07-04 04:52:22 UTC https://padlet.com/isaacrichert/80gh46935nvjxpm3/wish/2236195380 isaacrichert https://padlet.com/isaacrichert/80gh46935nvjxpm3/wish/2236203115 After viewing the first video, students have likely come to the conclusion that it is unfair to be punished for speaking a language other than English. With this baseline in mind, the goal is for them to broaden their idea of what constitutes "correct" or "articulate" English. Lyiscott's brilliant articulation in three distinct dialects of English will work on a few levels. First, students will start to warm to the idea that there is not ONE way to speak within a given language. Second, whether they can verbalize it or not, they will begin to understand the importance of context for a speech act. Thirdly, they may begin to apply the concept of different, but equal speech patterns to their own lived experiences.]]> 2022-07-04 05:05:28 UTC https://padlet.com/isaacrichert/80gh46935nvjxpm3/wish/2236203115 isaacrichert https://padlet.com/isaacrichert/80gh46935nvjxpm3/wish/2236209283 After reading this Blanco poem, I literally woke my wife up to share it with her; she was not amused. But the poem is the perfect conduit for students to begin to understand that multiple modes of speech serve different purposes, and as such, are equally important. Poetry analysis can be a tough sell for high-schoolers, but the blend of English and Spanish Blanco utilizes is a linguistic technique many of my own students have mastered, and it's important for them to do academic work with speech that my closely mirror their own. ]]> 2022-07-04 05:16:12 UTC https://padlet.com/isaacrichert/80gh46935nvjxpm3/wish/2236209283 isaacrichert https://padlet.com/isaacrichert/80gh46935nvjxpm3/wish/2236216603 This brilliant illustration so succinctly depicts the fracturing many people feel when they are asked (or forced) to speak in ways they are not comfortable. Though the speaker in the image is Black, I want students to be able to wrestle with the idea that speech acts are not consigned to a specific ethnicity. It is entirely common for me to hear a Black or Brown student of color speak the words, "Hello, how are you?" and "Ay, yo, what's good?" is normal speech for many White students. Depending on the specific class, alternative questions regarding the speaker's hairstyles could also be explored. The image is perfect in that it offers a low floor for all students to reflect, but also exhibits a high ceiling to get into some real depth on the pairing of natural hair on the left and straightened hair on the right.]]> 2022-07-04 05:28:15 UTC https://padlet.com/isaacrichert/80gh46935nvjxpm3/wish/2236216603 isaacrichert https://padlet.com/isaacrichert/80gh46935nvjxpm3/wish/2236221602 I want students to key-in to the concept that a person is in effect taking a risk by delivering a speech act. By realizing (in their own experiences or others) that speaking is an act often fraught with embarrassment or worry to sound "correct," they will hopefully become more empathetic to the diverse speech that surrounds them in the classroom, and ideally more forgiving of themselves if they have felt like they have spoken "wrong" in their own lives.]]> 2022-07-04 05:37:18 UTC https://padlet.com/isaacrichert/80gh46935nvjxpm3/wish/2236221602 isaacrichert https://padlet.com/isaacrichert/80gh46935nvjxpm3/wish/2236224927 Students need to understand that although "simple" or "standard" or "formal" English is by no means the only way to speak, a certain amount of power is associated with the speech depending on the context. By connecting the "simple English" Malcolm X speaks about with the "freedom" he felt even while locked up at Charlestown Prison, students will begin to see the reason they are asked to speak and produce writing in formal, academic English. Depending on the class, this excerpt could be paired with additional writings or speech excerpts in which Malcolm X forgoes "simple English" for different dialects more suited for his audience or purpose.]]> 2022-07-04 05:43:19 UTC https://padlet.com/isaacrichert/80gh46935nvjxpm3/wish/2236224927 isaacrichert https://padlet.com/isaacrichert/80gh46935nvjxpm3/wish/2236230713 Randolph's brilliant article eschews the performative politics I as a liberal White teacher often gravitate towards and replaces them with tangible ways to respect and honor the speech of my students. I wanted to include a teacher perspective as a reflective activity for a potential teacher to actually use where they to use these texts in their own classroom. Also, Randolph is a master at flipping between multiple modes of English writing depending on the purpose of his sentence or paragraph. It's important for teachers themselves to read the words of a real-life practitioner that embodies what it means to live and speak as a Black man in America in the year 2022.]]> 2022-07-04 05:54:51 UTC https://padlet.com/isaacrichert/80gh46935nvjxpm3/wish/2236230713 isaacrichert https://padlet.com/isaacrichert/80gh46935nvjxpm3/wish/2236235615 For the final activity in the unit, I wanted to give students an open-ended chance to respond to a brilliant skit by Key & Peele. I made the conscious decision to forgo pointed questions in an effort to give more students a chance to respond to the skit in whatever way they saw fit. Humor allows for a certain amount of distance between the viewer and potentially controversial issues, and the skit toes the line beautifully. I also wanted to end the unit on a humorous note to express to students that although the concept of multiple modalities of speech is an important one, playing around with speech the way we play around with outfit choices can and should be achieved.]]> 2022-07-04 06:03:16 UTC https://padlet.com/isaacrichert/80gh46935nvjxpm3/wish/2236235615 isaacrichert https://padlet.com/isaacrichert/80gh46935nvjxpm3/wish/2236238300 I think it's very important for students to hear from speakers and learners who haven't always been as successful as they intended. We as teachers do a fine job presenting students with mentor texts and exemplar presentations, but non-examples and flubs like the ones exhibited in the Deggans article will help to humanize the speech failures our students work so hard to forget. By seeing the fact that Deggans, who struggled to find his speaking identity as a young kid is now a published author, students will have a real-life example of the growth mindset we so fervently push in edu-speak. ]]> 2022-07-04 06:07:57 UTC https://padlet.com/isaacrichert/80gh46935nvjxpm3/wish/2236238300 isaacrichert https://padlet.com/isaacrichert/80gh46935nvjxpm3/wish/2236242203 As students are now familiar with the term "code-switching" from the previous article, I wanted a quick and succinct way for students to explore the main reasons speakers feel they need to change their speech to suit their purposes. This article doesn't focus on the student's personal speech or ask them to reflect in any way, but rather brings to light or academizes some of the speech acts they may already be exhibiting in their daily lives.]]> 2022-07-04 06:14:50 UTC https://padlet.com/isaacrichert/80gh46935nvjxpm3/wish/2236242203