Common Core ELA4th GradeSpeaking & Listening

SL.4.6: Formal and Informal English

Also written as CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.6 · Cluster: Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas.

Pick an Introducer All 43 4th Grade ELA Standards

The Official Wording

Differentiate between contexts that call for formal English (e.g., presenting ideas) and situations where informal discourse is appropriate (e.g., small-group discussion); use formal English when appropriate to task and situation. (See grade 4 Language standards 1 here for specific expectations.)

Common Core State Standards, Grade 4, Speaking & Listening · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026

What SL.4.6 Means in Plain English

Fourth graders notice who is listening and why before they speak. Chatting with a partner or a small group can be casual, but presenting to the class, introducing a guest or answering a visiting adult calls for formal English: complete sentences, standard grammar, no slang.

Third graders (SL.3.6) spoke in complete sentences when a task called for detail or clarification. Fourth grade names the two kinds of situation and switches on purpose, using the grammar of L.4.1. Fifth grade (SL.5.6) adapts speech to a wider range of contexts and tasks.

SL.4.6 I Can Statements

I can tell when a situation calls for formal English.
I can introduce a guest in complete, polite sentences.
I can save casual talk for partners and small groups.

SL.4.6 Worked Example

One guest speaker, two introductions. The casual one was fine in a small group that morning, but not in front of the whole class.

Prompt

A wildlife rehabilitator, Ms. Thibodeaux, is visiting to talk about the injured owls she nurses back to health. That morning, in your small group, you said, “She’s the owl lady! She’s so cool, she has like ten owls.” Now introduce her to the whole class.

Not YetOkay so this is the owl lady, she’s super cool and she has like a bunch of owls and stuff. Go ahead.That was fine with three friends at a table. In front of the class and a guest, like, stuff and “the owl lady” make the introduction sound careless, and the class learns nothing about who she is or why she came.

Meets the StandardGood morning, everyone. Our guest today is Ms. Thibodeaux, a wildlife rehabilitator. She takes care of owls that have been hurt, often by cars, until they are strong enough to fly free again. Today she will explain how she helps them heal. Please welcome Ms. Thibodeaux.A greeting, her name and title, what she does in one plain sentence and why she is here, then a welcome. Complete sentences and precise words replace the slang, and the class knows what to listen for.

Moves to Use

Before you speak, ask who is listening and what the talk is for.Use complete sentences and standard grammar for a presentation or a guest.Trade slang and fillers like super, like and and stuff for precise words.Open with a greeting and close with a welcome or a thank-you.Keep the casual voice for partner and small-group talk, where it fits.

Common Mistakes with SL.4.6

One voice for every room

A student presents a book report the way they talk at recess: “So yeah, it was pretty good”

Try this: Sort scenarios as a class, formal or informal, then have students say the same message both ways and compare.

Formal means fancy

“Greetings, esteemed audience, it is my utmost honor…” from a nervous fourth grader

Try this: Teach that formal means complete, clear and polite, not long words, and model introductions that sound like a respectful student.

Formal everywhere

A student in a partner chat talks as if presenting to an assembly, and the partner stops talking

Try this: Point out that small-group talk can be relaxed, and practice switching registers when the group reports back to the class.

Where SL.4.6 Fits

Comes BeforeSL.3.6Speak in complete sentences when a task calls for detail or clarification.

AlongsideL.4.3Choose precise words and tell formal situations from informal ones, the same switch in writing.L.4.1Use standard grammar and complete sentences, the rules formal English follows.

Comes NextSL.5.6Adapt speech to more contexts and tasks, using formal English where it fits.

Practice SL.4.6

Random Name PickerFree ToolSpin for who introduces the next guest, reader or presenter, so every student practices a formal opening.Introduce a guestWhole class

Spin a Name

Quick Check

Why was the casual version fine that morning but not for the introduction?
In the morning the student was talking with friends in a small group. The introduction is in front of the whole class and a guest, which calls for formal English.
Which words in the weak introduction would you replace, and with what?
Like, super, and stuff and “the owl lady.” Replace them with her name, her title, wildlife rehabilitator, and what she does.
What four parts does the strong introduction have?
A greeting, the guest’s name and title, what she does and why she is here, and a welcome.

SL.4.6: Other Names

SL.4.6CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.6