Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.
Common Core State Standards, Grade 5, Speaking & Listening · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026
What SL.5.4 Means in Plain English
Fifth graders report on a topic or book, or argue an opinion, with ideas in an order listeners can follow, a fact or vivid detail behind each, and speech clear and slow enough for the back row. A Moon-phases talk explains sunlight first, then the orbit.
Fourth graders (SL.4.4) report, tell a story or recount an experience in an organized way. Fifth grade adds presenting an opinion and asks for a logical sequence, each idea setting up the next. Sixth grade (SL.6.4) presents claims and findings and adds eye contact, volume and clear pronunciation.
SL.5.4 I Can Statements
I can put the ideas of my talk in an order that makes sense.
I can back up each main idea with facts and details.
I can speak clearly and at a pace my audience can follow.
SL.5.4 Worked Example
The same science facts, said two ways. The strong version puts them in an order where each one sets up the next.
Prompt
Give a one-minute report to the class: why does the Moon seem to change shape?
Not YetUm, so the Moon changes shape. Sometimes it’s full and sometimes it’s like a banana. There’s also a new moon. And also the Moon has craters. And it goes around the Earth. So yeah, that’s why.The ideas come in the order they were remembered, the craters have nothing to do with the question, and the why never arrives. Said fast, the listener remembers only the banana.
Meets the StandardHave you noticed the Moon looks different every week? The Moon doesn’t really change shape. It doesn’t make its own light. It reflects light from the Sun, and the Sun always lights up half of it. As the Moon travels around Earth, about once a month, we see different amounts of that lit half. When the Moon is between us and the Sun, the lit side faces away, and we see a new moon. When it’s on the far side of Earth, we see the whole lit half, a full moon. So the Moon’s shape never changes. Only our view of it does.A question to open, then the ideas in cause-to-effect order: the Sun lights half, the Moon moves, our view changes. Two phases serve as the details, and the last line answers the question.
Moves to Use
Open with a question or a fact that tells listeners the topic.Order the ideas so each one sets up the next.Back each idea with a fact or a detail listeners can picture.Cut anything that doesn’t answer the question, however interesting.Pause at each period and slow down for the key sentence.
Common Mistakes with SL.5.4
Reading the poster aloud
Back to the class, reading every word off the poster or a full note card
Try this: Limit note cards to five key words per idea, and rehearse until the student can glance down and look back up.
Racing to the end
A one-minute report delivered in twenty seconds, in one breath
Try this: Have partners rehearse with a timer, aiming to use the full minute, and mark a pause slash after each idea on the card.
Every fact they found, in no order
“Also the Moon has craters. Also it has no air. Also it’s full sometimes.”
Try this: Have students number their ideas on sticky notes, put them in an order that builds, and drop any that miss the question.
Classroom TimerFree ToolRun timed talks with the countdown on the board, so presenters can pace themselves and rehearsal partners can hear a full minute.1-minute talksRehearsal roundsOn the board