Present claims and findings, sequencing ideas logically and using pertinent descriptions, facts, and details to accentuate main ideas or themes; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.
Common Core State Standards, Grade 6, Speaking & Listening · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026
What SL.6.4 Means in Plain English
Sixth graders present a claim or research findings in an order that builds, with exact facts that spotlight the main idea. “Forty-one pounds of milk in five days” beats “a lot of waste.” They look at the audience, project to the back row and pronounce clearly.
Fifth graders (SL.5.4) gave organized reports and opinions at an understandable pace. Sixth grade shifts to claims and findings, often from their own research, and names the delivery skills: eye contact, volume, pronunciation. Seventh grade (SL.7.4) asks for a focused talk that stresses the key points.
SL.6.4 I Can Statements
I can state my claim at the start of a presentation.
I can order my findings so each one builds on the last.
I can make eye contact and speak loudly and clearly enough.
SL.6.4 Worked Example
The same week of data, presented twice. The strong version leads with the claim and lets the numbers carry it.
Prompt
Your group weighed the food left on cafeteria trays for one week. Present your findings to the class, and the claim you draw from them, in under two minutes.
Not YetSo we did the food waste thing for a week. There was a lot of waste, like, a lot. Milk was really bad. Also apples. Oh, and Tuesday was pizza day so there was less. I think the school should do something about it. Okay, that’s it.The findings come in the order the speaker remembers them, none has a number, and the claim arrives last and vague. Mumbled into a note card, the pizza detail is all anyone keeps.
Meets the StandardOur cafeteria throws away more milk than any other food, and we think students should be able to choose whether they take a carton. For five days, our group weighed what was left on every tray. Milk came to forty-one pounds, more than fruit and vegetables combined. On Wednesday we also counted unopened cartons: one hundred twelve, out of about three hundred lunches. So our claim is simple: let students choose, and the milk stops going straight into the trash.The claim comes first, then how the data was gathered, then the findings from biggest to most striking, each with its number. The close returns to the claim. Said while looking up, at back-row volume, it lands.
Moves to Use
Open with your claim, so listeners know what the findings are for.Order the findings so each one builds on the last.Use exact numbers and details instead of “a lot.”Look up at a different part of the room for each finding.Speak to the back row, and slow down on numbers and names.
Common Mistakes with SL.6.4
Saving the claim for last
Two minutes of findings, then “So yeah, I think we should do something.”
Try this: Have students write the claim as the first line of the note card and say it within their first two sentences.
Presenting to the screen
Body half-turned, eyes on the slides, reading each bullet aloud
Try this: Rehearse with a partner who raises a hand whenever eye contact drops, and trim note cards to numbers and key words.
Vague amounts
“A lot of milk,” “tons of apples,” “basically everyone”
Try this: Circle every vague amount in the script and replace it with the measured number before the first rehearsal out loud.
Classroom TimerFree ToolRun two-minute presentations with the countdown on the board, after a one-minute rehearsal round with a partner.2-minute talksRehearsal round