Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.
Common Core State Standards, Grades 9-10, Speaking & Listening · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026
What SL.9-10.4 Means in Plain English
Ninth and tenth graders present research so listeners can follow the reasoning: the finding first, then the evidence for it, in an order that builds. They cut what doesn’t serve the point and fit the depth, structure and style to who is listening and why.
Eighth graders (SL.8.4) presented claims with relevant evidence and sound reasoning. Grades 9 and 10 ask for concision and a line of reasoning a listener can trace, shaped for the audience. In grades 11 and 12 (SL.11-12.4), presenters take a distinct perspective and answer opposing views.
SL.9-10.4 I Can Statements
I can open a presentation with my main finding, not my process.
I can order my evidence so listeners can follow my reasoning.
I can cut details that don’t serve my audience or purpose.
SL.9-10.4 Worked Example
Two openings for the same two-minute presentation to the principal, built from the same survey results.
Prompt
Your group surveyed 214 students about the school’s free tutoring center, which is open 2:45 to 3:30 and served 19 students last month. Results: 58% didn’t know it existed, 27% have practice or a job right after school, and 9% said it felt like a place “for kids who are failing.” Present your findings and recommendation to the principal in two minutes. Give your first 45 seconds.
Not YetSo first we made a survey online, which took a while because we had to agree on the questions. Then we sent it out in homeroom and got 214 responses, which was a lot. We found out a lot of interesting stuff. Like, some people didn’t know about it, and some people have sports, and some people said it’s for failing kids, which isn’t true. Also my friend went once and said it really helped. So yeah, we think maybe some things should change.It narrates the process, buries the numbers, adds one friend’s visit that proves nothing, and ends without a recommendation. The principal hears activity, not reasoning.
Meets the StandardThe tutoring center isn’t empty because students don’t need help. It’s empty because they can’t find it or can’t get there. We surveyed 214 students. The biggest problem is awareness: 58 percent didn’t know the center exists. The second is timing: 27 percent have practice or a job at 2:45. The third is reputation: 9 percent see it as a place for students who are failing. Each problem has a fix, and I’ll take them in that order, starting with the cheapest.It opens on the finding, gives the sample once, and orders the three causes from largest to smallest with a number for each. The last line previews the structure, so the principal knows where the talk is going and why.
Moves to Use
Open with the finding your audience needs, not the story of your research.Give each piece of evidence one number and one sentence.Order the points so each builds the case: largest to smallest, or cause to fix.Preview the structure so listeners can follow the line of reasoning.Fit the style to the audience: a principal wants the problem, the evidence and the ask.
Common Mistakes with SL.9-10.4
The research diary
Two minutes on how the survey was built, and twenty seconds on what it found
Try this: Have students write their finding as one sentence first, then build the talk so every later sentence supports it.
Every number, no order
Nine percentages read aloud in the order the survey happened to ask them
Try this: Cap the evidence at three points, ranked by size or importance, and announce the order before giving the first one.
One talk for every audience
The same jokey presentation given to classmates in the morning and to the principal after lunch
Try this: Name the audience and what they can do about the problem, then cut any line that doesn’t help them act.
Classroom TimerFree ToolRun each presentation against a two-minute countdown, with a 45-second checkpoint by which the finding and the preview must be said.Two-minute talk45-second opening