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Common Core ELAKindergartenSpeaking & Listening

SL.K.6: Speak Clearly and Loud Enough to Hear

Also written as CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.6 · Cluster: Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas.

Make a This or ThatAll 41 Kindergarten ELA Standards

The Official Wording

Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.

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

What SL.K.6 Means in Plain English

Kindergartners speak loudly enough for the whole group to hear and put their thoughts, feelings and ideas into words others understand. Asked about rainy or sunny days, a child stands, faces the circle and says which they pick, why, and how it makes them feel.

Quiet children need a safe audience before a big one, so practice moves from partner to table to the whole carpet. In 1st grade (SL.1.6) the focus shifts to producing complete sentences when the task and situation call for them.

SL.K.6 I Can Statements

  • I can talk loud enough for my friends to hear.
  • I can look at my friends when I talk.
  • I can say how I feel with words.

SL.K.6 Worked Example

One this-or-that question at morning circle, one mumbled answer, and one the whole carpet can hear and understand.

Prompt

This or that at morning circle: rainy days or sunny days? Stand up, say which one you pick and how it makes you feel.

Not Yet“Sunny.” (Said to the carpet, so the back of the circle hears nothing.)One word, no reason and no feeling, and the volume leaves out half the circle. The answer is fine, but nobody can hear it.
Meets the Standard“I pick rainy days, because I get to jump in puddles in my boots. Rainy days make me feel happy and splashy!” (Said facing the circle, loud enough for the far side.)The choice, a reason and a feeling, said in a voice the farthest friend can hear. Audible and clear are the whole standard, and both are there.
Moves to Use
Stand tall and look at your friends, not the floor.Use a voice the friend farthest from you can hear.Say your whole idea, not just one word.Name your feeling: happy, scared, excited or sad.

Common Mistakes with SL.K.6

Talking to the floor

Head down, words aimed at shoes, the back of the circle leaning in

Try this: Name a listener across the circle and tell the speaker to make sure that friend’s ears can hear it.

Loud instead of clear

A shouted “SUNNY!” that is all volume and no idea

Try this: Model a shout and a clear voice back to back, then ask the class which one helped them understand more.

Feelings without words

“It makes me… I don’t know,” then silence

Try this: Post a feelings chart with faces and words, and let the child point to a face first, then say the word in a sentence.

Where SL.K.6 Fits

Comes BeforeL.K.6Use words picked up from books and conversation, including the feeling words a clear answer needs.
AlongsideSL.K.1Take part in partner and group talk, the everyday place to practice speaking up.SL.K.4Describe familiar people, places and things, adding detail when prompted.
Comes NextSL.1.6Speak in complete sentences when the task and situation call for them.

Practice SL.K.6

Random Name PickerFree ToolSpin for the next speaker so the quiet children get turns too, starting in a small group before the whole carpet.Small groupNext speakerEveryone gets a turn
Spin a Name

Quick Check

  1. What three things does the strong answer include?
  2. “Sunny” answers the question. Why does the weak answer still miss SL.K.6?
  3. How can a teacher check that a child spoke audibly?

SL.K.6: Other Names

SL.K.6CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.6

Common Core State Standards © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved. Official wording from the Common Core State Standards PDFs at corestandards.org, last checked October 14, 2026. The explanation, I can statements, example, mistakes and practice on this page are EMStudio’s own, written beside the official wording. They are not part of the standard.