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Speaking So People Can Hear You

A 30-minute Kindergarten lesson on speaking audibly and in whole sentences, so that an idea survives the journey to a listener.

Speaking So People Can Hear You is a free 30-minute Kindergarten English lesson plan for Common Core standard SL.K.6 — speak loudly and clearly enough to be understood. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the meaning, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.

Grade:
Kindergarten
Length:
30 minutes
Standard:
SL.K.6

Kindergarten · Speaking & Listening

SL.K.6

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

Objective

Students will be able to say a whole sentence loudly enough for the back of the room to hear.

Students are successful when they can

  • Answers "What is your favorite fruit?" with "My favorite fruit is mango," not "mango."
  • Is heard by a listener at the far wall.
  • Speaks clearly without shouting.

What you need

  • A listener stationed at the far end of the room
  • Sentence starter cards: "My favorite ___ is...", "I feel ___ because...", "I like ___ because..."
  • The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan

The lesson

Warm-up — can Miss hear you?

4 min
  1. Stand at the far wall. Ask a child to say their name in a whisper. Shake your head: "I can't hear."
  2. Ask them to shout. Cover your ears: "Too loud!"
  3. Ask them to use a "far wall voice." Give a thumbs up. Say: "Just right."

Teach — a whole sentence, out loud

9 min
  1. Ask: "What is your favorite fruit?" A child says "Mango." Say: "That is a word. Can you say it as a sentence?" Model: "My favorite fruit is mango."
  2. Say: "A whole sentence helps the listener know what you are talking about, even if they did not hear the question."
  3. Show the starter cards and read each one.
  4. Model a feeling sentence: "I feel happy because it is sunny." Use your far wall voice.
  5. Say: "Big enough voice, whole sentence. That is how your idea gets all the way to the listener."
“Far wall voice, whole sentence. Can the back of the room hear you?”

Guided practice — the far wall test

9 min
  1. The listener stands at the far wall. Children take turns answering one question with a starter card.
  2. The listener gives thumbs up if they heard the whole sentence.
  3. If not, the child tries again with a bigger voice.
  4. Ask a few: "What is your favorite animal?" "How do you feel today?" "What did you do on the weekend?"
  5. After each, ask the listener to repeat what they heard: "She said her favorite animal is a tiger." If they cannot, the speaker tries again.
  6. Praise the specific thing: "I heard every word, and you used a whole sentence."
“Look at the listener and say it so they can hear.”

Independent practice

6 min
  1. Read each frame on the sheet aloud.
  2. Children finish each one to make a whole sentence, writing or drawing the missing part: "When I am asked my name, I say: My name is ___."
  3. Tell them: "These are your sentences to say. Practice one in a whisper now; you will say it in your far wall voice later."

Close

2 min
  1. Three children say one finished sentence from the sheet in their far wall voice.
  2. The listener at the far wall repeats each one back, word for word, to prove it arrived.

What goes wrong, and why

Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.

Answers with one word: "Mango."

Why: In everyday conversation a one-word answer is normal and polite, so the child cannot see what a whole sentence adds.

Fix: Bring in a second adult who did not hear the question. The child says "Mango" to them; the adult looks puzzled: "Mango what?" Then the whole sentence, and the adult understands. The listener who missed the question is the reason for the sentence.

Shouts every answer.

Why: They were told "louder" and took it as "as loud as possible"; nobody has shown them that there is a level between quiet and shouting.

Fix: Practice three levels with hand signals: whisper (hand low), far wall voice (hand at chest), shout (hand high). Say the same sentence at each, then use only the middle one.

Speaks into their lap or at the teacher only.

Why: Shy children look down to feel safer, and many think the teacher is the only person who needs to hear.

Fix: Ask them to find the far wall listener's eyes before speaking. Lifting the chin makes the voice travel further without any extra effort, and the listener's thumbs up is the reward.

If they are not there yet

  • Start with the listener three steps away, then move them back a step each turn.
  • Say the sentence with the child first, then let them say it alone.
  • Use one starter card only: "My favorite ___ is ___."

If they finish early

  • Add a because to every sentence: "My favorite fruit is mango because it is sweet."
  • Be the far wall listener and give feedback on both loudness and whole sentences.
  • Tell the class a short news item in three whole sentences, with a pause between each one.

Exit ticket

From the front, tell the far wall: "My favorite ___ is ___ because ___."

What to look for: A whole sentence, heard at the far wall, without shouting. One word means they need the frame. Too quiet means practice the far wall voice. Shouting means practice the three voice levels.

Printable practice for SL.K.6

Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.

Questions about Speaking So People Can Hear You

How long does the Speaking So People Can Hear You lesson take?

30 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 4 min, teach 9 min, guided practice 9 min, independent practice 6 min, close 2 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.

Which standard does Speaking So People Can Hear You teach?

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.6 — SL.K.6, Speaking & Listening for Kindergarten: “Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.” In plain terms, speak loudly and clearly enough to be understood.

What do I need to teach this lesson?

A listener stationed at the far end of the room, sentence starter cards: "My favorite ___ is...", "I feel ___ because...", "I like ___ because..." and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.

What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?

Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: answers with one word: "Mango."; shouts every answer and speaks into their lap or at the teacher only. The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.

How do I know whether the lesson worked?

The exit ticket asks: “From the front, tell the far wall: "My favorite ___ is ___ because ___.".” A whole sentence, heard at the far wall, without shouting. One word means they need the frame. Too quiet means practice the far wall voice. Shouting means practice the three voice levels. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.

Is there a worksheet to go with Speaking So People Can Hear You?

Yes — 1 printable SL.K.6 worksheet, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.

Is Speaking So People Can Hear You free to use?

Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on October 8, 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.

Last reviewed 2026-10-08. Aligned to SL.K.6 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.