Grade by Grade
B. Foundations of Language · Listening, Speaking and Word Power

Speaking for a Purpose and Audience: Formal and Informal

B1.3 A1.2About 40 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can identify the purpose and audience before I speak.
  • I can tell the difference between formal and informal speaking and choose the right one.
  • I can organize what I say with an opening, signposts and a closing so listeners can follow.
  • I can choose speaking strategies that help me communicate clearly and coherently.

Words to know

purpose
The reason you are speaking: to inform, explain, persuade, entertain, describe, request or thank.
audience
The people who will listen to you.
register
How formal or informal your language is.
coherent
Easy to follow because the ideas are in a clear, logical order.
signpost
A word or phrase that tells listeners where you are in your talk, like My second reason is...

Remember from Grade 5

In Grade 5 you planned talks for a purpose and audience, used paraphrasing and summarizing, and restated your main idea at the end. In Grade 6 you'll think about formal and informal speaking, and choose strategies that make your talk clear and coherent, which means easy to follow from start to finish.

Let's start with a puzzle

Read these three ways of sharing the same news:

  1. "Guess what! We're doing a skate-a-thon Friday. You in?"
  2. "Good morning, everyone. This Friday, the Grade 6 classes are holding a skate-a-thon at the community rink to raise money for the food bank. Please bring your skates and a helmet."
  3. "Dear Ms. Tremblay, may I ask whether our class could hold a skate-a-thon on Friday to raise money for the food bank?"

Who do you think each one is for? The first is for a friend. The second is a morning announcement for the whole school. The third is a request to the principal. The news is the same, but the audience and purpose change the words.

An indoor community arena with a smooth ice rink, boards, bleachers and a few skaters far away.
A skate-a-thon at the community rink could be announced in a casual text to a friend or in a formal morning announcement. The audience changes the words you choose. AI-generated image
"Guess what! We'redoing a skate-a-thonFriday. You in?"Friendinformal"Good morning, everyone.This Friday, the Grade 6classes are holdinga skate-a-thon..."Whole schoolformal"Dear Ms. Tremblay,may I ask whether ourclass could hold askate-a-thon on Friday..."The principalformal and politemore informalmore formal
The facts stay the same in all three: a skate-a-thon on Friday. The audience changes the greeting, the words and how complete the sentences are.

Two questions to ask before you speak

1. What is my purpose? To inform, explain, persuade, entertain, describe, request or thank?

2. Who is my audience? Ask yourself:

  • How well do I know them? (friends, family, classmates, adults I don't know)
  • What do they already know about my topic?
  • What do they need from me: facts, steps, reasons, a story?
  • How long will they want to listen?
InformalFormal
WhoFriends, family, people you know wellTeachers, guests, a whole class or school, people you don't know well
WordsEveryday words, some slang, contractions (gonna, can't)Precise words, no slang; fewer contractions
Greeting"Hey!" "What's up?""Good morning, everyone." "Thank you for having me."
SentencesShort, can be incomplete ("You in?")Complete sentences
OrganizationRelaxed, can jump between topicsPlanned: opening, main points, closing
Neither one is better. A strong speaker chooses the register that fits the situation.

Strategies for clear, coherent speaking

  • Open clearly. Hook your audience, then tell them your topic: "Today I'll explain three ways to save energy at home."
  • Use signposts. First... My second point is... Another reason... Finally... Listeners can't see your paragraphs, so signposts are like headings they can hear.
  • Give one idea at a time, with an example for each.
  • Define new words for your audience: "Insulation, which is material that keeps heat in, ..."
  • Use a clear pace and volume. Slow down for numbers and new words.
  • Check your audience. Puzzled faces? Explain it another way.
  • Close clearly. Restate your main idea and end with a thought or call to action.

Using notes

For a formal talk, write key words on cue cards, not every sentence. Then you can look up at your audience. One card for the opening, one for each main point, one for the closing.

Card 1: OPENINGEver left a light on?2 reasons to flipthe switchCard 2: FIRSTsaves energyenergy = the powerthat makes things workCard 3: SECONDsaves moneyfor familiesand the schoolCard 4: CLOSINGLeave a room?Flip the switch!Key words only, so Hana can look up at her audience.
Hana's talk on four cue cards: an opening, two signposted points and a closing. Each card holds key words, not full sentences.
Worked example

Let's plan a formal talk

Hana will give a 2-minute talk to Grade 3 students about why we should turn off lights.

  1. Purpose: to persuade (and explain).
  2. Audience: Grade 3 students. They know what lights are, but may not know words like energy or electricity bill. They'll want a short talk with examples.
  3. Register: somewhat formal (she's presenting), but friendly, with simple words.
  4. Opening: "Have you ever left a room and forgotten to turn off the light? Today I'll give you two reasons to flip that switch."
  5. Signposts: "My first reason is... My second reason is..."
  6. Main points: 1. It saves energy (she defines energy: the power that makes things work). 2. It saves money for families and the school.
  7. Closing: "So remember: when you leave a room, flip the switch!"

Hana's plan matches her purpose (persuade), her audience (younger students) and the context (a class presentation), and her signposts make it easy to follow.

Change register, not the facts

When you switch from informal to formal, your facts stay the same. Only your words, greeting and organization change.

Just for fun

What if you used your most formal register with your dog? "Good evening, Sir Biscuit. Might I kindly request that you sit?" He would probably just wag his tail. Some audiences only need one word: "Sit!"

Hands-on activity

Same news, three audiences

You need: a family member or two to be your audience, and three cue cards (or small pieces of paper).

  1. Choose some news, real or pretend: a new puppy, the class trip, a snow day plan.
  2. On card 1, plan how you'd tell a friend (informal).
  3. On card 2, plan a morning announcement for the whole school (formal).
  4. On card 3, plan a request to the principal about it (formal, polite).
  5. Say all three out loud to your family. They guess the audience each time.
  6. Talk about it: Which words changed? Which stayed the same?

What to look for: the informal version uses everyday words; the formal versions have a clear greeting, complete sentences and no slang; the facts stay the same.

Your turn

1

Name the purpose: a talk that gives the steps to make bannock.

2

Is "What's up, guys?" formal or informal? Rewrite it as a formal greeting for an assembly.

3

What is a signpost in a talk? Give two examples.

4

Why should you define new words when speaking to a younger audience?

5

What does coherent mean?

6

What should you write on a cue card: full sentences or key words? Why?

7

Write an opening for a talk to your class about recycling.

More practice: warm-up

1

Who is your audience when you give a morning announcement?

2

Is a phone call to a grandparent usually formal or informal?

3

What does register mean?

4

Name one way to close a talk clearly.

5

True or false: In formal speaking, you should use lots of slang.

More practice: on your own

1

Rewrite in a formal register: "Yo, can we get, like, more time for the project? It's kinda hard."

2

You're explaining a soccer rule to someone who has never played. How would you adjust for this audience?

3

Why are signposts more important in a talk than in a written report?

4

Your audience looks confused halfway through your talk. What could you do?

5

Name the purpose and audience: "Thank you, Mr. Okafor, for teaching us how to build birdhouses."

Challenge

1

Plan a 1-minute formal talk to persuade your class to join the school's reading challenge. Write the opening, two signposted points and a closing.

2

Explain why the same joke might work with friends but not in a speech at a Remembrance Day assembly.

3

A student begins a formal talk with "Um, so, yeah, I'm gonna talk about, like, frogs." Explain two problems and rewrite the opening.

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

What should you think about before you speak?

2.

Which is a formal greeting?

3.

Which is a signpost?

4.

What does coherent mean?

5.

What is the main purpose of a talk that asks the principal to allow a class garden?

6.

When you switch from informal to formal speech, what stays the same?

For parents and teachers

Big idea (B1.3, A1.2): Grade 6 students identify their purpose and audience in formal and informal contexts and choose speaking strategies (organization, signposts, pace, defining terms) to communicate clearly and coherently. This builds confidence and voice (A1.2).

How to help at home:

  • Point out register switches in daily life: how your child talks to friends vs. a coach or a store clerk.
  • Before your child calls or emails an adult (a coach, a relative), help them plan a formal greeting and a clear request.
  • Ask them to explain a game or hobby to you in 1 minute using first, next, finally.

Common difficulties:

  • Treating formal as "fancy." Formal means clear, polite and complete, not long words.
  • Reading cue cards word for word. Encourage key words only.
  • Forgetting the audience's background knowledge. Ask, "Would your little cousin know that word?"