Essential Questions

How can students

share thoughts,
questions, ideas and
solutions effectively
and appropriately?
Can students
transfer their
communication skills
from face-to-face to
digital mediums?
Can students
communicate using
a variety of
approaches,
including oral,
written, and visual,
for a variety of
purposes?
Are students able to
consider the
audience when
communicating a
message?
Can students
identify the most
suitable medium to
communicate with
others?
Are students mindful
of their own
messages and how
to get others to
understand their
intended meaning?
Can students be
succinct in their
messages? (i.e.
under 140
characters or a 6
second video) Can

Student
Knowledge
Communication is a
reciprocal process
that involves
sharing, listening,
and responding
meaningfully.
Student can
enhance the
communication
through the process
of feedback loops.
In a globallyconnected world,
communication skills
are just as critical for
digital spaces as
they are in face-toface environments.
Students have a
variety of mediums
and digital tools
available to them to
communicate their
message(s), and
understand how to
initiate and
communicate
effectively in these
mediums
Students should be
aware of the
intended (and
perhaps
unanticipated)
audience they wish
to communicate a
message with.
Students understand
the importance of
engaging and
reflecting in ongoing
feedback loops and

K-3
Elementary
Knowledge & Skills

4-8
Middle Years
Knowledge & Skills

9-12
High School
Knowledge & Skills

Students can share

their thoughts,
questions, ideas,
and solutions with
an audience that is
beyond the
classroom teacher
(i.e. their peers and
home).

Students can share

their thoughts,
questions, ideas,
and solutions with a
larger audience,
which may include
peers outside of the
classroom
environment (i.e.
connecting with
another classroom).
Students develop
communication skills
face-to-face and,
with teacher
guidance, are
increasing their
understanding of
how to
communicate
through various
multimedia
platforms (which
may include video
chats, podcasts,
blogging, and
photo sharing), in
which terms of use
comply with their
age.
Students consider
audience when
choosing the
appropriate
medium to share
their message with
others.

Students can
independently share
their thoughts,
questions, ideas,
and solutions
effectively and
appropriately with
an audience that is
both local and
global.

Students develop
communication skills
face-to-face and
are beginning to
explore other forms
of digital
communication
through teachermediated microblogging and video
chats.

With teacher
guidance, can
recognize different
types of audiences
and explore
different mediums
for communicating
ideas.

Students are
developing
communication skills
face-to-face and
utilizing a variety of
other multimedia
platforms (which
may include video
chats, podcasts,
blogging, and
photo sharing), with
increased levels of
independence and
responsibility, in
which terms of use
comply with their
age.

Students understand
that the audience is
a critical
consideration when
choosing the most
appropriate
medium for their
message. Students
demonstrate higher
levels of
independence in
their ability to
choose a medium
that meets the
needs of their
audience.

they read and write

texting-style
language?

making their thinking

visible.
Students understand
that communication
and feedback can
come in a variety of
forms, as in written
comments or other
forms of affirmation
such as "liking"
content, keywords,
tags or links.
Students understand
that they live in an
age with a heavy
information stream
and that it is
beneficial to be
succinct to get one's
message across.
Being able to create
and read textingstyle language is an
important literacy
skill in the digital
age.

Students engage
and act on
feedback from
peers and teachers,
and share their
thinking orally, in
written form and are
starting to explore
how to share
thinking in a digital
platform through
teacher assistance.

Students engage in
feedback loops by
responding to face
to face and digital
mediums of
communication,
share their thinking
orally, in written
form, as well as in
digital platforms with
increased levels of
independence.

Students understand
the purpose of
feedback. With
teacher guidance,
students begin to
offer and seek
general feedback
on digital and nondigital platforms.

Students appreciate
feedback and
begin to offer
thoughtful feedback
to others in nondigital and secure
digital environments.
Students are mindful
of (and developing)
effective
communication skills
in digital spaces.
With teacher
facilitation, student
share their messages
digitally, both in
written and
multimedia formats,
inviting others to
respond, thereby
creating an online
conversation with
both a local and a
global audience.
Students appreciate
that audiences are
diverse. They are
focusing on both the
intended and
possible unintended
meanings of their
messages in order to
be respectful of
diversity in a
connected world.

With teacher
facilitation, students
share their messages
digitally, both in
written and
multimedia formats,
in a secure,
mediated online
environment.

Students
understand that
audiences are
diverse, and that
they need to be
clear and respectful
when
communicating with
others. They also
understand the
internet connects
many people
around the world
and that many
people can see
what we share.
Students can write a
basic message
under 140
characters with the
support of the
teacher. Students
are beginning to
communicate basic
audio/video
messages.

Students begin to
read and write in
succinct text-style
language with
messages of greater
substance. Students
can communicate
succinct
audio/video
messages.

Students engage in
feedback loops by
responding to face
to face and digital
mediums of
communication,
share their thinking
orally, in written
form, as well as in a
digital platform
independently
beyond the
classroom walls.
Students appreciate
and actively seek
and offer
meaningful
feedback in digital
and non-digital
environments.
Students
demonstrate
effective
communication skills
in digital spaces.
Students effectively
share their messages
digitally with greater
independence,
both in written and
multimedia formats,
inviting others to
respond, thereby
creating an online
conversation with
both a local and a
global audience.
Students have a
deeper
understanding of
the diversity
amongst audiences
in a globally
connected world.
They recognize and
appreciate diverse
ways of thinking and
carefully consider
what they want their
audiences (both
intended and
unintended) to take
away from their
message.
Students are
proficient in reading
and writing
succinctly in textstyle language with
messages of greater
substance and
complexity.
Students can
communicate
succinct and
meaningful
audio/video
messages.