Build social‑language skills with this engaging Who Would You Say It To? Speech Sort activity.
Every Day Phrases Audience Sort Cards
Help students understand how we adjust our tone and language depending on who we’re speaking to with this Who Would You Say It To? Speech Sort pack. Learners read everyday phrases and sort them into four audience groups: Friend, Teacher, Parent, and Stranger. This supports essential social‑communication skills and helps students practise using language that is appropriate, respectful and safe.
Students sort phrases like “Hey, wanna play?”, “Could you help me, please?”, “Can we have tacos for dinner?” and “Excuse me, where is the bathroom?” — building awareness of tone, politeness and context in real‑life situations.
This resource supports social language, speaking and listening and protective behaviors in a simple, hands‑on way.
How This Activity Builds Communication Skills
Help students understand that different audiences require different tones. These cards break the skill into clear, child‑friendly categories:
- Friend — casual, playful, relaxed
- Teacher — polite, respectful, clear
- Parent — warm, familiar, comfortable
- Stranger — very polite, cautious, brief
Students practice reading phrases, identifying tone, sorting cards and recording their answers, building confidence in choosing appropriate language for different social contexts.
Use the speech sort cards to read a phrase aloud, discuss who it would be appropriate to say it to, and sort it into the correct group. Model tone differences and explain why certain phrases fit specific audiences.
Download and Explore Social Language Today
Download the Who Would You Say It To? Speech Sort pack to help students build confident, respectful and safe communication skills. Ideal for classroom displays, small‑group work or whole‑class discussions.
This resource was created by Lindsey Phillips, a teacher in Michigan and a Teach Starter Collaborator.
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