Junior High Speech Unit 

Grades 7 & 8

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part 1: Interview and oral presentation

Part 2: Find a Famous Speech

  1. Go to the American Rhetoric Online Speech Bank and research famous speeches in history.  You will be able to both see the speeches in writing, as well as (in many cases) listen or see the speech performed by actors or the original speaker.  Find 3 speeches you may want to work with.
  2. Look at and listen carefully to each of your three choices, and narrow down your selection to the speech you want to use in the project.  Look below at steps 3 and 4 to see what you will have to do.
  3. Research the speech and the speaker; when was the speech made? What was the occasion? Who was the audience? How was it initially received? How is it regarded years later? What was the immediate effect of the speech? What were its long-term effects?  Was the speech successful? What made the content of the speech special and memorable? What made the delivery of the speech special and memorable?
  • Prepare a 2 to 3 minute oral report on your findings; include a PowerPoint with at least three photos to illustrate your point.  Keep in mind that your PowerPoint is to support your oral presentation, not to replace it.  Your oral presentation must be memorized.
  1. Select a two minute portion of your famous speech deliver to the class (this will be done immediately after your oral report). You may use written note-cards for this, but, for the most part, it must be memorized.
  2. Grading will be based on the rubrics in our English text book that we've already used.
  3. Due date to be announced.

Part 3: Write your own speech