Informative

One Week Lesson Plan for The Building Basics of an Informative Speech

OBJECTIVE: Since all the students have learned the basics of a speech (including definitions of all the parts) and informative speaking has already been introduced, they will be capable of putting together an informative speech with the proper knowledge of each section of a speech: chosing a topic, researching, outlining.

OUTLINE FOR THE WEEK:

DAY 1: Discuss that we’re beginning the hard core basics for an informative speech, and now we’ll be choosing a topic and narrowing it down today. Activity sheet provided. Students will be asked to come up with a thesis statement, or topic statement, by tomorrow.

DAY 2: Each student will be researching for their speech—do assigned project today—SQ3R. They will go to the library and look for sources and they can use the computers for the Internet.

DAY 3: Organizing and outline the speech body first, then the introduction, and conclusion last with founded research. Only the body needs to be filled in today, but the introduction and conclusion will need to be labeled so students are familiar with them on an outline.

Day 4: At beginning of class discuss and hand out example page of bibliography. Students will then do independent research on topic and be placing information in speech outline, as a rough draft.

DAY 5: Organizing the speech furthermore and completing the outline w/: examples, forecasting statements, attention getting devices, and internal summaries. This will be done with partners to help each other and to come up with further ideas for their speeches.

FOLLOWING CRITERIA TO COMPLETE:

Students need to actually write their bibliographies. Have students hand them in. If it looks wrong from glancing at it, have them redo it.
Students need to revise each other’s speeches again to make sure the content flows well. It needs to be colorful, up-to-beat, and shouldn’t have any overused information in it.
Students need to practice their speeches out loud once they are completed. They will each have 10 minutes to do this in the practice room by themselves. They will each record themselves, then rewind it and listen to it so they can hear themselves.
Students can schedule private speech lesson with teacher, one on one, so they can have some practice in front of somebody. This will either be during teacher’s lunch, free period, or before school. After this, they will be ready to perform in front of the class!!!

DAY ONE—CHOOSING A TOPIC AND NARROWING IT DOWN

(Lesson plan similar to Jon Flannagan’s)

Objective: Students will participate in an activity to choose their informative speech topic. By the end of the day, they will have their topic ideas narrowed down to one idea.

Materials: Students need only pen and paper. Teacher needs worksheets for students to fill out.

Steps:

Explain to the students since they have been well informed from textual reading on informative speaking. Now it is time to choose a topic they want to do their speech on.
Give the students 15 minutes to fill out the following list of topic ideas on the following page. These are random questions they will answer to try and help them think of a topic better. Tell them if they have better ideas, write them down.
Once they are done, go over a few of them. Randomly pick questions and randomly choose a student to share their answer.
After you have discussed the previous worksheet, inform the students it is now time to narrow down their topic. It does not have to be one from the list, but they should have a few topics wrote down to choose from by this point.
Students should write down these following questions to help narrow down their informative speaking topic:
1. By using personal knowledge, experience, and observations, is there anything exciting you know about or have been through?
2. What topic could you find narrow, detailed, truthful internet sources on?
3. Which topic would you only have to skim your sources, and you already know enough information on the topic to write about it?
4. Have you ever interviewed anyone on anything interesting? Could you?
5. Your topic should be something of interest to your audience and won’t bore everyone. It should not be overused—take a chance on something fun to speak about!
Once they have answered these questions, give them time to think to themselves which topic they would enjoy writing a speech on the most. If they have a topic in mind, have each student come up to your desk and ask you about it, to see if it’s overused or not.
If the students don’t have a topic in mind yet, or have not narrowed it down, have them bring it to class tomorrow.
If the students do have a topic in mind, inform them to start looking for materials to use for sources in their speech and bring them to class tomorrow. Additionally, they need to think of a general statement to use in their introduction for homework (these have already been discussed in class).

Results: The students will know who or what they are giving their speeches on and will have some idea of how to find information on the topic from the last section of questions. They will also finish/hand in next class their general statement to use in their introduction.

FINDING A SPEECH TOPIC

General Topics

The life and times of _____ (e.g. Bob Dylan)
My Pop Idol _____
The evolution of _____
On this day in history _____
Tourism and marketing places _____
My dream holiday _____(e.g. Walking a donkey in Ireland)

Famous lives

President _____
Dictators _____
Author _____
Actor/Actress _____
Scientist _____
Sports Star _____
Composer _____

Well known films (often a lot of the backup material can be found on a collectors DVD)

Musicals _____
Grey Movies _____
True Stories _____
Dramas _____
Comedies _____

History (place a check by any of the more interesting items listed)

The six wives of Henry 8^th ___
The Spanish civil war ___
The rise of Nazism ___
Decline and fall of the Roman Empire ___
The Gettysburg address ___
Roman military hardware ___
The telegraph: the ‘internet’ of the 19th Century ___

Nature

Wolves in the living room – how the wolf evolved into of the domestic dog ___
The secret life of an eel ___
Is an owl really wise? ___
A day in the life of a Beluga Whale ___
Why Dolphins jump out of the water ___
Cats and lions – how do they compare? ___

DAY TWO—RESERCHING FOR SPEECHES

(Lesson plan made by myself from Spch 400)

Objective: The students will understand and incorporate note taking into their own speeches for researching.

Materials: Any materials they find to use as sources, such as Internet articles, encyclopedias, books, etc.

Steps:

First off, tell the students that did not choose a topic yesterday it is time to inform you of their chosen topic so you can verify if it is overused or not. They all need to turn in their general statements for their topics on a piece of paper also.
Once that is complete, we will be going to library to find sources for their speeches for 20 minutes. Once they find a few sources, have them go back to the classroom and sit quietly.

Pair up the students into groups of 2s by pulling popsicle sticks. Tell each student to each chose an article from their material. Then pick out the one they want to use for the activity.
Explain to them they will be using the SQ3R Method to find the important information from their source for the next 20 minutes.
The first step to SQ3R is to SURVEY: They should skim their chosen material. In doing this, they need to read the first paragraph, headings, first sentences of paragraphs, and the conclusion. By now they will know if they want this article for their speech or not.
Next is QUESTIONS: They need to create questions they want to be able to answer after reading the text. Have the students write these questions down.
READ the material is next for the students. They need to read it thoroughly, not taking notes on it, but keeping in mind the questions they want to find answers to.
RECALL is the next step and is very important. It helps to work around plagiarism. They need to shut their chosen material and start taking notes. Tell them to write everything down they can remember that is important, and anything else they have questions about.
REVIEW is the last stage. Tell the students to reread their material, and once again shut their books. Have them discuss as partners the important things of the material, and what they missed the second time through. They need to write this information down immediately.
This is a very fast skimming of the SQ3R Method, but explain to the students they will not know how to use the process effectively and can do it on their own for all of their sources they find.

RESULT: The students will have one idea on how to take proper notes out of materials and avoid plagiarism while doing it. Each student will have found a few sources for their chosen topic, also. Additionally, the students will have sources and materials to read over for tomorrow’s class.

DAY THREE—CREATE AN OUTLINE FOR SPEECHES

Objective:

For their speech, students will write an outline consisting of up to THREE main points deep.

Materials:

Teacher will assist with the help of the worksheet on the next page.

Steps:

1. First, the teacher will explain why an outline is an important step one should take when writing a paper or speech, reading over the worksheet.

2. Ask the students if there are any questions.

3. If the students seem confused, or seem to not fully pick up on how to develop an outline, due an example on the board of an outline. Let the students do it though. Have them pick the main topic and fill in the rest of the information. Follow the example outline given at the end of the worksheet.

4. Ask students to create an outline for their selected topic for the remainder of the class time. Introduction and Conclusion do not need to be complete in outline today, but they should be properly labeled.

Result:

Students will be capable of creating their own outline which is expected to be three points deep. They must be able to turn these outlines in at the end of the period; they will be graded and checked.

DEVELOPING AN OUTLINE

An outline is:

A logical, general description
A schematic summary
An organizational pattern
A visual and conceptual design of your writing

An outline reflects logical thinking and correct classification.

PURPOSE

Generally

Aids you in the process of writing

Particularly

Helps organize your ideas
Presents your material in a logical form
Shows the relationship of ideas in your writing
Constructs an ordered overview of your writing
Defines boundaries and groups

PROCESS

Before you begin:

Determine the purpose of your paper.
Determine the thesis of your paper.
Determine the audience you are writing for.

Then:

Brainstorm –

List all the ideas you want to include in this writing.

Organize – Group ideas together that are related to each other.
Order – Divide this material into groups arranging from the general to the specific, or from abstract to concrete.
Label – Create main and subtopic headings and write coordinate levels in parallel form.

EXAMPLE OUTLINE FORM:

A. Introduction

I. Attention Getting Device

II. Thesis or General Statement

III. Forecasting Statement

B. Body

I. Topic One-Main Point

A. Subheading One

1. Supporting Material of Subheading One-Examples

(a.) More Supporting Material

II. Topic Two-Main Point

III. Topic Three-Main Point

C. Conclusion

I. Summary Statement

II. Repeated Thesis or General Statement

III. Closing Attention Getting Device

DAY FOUR—CREATING A BIBLIOGRAPHY & FILLING IN OUTLINES

OBJECTIVE: The students will understand the parts of and create an MLA bibliography from a chosen text (material from library).

MATERIALS: One founded resource per student in classroom, notebook, pen, board in room.

STEPS:

Tell the students to have all of their founded materials with them. Give students the bibliography handout with all the examples on it.

Go over a few of the more simple examples, such as the “book” and “Internet” sources. I have split them up and explained the parts of the example on example sheet.

Next, after thoroughly going through of the examples on the sheet, tell the students to get out their materials. You will go around the classroom and do the first chosen material together as a class.

The student will go up to the board and write the bibliography as the class decides to do so. Review the bibliographies and make sure they are correct.

Then ask the class if they agree or disagree. Fix the mistakes if they disagree. Tell the students to use their example sheets for help while they are up at the board.

Ask the students if there are any questions. If not, they can work on filling out their outlines with their founded information and creating a bibliography.

RESULT: The students should understand the parts of an MLA bibliography. They should also be able to write one on their own in front of their class. Examples on the handout sheet should be very helpful to clear questions up. The next step will be to make them work on their own bibliography/works cited page for their latest speech they are working on.

BIBLIOGRAPHY EXAMPLES

1. Book with one author or editor:

Bell, Stewart. The Martyr’s Oath: The Apprenticeship of a Homegrown Terrorist.
Mississauga, ON: Wiley, 2005.

2. Work in an anthology, a collection by several authors, with one or more editors and/or compilers:

Fox, Charles James. “Liberty Is Order, Liberty Is Strength.” What Is a Man?
3,000 Years of Wisdom on the Art of Manly Virtue. Ed. Waller R. Newell.
New York: Harper, 2001. 306-7.

3. Article in an encyclopedia:

Kibby, Michael W. “Dyslexia.” World Book Encyclopedia. 2000 ed.

4. Article in a magazine, journal, periodical, newsletter, or newspaper with author stated:

Michael, Jones. “100 Years of Dust and Glory.” Popular Mechanics Sept. 2001: 70-75.

An article in a scholarly journal is treated somewhat differently:

Nielsen, Laura Beth. “Subtle, Pervasive, Harmful: Racist and Sexist Remarks in
Public as Hate Speech.” Journal of Social Issues 58.2 (2002): 265.

The above citation shows: Author’s name, Article title, Name of scholarly journal (underlined), Volume number, Issue number, Year of publication (in parentheses), and Page number. If the article is accessed online, add Access date and URL at the end.

5. Movie or Film:

Minimal entry should include title, director, distributor, and year of release. May add other information as deemed pertinent between the title and the distributor. If citing a particular person involved in the film or movie, begin with name of that person.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Dir. Tim Burton. Based on book by Roald Dahl.
Perf. Johnny Depp. Warner, 2005.

6. Basic components of an Internet citation:

1) Author.

2) “Title of Article, Web page or site” in quotation marks.

3) Title of Magazine, Journal, Newspaper, Newsletter, Book, Encyclopedia, or Project, underlined.

4) Editor of Project.

5) Indicate type of material, e.g. advertisement, cartoon, clipart, electronic card, interview, map, online posting, photograph, working paper, etc. if not obvious.

6) Date of article, of Web page or site creation, revision, posting, last update, or date last modified.

7) Group, association, name of forum, sponsor responsible for Web page or Web site.

8) Access date (the date you accessed the Web page or site).

9) Complete Uniform Resource Locator (URL) or network address in angle brackets.

“Taiwan: A Dragon Economy and the Abacus.” BrookesNews.Com. 8 Dec. 2003.
10 Oct. 2005 <http://www.brookesnews.com/030812taiwan.html>.

***If there is any information missing from any source needing to be cited, skip that step and carry on. The citing will still be complete.***

DAY FIVE—FILLING IN OUTLINE W/: EXAMPLES, INTERNAL SUMMARIES, FORECASTING STATEMENTS, AND ATTENTION GETTING DEVICES.

Objective: Students will be able to fill in the rest of their outline with examples, internal summaries, forecasting statements, and attention getting devices that they have already started.

Materials: Students need their outlines and a pen or highlighter.

Steps:

1. Students need to be paired up into groups of two. Pick the groups using popsicle sticks with their names on them.

2. Hand out the “Review Terms” worksheet that is provided on the next page. Tell the students that today they will be adding to their outline the following things if they do not already have them included: examples, internal summaries, forecasting statements, and attention getting devices (at beginning and end of speech). Read over it entirely.

3. Ask the students if there are any questions and if they understand each term and example thoroughly.

4. Next tell the students to switch outlines and reach each others. Take 5 minutes to do this.

5. Then, once they are all finished reading the outlines, tell the reader to go through their partner’s outline again, only this time marking where examples, internal summaries, forecasting statements, and attention getting devices need to go. If they already have them in the outline, have the students underline them.

6. If the partner DOES NOT have one of these topics, have the student offer help…have them see if they can think of anything that the partner could use. For example, if a student’s partner does not have a forecasting statement, have them reread the introduction and see if they can think of a good one for their partner’s speech.

7. If the partner DOES have one of these topics, have the student comment on them…say if they think it is appropriate, interesting enough, needs grammar help, or anything of that sort.

8. Give the students 10 minutes to discuss these issues with one another.

Result: The students will have their speeches roughly finished once they incorporate today’s material into them. Also, they will get a second person’s opinion on how their speech is coming along and where they need to add/change things in it.

Review Terms:

Examples, internal summaries, forecasting statements, and attention getting devices

1.) Specific instances that illustrate or explain a general factual statement is an example. They need to clarify general facts and should be representative, not misleading.

General Statement—Food is much more expensive today than it was in the ‘90s.

Proof—For example, milk was at one time only $2.99 for Skim milk, but today it is $3.27.

2.) Good transitions can connect paragraphs and turn disconnected writing into a unified whole. Instead of treating paragraphs as separate ideas, transitions can help readers understand how paragraphs work together. Another name for a transition is an internal summary.

Example: Overall, Management Systems International has logged increased sales in every sector, leading to a significant rise in third-quarter profits. (transition) Another important thing to note is that the corporation had expanded its international influence.

Revision: Overall, Management Systems International has logged increased sales in every sector, leading to a significant rise in third-quarter profits. (transition) These impressive profits are largely due to the corporation’s expanded international influence.

3.) The final function of the introduction is to preview what you are going to talk about in the body of your speech. This preview is called a forecasting statement.

A. Attention Grabber:
B. Reveal Topic:
C. Thesis Statement:
D. Preview of main points:
E. Forecasting Statement: How topic relates to audience, closes introduction, summarizes points up, transitions into first point, etc.

4.) Begin your speech with an attention getting device—it is exactly what is says it is—it grabs your attention at the very start of the speech so the audience will want to listen more. Close the speech with something similar, or an ending to the beginning grabber.

The attention grabber you use is up to you, but here are some ideas:

Startling information
This information must be true and verifiable, and it doesn’t need to be totally new to your readers.

Anecdote
An anecdote is a story that illustrates a point.
Be sure your anecdote is short, to the point, and relevant to your topic.

Dialogue
An appropriate dialogue does not have to identify the speakers, but the reader must understand the point you are trying to convey. Use only two or three exchanges between speakers to make your point.

Summary Information
A few sentences explaining your topic in general terms can lead the reader gently to your thesis. Each sentence should become gradually more specific, until you reach your thesis.

Marilyn Mathine
December 19, 2007

Speech about an Object

The next speech that students are going to present is a speech about an object. This will be their first opportunity at presenting an informative speech. This speech will be four to six (4 to 6) minutes in length. Students will need to find four (4) sources of information for their speech. Two (2) of these sources can come from the internet and two (2) are to come from other resources. Other areas can include encyclopedias, magazines, scholarly articles, etc. No visual aids will be needed for this presentation. Students may use up to three (3) 3×5 notes cards while they are presenting their speeches. Student will be given the opportunity to choose their speech topic from an activity that they will do in class. These speeches will be given next week on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. Students will be asked to sign up on one of these days at the end of this class period today.

Schedule of Events for this Speech:

Monday – Students will complete the Invention activity and pick a topic for their speech
– Students will sign up for speech-giving date
– If there is ample time, brainstorming and researching topics will begin

Tuesday – This is a day for research in the library

Wednesday- Finish researching
– Begin outline speech

Thursday – Outline speech
– Begin writing speech

Friday – Continue writing speech
– Revising speech

Monday – Finish revising
– Complete Arm gesture activity with a partner

Tuesday – Present Speeches

Wednesday – Present Speeches

Thursday – Present Speeches

Friday – Make up Speech Day
– Debriefing day

Katelyn Klute
Fall 2009

Who Do You Want To Know?

Introducing Informative Speaking

OBJECTIVE: After learning about the basic elements of speech, such as organization, attention getters, conclusions, delivery, etc, students will begin to focus on specific types of speeches. They will begin with a unit on informative speeches, in which they will give 3-5 minutes speeches about people that they would like to meet. The unit should begin on a Monday.

DAY ONE– INTRODUCING INFORMATIVE SPEAKING

Objective: The students will listen and participate in a lecture/class discussion about informative speeches. They will watch examples of informative speeches.

Materials: Video with examples of informative speeches- this can be something that the school provides or speeches given by students of previous years.

Standards Met: 7.2, 13.20-31, 14.9-17, 14.19, 15.13-15

Steps:
1. Begin class by telling students that their next speech assignment is informative speeches.
2. Have a lecture/class discussion about informative speeches. First, ask the students what they believe an informative speech is. Write some answers on the board to get the lecture/discussion rolling. Refer to the lecture notes for this step. Encourage the class to ask questions or give examples, if necessary.
3. After talking about informative speeches, show the class a few examples of informative speeches from the video. After each one, take comments or questions from the students. If time permits, try to show at least three speeches. The students should begin to generate ideas for how to present their own speeches after viewing examples.
4. Before class ends, ask the students to think about historically famous or well-known people that they would like to meet. Tell them that they need to have five choices written down before class begins tomorrow.

Results: Students will understand what is expected of an informative speech, and they will have begun to think about their own speech.

DAY TWO – TOPIC SELECTION

Objective: The students will narrow their five choices down to three, then one. The speaking order will be established when names are drawn from a hat or box. The students will begin to research their topic person.

Materials: Students need their top five choices for speech topic. Teacher needs a hat or box with slips of papers with students’ names on them. Library time at end of class period is also needed.

Standards Met: 10.13

Steps:
1. Ask the students to get out their list of five choices for their informative speeches.
2. Give the students approximately 5 minutes to write one sentence for each person on their lists, explaining why they want to meet that person.
3. After having some time to think about why they want to meet these people, ask them to narrow their lists down to three people.
4. Next, give the students approximately 5 more minutes to write one sentence for each of the three people left. This sentence should state the personal connection the student feels to this person. What might the student have in common with this person? Or, what might they disagree with this person about?
5. When they are finished, have the students study their sentences and rank their remaining three people 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choice.
6. Pull out the box or hat with all of the students’ names in it. Tell the students that when you draw their names, you are establishing the speaking order and writing down their person of choice. Also, be sure to tell them that they all need to speak about a different person. In this case, first come, first serve. If a student’s first choice is taken before his/her name is drawn, the student needs to resort to his/her second or third choice. If it happens that all of the student’s choices are taken before his/her name is drawn, give the student the opportunity to think of a person that has not been taken yet. Tell the student that he/she has until the end of the school day to give you a topic person.
7. As you pull names, make sure to write them down. Also, write down the speech topics and make sure they are appropriate before giving them final approval.
8. With the remainder of class time (approximately 20-25 minutes), begin talking to students about research for their speeches. Tell them that they must have at least three sources. Depending upon the status of their person, they may use book and internet sources or just internet sources. It depends upon what sources are readily available in the library. At least two of the sources must be from the internet.
9. Take the students to the school’s library. Ask them to do some preliminary research. Tell them that they need to find at least one source with some information about their person. Make sure they write down the name of the source and the URL, if off of the internet. They should also write a brief summary of the information available. These will be discussed in class tomorrow. Make sure the students are keeping busy and not using the internet for inappropriate reasons.
9. Before students leave, give them a handout with information about the speech. It should include the time limit, whether note cards are permissible, and what their three main points should include.
10. Homework: If the students did not find anything in the library or have a chance to use the internet, ask them to try to find something outside of class. Be sure to let them know that the library can be used after the school day is over, in case they do not have internet or encyclopedias at home.

Results: The students will know who they are giving their speeches about and what exactly is expected of them. They will be able to do some preliminary research to get them focused on their person of choice.

DAY THREE– RESEARCH

Objective: The students will discuss the sources they found yesterday. After completing an activity, students will be able to access various types of internet sources and determine their credibility in research.

Materials: Computer access for all students.

Standards Met: 8.9, 8.16-18, 10.14, 10.19-22

Steps:
1. Ask the class about the sources they found yesterday. Was it difficult to find information? Ask for volunteers to give the name of their source and what they found at this source.
2. Ask them if they feel they selected a credible source. Does the information seem accurate?
3. Next, divide the class into equal groups. Assign a random geographical location (Paris, China, the Indian Ocean, Utah) to each group. Tell the students that they are going to learn more about finding reliable sources on the internet.
4. Take the students to the school computer lab. Have the students find as much information on the location that they can in three minutes.
5. After three minutes, it is likely that they would have gone to wikipedia.org, or used some other online encyclopedia via a search engine. Explain to the students that the information found in this first three minutes is OK when trying to get a feel for a topic. However, it should only be used to start research, not act as a primary source.
6. Assign a new geographical location to each group. Instruct the group that in 20 minutes, they need to find sources with web links that end in only .gov, .org, or .net and compare that information to the information found in the quick search.
7. On the board, choose one group’s examples and compare in front of the class. Be sure to emphasize the importance of expert opinions. They will most likely be found in this second search.
8. After the comparison, have the students look for citation materials (date of last update, authors, host) on their quick search and advanced searched topics. Compare the presence of this material found in the sites. Be sure to hit on the importance of this information when citing the source.
9. Ask the students again if they feel that their first source is credible and reliable. Perhaps some opinions have changed. If so, ask them why.
10. Give the students the remainder of the class period to research their own individual speech topics.
11. Homework: Students need to finish finding their sources for their speeches. They should know what information is available about their person from each source.

Results: Students will be able to find information about their source that is credible and reliable. They will have begun locating sources and information for their topics.

Note: This lesson was adapted from an activity created by Grant Campbell.

DAY FOUR– OUTLINING YOUR SPEECH

Objective: After going through a website with information about outlining, students will write outlines for their speeches.

Materials: Students need to bring their topic idea and information from their sources for their speeches. Teacher will assist lesson plan with the help of the website Developing an Outline – The OWL at Purdue.

Standards Met: 10.11-15, 10.23

Steps:
1. First, the teacher will explain why an outline is an important step one should take when writing a speech. It is the backbone or skeleton of the speech. It lays out everything that will be said within the speech in an organized form without all of the tiny details. The outline helps students know where to include these details. Outlines will help to save the students time and energy.
2. The teacher will then pull up the hyperlink to the Owl website and walk the students through the page given on outlines.
3. Ask the students if there are any questions.
4. If the students seem confused or seem to not fully pick up on how to develop an outline, there is a link within the Owl website that provides a Sample Outline. Click on that link, and walk the students through the Sample Outline.
5. Ask students to create an outline for their selected topic they brought to class for the remainder of the class time.
6. Homework: If they did not finish their outlines, have the students take them home to finish for tomorrow.

Results: The students will be able to organize their speeches into easy to follow formats, helping them with the writing and speaking process.

Note: This lesson was adapted from an activity developed by Melissa Hruby.

DAY FIVE – PEER REVIEW

Objective: The students will go over their outline and sources with a partner and give each other feedback.

Materials: Students need to bring their finished outlines. Teacher needs a hat or box with slips of paper with silly object written on them, such as “party hats” or “bobble-heads.”

Standards Met: 9.8-9, 10.25-26, 10.28, 13.20-28, 13.31,

Steps:
1. Randomly pair each of the students with a partner.
2. Tell the students that with their partners, they are going to go through their outlines and sources and give each other feedback. Does the outline effectively convey what the student wants to say? Do the sources appear reliable and consistent with the speech topic? Are there any errors in grammar, spelling, etc on the outline? Give the students approximately 15-20 minutes to work together on this.
3. Randomly assign each student a new partner. This time, they are going to try to give their speeches to each other using only their outlines. The person listening should make note of use of sources (did the speaker state them in their speech?) and approximately how long the speaker took to give his or her speech. If the speech was too long, perhaps the student needs to cut some information. Likewise, if it is too short, he/she may need to add some more information. Walk around the classroom to make sure everybody is on task.
4. When the groups are finished, use the remainder of class time to do an improv activity. One at a time, students will draw a topic from the hat and immediately give the class some information off the top of their heads about this topic. This is a fun activity, so they can be somewhat silly. Try to fit in as many as you can. Allow the rest of the students a chance near the end of class each day until all of them have stood in front of the class.
5. Homework: Students need to fix any errors in their outlines.

Results: The students will be able to polish their outlines and make any changes necessary in order to make them effective aids for their speeches.

OVERALL RESULTS: After completing this unit, students will have the weekend to finish and practice their speeches. They will work on delivery skills for one day and finish the improv activity before beginning their speeches on Tuesday. Depending on the number of students, the speeches may take up the rest of the week.

Informative Speaking Lecture Notes

What is informative speaking? Informative speaking is a way to share information with people. Informative speaking is a chance for you to let other people in on something you enjoy or know a lot about. Example: if you have a ton of knowledge about soda pop, you might share this knowledge with your friends. By sharing this knowledge, you are basically giving an informative speech, whether you realize it or not. Informative speeches are good ways to teach your audience something new or to show them a different perspective concerning a topic. It is important to not get informative speaking confused with persuasive speaking, which will be covered later. The purpose of an informative speech is to simply share knowledge; it is not meant to sway other people’s opinions on a topic.

What are the different types of informative speaking? Talk about the different topics students can choose from when giving an informative speech. An informative speech can be about an object, a person, a process, an event, a concept, or a book. Ask students if they can think of an example for each type. Also, ask them if they can think of a time when they might have given an informative speech without even realizing it. Let the class know that their speeches are going to be about a person they would like to meet.

What are some guidelines for informative speaking? Tell the students that there are some important rules, or guidelines, to keep in mind when giving an informative speech. These include:
– Do not assume that your audience knows everything. If they did, informative speeches would be pointless. On this same note, it is a good idea to try not to overly explain some ideas. You do not want to be condescending to your audience; basically, you do not want to talk down to them.
– Personalize your speech. How does this topic affect or impact you? What have you learned from studying this topic? If you enjoy a topic, it will not be difficult to personalize your speech; however, if you choose something that you have no interest in, you will have a more difficult time trying to make your speech personal. Even though your speeches are going to be about someone that you would like to meet, it is important that you tell us why you want to meet this person. This will automatically add a personal element to your speech, and it will help the rest of us get to know you better.
– Be descriptive. You do not want to leave too much to the audience’s imagination, or else they will lose focus on the purpose of your speech. Being descriptive goes along with not assuming that the audience knows everything. You don’t want to leave them hanging, wondering what in the world you are talking about.
– Help the audience relate to the speech. An easy way to do this is to include references to them. Example: “Many of you may be feeling anxiety about picking a college” or “How many of you have gone a whole day without eating? You may have thought that was bad, but think about the thousands of starving children in Africa.”

Ask the class if they have any questions or comments before moving on to the next activity.

(Lecture developed with the help of The Art of Public Speaking, 5th Edition by Stephen E. Lucas).

Informative Speech Criteria

Time Limit: 3-5 minutes (A 30 second leeway will be allowed on either end of the spectrum; however, over or under by more than 30 seconds will result in a deduction of points).

Note Cards: 3 allowed, front side only. These will be handed in after you give your speech.

Sources: 3 required; at least two must be from the internet. The third source can be from a book, magazine, or the internet. Your sources must be stated explicitly in your speech! Sources should be credible and reliable.

Outline: An outline for your speech will be due right before you give your speech. It should follow the format that we will learn about this week.

Body: Three main points should be organized as follows:

1. Information about your person (select what you fill is the most important),
2. Your reasons for wanting to meet this person, and
3. What you hope to learn about yourself by meeting this person.

Note: Try to balance your speech among these three points. All of the information about your person does not need to be stated in the first point; you can still give your audience information when you tell them why you want to meet this person and what you hope to learn about yourself.

Checklist:
You may use this checklist to help you prepare for your speech, if you wish. This is not required- it’s up to you whether you need it or not!

____ Speech fits into time limit
____ Only one side of the note cards is used
____ Internet source #1
____ Internet source #2
____ Source #3
____ Outline complete
____ Outline peer reviewed
____ Sources stated in speech
____ Three main points balanced

Heather Shotkoski
Summer 2007

This unit is designed to educate the student on how to give an informative speech. I would place this unit towards the beginning of the school year, as it is a type of speech that does not require much research and the student becomes the “expert” on the subject through their own personal experience.

Day One:

Students will be presented with the assignment to give an informative speech to the class on Friday. The teacher will explain what an informative speech is, and how it should be constructed. The teacher will also demonstrate two variations of informative speeches, one being an explanation and the other a demonstration. As a class, everyone will brainstorm ideas for speech topics. The teacher will also handout a list of possible topics. By the end of the class every student should have an idea of what they will speak about. Topic choices will be due the following day.

Day Two:

Have students hand in topic choices at the beginning of the class period. Go over the criteria of a well rounded informative speech. Discuss visual aids and how best to use them. These will be optional in this speech. Have students create an outline for their speech. They will have class time to begin preparing this outline, but it will be due the following day.

Day Three:

Students will hand in outlines at the beginning of the period. Then, the students will be asked to have only a piece of paper and pen on their desk as we prepare to watch a video of two different people giving speeches. The students will write down good/bad habits and specifics about the speaker’s delivery. After each speaker, we as a class will discuss our thoughts and how they should apply what they have learned to their own speeches.

Day Four:

Students will come to class prepared to give their speeches to a group of 3-4 classmates. They MUST have their note card already prepared and the teacher will walk around the room as they are practicing in groups. Students will be given 5 points if they have their note card completed. The teacher will supply each group with the needed amount of “stars and wishes” cards. The group members will write comments about one another as they give their speeches.

Day Five:

Students will arrive to class prepared to give their final informative speech. The teacher will randomly select names out of a hat to form a speaking order.

Informative Speeches
“Information is useless until someone puts it together so that it is clear and relevant to others” –author unknown

Your Mission: To explain, define, or demonstrate how something works, behaves, or how to do something. Research is optional, and I suggest you choose a topic that you are interested in and knowledgeable of. Make us believe that YOU ARE THE EXPERT! Do not, however, forget to challenge yourself in presenting the topic in a way that makes it fun for you and interesting to your audience.

Requirements:
-Must be 3-6 minutes in length
-You are only allowed 1 note card, with notes on one side of the card
-Visual aids are optional, but encouraged if it will benefit your speech (primarily a demonstration speech)

Speech Outline

Introduction
-powerful opening sentence to “grab” the attention of the audience
-establish credibility or authority
-indicate the importance of your speech
-state the exact purpose of your speech.

1. What is your specific purpose? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What makes this topic interesting to your audience?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. What makes you a credible source or a relative “expert” on this topic?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

In the body of your speech you should make several points. Please list these points below. If you are doing a demonstration you should list the steps in your demonstration.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Conclusion

Your conclusion should “wrap up” your speech by letting your audience know that your speech is complete. You may end by telling them how your speech applies to their lives, encouraging them to do something, or any other creative ending you can come up with. Please avoid using the phrase “In conclusion…” this will put your audience right to sleep.

I’m excited to hear all of your speeches, have fun with this assignment and I wish you luck!

Grading

Attention getter 1 2 3 4 5

Specific Purpose 1 2 3 4 5

Eye Contact 1 2 3 4 5

Gestures 1 2 3 4 5

Organization 1 2 3 4 5

Audience Appropriate 1 2 3 4 5

Conclusion 1 2 3 4 5

Time_________

Total Points___

Grade________

Topic List:
   • History of pizza
   • Origami
   • Junk mail
   • How to Pack for a Trip
   • Walt Disney
   • Superstitions
   • History of Sign Language
   • The Amish
   • Optical Illusions
   • Pyramids
   • How the Eye Works
   • Horoscopes
   • Dining Etiquette
   • Snow Boarding
   • Nutrition

Katie Hoskinson