- Ford’s Shop
Original Speech Writing
Students write eight original speeches.
Rubrics and example speeches are included. Each speech performance focuses on using two Podium Points (elements of effective public speaking).
Common Core Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.1
Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence
Classroom Activities
- Classroom Activity One: Introductory Speech Students write and present a speech introducing themselves using Presence.
- Classroom Activity Two: Brown Bag Speech Focusing on Pace and Volume, students share an item that is important to them.
- Classroom Activity Three: Storytelling Speech Tone and Emphasis are stressed in this speech where students tell a true story that happened to them.
- Classroom Activity Four: Tribute Speech Each student honors someone in his/her life while working on improving Eye Contact, Enunciation and Diction.
- Classroom Activity Five: “Read to Me Speech” After picking a favorite text, students return to Emphasis and Tone in order to share a selection with the class.
- Classroom Activity Six: Book Speech Posture and Gesture are introduced to students through a speech on a favorite book.
- Classroom Activity Seven: Teaching Speech In this activity, students must use all Podium Points while teaching the class a new skill.
- Classroom Activity Eight: This I Believe Using all Podium Points, students need to share their personal philosophy with the class.
Teacher Preparation:
Catherine Plumb-Sperry is a sixth-grade reading teacher at James Bridger Middle School in Independence, MO. Over the course of a year, her students write and perform an original speech each month. This lesson gives teachers framework for how to structure eight different speeches. Catherine’s most important tips for successfully implementing this in the classroom:
- Students do not have the option to “opt-out” of giving a speech. The teacher should perform a sample speech on the day that each speech is assigned.
- When delivering a sample speech, pick a few moments to intentionally ignore one of the Podium Points, so that students can hone their observation skills.
- Starting with Lesson Activity One, model Warm and Cool Feedback.
- Focus on two Podium Points for each speech. However, once a Podium Point has been the focus of a speech, students must continue to work on that element in all subsequent speeches. The Podium Points are cumulative as they progress through the school year.
- It takes about three 45-minute class periods for a class of 25 students to give their two-minute speeches and receive Warm and Cool Feedback.
- Do not time speeches until the Tribute Speech. It’s better for students to have the first three speech opportunities to stand and speak in front of the class without the added pressure of a time limit.
Additionally, Catherine believes that a podium is a necessary classroom accessory when teaching oratory. Students need to be accustomed to speaking from and using a podium. The podium is also a visual aid indicating that when someone stands to speak, we listen.
Classroom Activity One
Introductory speech.
The first speech of the year is untimed. Catherine usually does the speech on the third day of school. Students cannot use notes of any kind.
The podium point being evaluated is presence: Can you walk to the podium confidently (even if you don’t feel confident) and use a greeting?
Students are expected to:
- Have presence: walk to the podium confidently and stand confidently throughout their speech.
- Greet their audience.
- Sentence one – Tell their complete name.
- Sentence two – Tell us something about their family.
- Sentence three – Tell us something unique about them.
- End with a “thank you.”
After the speech, the students in the audience spend two minutes giving warm and cool feedback.
Classroom Activity Two
Brown bag speech.
This speech is very similar to “show-and-tell” from early elementary school.
Students are each given a brown lunch sack. They write the speech requirements on it. They bring it home that night, and select an item to share with the class for their speech. The item must fit in the sack, and may not be a previously living or presently living item. Students bring the item in the sack to school the next day.
The two Podium Points added to this speech are volume and pace. Nerves cause speakers to speak quickly so pace is a challenge. Introduce pace early in the process so student have many opportunities to practice speaking at an appropriate pace.
- Have presence.
- Use appropriate pace and volume.
- Select an item to share.
- Walk the item around and show it to the class.
- Return to the podium to speak.
- Greet the audience. describe where the item came from, what it is used for, why it is significant to them, why they like it, or any other information they want us to know.
- Ask the audience if they have any questions.
- End their speech with a “thank you.”
After the speech, the class spends two minutes giving warm and cool feedback.
Classroom Activity Three
Storytelling speech.
In this speech, students tell a story from their life. It must be something they are comfortable sharing in front of the class.
The two podium points that are the focus of this speech are tone and emphasis. Students are telling stories that may contain strong emotion, so this is a natural way for them to add tone and emphasis. Students should write their speech down and identify the tone they are trying to achieve. They should also highlight or circle any words they are going to emphasize. They will use the written text to rehearse, and then turn in the text before giving their speech.
Students are expected to
- Use appropriate pace, volume, tone and emphasis.
- Greet the audience.
- Tell a story with a distinct beginning, middle and end.
- Have the story memorized.
Classroom Activity Four
Tribute speech.
In this speech, students are telling the class about an important person in their life, and why they admire this person.
Encourage students to bring a photograph of their person. A photograph gives the audience a nice visual reference during the speech.
The two podium points that are the focus of this speech are eye-contact and diction. Students may use a script when delivering this speech. A caveat: because a script is allowed, students may tend to read to the audience. It takes a high level of skill to have a script and still make eye contact. Students are expected to rehearse their speech at home before the speech performance day. Assign a rehearsal log to ensure that students practice before their performance.
Teach tongue twisters in class to support development of diction. Students can practice these tongue twisters at home when rehearsing their speech. On speech performance day, the class can warm-up using the tongue twisters. Starting off class this way may also alleviate nerves, as tongue twisters can be fun and promote a bit of laughter.
This is the first speech where speeches are timed. Speeches must be at least one minute and no longer than two minutes. Discuss time with the students but do not use it as an evaluation criteria.
- Use all previously learned Podium Points.
- Use eye-contact and diction.
- Section One: Tell who the person is, what their relationship is to the student, and why the student admires them. The student might also describe physical traits.
- Section Two: Give a personality trait the person has. Students must give two examples of the person showing the trait. (If he says a person is kind, he must say two ways that they show kindness.)
- Section Three: Give a second personality trait that the person has. The student must also give two examples of the person showing the trait.
- Conclude by restating in a different way from their introduction why the person is so special to them.
- End their speech with “thank you.”
Classroom Activity Five
“read to me” speech.
Note: It might be helpful to pair this with the Refining Tone and Emphasis Lesson.
In this speech, the students read a piece of text written by someone else. The text can be lyrics from a song, a story or a poem. The Podium Points that are the focus of this speech are emphasis and tone. Although these Podium Points have been covered in the past, the content of this speech requires “extra” attention to tone and emphasis when delivering the speech. Students should make a deliberate effort to put emotion into their delivery.
To find a text to read for performance, students may search online to find song lyrics, a story or poem that they connect with emotionally. They should cut and paste this text into a Word document. Students should read the text carefully to understand the message of the text, and determine the emotional tone. They should annotate their text by circling words they think best express the meaning and tone, and practice emphasizing those words when saying it aloud. Students should bring their annotated text with them to the podium for reference.
Speeches are timed and should be between one and maximum two minutes long.
- Use all previously learned Podium Points, with extra effort to demonstrate tone and emphasis.
- Credit the source of their reading.
- Make an effort to memorize as much of their text as possible and only use their scripts as reference.
After the speech, students are expected to explain briefly how they employed tone and emphasis to convey the meaning of their speech. The class then spends two minutes giving warm and cool feedback.
Classroom Activity Six
Book speech.
In this speech, students review a book they’ve read during the school year.
The Podium Points added for this speech are gesture and posture. Students need to demonstrate confident posture. Confident posture includes standing up tall, without slouching, feet firmly on the floor, no rocking or fidgeting. Shoulders should be back and down. Students can be prompted to squeeze their shoulder blades together, or imagine that they are tucking their shoulder blades into the back pockets. The goal is to open the chest up, without puffing it out, so that students can breath properly and look confident.
They also should use gestures to emphasize the important parts of the speech or to engage the audience. Remind students that gestures should be as natural as possible. As a frame of reference, it may be helpful to demonstrate examples of natural gestures, or play clips of famous orators and have students observe their gestures.
Students are required to use a visual aide for this speech. They have the choice between creating the visual aide (e.g. a poster advertising the book) or bringing in an item related to the topic of the book (e.g. for a baseball book, a news article from the same time period as the book, or memorabilia that relates to the book). Using the visual aid is an easy way for students to include gesture into a speech.
This is a timed speech and should be between two and three minutes.
- Use all of the Podium Points learned previously.
- Use gestures and have confident posture.
- Discuss the literary elements of the book: main character, theme and plot (without giving away the ending). Share if they liked or didn’t like the book, and offer reasons why.
- Have confident posture, with feet solidly on the floor, standing calmly.
- Use gestures.
- Show their visual aid and explain how it relates to the book. The visual aid must add to the understanding of the book or author of the book.
- Ask if there are any questions about the book.
- End the speech with “thank you.”
After the speech, students spend two minutes giving warm and cool feedback.
Classroom Activity Seven
Teaching speech.
In this speech, students teach something to the entire class. To help students decide their lesson topic, offer some suggestions. This helps students to focus their ideas, so they select something they will feel confident teaching. Some suggestions: origami, how to draw something, a sports strategy, how to do a card trick, a dance step or a simple craft project.
By lesson seven, all of the Podium Points have been introduced. Students are now assessed on their use of all Podium Points and speech requirements.
This is a timed speech and should be between three and five minutes.
- Use all of the Podium Points.
- Include what the class will be learning in their speech introduction.
- If teaching a step-by-step lesson, circulate around the room to assist classmates when needed.
- Provide all the required materials, enough for every student.
- Answer any questions the audience might have.
Classroom Activity Eight
This i believe.
In this speech, students speak about a topic important to them. This speech introduces students to the art of persuasive speech. Students should be encouraged to think about what matters to them, and to select a topic they feel passionately about. As they write their speeches, students should consider what they want the audience to know, understand and do about the topic as a result of listening to their speech. The speech must include a call to action to the audience.
This is speech includes a research component, to help students understand their issue, find evidence to support their belief, and learn about any opposing points of view. Students will need to be provided with time for research. Length of instructional time dedicated conducting research should be determined according to grade level and how much time the school curriculum will allow.
After researching the topic, the writing process begins. In-class time devoted to writing should be a minimum of three days. Consider a process that includes students writing drafts, editing and rewriting. This I Believe has an excellent teaching guide on how to help students write their own statements.
Our original speech writing lesson also has several useful techniques for helping students write their own speeches.
This is a timed speech and must be at least 1 minute 50 seconds, and no longer than 2 minutes 10 seconds.
- Include a personal belief.
- Share a personal story to highlight their belief.
- Explain why this topic is important to them.
- Include a call to action.
Each speech includes an individual rubric for assessment.
Speech-writing tips for high school students
by Daniella Dautrich | May 29, 2017 | High school , Teaching Homeschool Writing
Speech-writing Tips for Students
Speech writing offers a rare chance for students to impact an audience in lasting, meaningful ways. Through this kind of written and oral communication, they can learn to convey truth in a world with where morals are blurred and virtues are disappearing. Thus, speech writers combine narrative, descriptive, explanatory, and persuasive skills, arranging a composition to make both logical and emotional appeals . After all, rhetoric (the art of persuasion) should engage the whole person, not just the mind or heart.
Even if your kids will never enroll in a speech and debate club, encourage them to present an original speech in a group setting such as a class, family gathering, or graduation party. These speech-writing tips for students should help them get started!
The Prewriting Stage
When you write a speech, the prewriting stage represents about a third of the entire process.
- Choose a topic you feel strongly about. If you don’t care about the subject matter, neither will your audience.
- Evaluate your potential audience. Will you speak to a mixed group of teenagers or to a room of retirees? What are their values and interests? What kinds of music and cultural references will they relate to?
- Understand your purpose. Are you writing a speech to entertain, inform, or persuade? If you intend to persuade, are you trying to reach a like-minded or neutral audience or an openly hostile group?
- Research and brainstorm. Start gathering your facts and examples, and make a list of possible talking points.
The Writing Stage
Writing the first draft should consume about 20% of your time as a speech writer.
- Develop a “hook.” You need to capture the audience’s attention at the beginning of the speech and motivate them to keep listening. A humorous story or a startling statistic may serve this purpose, depending on the type of speech you’re writing.
- Construct a thesis . Your speech should present a clear message, with each sub-point logically leading to the final conclusion.
- Build a relationship with the audience . Establish your credibility as a speaker by demonstrating your connection to the topic. Did a hobby, a favorite author, or a family experience lead you to choose this subject?
- Organize your ideas . Offer a preview of what’s to come in the introduction, and be sure you follow those points in order.
- Finish with a strong conclusion . When you reach the end of your speech, restate your thesis and tie everything back to your introduction.
The Editing Stage
The editing stage requires another third of your time as a speech writer. As you revise, check for these items:
- Grammar . Poor writing could cause an audience to stop taking you seriously , even if your main message is solid.
- Style. In the writing stage, you focused on substance (what to say); now you can focus on style (how to say it). Without resorting to overdone “ purple prose ,” you can practice writing techniques such as parallelism , repetition, alliteration, and series or lists.
- Time. Read your speech out loud. It shouldn’t take longer than 20 minutes.
- Sound. When you read the speech aloud, do you stumble over unnatural words and phrases? Perhaps you need to rewrite with more direct, simple language. Is your flow of thoughts easy to understand? Is your vocabulary appropriate to the audience’s age and education?
- Appeal to the senses. Your speech should engage the imagination—not put people to sleep! Do you use figurative language to help the audience visualize concepts? Include a descriptive passage to help them hear, feel, and touch your topic. Try to include narratives that people will identify with. You don’t need too many details… just enough to make the stories ring true and help you explain your persuasive points or morals.
- Organization. You can arrange your speech chronologically, topically, by comparison/contrast, or in some other way. Just be sure you’re consistent.
- Politeness . Have you used appropriate language throughout? Have you written with respect for yourself and others? The best speeches display compassion and empathy, rather than tear others down.
The Pre-Performance Stage
Once you’ve written and revised your speech, it’s time to practice! Try to memorize it, and watch your speed so you don’t speak too quickly. Practice in front of a mirror so you remember to move naturally, incorporating hand/arm gestures and facial expressions. Experiment with volume, high and low pitch, and pauses (take notes about what works and what doesn’t.)
Finally, have confidence ! Stage fright is part of life, but the greatest performers have learned that passion and honesty set the speaker—and the audience—at ease every time.
Daniella Dautrich studied classical rhetoric at a liberal arts college in Hillsdale, Michigan.
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The Art Of Writing Effective Speeches
Imagine that you have been asked to emcee at an event tomorrow. What’s the first thing you’re going to do?…
Imagine that you have been asked to emcee at an event tomorrow. What’s the first thing you’re going to do? You’re most likely going to write down your speech and rehearse it till you feel confident. You’ll probably think about ways to connect with the audience and adjust your speech accordingly.
Speech writing is more common than we realize. Whether it’s wedding vows or farewell speeches, there are many times when we find ourselves making a speech. Writing a speech is easier than it sounds. Read on to learn tips that will help you write impactful speeches.
What Is Speech Writing?
A speech is a form of formal spoken communication that an individual delivers with the proper choice of words, expressions and examples. Its purpose is to explain, inform or persuade others. Speech writing is the art of writing a message for an audience that can captivate and influence them.
Writing a speech is different from writing any other piece of written communication because you write to be heard and not to be read. Effective speech writing not only helps you connect with a large number of people, it also helps you direct them towards a particular agenda. The ability to write and deliver good speeches will help you at conferences, client meetings and even dinner parties!
If you feel that drafting a speech is an unusual activity, here are a few real-life examples of speech writing that will change your mind:
Employees often use PowerPoint presentations to get their message across—whether it’s about a new business strategy or new initiatives. They’re usually required to explain those slides so that the audience understands their points. Employees often draft a speech to communicate their ideas during such presentations.
Educational institutions often invite chief guests for graduation ceremonies, where the chief guest delivers a speech. Typically, these speeches are inspiring and filled with good wishes for the graduating students. Chief guests often read from a speech that they have drafted beforehand.
Techniques For Writing A Speech
Anybody can learn how to become a speechwriter—it’s a skill that can be developed with patience and persistence. Here are a few powerful strategies for writing compelling speeches:
Monitor Language And Style
Use language appropriate to your audience. Make your speeches interesting by including real-life examples and quotes. Avoid using complex words and jargon. Deliver your speech with appropriate nonverbal cues that help draw your audience in. For instance, use an even tone, pause when needed, maintain eye contact and stand straight without fidgeting.
Make Room For Questions
An effective way to liven up your speech is to ask your audience open-ended questions. Not only does it engage them but it also helps them remain focused. Prepare a set of relevant or related questions in advance. You may also conclude your speech with a thought-provoking question.
Pause At The Right Moments
A powerful pause adds impact to a sentence. When writing a speech, group your sentences into short paragraphs and use the paragraph breaks to take a pause. Don’t be afraid to wait for a few seconds before speaking again. The drop and rise in your voice as you begin speaking after a pause will help you emphasize key points.
Use The Power Of Three
Words and messages are best remembered in groups of three. Group your ideas into threes and use alliteration to make them memorable. An example is, “Live, laugh and love is the motto we live by.” The power of three makes speeches impactful.
Implement Dramatic Contrast
When you place two opposing ideas or viewpoints together, you create a dramatic contrast. This method is extremely useful if you want to surprise your audience and draw them into your speech. Here’s an example: “Five years ago, we had nothing, but look at us today! Our earnings have doubled every quarter and we have opened offices in five cities.”
Effective Tips For Speech Writing
Here are a few tips that will help you write effective and impactful speeches:
Write down the purpose or goal of the speech before you start drafting it and understand whether you’re trying to inspire, educate or entertain your audience
Your speech should be tailored to your audience so read the room before you include informal words or slangs
You don’t want to overwhelm your audience by speaking for too long so practice making your speech and time yourself
Make sure that there’s a beginning, a middle and an end, ensuring that you maintain continuity between the main ideas
Your opening is your best shot! Use humor or personal anecdotes to connect with the audience
Harappa Education’s Writing Proficiently course will teach you effective ways of writing your thoughts and ideas. The PREP (Point, Reasons, Example and Point) Model will help you structure your points. Discover how to tell your story in a way that will make everyone sit up and take notice.
Explore topics & skills such as Writing Skills , Process of Writing , 7 C’s of Communication , How to Make an Effective Presentation & the Rule of Three from Harappa Diaries and deliver your ideas with precision.
Resources you can trust
How to write a good speech
An advice sheet with information and tips for students to use when they write a speech. The key features of speech writing are covered and include having an inspiring opening and ending, using emotive language and including facts and figures.
The resource also includes a planning grid template.
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Resources you might like
It’s More than an Argument: How Speech Writing Supports Student Agency
Writing is an essential life skill, particularly in an age where much of our communication is taking place via text-based channels like emails, social media and blog posts. Beyond communication however, writing, and specifically speech writing, offers students an opportunity to nurture their voice, express their thoughts and opinions, and increase their agency, both in the classroom and in their communities.
Cultivating Student Voice, Creating Student Agency
Simply put, student agency is all about giving students a voice and choice in how they learn . It gives them the chance to be active agents in their own education . There are a multitude of reasons why giving students agency is beneficial , and ways in which we can work to elevate student voices in our classrooms .
In the English Language Arts (ELA) classroom, writing is a powerful tool that can encourage students to find their voice and use it. Indeed, voice is one of the most important elements of good writing, that conveys to the reader who the writer is and what they stand for .
Yet, too often, students are not given the opportunities to cultivate their own unique voice, and end up producing poor imitations of others’ work – and along the way, feel robbed of their agency and ability to learn in a way that suits them best. Creative writing using “what if” prompts or open-ended narratives, image writing based on single or multiple pictures, and writing responses to text-based information are all ways in which we can help our students develop their voice.
For students in middle school, speech writing can also be included in ELA lessons as a powerful tool to teach students how to instil their voices in their writing, while at the same time increasing their agency. Voice is most easily captured in the spoken word, hence speech writing easily lends itself to helping students discover their unique ways of expressing themselves.
As educators, we are well aware that each student learns, grows and expresses themselves in different ways. Speech writing helps solidify the belief in our students’ minds that their voice matters, by helping them feel confident in the way they express themselves. This confidence also translates into other areas of their lives, including giving them agency to learn in a way that best suits their abilities and style, as well as to undertake projects in their community.
Teach Speech Writing Using Read to Lead
Instilling our students with the skills to write a great speech may feel like a daunting task. Read to Lead has some useful resources to get started.
The Read to Lead learning games offer a variety of close reading and literacy skill-building lessons to help students build their literacy and leadership skills. These lessons aim to achieve objectives such as being able to read closely to make inferences, cite evidence, interpret words and phrases, analyze word choice, and evaluate content.
As a complement to the game Community in Crisis , the Read to Lead platform features a collection of speeches delivered by political figures. These close reading lessons expose students to authentic speeches and give them a taste of what it means to have their own unique voice. Students also have a chance to learn more about concepts such as cooperation, responsibility and perspectives, particularly in the context of serving a community.
Building on this, the game Vital Signs is designed to fulfill College and Career Readiness Anchor (CCRA) Standards through close reading of a diverse collection of articles. Topics include non-violent resistance, the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, and anti-bullying efforts, and relate directly to needs or problems students may encounter in their own communities.
These lessons are easily adapted to teach speech writing, by encouraging students to share their thoughts on relevant and relatable topics in a speech format. They can also hone their expressive skills by giving a rousing call to action, or seeking to inform and educate listeners on the topic. Beyond the classroom, these lessons can serve as a springboard for students to launch their own community projects that address real needs.
The Read to Lead platform was created with a flexible approach in mind, to allow these lessons to be used for in-person, remote, and hybrid class settings. As such, implementing these lessons in your classroom (whether virtual or in-person) is a breeze.
Student Agency Leads to Action
Building tomorrow’s leaders who have the confidence in their skills, abilities and voice starts in today’s classrooms. By incorporating lesson plans and activities that empower students to develop agency and connect with their communities, we can have an enormous impact on helping our students see their own potential for creating change. Click here to sign up for Read to Lead and give your students the confidence and agency to engage with their community!
About Read to Lead
Read to Lead uses the power of game-based learning to empower middle school students to build literacy, life, and career skills. Teachers can sign up for a free account to get started!
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A Step-by-Step Plan for Teaching Argumentative Writing
February 7, 2016
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For seven years, I was a writing teacher. Yes, I was certified to teach the full spectrum of English language arts—literature, grammar and usage, speech, drama, and so on—but my absolute favorite, the thing I loved doing the most, was teaching students how to write.
Most of the material on this site is directed at all teachers. I look for and put together resources that would appeal to any teacher who teaches any subject. That practice will continue for as long as I keep this up. But over the next year or so, I plan to also share more of what I know about teaching students to write. Although I know many of the people who visit here are not strictly English language arts teachers, my hope is that these posts will provide tons of value to those who are, and to those who teach all subjects, including writing.
So let’s begin with argumentative writing, or persuasive writing, as many of us used to call it. This overview will be most helpful to those who are new to teaching writing, or teachers who have not gotten good results with the approach you have taken up to now. I don’t claim to have the definitive answer on how to do this, but the method I share here worked pretty well for me, and it might do the same for you. If you are an experienced English language arts teacher, you probably already have a system for teaching this skill that you like. Then again, I’m always interested in how other people do the things I can already do; maybe you’re curious like that, too.
Before I start, I should note that what I describe in this post is a fairly formulaic style of essay writing. It’s not exactly the 5-paragraph essay, but it definitely builds on that model. I strongly believe students should be shown how to move past those kinds of structures into a style of writing that’s more natural and fitting to the task and audience, but I also think they should start with something that’s pretty clearly organized.
So here’s how I teach argumentative essay writing.
Step 1: Watch How It’s Done
One of the most effective ways to improve student writing is to show them mentor texts, examples of excellent writing within the genre students are about to attempt themselves. Ideally, this writing would come from real publications and not be fabricated by me in order to embody the form I’m looking for. Although most experts on writing instruction employ some kind of mentor text study, the person I learned it from best was Katie Wood Ray in her book Study Driven (links to the book: Bookshop.org | Amazon ).
Since I want the writing to be high quality and the subject matter to be high interest, I might choose pieces like Jessica Lahey’s Students Who Lose Recess Are the Ones Who Need it Most and David Bulley’s School Suspensions Don’t Work .
I would have students read these texts, compare them, and find places where the authors used evidence to back up their assertions. I would ask students which author they feel did the best job of influencing the reader, and what suggestions they would make to improve the writing. I would also ask them to notice things like stories, facts and statistics, and other things the authors use to develop their ideas. Later, as students work on their own pieces, I would likely return to these pieces to show students how to execute certain writing moves.
Step 2: Informal Argument, Freestyle
Although many students might need more practice in writing an effective argument, many of them are excellent at arguing in person. To help them make this connection, I would have them do some informal debate on easy, high-interest topics. An activity like This or That (one of the classroom icebreakers I talked about last year) would be perfect here: I read a statement like “Women have the same opportunities in life as men.” Students who agree with the statement move to one side of the room, and those who disagree move to the other side. Then they take turns explaining why they are standing in that position. This ultimately looks a little bit like a debate, as students from either side tend to defend their position to those on the other side.
Every class of students I have ever had, from middle school to college, has loved loved LOVED this activity. It’s so simple, it gets them out of their seats, and for a unit on argument, it’s an easy way to get them thinking about how the art of argument is something they practice all the time.
Step 3: Informal Argument, Not so Freestyle
Once students have argued without the support of any kind of research or text, I would set up a second debate; this time with more structure and more time to research ahead of time. I would pose a different question, supply students with a few articles that would provide ammunition for either side, then give them time to read the articles and find the evidence they need.
Next, we’d have a Philosophical Chairs debate (learn about this in my discussion strategies post), which is very similar to “This or That,” except students use textual evidence to back up their points, and there are a few more rules. Here they are still doing verbal argument, but the experience should make them more likely to appreciate the value of evidence when trying to persuade.
Before leaving this step, I would have students transfer their thoughts from the discussion they just had into something that looks like the opening paragraph of a written argument: A statement of their point of view, plus three reasons to support that point of view. This lays the groundwork for what’s to come.
Step 4: Introduction of the Performance Assessment
Next I would show students their major assignment, the performance assessment that they will work on for the next few weeks. What does this look like? It’s generally a written prompt that describes the task, plus the rubric I will use to score their final product.
Anytime I give students a major writing assignment, I let them see these documents very early on. In my experience, I’ve found that students appreciate having a clear picture of what’s expected of them when beginning a writing assignment. At this time, I also show them a model of a piece of writing that meets the requirements of the assignment. Unlike the mentor texts we read on day 1, this sample would be something teacher-created (or an excellent student model from a previous year) to fit the parameters of the assignment.
Step 5: Building the Base
Before letting students loose to start working on their essays, I make sure they have a solid plan for writing. I would devote at least one more class period to having students consider their topic for the essay, drafting a thesis statement, and planning the main points of their essay in a graphic organizer.
I would also begin writing my own essay on a different topic. This has been my number one strategy for teaching students how to become better writers. Using a document camera or overhead projector, I start from scratch, thinking out loud and scribbling down my thoughts as they come. When students see how messy the process can be, it becomes less intimidating for them. They begin to understand how to take the thoughts that are stirring around in your head and turn them into something that makes sense in writing.
For some students, this early stage might take a few more days, and that’s fine: I would rather spend more time getting it right at the pre-writing stage than have a student go off willy-nilly, draft a full essay, then realize they need to start over. Meanwhile, students who have their plans in order will be allowed to move on to the next step.
Step 6: Writer’s Workshop
The next seven to ten days would be spent in writer’s workshop, where I would start class with a mini-lesson about a particular aspect of craft. I would show them how to choose credible, relevant evidence, how to skillfully weave evidence into an argument, how to consider the needs of an audience, and how to correctly cite sources. Once each mini-lesson was done, I would then give students the rest of the period to work independently on their writing. During this time, I would move around the room, helping students solve problems and offering feedback on whatever part of the piece they are working on. I would encourage students to share their work with peers and give feedback at all stages of the writing process.
If I wanted to make the unit even more student-centered, I would provide the mini-lessons in written or video format and let students work through them at their own pace, without me teaching them. (To learn more about this approach, read this post on self-paced learning ).
As students begin to complete their essays, the mini-lessons would focus more on matters of style and usage. I almost never bother talking about spelling, punctuation, grammar, or usage until students have a draft that’s pretty close to done. Only then do we start fixing the smaller mistakes.
Step 7: Final Assessment
Finally, the finished essays are handed in for a grade. At this point, I’m pretty familiar with each student’s writing and have given them verbal (and sometimes written) feedback throughout the unit; that’s why I make the writer’s workshop phase last so long. I don’t really want students handing in work until they are pretty sure they’ve met the requirements to the best of their ability. I also don’t necessarily see “final copies” as final; if a student hands in an essay that’s still really lacking in some key areas, I will arrange to have that student revise it and resubmit for a higher grade.
So that’s it. If you haven’t had a lot of success teaching students to write persuasively, and if the approach outlined here is different from what you’ve been doing, give it a try. And let’s keep talking: Use the comments section below to share your techniques or ask questions about the most effective ways to teach argumentative writing.
Want this unit ready-made?
If you’re a writing teacher in grades 7-12 and you’d like a classroom-ready unit like the one described above, including mini-lessons, sample essays, and a library of high-interest online articles to use for gathering evidence, take a look at my Argumentative Writing unit. Just click on the image below and you’ll be taken to a page where you can read more and see a detailed preview of what’s included.
What to Read Next
Categories: Instruction , Podcast
Tags: English language arts , Grades 6-8 , Grades 9-12 , teaching strategies
58 Comments
This is useful information. In teaching persuasive speaking/writing I have found Monroe’s Motivated sequence very useful and productive. It is a classic model that immediately gives a solid structure for students.
Thanks for the recommendation, Bill. I will have to look into that! Here’s a link to more information on Monroe’s Motivated sequence, for anyone who wants to learn more: https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/MonroeMotivatedSequence.htm
What other sites do you recommend for teacher use on providing effective organizational structure in argumentative writing? As a K-12 Curriculum Director, I find that when teachers connect with and understand the organizational structure, they are more effective in their teaching/delivery.
Hey Jessica, in addition to the steps outlined here, you might want to check out Jenn’s post on graphic organizers . Graphic organizers are a great tool that you can use in any phase of a lesson. Using them as a prewrite can help students visualize the argument and organize their thoughts. There’s a link in that post to the Graphic Organizer Multi-Pack that Jenn has for sale on her Teachers Pay Teachers site, which includes two versions of a graphic organizer you can use specifically for argument organization. Otherwise, if there’s something else you had in mind, let us know and we can help you out. Thanks!
Dear Jennifer Gonzalez,
You are generous with your gift of lighting the path… I hardly ever write (never before) , but I must today… THANK YOU… THANK YOU….THANK YOU… mostly for reading your great teachings… So your valuable teachings will even be easy to benefit all the smart people facing challenge of having to deal with adhd…
I am not a teacher… but forever a student…someone who studied English as 2nd language, with a science degree & adhd…
You truly are making a difference in our World…
Thanks so much, Rita! I know Jenn will appreciate this — I’ll be sure to share with her!
Love it! Its simple and very fruitful . I can feel how dedicated you are! Thanks alot Jen
Great examples of resources that students would find interesting. I enjoyed reading your article. I’ve bookmarked it for future reference. Thanks!
You’re welcome, Sheryl!
Students need to be writing all the time about a broad range of topics, but I love the focus here on argumentative writing because if you choose the model writing texts correctly, you can really get the kids engaged in the process and in how they can use this writing in real-world situations!
I agree, Laura. I think an occasional tight focus on one genre can help them grow leaps and bounds in the skills specific to that type of writing. Later, in less structured situations, they can then call on those skills when that kind of thinking is required.
This is really helpful! I used it today and put the recess article in a Google Doc and had the kids identify anecdotal, statistic, and ‘other’ types of evidence by highlighting them in three different colors. It worked well! Tomorrow we’ll discuss which of the different types of evidence are most convincing and why.
Love that, Shanna! Thanks for sharing that extra layer.
Greetings Ms. Gonzales. I was wondering if you had any ideas to help students develop the cons/against side of their argument within their writing? Please advise. Thanks.
Hi Michael,
Considering audience and counterarguments are an important part of the argumentative writing process. In the Argumentative Writing unit Jenn includes specific mini-lessons that teach kids how, when and where to include opposing views in their writing. In the meantime, here’s a video that might also be helpful.
Hi, Thank you very much for sharing your ideas. I want to share also the ideas in the article ‘Already Experts: Showing Students How Much They Know about Writing and Reading Arguments’ by Angela Petit and Edna Soto…they explain a really nice activity to introduce argumentative writing. I have applied it many times and my students not only love it but also display a very clear pattern as the results in the activity are quite similar every time. I hope you like it.
Lorena Perez
I’d like to thank you you for this excellence resource. It’s a wonderful addition to the informative content that Jennifer has shared.
What do you use for a prize?
I looked at the unit, and it looks and sounds great. The description says there are 4 topics. Can you tell me the topics before I purchase? We start argument in 5th grade, and I want to make sure the topics are different from those they’ve done the last 5 years before purchasing. Thanks!
Hi Carrie! If you go to the product page on TPT and open up the preview, you’ll see the four topics on the 4th page in more detail, but here they are: Social Networking in School (should social media sites be blocked in school?), Cell Phones in Class, Junk Food in School, and Single-Sex Education (i.e., genders separated). Does that help?
I teach 6th grade English in a single gendered (all-girls) class. We just finished an argument piece but I will definitely cycle back your ideas when we revisit argumentation. Thanks for the fabulous resources!
Glad to hear it, Madelyn!
I’m not a writing teacher and honestly haven’t been taught on how to teach writing. I’m a history teacher. I read this and found it helpful but have questions. First I noticed that amount of time dedicated to the task in terms of days. My questions are how long is a class period? I have my students for about 45 minutes. I also saw you mentioned in the part about self-paced learning that mini-lessons could be written or video format. I love these ideas. Any thoughts on how to do this with almost no technology in the room and low readers to non-readers? I’m trying to figure out how to balance teaching a content class while also teaching the common core skills. Thank you for any consideration to my questions.
Hey Jones, To me, a class period is anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour; definitely varies from school to school. As for the question about doing self-paced with very little tech? I think binders with written mini-lessons could work well, as well as a single computer station or tablet hooked up to a class set of videos. Obviously you’d need to be more diligent about rotating students in and out of these stations, but it’s an option at least. You might also give students access to the videos through computers in other locations at school (like the library) and give them passes to watch. The thing about self-paced learning, as you may have seen in the self-paced post , is that if students need extra teacher support (as you might find with low readers or non-readers), they would spend more one-on-one time with the teacher, while the higher-level students would be permitted to move more quickly on their own. Does that help?
My primary goal for next semester is to increase academic discussion and make connections from discussion to writing, so I love how you launch this unit with lessons like Philosophical Chairs. I am curious, however, what is the benefit of the informal argument before the not-so-informal argument? My students often struggle to listen to one another, so I’m wondering if I should start with the more formal, structured version. Or, am I overthinking the management? Thanks so much for input.
Yikes! So sorry your question slipped through, and we’re just now getting to this, Sarah. The main advantage of having kids first engage in informal debate is that it helps them get into an argumentative mindset and begin to appreciate the value of using research to support their claims. If you’ve purchased the unit, you can read more about this in the Overview.
My 6th graders are progressing through their argumentative essay. I’m providing mini lessons along the way that target where most students are in their essay. Your suggestions will be used. I’ve chosen to keep most writing in class and was happy to read that you scheduled a lot of class time for the writing. Students need to feel comfortable knowing that writing is a craft and needs to evolve over time. I think more will get done in class and it is especially important for the struggling writers to have peers and the teacher around while they write. Something that I had students do that they liked was to have them sit in like-topic groups to create a shared document where they curated information that MIGHT be helpful along the way. By the end of the essay, all will use a fantastic add-on called GradeProof which helps to eliminate most of the basic and silly errors that 6th graders make.
Debbi! I LOVE the idea of a shared, curated collection of resources! That is absolutely fantastic! Are you using a Google Doc for this? Other curation tools you might consider are Padlet and Elink .
thanks v much for all this information
Love this! What do you take as grades in the meantime? Throughout this 2 week stretch?
Ideally, you wouldn’t need to take grades at all, waiting until the final paper is done to give one grade. If your school requires more frequent grades, you could assign small point values for getting the incremental steps done: So in Step 3 (when students have to write a paragraph stating their point of view) you could take points for that. During the writer’s workshop phase, you might give points for completion of a rough draft and participation points for peer review (ideally, they’d get some kind of feedback on the quality of feedback they give to one another). Another option would be to just give a small, holistic grade for each week based on the overall integrity of their work–are they staying on task? Making small improvements to their writing each day? Taking advantage of the resources? If students are working diligently through the process, that should be enough. But again, the assessment (grades) should really come from that final written product, and if everyone is doing what they’re supposed to be doing during the workshop phase, most students should have pretty good scores on that final product. Does that help?
Awesome Step 2! Teaching mostly teenagers in Northern Australia I find students’ verbal arguments are much more finely honed than their written work.
To assist with “building the base” I’ve always found sentence starters an essential entry point for struggling students. We have started using the ‘PEARL’ method for analytical and persuasive writing.
If it helps here a free scaffold for the method:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FREE-Paragraph-Scaffold-PEEL-to-PEARL-3370676
Thanks again,
Thank you for sharing this additional resource! It’s excellent!
I’ve been scouring the interwebs looking for some real advice on how I can help my struggling 9th grader write better. I can write. Since it comes naturally for me, I have a hard time breaking it down into such tiny steps that he can begin to feel less overwhelmed. I LOVE the pre-writing ideas here. My son is a fabulous arguer. I need to help him use those powers for the good of his writing skills. Do you have a suggestion on what I else I can be using for my homeschooled son? Or what you may have that could work well for home use?
Hi Melinda,
You might be interested in taking a look at Jenn’s Argumentative Writing unit which she mentions at the end of the post . Hope this helps!
Mam it would be good if you could post some steps of different writing and some samples as well so it can be useful for the students.
Hi Aalia! My name is Holly, and I work as a Customer Experience Manager for Cult of Pedagogy. It just so happens that in the near future, Jenn is going to release a narrative writing unit, so keep an eye out for that! As far as samples, the argumentative writing unit has example essays included, and I’m sure the narrative unit will as well. But, to find the examples, you have to purchase the unit from Teachers Pay Teachers.
I just want to say that this helped me tremendously in teaching argument to 8th Graders this past school year, which is a huge concept on their state testing in April. I felt like they were very prepared, and they really enjoyed the verbal part of it, too! I have already implemented these methods into my unit plan for argument for my 11th grade class this year. Thank you so much for posting all of these things! : )
-Josee` Vaughn
I’m so glad to hear it, Josee!!
Love your blog! It is one of the best ones.
I am petrified of writing. I am teaching grade 8 in September and would love some suggestions as I start planning for the year. Thanks!
This is genius! I can’t wait to get started tomorrow teaching argument. It’s always something that I have struggled with, and I’ve been teaching for 18 years. I have a class of 31 students, mostly boys, several with IEPs. The self-paced mini-lessons will help tremendously.
So glad you liked it, Britney!
My students will begin the journey into persuasion and argument next week and your post cemented much of my thinking around how to facilitate the journey towards effective, enthusiastic argumentative writing.
I use your rubrics often to outline task expectations for my students and the feedback from them is how useful breaking every task into steps can be as they are learning new concepts.
Additionally, we made the leap into blogging as a grade at https://mrsdsroadrunners.edublogs.org/2019/01/04/your-future/ It feels much like trying to learn to change a tire while the car is speeding down the highway. Reading your posts over the past years was a factor in embracing the authentic audience. Thank You! Trish
I love reading and listening to your always helpful tips, tricks, and advice! I was wondering if you had any thoughts on creative and engaging ways to have students share their persuasive writing? My 6th students are just finishing up our persuasive writing where we read the book “Oh, Rats” by Albert Marrin and used the information gathered to craft a persuasive piece to either eliminate or protect rats and other than just reading their pieces to one another, I have been trying to think of more creative ways to share. I thought about having a debate but (un)fortunately all my kids are so sweet and are on the same side of the argument – Protect the Rats! Any ideas?
Hi Kiley! Thanks for the positive feedback! So glad to hear that you are finding value in Cult of Pedagogy! Here are a few suggestions that you may be interested in trying with your students:
-A gallery walk: Students could do this virtually if their writing is stored online or hard copies of their writing. Here are some different ways that you could use gallery walks: Enliven Class Discussions With Gallery Walks
-Students could give each other feedback using a tech tool like Flipgrid . You could assign students to small groups or give them accountability partners. In Flipgrid, you could have students sharing back and forth about their writing and their opinions.
I hope this helps!
I love the idea of mentor texts for all of these reading and writing concepts. I saw a great one on Twitter with one text and it demonstrated 5-6 reasons to start a paragraph, all in two pages of a book! Is there a location that would have suggestions/lists of mentor texts for these areas? Paragraphs, sentences, voice, persuasive writing, expository writing, etc. It seems like we could share this info, save each other some work, and curate a great collection of mentor text for English Language Arts teachers. Maybe it already exists?
Hi Maureen,
Here are some great resources that you may find helpful:
Craft Lessons Second Edition: Teaching Writing K-8 Write Like This: Teaching Real-World Writing Through Modeling and Mentor Texts and Mentor Texts, 2nd edition: Teaching Writing Through Children’s Literature, K-6
Thanks so much! I’ll definitely look into these.
I love the steps for planning an argumentative essay writing. When we return from Christmas break, we will begin starting a unit on argumentative writing. I will definitely use the steps. I especially love Step #2. As a 6th grade teacher, my students love to argue. This would set the stage of what argumentative essay involves. Thanks for sharing.
So glad to hear this, Gwen. Thanks for letting us know!
Great orientation, dear Jennifer. The step-by-step carefully planned pedagogical perspectives have surely added in the information repository of many.
Hi Jennifer,
I hope you are well. I apologise for the incorrect spelling in the previous post.
Thank you very much for introducing this effective instruction for teaching argumentative writing. I am the first year PhD student at Newcastle University, UK. My PhD research project aims to investigate teaching argumentative writing to Chinese university students. I am interested in the Argumentative Writing unit you have designed and would like to buy it. I would like to see the preview of this book before deciding to purchase it. I clicked on the image BUT the font of the preview is so small and cannot see the content clearly. I am wondering whether it could be possible for you to email me a detailed preview of what’s included. I would highly appreciate if you could help me with this.
Thank you very much in advance. Looking forward to your reply.
Take care and all the very best, Chang
Hi Chang! Jenn’s Argumentative Writing Unit is actually a teaching unit geared toward grades 7-12 with lessons, activities, etc. If you click here click here to view the actual product, you can click on the green ‘View Preview’ button to see a pretty detailed preview of what’s offered. Once you open the preview, there is the option to zoom in so you can see what the actual pages of the unit are like. I hope this helps!
Great Content!
Another teacher showed me one of your posts, and now I’ve read a dozen of them. With teaching students to argue, have you ever used the “What’s going on in this picture?” https://www.nytimes.com/column/learning-whats-going-on-in-this-picture?module=inline I used it last year and thought it was a non-threatening way to introduce learners to using evidence to be persuasive since there was no text.
I used to do something like this to help kids learn how to make inferences. Hadn’t thought of it from a persuasive standpoint. Interesting.
this is a very interesting topic, thanks!
Hi! I’m a teacher too! I was looking for inspiration and I found your article and thought you might find this online free tool interesting that helps make all students participate meaningfully and engage in a topic. https://www.kialo-edu.com/
This tool is great for student collaboration and to teach argumentative writing in an innovative way. I hope this helps!
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How To Use A Speech To Teach Writing: On Meryl Streep
by Sapna | Jan 14, 2017 | 0 comments
This post may contain affiliate links.
Meryl’s Streep’s Golden Globe Speech
So, for those of you who haven’t seen Meryl Streep’s speech, I’ve embedded it here. Really, watch it now. It’s powerful, beautiful, and can definitely spark discussion (and speech writing tips) in your English class!
Powerful Themes in Speech
Use a few of the themes below to start a discussion with your class. What does Meryl Streep’s speech say about the following issues? How does she convey her message ? What is the opposing view ?
- Immigration
- The role of political leaders/ the government
- The role of the press
- Freedom of Speech (discuss other celebrities’ reactions on social media accounts, such as Twitter). Check out George Clooney’s response, for example.
Literary Devices in Speech
Here’s where the writing part comes in! Have your students write down examples of literary devices they hear in Streep’s speech, and then have them write their own speech on a debate topic of their choice.
Here are a few ( specific examples are in my worksheet in the printables library ):
- Alliteration
Want a worksheet to help you teach this lesson? Simply head to my printables library . I’ll be posting the January printables in just a few days, so be sure that you have access!
Meryl Streep & Film
As a follow-up lesson, a film study is always a fun way to engage your English class. Actually, I think almost any film with Meryl Streep in it would work as a film study. She really is incredibly talented! The Devil Wears Prada , Julie & Julia and The Iron Lady are some of my favourites.
Don’t know which films to use? My exciting ebook with TED TALK and Film Study lesson plans is in the works! Be sure to sign up at the bottom of this post to keep in the loop and be the first to know when it’s released!
P.S. Photography fans, I took the photo for the main image in this post in Vienna, Austria on a girls’ trip with one of my best friends, Camille, in 2008.
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Analyzing Famous Speeches as Arguments
- Resources & Preparation
- Instructional Plan
- Related Resources
Traditionally, teachers have encouraged students to engage with and interpret literature—novels, poems, short stories, and plays. Too often, however, the spoken word is left unanalyzed, even though the spoken word has the potential to alter our space just as much than the written. After gaining skill through analyzing a historic and contemporary speech as a class, students will select a famous speech from a list compiled from several resources and write an essay that identifies and explains the rhetorical strategies that the author deliberately chose while crafting the text to make an effective argument. Their analysis will consider questions such as What makes the speech an argument?, How did the author's rhetoric evoke a response from the audience?, and Why are the words still venerated today?
Featured Resources
From theory to practice.
Nearly everything we read and hear is an argument. Speeches are special kinds of arguments and should be analyzed as such. Listeners should keep in mind the context of the situation involving the delivery and the audience-but a keen observer should also pay close attention to the elements of argument within the text. This assignment requires students to look for those elements.
"Since rhetoric is the art of effective communication, its principles can be applied to many facets of everyday life" (Lamb 109). It's through this lesson that students are allowed to see how politicians and leaders manipulate and influence their audiences using specific rhetorical devices in a manner that's so effective that the speeches are revered even today. It's important that we keep showing our students how powerful language can be when it's carefully crafted and arranged.
Further Reading
Common Core Standards
This resource has been aligned to the Common Core State Standards for states in which they have been adopted. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, CCSS alignments are forthcoming.
State Standards
This lesson has been aligned to standards in the following states. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, standard alignments are not currently available for that state.
NCTE/IRA National Standards for the English Language Arts
- 3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
- 4. Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
- 5. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
- 7. Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
Materials and Technology
- ReadWriteThink Notetaker
- Teacher Background and Information Sheet
- Student Assignment Sheet
- List of Speeches for Students
- Queen Elizabeth I’s Speech with Related Questions
- Historical Speech Research Questions
- Peer Response Handout
- Essay Rubric
This website contains audio of the Top 100 speeches of all time.
Included on this site is audio of famous speeches of the 20th century, as well as information about the speeches and background information on the writers.
The "Great Speeches Collection" from The History Place are available here in print and in audio.
This website includes information on finding and documenting sources in the MLA format.
Preparation
- Review the background and information sheet for teachers to familiarize yourself with the assignment and expectations. Consider your students' background with necessary rhetorical terms such as claims, warrants, the appeals (logos, pathos, ethos), and fallacies; and rhetorical devices such as tone, diction, figurative language, repetition, hyperbole, and understatement. The lesson provides some guidance for direct instruction on these terms, but there are multiple opportunities for building or activating student knowledge through modeling on the two speeches done as a class.
- Check the links to the online resources (in Websites section) make sure that they are still working prior to giving out this assignment.
- Decide whether you want to allow more than one student to analyze and write about the same speech in each class.
- Look over the List of Speeches for Students to decide if there are any that you would like to add.
- Look over the suggested Essay Rubric and determine the weights you would like to assign to each category. For example, you might tell students that Support and Research may be worth three times the value of Style. Customize the Essay Rubric to meet the learning goals for your students.
- Reserve the library for Session Three so the students can do research on their speeches.
- President Obama’s Inauguration Speech.
- Former President Bush’s Defends War in Iraq Speech.
- Former President Bush’s 9/11 Speech.
- Former President Clinton’s “I Have Sinned” Speech.
Student Objectives
Students will
- analyze a speech for rhetorical devices and their purpose.
- identify an author’s purposeful manipulation of language.
- identify elements of argument within a speech.
- write an analysis of a speech with in-text documentation.
Session One
- Begin the lesson by asking students what needs to be present in order for a speech to occur. Though the question may seem puzzling—too hard, or too simple—at first, students will eventually identify, as Aristotle did, the need for a speaker, a message, and an audience.
- The class should discuss audience and the importance of identifying the audience for speeches, since they occur in particular moments in time and are delivered to specific audiences. This is a good time to discuss the Rhetorical Triangle (Aristotelian Triad) or discuss a chapter on audience from an argumentative textbook. You may wish to share information from the ReadWriteThink.org lesson Persuasive Techniques in Advertising and The Rhetorical Triangle from The University of Oklahoma.
- Next distribute Queen Elizabeth’s speech to the troops at Tilbury and use the speech and its historical context as a model for the processes students will use on the speech they select. Provide a bit of background information on the moment in history.
- Then, as a class, go over Queen Elizabeth’s speech and discuss the rhetorical devices in the speech and the purpose for each one. Adjust the level of guidance you provide, depending on your students' experiences with this type of analysis. The questions provide a place to start, but there are many other stylistic devices to discuss in this selection.
Discuss the audience and the author’s manipulation of the audience. Consider posing questions such as
- This is a successful speech. Why?
- Elizabeth uses all of the appeals – logos, pathos, and ethos – to convince all of her listeners to fight for her from the loyal follower to the greedy mercenary. How?
- The tone shifts throughout the selection. Where? But more importantly, why?
Martin Luther King, Jr. uses an appeal to pathos in his “I Have a Dream” speech through his historical allusion to Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation: “Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.” This is particularly effective for his audience of people sympathetic to the cause of African American men and women who would have been especially moved by this particular reference since it had such a significant impact on the lives of African Americans.
Session Two
- Continue the work from the previous session by distributing the Analyzing Famous Speeches as Arguments handout and discussing the assignment and what it requires. See the background and information sheet for teachers for more details.
- Tell students they will be getting additional practice with analyzing a speech as an argument by showing a short 10-minute clip of a presidential speech . Ask students to think about how the particular moment in history and the national audience contribute to the rhetorical choices made by the speaker.
- Lead a discussion of the speech as an argument with regard to purpose and intent. Work with students to identify warrants, claims, and appeals.
- Ask students to consider how the author manipulates the audience using tone, diction, and stylistic devices. What rhetorical devices aided the author’s manipulation of his audience? Discuss a particular rhetorical device that the President used and the purpose it served.
- Share the Essay Rubric and explain to students the expectations for success on this assignment.
- Allow students to select a speech from the List of Speeches for Students . If they wish to preview any of the speeches, they can type the speaker's name and the title of the speech into a search engine and should have little difficulty finding it.
Session Three
- Take the students to the library and allow them to research their speeches. They should locate their speech and print a copy for them to begin annotating for argumentative structure and rhetorical devices.
- What was the speaker up against? What is the occasion for the speech?
- What did the author have to keep in mind when composing the text?
- What were his or her goals?
- What was his or her ultimate purpose?
- What was his or her intent?
- Remind students that the writer of the speech is sometimes not the person who delivered the speech, for example, and this will surprise some students. Many people assume that the speaker (president, senator, etc.) is always the writer, and that’s not always the case, so ask your students to check to see who wrote the speech. (They might be surprised at the answer. There’s always a story behind the composition of the speech.)
- Help students find the author of the speech because this will challenge some students. Oftentimes, students assume the speaker is the author, and that’s sometimes not the case. Once the speechwriter is identified, it is easier to find information on the speech. Help students find the history behind the speech without getting too bogged down in the details. They need to understand the climate, but they do not need to be complete experts on the historical details in order to understand the elements of the speech.
- If they wish, students can use the ReadThinkWrite Interactive Notetaker to help them track their notes for their essays. Remind them that their work cannot be saved on this tool and should be printed by the end of the session so they can use it in future work.
- For Session Four, students must bring a thesis, an outline, and all of their research materials to class for a workday. Remind them to refer to the Analyzing Famous Speeches as Arguments , the Essay Rubric , and any notes they may have taken during the first two sessions as they begin their work.
- The thesis statement should answer the following question: What makes this speech an effective argument and worthy of making this list?
Session Four
- Set up students in heterogeneous groups of four. Ask students to share their outlines and thesis statements.
- Go around to check and to monitor as students share their ideas and progress. The students will discuss their speeches and their research thus far.
- Have students discuss the elements of an argument that they plan on addressing.
- Finally, have students work on writing their papers by writing their introductions with an enticing “grab” or “hook.” If time permits, have students share their work.
- For Session Five, students should bring in their papers. This session would happen in about a week.
Session Five
- In this session, students will respond each other's drafts using the Peer Response Handout .
- Determine and discuss the final due date with your students. Direct students to Diana Hacker’s MLA site for assistance with their citations if necessary.
- Remind students that their work will be evaluate using the essay rubric . They should use the criteria along with the comments from their peer to revise and polish their work.
- During the process of analyzing Queen Elizabeth I’s Speech , consider showing the related scene from the film Elizabeth: The Golden Age . Though the text of the speech is drastically cut and altered, seeing one filmmaker's vision for the scene may help reinforce the notion of historical context and the importance of audience.
- Allow students to read and/or perform parts of the speeches out loud. Then, they can share some of their thinking about the argumentative structure and rhetorical devices used to make the speech effective. This activity could happen as part of the prewriting process or after essays have been completed.
- Require students to write a graduation speech or a speech on another topic. They can peruse print or online news sources to select a current event that interests them. Have them choose an audience to whom they would deliver an argumentative speech.
Student Assessment / Reflections
- After peer response has taken place, use the essay rubric to provide feedback on student work. You may change the values of the different categories/requirements to better suit the learning goals for your classroom.
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Students explore the ways that powerful and passionate words communicate the concepts of freedom, justice, discrimination, and the American Dream in Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.
While drafting a literary analysis essay (or another type of argument) of their own, students work in pairs to investigate advice for writing conclusions and to analyze conclusions of sample essays. They then draft two conclusions for their essay, select one, and reflect on what they have learned through the process.
Useful for a wide variety of reading and writing activities, this outlining tool allows students to organize up to five levels of information.
This strategy guide clarifies the difference between persuasion and argumentation, stressing the connection between close reading of text to gather evidence and formation of a strong argumentative claim about text.
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When creating a lesson plan to teach persuasive speech, it is important to model what a persuasive speech sounds like by providing students with specific examples.
There are countless easily accessible speeches online to help students visualize their task. One example is the TeacherTube video of Angelina Jolie discussing global action for children. Or the audio clip of Martin Luther King, Jr. delivering his historic “I Have a Dream” speech. Once students are allowed to see and hear a persuasive speech in action, they’ll be more prepared for the written portion of the assignment.
Topic ownership
Everyone wants something and is willing to try and convince someone else to provide it. That is how most environments in the modern adult world work. Students of all ages and abilities need to learn how to craft a persuasive speech to be successful later in life.
Students use persuasion in life, often without realizing it. Young children may want their parents to take them out for ice cream. Middle school children may want to have a sleepover with friends. High school students may want to persuade their parents to buy them a car when they get their driver’s license.
If students are allowed to choose their own topic, they will feel more ownership in the assignment.
Preparing and writing the first draft
Students need to create a logical argument giving details about why they should get what they want. Some persuasive strategy definitions include:
- Claim: The main point of your argument.
- Big Names: The experts referred to during a speech.
- Logos: The logic or rationale of your argument.
- Pathos: The emotional aspect to your argument.
- Ethos: The trustworthiness of your claims.
- Kairos: The urgency of your argument.
- Research: The graphs, tables and illustrations that support your argument.
After outlining all areas of the argument, students can begin to write the first rough draft of their speech. To begin, the introduction should include the main topic and the argument.
Next, the body of the paper should include correct sequencing of examples as well as a counter argument. It’s very important to include a counter argument in your speech.
Finally, the conclusion of your speech should make a strong statement and give a call-to-action to the audience.
When writing a persuasive speech, students should make sure their facts are accurate and their voice is expressed. If students are having trouble creating the essay, using a graphic organizer is sometimes helpful. There are many interactive organizers that can assist students, including the persuasion map.
Peer editing
Once students have written a rough draft of the persuasive speech, it is important to peer edit . Teachers should put students in groups of three to four and allow them to read each other’s essays. They can give feedback about whether the speech is convincing and ways it can be improved.
Often, when students work together, they more effectively point out mistakes in their peer’s argument while also providing words of encouragement about their strengths. You want to make sure when creating the groups that there are varying ability levels grouped together.
Next, students can revise their speech. Classmates may have pointed out areas that needed improvement or clarification. Students often need a different perspective to make sure the argument they are making is clear and reasonable.
Speaking and presenting
Finally, students should be allowed to present their persuasive speeches. Although getting up in front of the class is the best way to present orally, shy students could also be allowed to create a PowerPoint presentation that integrates the audio feature so they can practice reading their speech for the presentation.
Teachers and students can complete grading rubrics for the student presentations. Students need to learn how to evaluate other students and provide appropriate feedback. Using a grading rubric is the best way to make sure the assessment if fair and accurate.
Creating persuasive speeches is a valuable skill for students to learn at any age. Whether they are trying to relay an idea to their parents, their peers, or their government, it’s important to know how to create logical arguments and provide accurate, reliable support. The more students practice writing and presenting persuasive speeches, the more confident they will be when a real-life situation presents itself.
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A Christmas Carol: Mr. Scrooge Speech Writing
Subject: English
Age range: 11-14
Resource type: Lesson (complete)
Last updated
5 February 2024
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Lesson based around speech writing, writing from the perspective of Mr. Scrooge, persuading Victorian Society he is a changed man.
Lesson is made for a Y8 class but can be easily adapted for older years. Planning sheet aswell as model answer included to support.
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How to Cultivate Confident Writers Through Daily Practice
A consistent writing activity gives students the opportunity to practice a skill that will benefit them throughout their lives.
“I am not a writer.” These are powerful words that I’ve heard in every class that I’ve ever taught in my almost 15-year career. How can teachers battle years of insecurity and the lack of self-confidence that students have in regard to their writing identity? Writing is a crucial skill for learners in a classroom, but students often lack confidence in themselves as writers to produce content.
Teachers also struggle with getting students to write “enough,” if they even write at all, because students often misuse the time they’re given to write by finding excuses to leave the classroom or talk with their classmates, which in turn disturbs the whole class. In my experience teaching, students misuse time when content isn’t relevant or when they don’t have confidence in the task at hand. It is emotionally easier to just not do the assignment than to attempt it and fail.
I was inspired to tackle this issue with the students in my classroom by Kelly Gallagher’s work with his students . Gallagher is an influential teacher who shares strategies to revolutionize the teaching of reading and writing in the classroom . He encourages daily writing to increase students’ volume of writing, for the opportunity to practice the skill, and to build confidence in their abilities as writers.
Construct the Writing Time
I implemented a daily writing prompt in my two college-prep English classes (one for 11th grade and one for 12th grade). This 10-minute writing time was implemented at the beginning of the school year and is now a normal activity that students expect every day. After a short bell-ringer activity upon entry into the room, the students get out their writing notebooks, I read the prompt and then start a digital 10-minute timer on the screen, and students begin writing.
Students are given a different writing prompt each day; some writing prompts are connected to our topics of study, and some are random. I also give my students the opportunity to free-write; if they can’t find a connection to the given writing prompt, they can write about anything of interest.
Getting Comfortable to Write
Students can sit wherever they want in class, but especially during writing time. I’m a believer in flexible seating , as I feel that comfort is most important in engaging students to learn. Students can listen to their music or watch a show on their phones as they write. Part of the rationale behind this thinking is that students need to discover what helps them best to write—is it silence, do they need background noise, etc.? I do have a stipulation that “writing time is quiet time.” I should get a tattoo of this phrase because I say it so often.
I emphasize that students should respect other people’s time to write by being quiet. Another requirement of writing time is that students use pencil or pen and paper only. Students may not type their responses. Gallagher expressed that this was crucial in his daily writing practice with students. It’s important for students to physically connect with what they’re writing. There are also studies that note that students retain information better when they handwrite rather than typing .
Students may choose not to write, which my classes termed “taking the L.” If they have homework for another class, have an upcoming assignment, are watching a game film for sports, or just need a break, students can make that choice. In my own research study for my dissertation, I found that when students are given the choice in their learning, they are intrinsically motivated to learn; they were more invested in the writing when they were given the choice not to write if they weren’t inspired.
Students Guide the Assessment Process
I allow students to choose which writing pieces I assess. I grade them three times for a “check-in” (every five to six weeks) and assess them with a cumulative look at the end of the semester. Assessment feedback is like a conversation with the check-ins—a conversation between me and the student. The semester assessment has more formal feedback. If the students improve in their writing, I go back and change their previous grades to acknowledge the growth. I don’t focus on grammar and spelling, only content (per Gallagher).
So, what did I notice in my assessment and observations of student writing? Learning and productivity look different for each individual student. What did writing physically look like? Students were physically seated comfortably, and most students were using earbuds. There were slow writers and fast writers. What did “taking the L” look like? Students who chose not to write were usually sleeping on their phone or working on other work. This is a layered practice. Learning can’t be forced. If someone needs the rest, they can take it. I always monitor, and if it’s a habit, I have a conversation with the student and I let their parents know.
Students were the most productive in their writing that I’ve ever seen in my career. The writing took on different forms. One student drew a lot; he created artwork in his notebook followed by interesting stories. Students whom I’ve taught in previous years that I would not have considered gifted writers were filling their pages with content. It was the quickest I had seen improvement in my students.
Data Tells a Story
Throughout the daily writing practice, I keep formal and informal data. I want to see the “story” of the data—how did my students feel about writing every day? I formally collect data through the use of reflective Google Forms after students write. The informal data is collected through my own writing (sometimes following the prompt or free-writing), reflection, and notes. When reviewing the data, I look for commonalities and connections in the student responses—the story that the data tells me about students’ experiences in writing.
Three stories from my students became clear: improvement , confidence , and connection . Many students noted significant improvement in their writing: “I have improved my writing” and “I can write for longer and I always have something to say.” They also had more confidence in their writing: “I have improved on my content and confidence in writing,” and “I try to explain myself more instead of using short sentences.”
To me, the most meaningful story is connection —students are engaged in class and the writing process. Statements like “I leave a little of myself in my writing,” “It gives me time to think,” and “We practice writing in the best possible way, through our own experience” highlight the fact that students are connecting with writing, which increases the relevance of their learning.
Daily Writing Practice Improves Perspective
Reading and writing are the pillars of an English class—why wouldn’t we be practicing these skills daily? Through this activity, students experience a stress-free opportunity to practice a skill that benefits them throughout their future lives. Students shift from an insecure perspective of “I’m not a writer” to a confident one: “What am I going to write next?”
COMMENTS
Teacher Preparation: Catherine Plumb-Sperry is a sixth-grade reading teacher at James Bridger Middle School in Independence, MO. Over the course of a year, her students write and perform an original speech each month. This lesson gives teachers framework for how to structure eight different speeches.
Speech Writing Outline and Format for Students Learning how to write a speech is a skill most students will need help refining. Guide your students through the speech writing process with the outline and descriptions below. All of the major components of a speech are included and explained in a format students can understand and apply.
Why it benefits students: It gets students to practice their speech multiple times in front of a real audience, without the intimidation of ALL their classmates watching. Students internalize the speech checklist and standards we're working on. Students anxiety reduces DRASTICALLY-and I know this from their reflections, which I talk about below.
Construct a thesis. Your speech should present a clear message, with each sub-point logically leading to the final conclusion. Build a relationship with the audience. Establish your credibility as a speaker by demonstrating your connection to the topic. Did a hobby, a favorite author, or a family experience lead you to choose this subject?
Writing a speech - English - Learning with BBC Bitesize - BBC Bitesize England KS1 KS2 KS3 GCSE Functional Skills Northern Ireland Foundation Stage KS1 KS2 KS3 GCSE Scotland Early Level 1st...
There is 1 module in this course. Fundamentals of Speechwriting is a course that enhances speechwriting skills by deepening learners' understanding of the impact of key elements on developing coherent and impactful speeches. It is aimed at learners with experience writing and speaking who wish to enhance their current skills.
Preparation. Teachers should familiarize themselves with at least three famous speeches from a variety of sources. Presidential addresses like the Gettysburg Address are a good start, but don't limit yourself to politicians. Great orators like Martin Luther King, Jr. can provide a wealth of inspiration. Also look to fiction for examples.
Monitor Language And Style Use language appropriate to your audience. Make your speeches interesting by including real-life examples and quotes. Avoid using complex words and jargon. Deliver your speech with appropriate nonverbal cues that help draw your audience in.
Speech writing is the method of conveying a thought or message to a reader using the correct punctuation and expression. Speech writing isn't much different from any other form of narrative writing. There are8 parts of speech in the English language. These parts are nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and ...
HOW TO WRITE A SPEECHWhether you're writing a letter, dissertation, email or even a tweet, the structure of your language is important so that your reader ca...
Worksheet. An advice sheet with information and tips for students to use when they write a speech. The key features of speech writing are covered and include having an inspiring opening and ending, using emotive language and including facts and figures. The resource also includes a planning grid template. 48 KB.
Teach Speech Writing Using Read to Lead. Instilling our students with the skills to write a great speech may feel like a daunting task. Read to Lead has some useful resources to get started. The Read to Lead learning games offer a variety of close reading and literacy skill-building lessons to help students build their literacy and leadership ...
For seven years, I was a writing teacher. Yes, I was certified to teach the full spectrum of English language arts—literature, grammar and usage, speech, drama, and so on—but my absolute favorite, the thing I loved doing the most, was teaching students how to write. Most of the material on this site is directed at all teachers.
They are a way of communicating thoughts and ideas and are usually made by people that are considered powerful in a certain way, like politicians. In politicians case, for example, speeches are usually made in order to change people's minds. Speech writing is a form of persuasive writing, the art of delivering a message to an audience using ...
Literary Devices in Speech. Here's where the writing part comes in! Have your students write down examples of literary devices they hear in Streep's speech, and then have them write their own speech on a debate topic of their choice. Here are a few ( specific examples are in my worksheet in the printables library ): Metaphor. Simile ...
1. Choose an important topic The first step in writing a speech is deciding what it may be about. You may already have a general topic or idea of what you want to discuss, but narrowing your topic to a few specific points or one clear purpose can help ensure that your speech stays engaging.
Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. (See grades 9-10 Language standards 1 and 3 here for specific expectations ...
After gaining skill through analyzing a historic and contemporary speech as a class, students will select a famous speech from a list compiled from several resources and write an essay that identifies and explains the rhetorical strategies that the author deliberately chose while crafting the text to make an effective argument.
Peer editing Once students have written a rough draft of the persuasive speech, it is important to peer edit. Teachers should put students in groups of three to four and allow them to read each other's essays. They can give feedback about whether the speech is convincing and ways it can be improved.
Students research, plan, and write a persuasive speech based on one of the above issues. Teachers may wish for students to rehearse and present these speeches to the class. This teaching resource includes: a brainstorming mind map. a research graphic organizer. a planning template. a checklist for structure, language features, and persuasive ...
If you need to teach speech writing to your class, this is the package you need! Everything from topic ideas to planning steps to assessment sheets are included. Use these slides as anchor charts, or project while teaching. This version is great for distance learning, or for a class with 1:1 technology use!This version is downloaded as a PDF ...
Lesson based around speech writing, writing from the perspective of Mr. Scrooge, persuading Victorian Society he is a changed man. Lesson is made for a Y8 class but can be easily adapted for older years. Planning sheet aswell as model answer included to support.
English: Writing A Speech Grades 6 - 12When your students need to write a speech, provide them with this very helpful resource. This package provides all the necessary teaching tools to do this. It includes:1. Details for every type of speech2. Step-by-step speech writing: Introduction, Body, Conclusion3.
providing every child with immunisations against preventable diseases. Students research, plan and write a persuasive speech based on one of the above issues. Teachers may wish for students to rehearse and present these speeches to the class. This teaching resource includes: a brainstorming mind map. a research graphic organiser.
This 10-minute writing time was implemented at the beginning of the school year and is now a normal activity that students expect every day. After a short bell-ringer activity upon entry into the room, the students get out their writing notebooks, I read the prompt and then start a digital 10-minute timer on the screen, and students begin writing.