Standards-Based Outcomes (MDE):
English Language Arts:
I. Meaning and Communication
Content Standard I, 3: All students will focus on meaning and communication as they listen, speak, view, read, and write in personal, social, occupational, and civic contexts.
4. Consistently use effective listening strategies (e.g., discriminating, assigning meaning, evaluating, and remembering) and elements of effective speaking (e.g., message content, language choices, and audience analysis).
5. Employ the most effective strategies to construct meaning while reading, listening to, viewing, or creating texts. Examples include generating focus questions; deciding how to represent content through analyzing, clustering, and mapping; and withholding personal bias while listening.
7. Recognize and use varied innovative techniques to construct text, convey meaning, and express feelings to influence an audience. Examples include experimentation with time, order, stream of consciousness, and multiple points of view.
Prior Knowledge
- Students can explain the components of a speech outline: introduction, body, and conclusion.
- Students know how to use the computer and a variety of programs such as ClarisWorks and Book Shelf ‘98.
Cue Set:
- While looking at a video tape of the Homecoming Assembly, students are asked to examine the biographies that are being read about each of the ladies on the court.
- This directive is then given:
“Write down three ideas from each of the biographies that you have just seen.” (Most students recall very minimal information that is lacking in quality and content.)
- Brainstorming then begins. The students share ideas as to what would be more interesting information to know about the participants.
Best Shot Instruction:
- The introduction speech is assigned to the class. The requirements for the assignment are addressed by the instructor with emphasis on the need for three main ideas with supporting details, unity, and transitions throughout the speech. The teacher reminds the students to include attention getters and punchlines for their introductions and conclusions to keep the audience’s attention.
- A model speech is then read to the class as it appears in their packets. They then take all of the elements of that model speech and fill them into the blank outlines on their pages. (Students are asked to identify the elements of each part of the speech as well as the unifying theme of the speech.)
- The discussion is then brought back to the brainstormed list of questions or biographical information that is of more interest to an audience. From that list, questions are developed that can be used in interviews for preparation of their introduction speeches for the class.
- Partners are assigned randomly for development of the speeches. A class day is spent conducting interviews with students and their partners using questions from the brainstormed list.
- Next the class goes to the computer lab. Using the software Inspiration, student responses from each interview are added to graphic organizers to create mind maps. Once the information is completely filled in, the students print copies of their maps. Next the students use the special function in Inspiration to turn their maps into outlines. Once they have converted the maps to outlines, the students examine them to make sure they have all the necessary components for quality introduction speeches.
- Students work with their partners, acting as peer editors for one another as they revise and edit their outlines. Self-edit and peer-edit rubrics are used for this part of the process. The final outlines are checked for spelling, printed, and submitted for grades.
- Each student delivers his/her speech before the class for a final grade. The audience provides him/her with verbal feedback as they critique the speaker. Their comments are based on the physical delivery as well as the content of the speech.
Reteaching and Enrichment:
- Students are encouraged to write self-evaluations of their speech performances and content.
- Students requiring more assistance can meet with the teacher or other advanced students. They revise and resubmit their outlines for higher grades.
Review and Closure:
- Students’ work goes into their classroom writing portfolios. Focus areas or speaking goals to be addressed in the next assignment are identified and included.
- Students write constructed responses that compare and contrast the two types of introduction speeches they have seen, the one on the video tape and those performed by their classmates.
Assessment:
I. Formative Assessment:
- Teacher Observations:
- Students are able to better organize their speeches before writing their rough drafts. They have their main ideas and supporting references already chosen.
- Student Self- Assessment:
- Students feel that the graphic organizers help them to visually see the myriad of information on which they can write introduction speeches. Also, they feel that once the organizers are converted into outlines, they are able to determine whether they have enough information. Students also feel that the outline helps them to make connections or transitions throughout the speeches.
- The brainstormed list, interview sheet, mind map, outline, and final speech delivery are evaluated along with the Self-Edit and Peer-Editing Sheets.
II. Summative Assessment:
- The scoring guide for the MEAP Writing Assessment is used for students’ final outlines.
