Steve Hall

ENG3U Speech Writing Assignment

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How To Easily Score an 'A' on Any Test Speech Writing Assignment by Steve Hall for Mrs L. Wickett 2013-04-02

Steve Hall
TASK

ENG3U Speech Writing Assignment

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You are to give a speech defending a position on a significant current issue. (Consider areas of concern such as sports, science, religion, technology, literature, the arts politics, health etc.). Research, write, and annotate with speaker notes a speech which will be persuasive in nature. It may be formal or informal, humourous or serious in tone. You will also identify the intended audience and its specific interest in the issue. Using the conventions of effective speech making as a guide (handouts and notes provided in class), you will: Research and critique the issue you have selected Identify and defend a perspective on the issue Explore the consequences of your position Make predictions for a successful resolution to the issue FINAL PRODUCT Before you present your speech, you must submit: A cover page outlining the context for the speech (i.e. your name, title of speech, audience and interest in subject) A script for a speech of 500-700 words on the issue, accompanied by speaker notes to assist delivery (notes about voice, body language, timing) A bibliography (which strictly meets MLA format) You will present the rehearsed speech in class. The speech need not be fully memorized, but should demonstrate your confidence in handling the material. Merely reading the speech will be insufficient. Your speech must be between 3-5 minutes in length. Any speech that is shorter than 3 minutes will be penalized, and any speech that is longer than 5 minutes will be stopped and penalized as well. ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION A task- specific rubric will be used to evaluate the written speech and its oral delivery. TIMELINE You will be given class time to work on this assignment. On Thursday, March 7, you will have a full period in the computer lab/Library which will allow you to research background information and various viewpoints on your chosen issue. You may also use this time to review the handouts on conventions of

Steve Hall

ENG3U Speech Writing Assignment

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speech making and delivery. Use your time wisely, as the remainder of your speech preparation is to be completed outside of class. PRESENTATIONS Speech presentations will begin on Tuesday, April 2 nd , and continue on Wednesday the 3 rd and Thursday the 4th if needed. ALL STUDENTS MUST BE PREPARED TO PRESENT ON THE TUESDAY. If you are not prepared, marks will be deducted. SCRIPT Biology, chemistry, math or even English? Trust me we've all been there. Whether we're students who sit down in the sixties or up in the nineties, we've experienced the stress of studying for a test on material that we just can't seem to get our head around. But are you really spending your time studying the right way? I'm here today to tell you how to easily get yourself up into the 'level 4's' and stay there. A great first step is determining what kind of learner you are. Most of you have probably covered this in the past, but if you are sitting there wondering what I mean by kind of learner, it's really not that difficult there are three kinds of learners. Aural learners learn best by hearing. Visual learners learn best by seeing and finally, kinesthetic learners learn best by doing. You can classify yourself in one of these three categories on your own. However, now that you have classified yourself into one specific learning style category, absolutely DO NOT rule yourself out of the other two categories. You may think you learn best by doing, but you probably still learn by hearing and seeing. William Glasser, an American psychiatrist, was very interested on discovering how the human mind actually learned. He developed a chart to present his findings, and it's contents have become a famous quote, often referred to the We Learn quote We learn 10% of what we READ 20% of what we HEAR 30% of what we SEE 50% of what we SEE AND HEAR 70% of what is DISCUSSED WITH OTHERS 80% of what is EXPERIENCED PERSONALLY and 95% of what we TEACH SOMEONE ELSE

Steve Hall

ENG3U Speech Writing Assignment

-Dr William Glasser

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Some of you may be thinking Now that doesn't make sense! Those numbers don't add up to 100%! but that's not what he is analyzing with this statement. Dr Glasser found that after a select test group read an article, they retained 10% of what they had read, and were able to remember it. After the test group attended a lecture together, they were able to retain 20% of what they heard, and so on. So you may have classified yourself as an aural learner, but if you think you can just show up to class and listen to what's going on because you have placed yourself in this category, you are wrong. You may be understanding the content, but Glasser's studies show that you will only retain 20% of what you have heard. This quote is also taken into account by teachers in elementary schools, high schools, colleges and universities. Many teachers incorporate visual components while teaching because Glasser's studies show that the human mind retains 50% of what we see and hear. Even in English class, our class discussions do in fact have value. We are retaining 70% of what we are discussing with others! Some teachers also teach by delivering experiences for example, co-op is a very valuable learning experience. Also, if you've ever seen Mr Barter's world issues class carrying around 18 litre water bottles, that is learning by experience. But if you're wondering, How can this quote help me ace my test? I'll tell you! You now know how your mind retains information. You might not fully understand it to the level Dr Glasser has, but you have the facts, so you can take advantage of them. If you know your mind retains 10% of what you read, read over your notes quickly. 10% of that is stuck in there. We know our minds retain 20% of what we hear, but what are we listening to? You may feel silly, but your own voice works perfectly! After reading over your notes in your head, read them again out loud! You've now seen the notes on the page, read them, and read them aloud so you can hear yourself. According to Glasser's study you will have retained 60% of that knowledge after a maximum of 45 minutes of studying! Back to learning styles even if you didn't classify yourself as a kinesthetic learner, one last trick to do with your notes is to sit at the computer and type them out. But not exactly as how they are written down on the page! Paraphrase! Put them into new words! This is your mind in action, folks! You are physically doing something with your notes. So now you've milked your notebook for all it's worth. What next? Call up a friend! Talk over what you don't understand as much. Have a quick discussion. It doesn't have to last hours. It could be a short 5 minute chat or it could be a 15 minute discussion. Either way, you retain 70% of what you just discussed with your bud. 70% of the test content stuck on the inside of your mind. Not too shabby! The

Steve Hall

ENG3U Speech Writing Assignment

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last step is the easiest. You may think it's trickier than it actually is, but don't over-think it! Our minds retain 95% of what we teach someone else. You have now reviewed your notes, learned them as best as you can and discussed the content with a friend. Now take that content, and teach someone it. Anyone! Your neighbour, your mom, your dog, your teddy bear. Someone who will listen because when you teach someone else, you develop a deeper understanding of the content like no other. 95% of the content is now stuck in your head. Information retained. You're now ready to ACE that test.