Ms.

Hammond, 2014
Assignment: Grad Toast
Grade 12 English

I didnt realize how important learning how to write a toast and deliver it to an audience was until my best
friend asked me to be her maid of honor. Toasting is a skill that I guarantee you will utilize at some point in
your life, whether your audience be family, friends, coworkers, or peers and whether the context be a
wedding, a funeral, an anniversary, or a retirement party.

For this assignment, you will create a toast for one of your classmates (who will be selected randomly) and
present it to your peers during a unit end celebration (yes, refreshments will be provided to make it a
proper party). You will be graded on both your content and your public speaking abilities. You will gather the
content for your speech by reading your classmates questionnaire (each of you will fill one out about
yourself), interviewing your classmate, and drawing on your own knowledge and memories of your classmate.
Feel free to make your speech as serious or humorous as youd like but above all, make sure it is respectful.
You will be assessed both as a speaker (content, presentation) and a listener (attentive and critical listening).

Also, be sure to consider your: Audience: Your peers and Purpose: To celebrate or to honor

Length: 3-5 minutes

Content & Organization: Your toast should have a clear beginning, middle, and end. For example:
Beginning: Introduce your classmate & his/her family
Middle: Discuss your classmates academic, extra-curricular, and social life; discuss any hobbies or
interests; share anecdotes or any other interesting information. Include at least 1 anecdote.
End: Sum up your classmates achievements, discuss future plans, & wish him/her well

Format: You will not be assessed on your written abilities, but on your content and presentation. Thus, you
do not have to adhere to a strict written form. Feel free to write your toast using bullet points or note cards.
You do not have to write using full sentences, but you must write enough down that I assess your content
after youve finished presenting.

Specific Criteria 0
Out of Range
1-2
Below Level
3-4
At Level
5
Above Level
Content (4.1.1, 4.1.3, 4.4.2)
-Provides all necessary information about the
subject (name, family, achievements, interests,
anecdotes, goals, etc.)
-Uses language appropriate to audience/form
-Contains a beginning, middle, and end
-Is interesting, engaging, and respectful

Voice & Pacing (4.4.1, 4.2.4, 4.4.2)
-Uses voice and volume to convey emotion and
enthusiasm while speaking
-Avoids using ahs and ums
-Speech is paced to achieve max. impact
(speaker does not speak too quickly or slowly,
pauses for effect or for laughter)

Preparation (2.1.2, 3.1.4)
-Written evidence of preparation is provided
(notes, cue cards)
-Verbal evidence of preparation is provided
(speaker appears comfortable with content)

Listening & Viewing (4.4.3)
-Listens attentively, quietly and respectfully
-Evaluates content, quality, and delivery