Public Writing Activity

For this unit’s summative activity, you will independently complete a Newspaper Front Page
Project in order to demonstrate what you have learned about interpreting and analyzing a
speech. You will select a contemporary speech that you believe is about civil liberties to read/
view/listen to, depending on which option is available. You are encouraged to read and watch
the speech. Once the speech is approved by the teacher, you will read, annotate, and then
identify the main points of that speech. You will create an editorial that describes the speech
and interpret how it connects to the other speeches we read and listened to in class.
Components of the editorial will include a statement with the following information: Who gave
the speech, When the speech was given, Where the speech was given, What the speech is
about, Why this speech is being given, and How the speaker did/or didn’t make references to
past civil rights events. Students will provide an interpretation on how their selected speech
relate to the previous ideas found in the speeches read in class (Martin Luther King Jr. and
Malcom X). Additionally, the editorial should include a section explaining why the students
believe the speech is significant in the past and current fight for civil rights. This public writing
activity will function as a tool to assess your ability to analyze and interpret a speech by making
connections, while also keeping in mind the unit theme of R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

Evaluative Criteria for Public Writing Activity

Summative Assessment: Newspaper Front Page
Developing (2 Beginning (1
Criteria Assessed Proficient (3 Points)
Points) Point)
Required elements: -The project included all -All but 1 of the Several required
1. Title/Heading (4) required elements. required elements elements are
2. Provides information on: are included in the missing in the
Who/What/Where/When/ project. project.
Why
3. Images from/of speech
4. Explanation of speech’s
significance
Understanding of selected speech -Provides an -Provides an -Provides an
explanation with at explanation with explanation with
least four points on two-three points only one point on
why the speech is on why the speech why the speech is
significant to the Civil is significant to the significant to the
Rights Movement. Civil Rights Civil Rights
-Makes two Movement. Movement.
references to prior -Makes only one - Doesn’t refer to
speeches reference to prior prior speeches
- Connections speeches -Connections
between past -Connections between past
speeches and the between past speeches and the
contemporary speech speeches and the contemporary
are described contemporary speech lack clarity
 explicitly and speech are and supported
supported with more described and with zero details.
than two details. supported with less
than two details.
Clarity of Editorial -The editorial is well -The editorial is -The editorial is
supported with many supported with few poorly-supported
details. details. with major details
-The written editorial -The written missing.
is free of grammatical editorial has few -The written
errors. grammatical editorial has many
mistakes. grammatical
mistakes