Curated OER
Alaska Purchase Debate
Middle schoolers examine the benefits and the challenges Alaska has presented to the United States. They research what the government and the people of the United States considered at the time of the purchase of Alaska in order to...
Curated OER
Think On Your Own Feet
Fourth graders have one minute to prepare a one-minute impromptu speech on a topic that is randomly selected. After a lecture/demo, 4th graders give their speeches, and also act as reviewers of their classmate's speeches.
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Look Who's Talking To Me
Students listen to and evaluate other student speeches. They record their evaluation on a T-chart, and compare/contrast the effective and ineffective speaking behaviors.
Curated OER
Let Me Convince You
Students discuss the purposes of persuasive speaking and writing with emphasis upon what makes them different from other kinds. They brainstorm and discuss ways to select "The Greatest American Who Ever Lived" and prepare a persuasive...
Stanford University
Beyond Vietnam
On April 4, 1967 Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his speech "Beyond Vietnam." The controversy that followed is the focus of a three-lesson unit that asks class members to consider the political and social implications of King's stance.
Curated OER
Car Show
Students race homemade cars. In this physics lesson plan, students present their cars to judges and then race the cars on the prepared track. Several tips for setting the school gym up to host the event are suggested.
Curated OER
Celebrate the U.S.A
Students, working in teams of four, take on the role of marketers hired to promote one state in the U.S.A. Each team researches their state in order to create a brochure highlighting its most intriguing features. Groups give a 25 minute...
Curated OER
Show And Tell
Have you ever saved your money to buy something you really wanted? Elementary schoolers share how they saved their money for things they wanted, and they bring in one or two items that they bought with their personal savings.
Curated OER
Geometry, Shapes and Public Sculpture
Students explore characteristics of geometric shapes. They observe geometric shapes and forms in public sculpture. Students create a unique sculpture of their own using basic three dimensional shapes. Additional cross curriculum...
Curated OER
What Do You Say... Psa Part One
Students investigate the differences between advertisements and public service announcements. They monitor their own reactions to educational messages as they pertain to warning about specific dangers and apply this to target audiences.
Curated OER
Preparing to Speak
Learners articulate what elements must be present in a successful, persuasive speech by composing a "presentation plan." They explain what they know about speech delivery in preparation for the presentation of their final projects.
Curated OER
Collective Nouns and Verb Agreement Practice
Break down subject and verb agreement with this exercise. This activity only deals with present tense verbs and collective nouns. Pupils learn how to make the verb of a sentence agree with the collective noun by reading sentences and,...
Curated OER
Speak Up, Speak Out
Fourth graders examine, compare, and summarize the speeches of Sojourner Truth and Patrick Henry. They review the parts of a good speech and design and give their own speech that expresses an opinion and persuades the listener..
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Personality Plus
Young scholars create "Personality Box" and present to classmates using specific speaking skills.
Curated OER
All's Well That Ends Well
Learners examine and discuss the parts of a speech and how to organize them. They read sample speeches, then write a short presentation to read to the class, identifying the beginning, middle, and ending of their speech.
Curated OER
My Secret War: Lesson 4
Fifth graders write a speech. For this history lesson, 5th graders define the word infamy and listen to a speech by FDR. Students work in groups to summarize his speech and rewrite sections of the speech.
Curated OER
Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)
Students explore the concept of symbolic speech. In this case study instructional activity, students read excerpts of Tinker v. Des Moines. Students then complete the provided worksheet activities and determine whether they agree with...
Curated OER
Guess What It Is?
Third graders write and present a descriptive 'powergraph' that describes a secret object using prior knowledge of adjectives, clustering graphic organizers, and presentation skills. Authors read powergraphs and classmates 'Guess What It...
Curated OER
Pornography Debate
Present your seniors with a controversial topic while studying the first amendment: pornography. This multi-layer resource has scholars writing a pros and cons research paper. They also attend a city council meeting to prepare for an...
TESOL
Are You a Good Listener?
Your learners talk to each other every day, but are they really listening? Use a lesson plan based on listening skills to ensure that class members feel heard and respected. It includes games, discussion topics, and self-assessment tools...
Anti-Defamation League
Shirley Chisholm: Unbought, Unbossed and Unforgotten
A 13-page packet introduces high schoolers to a lady of amazing firsts. Shirley Chisholm was the first Black woman elected to Congress, the first Black woman to run for President of the United States, and a leader of the Women's Rights...
Curated OER
Final Project Presentations: Water Quality
Students synthesize the information they have been researching on water quality to evaluate the potential health risks in a region with arsenic contamination. They prepare and present a persuasive speech that incorporates visuals.
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Active Voice
Students identify the qualities that contribute to effective verbal and non-verbal communication. They use those qualities as criteria by which to judge an in-class political debate on education.
Curated OER
Speakers in Action
Tune into C-Span and tape politicians delivering testimony before congress. Class members view these tapes, formulate a rubric for rating the effectiveness of such a speech, and then emulate best practices and include them in their own...