Directions: The following Activities will help you write a speech in preparation to deliver it to your Contact Teacher. The Common Core State Standards require that students know how to write and deliver speeches that:
present information and evidence clearly and logically;
organizes information around a main idea or thesis statement;
uses evidence to support opinions or assertions;
defines any terms or explains any information clearly and completely for the audience;
and uses appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.
Prompt: Some people believe that certain types of texts, movies, and music should be censored, or that they should be banned from view entirely. This means that they want certain books removed from circulation, content they consider offensive (nudity, language, violence, etc.) removed from television or movies, CDs with certain lyrics either "cleaned up" or removed from store shelves, etc. For example, there are some schools who do not think Mark Twain's novel Huckleberry Finn should be read by their students; in a few cases, some people have gone as far as burning it in a public demonstration. Large retailers have refused to sell CDs with lyrics they consider inappropriate. What do you think about this type of censorship? Write a speech in which you explain what censorship is, give some examples of it in society today, and finally whether or not you think censorship should happen. Here are some questions to help guide you:
How is censorship defined?
What are some examples of censorship? Has it happened in your own community at all?
Why do some people believe censorship is necessary? Why do others believe it isn't?
How do you feel about the issue—Is it good to censor offensive materials to keep these things away from children?
Do you think some things should be censored but others left alone? Or do you believe it should never happen at all?
This Activity focuses on the preparation for writing the speech; the following Activities will guide you through writing and delivering it.
STEP 1: Analyzing the Situation
The first step in writing a narrative speech will be to think about the writing prompt in terms of purpose, audience, and message. Use the Text Editor to answer the following questions to assist you:
To determine your purpose, ask yourself:
What type of speech am I being asked to write and what type of writing will I need to use? What kind of information will I need to include that is specific to this type of writing (sensory details? facts and statistics? personal experiences?)
To determine your audience, ask yourself:
Who will be listening to my speech? What does the audience already know about my topic and what information will be necessary to include? What kind of language is most appropriate for this audience?
To determine your message, ask yourself:
What are the main ideas or points I want to communicate to the audience? How can I best communicate this message to the audience? Why is this message significant or meaningful?
STEP 2: Organization
Think carefully about the options presented on the previous pages and determine what will be best for your presentation. Ask yourself:
What will be the most rhetorically effective structure to communicate my message?
What important things do you need to say about your experience?
What are some of the main points and what are the supporting details?
Using the Text Editor or on another piece of paper, create a graphic organizer to help you see some of your ideas. Be sure to review the Writing Rubric before you begin. An assessment of Proficient or above is necessary to satisfy the writing portion of this assignment.
