Summer Reading: Oral Presentation Guidelines

Mrs. Stonitsch & Mr. Collins

Speech Dates: September 15-19 and the 22nd (if necessary)

Speech = 100ptsOutline = 20ptsWorks Cited = 10pts

Mission: to demonstrate your understanding of the use of symbolism, theme, or characterization in The Secret Life of Bees or your nonfiction choice of either

Look Me In the Eye or Once Upon A Road Trip; and to also demonstrate your creativity and innovation.

Process:

You will draw the word character, theme, or symbol. Once you have done so, then you will choose ONE novel to use and decide which character, theme, or symbol (based on what you drew) you will focus on for your speech.

Whatever you choose (a S, T, or C), you must be the class expert on your topic.You will choose 2 of the following: a song, a poem (not written by yourself or friends), a work of art (painting, sculpture, photograph, etc.), another literary work (fiction or nonfiction), a critically acclaimed film (be picky on film choice), or a specific personal connectionto creatively connect to your symbol, theme, or character. You are to show your deeper understanding of the novel through this speech or performance; however, the presentations should be interesting, informative, insightful, and, most of all, fun. Use your creativity to enhance the experience for the class. PRACTICE YOUR SPEECH MANY TIMES BEFORE PRESENTING TO THE CLASS.

  1. Begin with a creative intro with a snazzy attention grabber and a solid thesis. Don’t let shyness stifle your creativity.Your thesis should include your point (that you are trying to convey to the audience) with your chosen topic and your connection to your poem, song, or piece of art. Remember, your thesis or main idea is to make a claim or point that you explain, develop, and/or prove throughout the rest of your essay or, in this case, oral presentation. You can use the three point thesis format.
  2. Give us a very brief background of your novel (in a few sentences); be sure to mention the author.
  3. Discuss your symbol, character, or theme and its significance. Be thorough. Share details and two quotations from the text. Your quotes should help us see WHY the author put it there in the first place.
  4. Choose TWO of these extensions below:
  • How is this symbol, character, or theme reflected in another literary work or poem that you've read. Include literary work, author, and specific quotes or references to tie to SLOB or your nonfiction selection.
  • How is this symbol, character, or theme reflected in a meaningful film (not the SLOB adaptation) that you have viewed. Tie specific scenes, characters, themes, etc. from film to novel.
  • How is this symbol, character, or theme reflected in a work of art such as a painting, sculpture, or photograph? If you choose this one, a copy should be a part of your visual aid.
  • How is this symbol, character, or theme reflected in a song that you have heard? Include title, artist, and specific lines to tie to your novel with detailed explanation.
  • How is this symbol, character, or theme meaningful in the context of your own life? Be specific.
  1. You will need to smoothly incorporate a visual aid into your speech without disrupting the flow. Choose ONE of the following:
  • A short but creative and well-presented power point with images, video clips, or quotes, or a combination of each. This will not be used in place of note cards but will count as note cards if you put lots of writing on it and read straight from it.
  • A large poster board collage with details--creative, neat, and visually pleasing or a mobile
  • You may use a video or youtube clip, but this may not be enough to cover both extension choices
  • A slide show via iMovie or Windows Movie Maker or a collage via Glogster

You can put something together on the computer using other software or programs. Whatever you choose, you need to choose it carefully—it must be large enough so that we can all see it, and it must reflect depth and creativity. If you decide to go the technology route, you MUST test it on our classroom computer to check compatibility. If it doesn’t work on presentation day (and you neglected to do a trial run), there are no second chances.

  1. Conclude your speech by summing up your main points, restating your thesis in different words, and end with a final statement or clincher that is profound and will leave us thinking…

A few other requirements:

  • The assigned time limit is 5-6 minutes. I will allow a ten-second window under and over that limit of no less than 4:50 and no more than 6:10. After that window, I will deduct 2 points for every 5 seconds outside the limit. This represents preparation, confidence performing, organization, and successfully meeting the challenge of public speaking.
  • Use transitions between main ideas to help us follow your content (for example, also, additionally, first, in addition, next, however, etc.)
  • Speeches will begin on a voluntary basis, once volunteers run out, I will randomly select an outline from the stack of remaining speech outlines, and you will then be required to present.
  • If you are not ready to present when your name is randomly selected, you will receive a 20 point deduction and will be first to present the following day. You will receive a deduction of 50% if you are not ready the next day.
  • A speech outline and Works Cited page, each in MLA format, will be due on Wednesday, September 10. You may not print anything right before class, so please don’t ask. Make a copy for yourself so you will have it to practice.
  • Your outline will be in MLA format, topical format, and you will be required to provide a complete introduction. A template will be provided for you at a later date.
  • Follow guidelines of good public speaking. Overall, 4 big qualities I’ll want to see are high energy, consistent eye contact and nonverbal cues, a strong speaking voice, and knowledge of content. Please do not be stiff and immobile.

Outline/Works Cited Directions

An outline is a blueprint for your speech. It helps you follow a logical organization, and helps me to see that you are prepared. You must type up an outline of your speech using proper MLA format. I will give a refresher course indicating MLA guidelines and parallelism. I am assuming that you have a firm grasp on MLA format from your ninth grade studies. You will be required to include your COMPLETE intro this time. Do not write a full sentence outline because your outline needs to be a blueprint of your speech but not word for word; however, you must include any direct quotes from the novel and your extension selections with proper parenthetical citations, and you must follow the order of your outline. Although you are not required to draft a complete speech, it is not a horrible idea to do so or at least provide a sketch of one. This will help you be more prepared; however, if you choose to draft a complete speech, avoid robotic memorization.

  • Title your speech (think of something creative)
  • Type out your introduction and conclusion in paragraph form
  • Use topic outline format for the body of your speech
  1. Introduction

Type out the introduction in paragraph form

Transition:

  1. Symbol: ______
  1. What is it? Why is it significant?

1.

2.

B. Passage #1:

1. “……..” (MLA citation).

2. Explanation

C. Passage #2:

1. “……..” (MLA citation).

2. Explanation

Transition:

III. My Symbol as It Appears in Other Works

  1. Title #1
  1. Title #2

IV. Conclusion

This is just a very rough sketch of what your outline would look like. You must have at an A,B, and C per Roman Numeral and at least 2 sub-points (1-2) under each capital letter. You may expand your outline beyond these requirements by using more letters, numbers, lower case letters, etc.

Use Purdue Owl or other MLA format websites to help you. A refresher course for outlines and works cited will be on Wednesday, September 10.