Scope and Sequence for Honors Public Speaking
National Standards as set by the College Board:
Speaking 3.1 Student analyzes purpose, audience, and context when planning a presentation or
performance by:
a. preparing speeches for different purposes and occasions, including demonstration,
informative and persuasive speaking
b. demonstrating knowledge of audience expectations by establishing credibility and showing an
awareness of audience psychology in speech performances
c. delivering the speech in an extemporaneous or impromptu style
Speaking 3.2 Student gathers and organizes content to achieve purposes for a presentation or
performance by:
a. choosing a topic and restricting it according to the purpose and the audience
b. providing appropriate support techniques
c. utilizing a suitable organizational pattern
d. utilizing critical thinking including reasoning and evaluation of data
Listening: 2.1 Students manage barriers to listening by:
a. listening respectfully and attentively to classmates speeches
Listening: 3.1, 3.2 Students listen empathically to comprehend and evaluate speeches of
others and self. Students will understand the nuances of communication by using utilizing non
verbal communication that support the verbal message by demonstrating:
a. appropriate eye contact
b. appropriate poise and posture
c. appropriate gestures and facial expression
Uses vocal qualities effectively by demonstrating:
a. vocal variety
b. correct pronunciation and articulation
c. appropriate rate and volume
Purpose
Honors Public Speaking is a required Communications course. It provides the students with
numerous opportunities to prepare and present speeches for many different purposes. Through
this course students will research, practice and present speeches tailored to situation and
audience as indicated by the relevant College Board standards. Emphasis will be placed on
awareness of body language, listening skills, and critical thinking.
Units
Introduction Speech - Students will develop a creative speech that introduces themselves to
the class. Students will become familiar with the peer review process and
complete peer reviews during speeches. Students will see an example of an
introduction speech and discuss ways to control stage fright. Students will
write, practice and deliver their speeches.
Skills: concentration, writing, self-awareness, creativity.
Two days
Personal Experience Speech - Students will develop a speech based on a unique personal
experience which she has had in her lifetime. In the course of preparation for
this speech, students will complete activities designed to increase listening
skills, improve awareness of body language, and improve word choice for
speech writing. Students will write, practice and deliver a personal
experience speech
Skills: good listening skills, storytelling ability, descriptive writing,
performance skills (gestures, facial expressions, posture, etc.)
Seven – eight days
*Test One will be before the students begin presenting their demonstration speech.
Demonstration Speech - Students will work independently to choose a skill or activity to
demonstrate to class. Students will create a plan for explaining and showing
the activity simultaneously. In the course of preparation for this speech
students will practice other situations which call for demonstration speeches.
Students will increase research ability.
Skills: research ability, multiple task completion, hand/eye coordination,
audience analysis, demonstrate and talk at the same time, break down
a process into steps which can be explained or demonstrated.
Eights – ten days
Informative Speech - Students will develop a topic for an informative speech, research it, and
practice it for delivery to the class. In the course of the preparation for this
speech, students will complete activities designed to improve enunciation,
research skills, and organizational writing ability.
For her informative speech, each student will create a PowerPoint
presentation - which she will use as her visual aid. This presentation must
have a minimum of six slides. One of which may be a title slide. It is
designed to enhance the speech – not become the speech.
Skills: research ability, citation of sources within the body of the speech,
multiple task completion, hand/eye coordination
Power Point skills: how to create slides which are properly formatted 6 x 6
and are consistent, how to change design, how to format information, how to
add transitions and effects, how to use clipart and resize it or how to add her
own by using the internet or scanning, how to find images
Skills: research ability, critical thinking, analytical writing, performance skills
(vocal variety, eye contact, movement.)
Ten – eleven days
Persuasive Speech - Students will become familiar with the conventions for preparing and
delivering a persuasive speech. Students will select a topic and develop a
speech designed to instill, change or reinforce a belief. In the course of
preparation for this speech students will complete activities designed to
increase proficiency in logical reasoning and analysis in order to increase
effective argumentation skills.
Skills: research ability, analytical thinking, writing, performance skills.
Eight – ten days.
*Test two will be before students begin presenting their persuasive
speeches.
Impromptu Speech - In this speech, students are given only a few minutes to prepare a
one-minute speech presentation on a given topic. This speech is
completed by the entire class in one class meeting, with each person
presenting once.
Skills: organizational skills, decision making, presentation skills
Throughout the semester
Final Exam Information – The Communications Department’s policy for final exams is that
they be worth 10% of the final grade. Because there is not time for every
student to give a speech on exam day, the students will give an award
speech for a classmate. The persuasive speech is truly the culminating
speech in which the students exhibit all they have learned in the semester.
Therefore, the persuasive speech will count as the final exam. Its score will
also be figured in the tests and major projects category.