01 Brown Bag About Me Speech // Due the week of Sept. 8, 2014

Hello Everyone!

Your first assignment this year is to prepare a 1-2 minute brown bag about me speech for the class!

This speech is a relatively casual speech in which the purpose is simply to let us know a little bit about you while getting you used to the idea of being up in front of the class.

Take five different things from your home that will fit into a brown paper bag. Ideally, these would be physical objects, like a journal or a key chain, but a photograph will also work if a physical object is too big. These five objects should represent a big part of your personality, hobbies, beliefs, etc.

In class, you will randomly pull out each object from your bag and tell us what the object is and how it represents you.

Be sure to practice at home!

01 Syllabus

Hello! In this class, you will be getting extensive, highly frequent practice with speaking front of people by preparing and performing several excitingly authentic presentations as well as consistently speaking impromptu!

I am very excited to meet you all, and if you have any questions throughout the year, feel free to come talk to or email me any time!

Public Speaking Objectives:

• Students will be able to…
• Organize their messages effectively
• Adapt their messages to their audiences
• Speak extemporaneously

Grades will be calculated on a ten point scale:

90 - 100 = A

80 - 89 = B

70 -79 = C

60 - 69 = D

00 - 59 = F

If you are struggling with the homework or not understanding anything in class, come talk to me or email me—I'm always happy to help and we can certainly figure something out!

Attendance:

• We complete a lot of work in-class, and as I see you only 1 day per week, this time is invaluable. Most days, class will include graded activities. If the class is missed--even for excused absences--that grade will show up as a zero. However, these grades can be made up within 2 weeks of class by completing an assignment of my choice that relates to the in-class work. Email me within one week of the missed class to ask what make-up assignment can be completed.
• If you miss a day on which you were supposed to give a speech, you will have one week to make up the speech.

Late Homework:

• Due to the nature of this class, late homework will quite negatively affect you on practical level, potentially leaving you with little to do for the day.
• In addition the to practical consequences of late work, late work will receive a lowered grade.
• You may email me written homework (not speeches) one day late for full credit.
• You may turn in work one week late (over email or in class to me) for 50% credit.
• Work turned in more than one week late will receive 10% credit.

Homework:

• Homework assignments will be posted each week at speech-options.blogspot.com.
• If it is not posted, I may have had technical difficulties without realizing it (sometimes I will post but the internet will not actually send it through. It happens occasionally). Feel free to email me and I will repost as soon as possible.
• Every assignment should be typed up and printed out for class in the following format:
• Times New Roman; 12 pt. Font; double spaced; 1/2-1” margins
• Including a header at the top left that reads:
• Student name
• Teacher name
• Class name
• Date
• Including a title

• Every written assignment should be saved on the computer in a folder specifically for this class. Typing and saving assignments will make revising papers much easier and will help clear up any situations of lost papers.

Bring to class:

• Homework
• Pen/pencil
• Notebook/Paper

Course Projects

(subject to some change)

• Class Debates
• 1-2 minute pre/post-test speech to show improvement throughout the year
• 4-5 minute business meeting
• 5-6 minute presentation to a school board in order to keep or get a certain class into circulation
• 6-7 minute presentation to a bank in order to receive a loan for a business of your choosing
• 6-7 minute “TedTalk”
• 8-9 minute elementary class
• 8-9 minute class discussion
• 7-8 minute two-person newscast
• 7-8 minute two-person comedy radio show