Speech and Debate Class, for 9th-12th grade, taught by Tanya Stuart, is designed to remove the intimidation factor and provide an opportunity for success instead of a recipe for disaster. Shy students will learn to find their voices and confident students will learn to hone their public speaking skills.

This course will be broken into 2 semester. Semester 1 will be Speech and Semester 2 will be Debate.

Semester 1 will be an introduction to speech communications which emphasizes the practical skill of public speaking, including techniques to lessen speaker anxiety, and the use of visual aids to enhance speaker presentations. This course’s goal is to prepare students for success in typical public speaking situations and to provide them with the basic principles of organization and research needed for effective speeches.

Speeches that will be presented:

Bible Reading

Spoken-word poetry

A humorous monologue

Visual Aid How-to Speech

Biographical Speech

Elevator Pitch

Sales Pitch

Infomercial

Interview Skills

Children's Bible Lesson

Semester 2 will be an introduction to debate. The students will gain skills and confidence to excel at debating, whether it’s around the dinner table or at an National Speech and Debate Association competition. This class will also include games and exercises to strengthen skills and engage even the most introverted students.

Students will be learning:

● Two major debate styles: Big Questions and LIncoln-Douglas

● The basics of debate structure and strategies

● Techniques for effective research and argumentation

● Stratagies for refuting opposing arguments

● Skills for confidently presenting and defending positions

No curriculum will need to be purchased. Mrs. Stuart will provide a student printouts for the students.

Speech is from 7 Sisters homeschool curriculum. Debate is from Debate Goat.

Materials needed:

Pens/Pencils

Highlighter

Spiral notebook for note taking -Semester 1

1.5’ binder-Semester 2

Classroom and Homework Expectations:

● Students will be required to come to class prepared to present materials when assigned.

● They will be expected to participate in class.

● Assignments will be given on Google Classroom. This needs to be checked regularly.

● There is an expectation of 2-3 hours of work per week of homework.

Google Classroom:

Students and/or parents will be required to sign into Google Classroom each week to receive homework and communications from Mrs. Stuart.

Cell Phone Policy:

Cell phones are not allowed to be out in class unless instructed by the teacher to do so for research purposes. Parents must contact the front desk if there is a need to get a hold of their student.