Rationale
Public speaking is a required skill for all politicians. For many politicians, public speaking becomes as natural as conversation. In fact, many search for media attention to convey their message to as many people as possible. They are hoping to influence the audience to take action or to supply financial support. Political speeches can be very powerful. They can influence opinion, evoke emotion and incite action.
Effective public speaking is a skill that most middle and high school students do not have. Getting up in front of a class of their peers to give a speech is something they would rather not do. In my observation, when they do speak, their opinions are not supported by evidence. They are very vague and lack organization. Their speech is more a rambling of thoughts, which flow to their mind just before they say them. What I would like my students to gain from this unit, is not only an understanding of the many aspects of the art of spoken and written rhetoric, but the ability to use those tools to effectively use speech to persuade.
The students for whom this unit is designed are eighth grade gifted students almost all of minority status. They have varied backgrounds and varied educational achievement levels. They have all tested into a gifted middle school program that has created a homogenous grouping of high achieving and/or highly able students. This unit will also have modifications for a junior/senior advanced placement United States government class. These classes, though very different in student population and content, will be able to use aspects of this unit to reach the overall goal of getting its audience to understand strategies of persuasive rhetoric and apply them to their everyday lives.
This unit will include speeches from ancient Greece and Rome and other persuasive speeches throughout time. The unit will be taught by having students analyzing speeches and look at how these speeches were able to be successful in influencing their audience and what skills were used to persuade them into action. The goal of this unit will be to measure the effectiveness of rhetoric throughout history. It will include analysis of the time period in history that the speech took place, the targeted audience, the chosen language used, and the political environment. Certainly today, the use of the sound bite and spin techniques are effective tactics.
When completed, students will understand ethos, logos, pathos, or character, logic, emotions and how they play a part in spoken rhetoric. Students will perform a variety of speeches that include personal statements and a position speech that must include claims supported by evidence and presented to an audience of their peers.
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