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 |  work in progress- writing assignments & links for use in the home school |
Our County Fair has a cool 4-H competition called "Extemporaneous Speaking". The rules are simple- the kid pulls a speech topic out of a jar, thinks about it for five minutes, then gives a three minute speech (or is it think three minutes & give a five minute speech????) I have found such extemporaneous speaking excercises an excellent way to break kids into public speaking. It works very well for home schoolers, too, since it can be done for parents & siblings, or in a home school cooperative. I have used it with people from six years old to adults. A few pointers (thanks Brian Sweet & Monica Pope for coaching us on this!): Talk to your students about standing solidly on both feet, and speaking loud enough (and slow enough) to be heard. A simple structure to have them try is to start by introducing themselves and their topic. Then make three points about it, giving a bit of detail about each point. End by summarizing the three points. Isn't that simple? In our home school, I intend to have the kids do these little speeches each day for about week (or more if they fight me on it!). I didn't prompt them to give detail the first time, so required them to do the same topic the second day, trying to improve their presentation. To start this unit, print out the following list of topics (or make up your own!) and cut them into individual strips, putting them in a bowl. Have your students each take a topic. In 4-H you get to draw a second one if you don't like the first one you draw, but you have to stick with the second one- you can't go back to the first one! [My poor daughter was sorry she did, though- she didn't like "how to make friends" as a topic when she was competing at the fair, but ended up with "My favorite Fruit" instead. Bleh!] I gave only three minutes to think, and gave no length for the speech to start out with. I'll tighten up the requirements as they get comfortable with the exercise. Possible speech topics (or essay topics, too!): My best Christmas present The thing I’m most scared of The best part of 4-H What makes a good friend My favorite hobby My favorite pet How to get good grades The best season of the year The most important thing in my life The thing that drives me crazy Having my own room-OR-Having to share a room (pick one) Being a morning-OR-night person (pick one) How to earn money when you’re a kid What I want to do when I grow up My favorite book My favorite movie My favorite sport What I love about my brother/sister (pick one) My best hiding place What I like to do during summer vacation My favorite place What I do when I’m bored What I would do with a million dollars The biggest problem in our world today My favorite project at the fair My favorite food How I feel speaking in front of a group My most embarrassing moment How to study for a test How I take care of my pet Important table manners The best thing about my grandparents The best thing about my parents How to make 4-H meetings more interesting Why we should vote Why the legal age for driving should-OR-should not be changed (pick one) Why you should not drive when you’ve been drinking How to say “no” to drugs What’s wrong with smoking What I would do if I were president The importance of an education How to avoid a fight How to make new friends The value of computers The funniest thing that ever happened to me Why I should-OR- should not learn to play an instrument Chores everyone should do at home Other uses for a toothpick How to improve the environment The most important thing my parents taught me If I could go anywhere in the world The most important person in history Eating healthier The best junk food Which sense is most important- seeing, hearing, touch, taste, smell? My favorite TV program How to bug your brother/sister   ** Image ID #933346 Unavailable **  |
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