Planning for Efficient Student Feedback on Speech Presentation Days (See variety of feedback form below) To help student focus on various aspects of public speaking by classmates, for each round of speeches, I ask students to complete one section of our speech check list each day they are not speaking. Once the assignment is given, [...]

Consider having students practice oral arguments before writing argumentative or persuasive essays.  During debates, remind students that it is information and reasoning, rather than volume and unsupported opinions that make for convincing speeches and compelling essays. One way for students to understand this concept better is to prepare for, participate in, and then debrief experiencing [...]

  One way you can have your students step back a moment before they begin looking at articles, viewing video clips, and writing summaries and abstracts about controversial issues is to have a short presentation on values and look at how what we value, think is important to and for us, influences our behavior and colors our lenses. Depending [...]

With or without using technology, book reports don’t have to be same old, same old, same old thing.   See the NY Times Learning Network for alternative ways to engage students in reading, then writing and talking about books. Remember to include non-fiction titles on your lists of suggested books.

Lisa Westbrook has used an on-line program, PREZI to design an engaging lesson to introduce students to poetry analysis.  See ways you can enhance your instruction by adapting or adopting this technology to present these concepts. Check out TPCASSSTT Poetry Analysis by Lisa Westbrook.

Monkey Bridge by Lan Cao is an autobiographical novel that I enjoyed teaching to high school seniors because it introduced them to life in Vietnam before, during,  and after the Vietnamese War when a twelve year old girl immigrates to the United States in 1975. This in-class assignment gives students an opportunity to write about [...]

An important skill to learn is the ability to know when you’re meeting requirements of an assignments whether in school or on the job. Using this Abstract Term Speech – Self-Check Pre-Evaluation is a good way for students to practice that skill. When I provided this kind of self-check students usually met expectations and few [...]