Speak Up: Debating and Public Speaking

Description

Speak Up is a linguistics, public speaking and debating unit. Students will focus on public speaking, reciting and debating skills through the development of prepared and impromptu tasks. They will refine their persuasive writing and speaking skills whilst developing confidence to speak publicly. Students will draw on significant speeches from a variety of cultural and historical perspectives and scales (local, national, regional, global) for analysis. They will understand the way in which spoken and cinematic texts are arranged for a specific context, purpose and audience. They will reflect on, extend, endorse or refute others’ interpretations of and responses to literature. Students will explore the ways in which language is used by individuals and groups and reflect their thinking and values. The discipline of linguistics will inform students of the metalinguistic tools to understand and analyse language use, variation and change. They will come to understand how people use spoken and written English to communicate, think and innovate, construct identities, build and interrogate attitudes and assumptions, and create and disrupt social cohesion.

Learning Standards

Reading and Viewing

• Evaluate how text structures can be used in innovative ways by different authors.

• Explain how the choice of language features, images and vocabulary contributes to the development of individual style.

• Develop and justify individual interpretations of texts.

• Evaluate other interpretations, analysing the evidence used to support them.

Writing

• Show how the selection of language features can achieve precision and stylistic effect.

• Explain different viewpoints, attitudes and perspectives through the development of cohesive and logical arguments.

• Develop individual and personal style by experimenting with language features, stylistic devices, text structures and images.

• Create a wide range of texts to articulate complex ideas.

• Demonstrate understanding of grammar, vary vocabulary choices for impact, and accurately use spelling and punctuation when creating and editing texts.

Speaking and Listening

• Listen for ways features within texts can be manipulated to achieve particular effects.

• Make presentations and contribute actively to class and group discussions building on others' ideas, solving problems, justifying opinions and developing and expanding arguments.

Assessment

• Presentation of point of view on a contemporary issue

• Debate

• Film text analysis

• Analytical interpretation of speech

• Semester Examination.

Pathways

• Year 11 English

• Year 11 Literature