Due Wednesday, April 6 (Impromptu)

Why impromptu speeches? Impromptu speech practice can improve essay skills!

Sections of this post: 

• BASIC FORMULA  (read this)
• FILL-IN-THE-BLANK WORKSHEET   (do this)
• TEMPLATE for ROUGH DRAFT (read & follow this)
• EXAMPLE (just in case you need it)  
• MEMORY JOGGERS  

Let’s learn the BASIC FORMULA: 
1) ANALYZE the quote (Breath & think about it)
2) Think of a STORY that relates (To be used in your intro & conclusion)
3) What's your STANCE (opinion) about the quote?
Develop your thesis & 3 points to defend it.
4) CONCLUDE
    a) finish your story and repeat the quote 

Analyze . . . . Story . . . . Stance(3 points & thesis). . . . Conclude

FILL-IN-THE-BLANK WORKSHEET (do this)
This is your roadmap for the speech you are writing. 

 “Today I have drawn the quote, ‘____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________’ 
I will be addressing this quote with three points.”


 What is a story that comes to mind when you analyze this quote?  KWO it on the lines below to help you remember. Don’t worry about all details yet.
If you get stuck & cannot think of a story, move ahead and pick a story after you brainstorm your 3 points and choose your main thesis.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


 What is your “stance”? 
What are some of your opinions, observations?
Let your story help you. Make sure your quote, story, and stance make sense together.
____________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________

 Brainstorm for your points. 
You can use examples, observations, illustrations, defenses, and/or opinions that go with the quote you drew. Remember that the first “point” can often (but not always) be a definition.

Since we are brainstorming, you can list more than 3 points here. But! Highlight the 3 you will use in your speech.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________


 Which point is your main idea (thesis)? State your main idea here.
Remember that your main idea (thesis) can simply be your quote. 
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 How will you divide your story so that half is used in the intro and the other half is used in the conclusion?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Now it is time to write your rough draft (use your fill-in-the-blank notes!)
TEMPLATE for your ROUGH DRAFT (read & follow this)  

1) START by writing half of your STORY  

2) Next, use this script (or wording close to it) 
“Today I have drawn the quote, ‘_____________________.’   
I will be addressing this quote with three points.”

3) State your 3 POINTS. 

4) Elaborate on your 3 POINTS, naming them as you go. Make sure they support the main thesis you chose. 

5) CONCLUDE by finishing your STORY and repeating your QUOTE.



EXAMPLE
Let's say I draw the quote, “There is nothing to fear but fear itself.” 
This might be an example of my roadmap:

 ANALYZE (Breath and think about it) 

 STORY: Getting “lost” in woods”
                I had disobeyed
                snake in path

 STANCE  (I used my story as my guide here)
      My 3 points:
1) What is fear (DEFINE IT)
2) Fear teaches us but fear itself can’t hurt us 
3) Learn from fear and react appropriately
      Looking at the 3rd point, I derived the simple thesis that “What can be learned from fear -- God is always with us” This will be the main idea to communicate. So, as you can see,  I went beyond the quote itself as my thesis.

Since we are using quotes as our prompts, your main thesis can simply BE THE QUOTE itself.

As you begin talking (writing) you will expand, elaborate, and give examples for each of your three points.

 CONCLUDE 
1. Finish my story: 
I was frozen in fear
Mom was w/ me -- I didn’t know
The feeling of being saved by her
Lesson learned (disobedience bad)
Fear taught me
If Mom was there – I know God is . . . always
“If God is for us, who should be against?” & “ Be not afraid”
2. Repeat the quote with new understanding (bc of God)


MEMORY JOGGERS:

Think about how Max gave that awesome lacrosse example! He had me hook, line and sinker because I felt it was a true story. I was convinced that he’d experienced that. What a great first impromptu!! 

Remember how Andrew used 3 examples as his points? He used a political example, a personal example, and the example of Job from the Bible. Talk about being blown away! Go Andrew!

Think about how Carson drew us in with a dramatic telling of the first half of her story. We wanted to know how it ended! We wanted to know what her topic was! She related “never leaving someone behind” to the battlefield and to friends. She walked us through the path of understanding the different levels and interpretations of her quote.

Cossette was very precise and clear in her main points about purity. She used the “speaking space” like a pro and moved (did you notice?) to strategic places as she talked. Her speech was very relevant to the times we live in and that made it even more interesting. She also chose great words so that her speech was appropriate for any audience.

Teresa’s story was compelling because she told us about sitting and talking to her father. She used wonderful terms like “utopia, democracy, and compassion.”  What a great example of using a story that was taught to her by her father and owning it! 

Jose’s confidence and demeanor made us sit up and listen.  Remember how I said, “Talk about baseball” when he seemed to have a difficult time choosing his topic? He never takes the easy road. He always challenges himself. That is the quality of a great student and leader.