Public Speaking Basics

This video serves as an engaging English Language Arts lesson that explores the differences between reading a text silently and experiencing it as an oral performance. The narrator guides students through a comparative analysis using a short story set on a blueberry farm, first asking them to read it to themselves, and then performing it with expressive vocal modulation and sound effects. This side-by-side comparison helps illuminate how a reader's internal experience differs from an external performance. The content focuses on key literary and dramatic concepts such as tone, mood, pacing, and sensory details. It specifically highlights how a performer makes creative choices—such as stretching out words to indicate heat or tightening lips to show disgust—to reflect the narrator's feelings. Additionally, the video introduces the concept of non-textual elements, like sound effects, and how they contribute to atmosphere and storytelling without changing the actual words of the text. For educators, this video is an excellent tool for teaching standards related to comparing and contrasting different versions of a story (text vs. audio). It models critical thinking by using a T-chart to map textual details to performance choices, providing a clear framework for students to analyze media. It can spark lessons on reading fluency, the importance of expression in oral reading, and how multimedia elements influence a viewer's understanding and emotional engagement with a narrative.

This video features a spirited persuasive speech delivered by a young woman advocating for an earthworm to become the new mascot for the fictional town of 'Persuasia'. The speaker systematically addresses potential skepticism about choosing a humble worm, transforming its perceived weaknesses into strengths such as uniqueness, ecological importance, and resilience. She uses a blend of scientific facts—like soil aeration and regeneration—and emotional appeals to community identity to build a compelling case. The content explores key themes of persuasive rhetoric, including the use of logical arguments (logos), emotional connection (pathos), and credibility (ethos). It highlights how to structure an argument by introducing a thesis, supporting it with distinct points (inclusivity, practicality, scientific wonder, and hard work), and concluding with a strong call to action. Additionally, the video touches upon biological concepts regarding the earthworm's vital role in the ecosystem. For educators, this video serves as an excellent model text for teaching persuasive writing and public speaking. It demonstrates clear organizational structure, effective use of rhetorical questions, and the power of reframing a topic. Teachers can use it to have students analyze argument strength, identify transition words, discuss the speaker's delivery techniques, or launch a cross-curricular unit combining English Language Arts with life science.

In this engaging Language Arts lesson, students join a narrator on a quest to wake the sleeping "Guardian of Voice" by learning the art of spoken word poetry. The video contrasts a flat, monotonous reading of a poem with a dynamic spoken word performance, vividly demonstrating how delivery transforms meaning. It breaks down the essential components of spoken word, defining it as a performance art that merges poetry with theatrical elements like facial expressions, body language, and vocal modulation. The content dives into specific literary devices common in the genre, such as alliteration, assonance, consonance, and internal rhyme. It explains how these sound devices enhance the musicality of a performance. Students are guided through the specific "tools" a performer has—voice (volume, pacing, pauses), body (posture, gestures), and face (expressions)—to convey emotion and connect with an audience. Ideal for middle school English classrooms, this video serves as both an introduction to the genre and a practical tutorial on public speaking and performance. It encourages students to move beyond merely reading words on a page to embodying them, helping them understand how performance can emphasize emotions, create drama, and bring a poet's message to life.

This video explores the critical role of delivery in public speaking, demonstrating how *how* something is said can be just as important as *what* is said. It begins with a relatable modern example of a text message to illustrate how the absence of tone can lead to misunderstandings, before breaking down specific public speaking techniques including vocal variety, language choice, and physical presence. The narrator explains concepts like monotone vs. dynamic speech, formal vs. informal language, and the strategic use of rhetorical devices like repetition. The second half of the video applies these concepts through a detailed case study of Ann Richards' keynote address at the 1988 Democratic National Convention. The narrator pauses the speech at key moments to analyze Richards' use of gestures to create imagery, her use of props (a folded letter) to establish authenticity, her pacing to convey emotion, and her use of repetition to build persuasive momentum. This practical application bridges the gap between theory and practice. For educators, this resource is an excellent tool for English Language Arts, Speech, and Debate classes. It provides students with a vocabulary for critiquing oral presentations and concrete strategies for improving their own speaking skills. By dissecting a historical speech, it also serves as a model for how students can analyze media and political rhetoric, fostering media literacy and critical listening skills.

This educational video guides high school students through the final stages of a research writing unit: structuring the presentation slides and delivering the oral presentation. The host, who initially expresses anxiety about public speaking, uses a friendly robot character named Mia to introduce strategies for overcoming nerves and organizing content effectively. The video is divided into two main sections: a slide-by-slide breakdown of the research presentation structure and a set of practical tips for public speaking.

This video provides a comprehensive guide on how to write a persuasive pitch for a creative writing project, specifically focusing on multimedia formats like movies, plays, or video games. Hosted by an engaging instructor with animated segments featuring "Mr. Mark Up," the lesson defines what a pitch is and why it is a critical skill for writers who want to see their ideas produced. It breaks down the pitch into five essential components: the Hook, Synopsis, Target Audience, Unique Selling Points, and Call to Action. The video uses a concrete example—a dystopian sci-fi adaptation of Romeo and Juliet—to illustrate each component in action. This example helps clarify abstract concepts, showing students exactly what a "unique selling point" looks like compared to a general synopsis. The lesson emphasizes the function of each section, explaining not just *what* to write, but *why* it matters for persuading a producer or audience to invest in the story. Ideally suited for middle and high school English Language Arts and creative writing curriculums, this video serves as an excellent launchpad for project-based learning. It connects creative storytelling with real-world professional skills like persuasion, marketing, and public speaking. Teachers can use this video to introduce a capstone writing project where students must not only write a story but also "sell" it to their peers or a panel, fostering skills in audience analysis and concise communication.

This engaging video lesson guides students through the process of effectively presenting poetry to an audience. Set in the fictional "Verse Valley," the host, Caroline, overcomes her own stage fright by breaking down essential public speaking techniques such as voice projection, enunciation, and eye contact, as well as specific strategies for performing poetry like utilizing body language and timing pauses for impact rather than just at line breaks. The video explores three distinct types of poetry—lyric, ballad, and spoken word—demonstrating how the performance style should shift to match the genre. Through clear examples, Caroline models a "bad" presentation versus a polished one, and subsequently performs three original poems, showcasing the unique rhythm, emotion, and delivery required for each style. The lesson also addresses the psychology of performance, offering tips like "power posing" to build confidence. Ideal for Language Arts classrooms, this resource transforms the often-intimidating task of public speaking into a manageable skill set. It provides built-in pause points for students to practice immediately, making it a ready-to-use interactive workshop. Teachers can use this video to prepare students for poetry slams, recitations, or oral presentations, helping them move from simply reading words on a page to bringing literature to life through performance.