Middle school students presented their speeches today at the Public Speaking Finals! Judges, parents, teachers, and peers were all thoroughly impressed. The judges had a very difficult decision to make. Thank you to all who participated in the finals. Each speech was delivered with a unique style and passion. I look forward to seeing what is in store for next year’s public speaking competition.
2019 Public Speaking Finals Results:
Gold- Jessica Ages
Silver- Talia Cherun
Bronze- Yamaya Newman
I hope everyone had a great Passover break! This week we will complete our in-class speech presentations. By this point you should be practicing your speech, creating flashcards, and preparing to dazzle your peers. Below you will find the link for the presentation order. Monday and Tuesday will be used to practice in-class with partners and add any final touches to your speech. I will not be re-reading any speeches in their entirety prior to the presentations. If you have a specific question, please feel free to email me. I look forward to seeing all of your hard work come alive in the classroom!
The month of April is quickly coming to an end! This week our middle school speech writers should be completing their rough drafts of their speeches. The conclusion paragraph due date has been pushed back a day (now Thursday 4/18). Feedback will be coming in waves throughout the week.
Today we reviewed how to properly cite our sources. Students will be required to create a Works Cited page at the end of their speech. In-text citations will also be inserted to avoid plagiarism. Please remember to use MLA format for the in-text citations and Works Cited page.
Here is the link to the slideshow that was used in class: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1KYC0mOUkwRFr0BOnjCgaWt-zL5WNWMTJadQTKUJpWaw/edit#slide=id.g566e4de188_0_148
Links that can be used to create the Works Cited Page. Please remember that Works Cited Page should be an additional page at the end of your speech document. You will not need to recite/include the in-text citations when you are giving your speech. However, when I am reading your speech and grading the content, please include both in-text citations and the Works Cited. Be sure to consult the MLA format on these sites.
http://www.citationmachine.net/mla/cite-a-website/manual
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: Will we lose points for being over or under time?
A: Yes, depending on the amount of time you are over or under. Students will lose one mark for every 10 seconds over/under the required time frame. Remember that speeches need to be between four and five minutes in length.
Q: How long should my paragraphs be? How many paragraphs do I need?
A: There is no exact length for each paragraph. Paragraphs are typically not shorter than six sentences. Your speech should include a minimum of five paragraphs. Depending on how you organize your content you could have more than five.
Remember: You need to preview your three main points in your introduction. Your three body paragraphs should be written in the same order as they were previewed.
Loading...
Loading...
Today we read Ch. 9 of Lord of the Flies in class. As we continue to progress through the novel, we are continuing to analyze various themes. The assignment attached below is due on Thursday.
Please remember that you need to write a minimum of two paragraphs. You also need to refer back to the book and provide specific examples.
Loading...
Students will be working in groups to create videos summarizing and demonstrating their understanding of chapter eight. You can choose to record the video on any platform of your choosing.
Flipgrid classroom code: g8ojcs
Each video must include:
Summarization of the chapter (referencing key plot examples)
Prediction (stating what they believe will happen next in the book)
Please feel free to add to your own creative spin on the video.
Students have been working diligently to prepare their speeches. This past Wednesday, students submitted the first draft of their introductory paragraph. On Monday, the first body paragraph will be submitted. Please make sure that all of the paragraphs are written in the same Google Doc.
Mrs. Thompson has shared a few informative videos that can be used as a tool to further refine each speech. These videos break down each task (intro, body, and conclusion) into more manageable segments. Please watch these videos for homework and continue to edit your speech! I have also included documents that provide ideas/suggestions for each portion of the speech. Feedback will continue to be provided electronically via comments.
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Let’s get ready to read! The Scholastic Book Fair has arrived at OJCS. I had the chance to preview the book fair this afternoon and we have some great novels available. Tell your parents, tell your friends, tell your Rabbi…the books are here!
Book Fair Class Visit Schedule:
Wednesday Pd. 7: Grade 6 (with Mr. Washerstein)
Thursday Pd.3: Grade 8 (with Mr. C and Madame Scharf)
Thursday Pd. 8: Grade 7 (with Mrs. Cleveland)
Welcome to this year’s public speaking contest for grades 4 – 8. Expressing ideas aloud in a clear and effective way is an important life skill! Students will have the opportunity to plan, develop, and deliver a speech to showcase these skills. Today the materials were shared with students via an information packet. Students will be spending the upcoming weeks working towards preparing a 4-5 minute speech. To ensure that each step is being followed at home, parents are being asked to sign their student’s checklist as they prepare items for each due date. I will also be signing each student’s checklist as I provide feedback along the way!
Please note: Each link contains a Google Doc that allows “view only” access. Please make a copy of the document to save your work to your Google Drive.
This link contains the checklist that contains each due date for the every part of the assignment.
List your possible topics here. Be sure to include your intended purpose for the speech. Are you looking to inform, persuade, or entertain your audience? Please remember that your topic needs to be chosen/topic brainstorming sheet completed by the end of the day on Wednesday, March 27th.
This document contains the detailed steps that can be used to prepare for public speaking.
Students will be required to create and submit a speech planning graphic organizer. I have supplied students with an example of what their organizer might look like when it is complete. I have also provided a blank graphic organizer for student for students to edit electronically. This assignment will be due on Friday, March 29th.
Please review this rubric to see how you will be marked for your speech. Remember to think with the end in mind…review the rubric prior to writing your speech!
After you have given your speech during the class presentation sessions, students will complete a reflection.
Please remember to study for the test tomorrow. Here are two practice exercises to help!
Reload document 
Open in new tab