Top 100 Speeches
From the "American Rhetoric: Top 100 Speeches" site, select one speech below.
Read the speech and write down the main ideas on a piece of paper. Then, listen to the speech to see if the main ideas you selected were emphasized by the speaker.
Write a 2-page essay discussing the speech and the speaker. Include in your essay:
- A brief description of the speech, highlighting the main points and where and when the speech was given.
- A brief biography of the speaker; you can use the additional sites to gather this research.
- A summary of the audio, including, how effective was the speaker in conveying their message?
- Do you think the speaker's background influenced the effectiveness of their speech?
- In the audio, did the speaker stress the main ideas that you gathered from the written version?
- Which version of the speech, text or audio, was more effective for you, and why?
| Lesson Name: Top 100 Speeches | |
| Objective: Students will read one of the top 100 American speeches ever given and determine its main ideas. They will record the key points of the speech, then they will listen to the speech to see if they were correct. They will then write a 2-page essay about the speech and include a brief biography of the speaker. | |
| Grade: (9-12) | Lesson Login: top_speeches-a |
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Additional disciplines: Computer Skills Social Studies Reference |
Materials: Computer with Internet access Paper and pen Word processing software Printer, if using software |
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For AIS instruction, this lesson has been modified as follows: In the directions, the student has been asked to write a 2-page essay. They have also been given 3 speeches to choose from and sites for each person giving the speech. In the Allowed Sites, the links go directly to the individual speeches. Click here for the original version of this lesson. | |
