Middle School Speech 2:  Introduction to Debate/Oral Interpretation

Introduction to Debate:  Students will continue to develop skills focused on five identifiable functions of expressing and responding appropriately to feelings, participating in social traditions, informing, persuading, creating, and imagining.  To become competent communicators, students will develop and apply skills in using oral language, nonverbal communication, and listening through the process of logic and critical thinking in the context of preparing briefs and cases.  The student will be given the opportuntity to continue an understanding of the communication process, express and respond to verbal and nonverbal messages, develop procedural communication processes, respond with informative and negative case messages, develop an understanding of persuasion and learn to write, present and compete in various public speaking events.  

Students will be expected to participate in classroom presentations and local speech tournaments as a required performance component.  

Introduction to Oral Interpretation:  Students will continue to develop skills focused on five identifiable functions of expressing and responding appropriately to feelings, participating in social traditions, informing, persuading, creating, and imagining.  To become competent communicators, students will develop and apply skills in using oral language, nonverbal communication, and listening through the principles of the oral interpretation of literature.  The student will be given the opportunity to understand the communication process, express and respond to verbal and nonverbal performance techniques, and participate in the performance process in order to develop an artistic understanding, respond with criticism, and develop an understanding of different genres and character development.  

Students will be expected to participate in classroom presentations and local speech tournaments as a required performance component.