Speech

Authors and Works

This course is structured differently from other courses in this series in regards to authors and works. Only one book is required: Lend Me Your Ears edited by William Safire. This book is a compilation of great speeches throughout history. (This book is also an excellent resource for any world history or U.S. history class.) Students read a variety of speeches from this text for each lesson.

Topics

• Opening your speech
• Content
• Looking your best
• Research and factual argument
• Organization
• Sounding your best
• Audience
• Words and sentences
• Visual aids
• Rhetorical style
• Concluding your speech

Recommendations

This book is especially recommended for the following students:

• Freshmen
• Students new to Lightning Literature in any high-school grade
• Students still struggling with the basics of writing
• Students interested in history
• Students who prefer to read many smaller pieces rather than book-length works

These should not be viewed as restrictions; this course can profitably be used by high-school students of any grade regardless of which previous Lightning Literature courses they have completed.