Welcome to the Speech elective at RHMS.  Did you know that according to employers,
“…verbal communication skills topped the list of ‘soft skills’ they seek in new college graduates” (Palmer)? I love teaching this class because I know they will use these skills for the rest of their lives. I tell the students this is more of a communications class than a speech class.  We work on how to talk to people one-on-one, how to speak through technology, and how to do in-class presentations.

Google Classroom:
Students will utilize Google Classroom for my class. This will be the place that I post the daily assignments, include the notes from class, students can post questions to other students in our class (or me) regarding our class, and their speech assignments will be posted here. This will also be the place where they write their speeches.

Parent Involvement:
Each time the students have a speech coming up, I will email you, via Infinite Campus, with the speech assignment and the presentation dates.  I always encourage the students to practice their speech with their parents when possible.  I videotape all of the speeches, and I will email you the link to the Google Folder each time. Yes, you get to watch your child’s speech and enjoy their progress!  If you don’t want your child’s video in this folder, please let me know on the attached Google Form.

Homework:

This is not a class that requires a lot of homework.  For the most part, their homework will be to practice their speech before their presentation on their remote days.  I always tell them that they should practice their speeches with you at home, if you have time. 

Speech Projects:
The students will vote on which speech projects they would like to work on this semester.  They will guide the curriculum, but the skills they learn will be the same.  This is a performance-based class. Their content grades will mainly be based on their presentations and their knowledge from the lessons.  Participation, behavior, and assignment completion will be a part of the work habit’s grade. 

I am excited to get to work on teaching communication skills to my students this semester.  My number goal for this class is to build their confidence, along with having fun.  Please don't hesitate to reach out if you ever have any questions.  I'm also happy to set up a Google Meet time with you, if a "face-to-face" meeting would be more effective.

Why a "Pirate Theme"?
When I started this class, I wanted to think of an acronym that would help the students to remember the skills that are important to be a skilled speaker. I came up with the acronym for PIRATE.  You can check out what it means under the "photos" section.  Also, pirates are risk-takers and adventurers.  You need both of these to stand up in front of a group of people to speak your mind.