Na me: ___________________ Mod s: ___________

Mr. Watso n

INFORMATIVE SPEECH FOR ENGLISH GRADE 1 0

This s h ee t co n t ai n s t he infor m a tio n yo u n ee d t o create / f o r m a t / p r e s e n t a n

info r m a tive s p eec h. Per u s e (rea d t h o r o ug hly) a n d co m ple te t h e s e p ages carefully!

An inf ormati v e s p e e ch p r ovide s infor m a tio n, ex plains, clarifies, o r d efine s. The

s p e ake r infor m s o r a d d s t o t he a u die nce's u n d e r s t a n ding t h r o ug h a p re se n t a tio n of
key p oi n t s, ex pla n a tio n s, a n d s u p p o r tive d e t ails. The s peec h co n t ains clear idea s t h a t
a re foc u se d a n d fully ex plaine d. When a p p r o p ria te, t h e p r e se n te r u tilize s a variety of
cre dible re s o u rces t o gat her acc u ra te, releva n t infor m a tio n t o p r ovide a s t r o ng b a se
of s u p p o r t in t he for m of fact s, exa m ples, illus t ra tio n s, incide n t s, or ex pla na tio n s.

Strong s p eak ers s h o w a c o nc ern for audienc e and purpo s e b y carefull y s el ecting
w ord s and d etails.

Things to remember when preparing 
your speech:
● Research the topic; Don't repeat a few choice facts over and over. Prove to us that you 
actually KNOW your topic!
● Organize the material into an outline. The outline is provided. You MUST fill it out and 
then FOLLOW it.
● Make note cards that reflect key ideas and their sequence in the speech. This will keep 
you on topic. However, the notecards are only an aid. You will lose points if you read 
directly from the notecards during the speech.
● Create visual aids. You MUST use a digital presentation (Powerpoint or Google Apps).
● Practice the speech individually and with peer partners or in small groups. The more 
you practice, the better you'll be on speech day.

Why visual aids?
● They can give the presenter something to refer to in order to keep the speech 
organized and flowing smoothly;
● They can provide the speaker with opportunities to use gestures and movement as 
important information can be pointed to;
● They can make a speaker more comfortable since it gives an audience something to 
look at rather than giving the impression of "staring" at the speaker.
 Research and Fact Building:

Once you have settled on a category and topic, you must begin research to build 
FACTS for your presentation. A great place to begin is the school library and the 
extensive online resources available through the school network (Ask for Mrs. 
Rentschler or Mrs. Despines in the library; they'll set you up with the appropriate tools).

Additional Online Sources:
The Internet Modern History Sourcebook 
(http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/modsbook.html) 
The Internet Ancient History Sourcebook
(http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/asbook.html)
– these sites collect information from across the internet on many of the great moments 
in history; they are even organized according to categories and topics (HINT: there 
might be some great ideas here if you're stumped!)

Read this article at The Online Education Education Database 
(http://oedb.org/library/features/best­online­research­sites) for a detailed list of 
websites that might help in your research.

Don’t forget to use caution when searching for 
information on the web. Remember: Not 
everything on the Internet is a valid source. 
Check your facts! 
● Is the organization sponsoring the information a reputable source? Is the sponsoring 
site a Company? Educational Organization? Governmental Organization?

● Is the author and his or her credentials given?

● When was the site last updated?
Na me: ___________________ Mod s: ___________
Mr. Watso n

Direction s: You will choo se a category a n d s p ecific t o pic for yo ur s p eec h. A d a t e will
b e a s sig ne d t o yo u t o p re se n t t he s p eec h before t h e clas s. It is you r re s p o n sibility t o
re m e m b e r t he d a t e a n d t o p r e s e n t t h e s p eec h t o t h e clas s o n t h a t as signe d d a t e. If
yo u d o n o t give you r s p eec h o n t h e d ay yo u h ave bee n a s signe d, you will be
p e n ali ze d accor di ng t o t h e late p e n alties es t a blis he d in t h e co u r s e syllab u s a n d The
Stu d e n t - Pare n t Ha n d b o ok.

The s p eec h m u s t be be twee n 3 a n d 5 mi n u t e s long. Speeche s u n d e r 3 - mi n u t e s will

lose co n te n t p oin t s. On t he d ay of you r s p eec h, you will t u r n in t he o u tline (see
b elow) a n d bla n k r u b ric (attac he d). Your t o t al gra d e will be b a se d o n 4 5 - p oi n t s; 1 5
fo r a co m plete d o u tline a n d 3 0 for t h e act u al s p eec h.

Cho o s e a Categ or y: Ancien t Ro me WWII /Holoca u s t

Ancien t Greece WWI

Defin e a Topic: ___________________________________________

(The t o pic s h o ul d reflect a s p ecific s u bject t h a t inte re s t s you. If, for exa m ple, yo u
h ave ch o se n t he category Ancien t Ro m e, yo ur s p ecific t o pic mig h t be The Role of
Wo me n. Your t o pic m u s t be o riginal t o t he clas s a n d n o t t h e s a m e a s a clas s m a te.)

ASSIGNED DATE OF SPEECH: _______________________________

OUTLINE (15 - p oin t s)

An swer t h e following q ue s tio n s (you m ay a t tac h yo ur a n swer s t o a se p a r a t e s h ee t o r
e m ail t h e m t o m r w a t s o n@usc10e nglis h.co m o n t he d ay before t h e s p eec h).

1. What are differe n t t o pics for m y ca tegory? Which t o pic intere s t s m e t h e m o s t?

2. What ideas, s t o ries, o pi nio n s, infor m a tio n a n d k n owle dge o n m y t o pic mig h t
m y a u die nce (the clas s) n o t alrea dy k n ow?

3. What s t o ry, fact, o pi nio n, or idea mig h t be s t hook m y a u die nce? How will I
in tr o d uce t his h o o k t o t he clas s (a pict u re, a q ui z or s u rvey, a s t o ry o r joke)?

4. Divide you r s p eec h into t h ree cha p te r s. List t he m in o r de r a n d b riefly

d e scribe eac h.

5. What is m y close r for t h e s p eec h (a ga me, a b rief q ui z, a s u m m a ry of t h e

m ai n p oin t s)?
I. Introduction 0 1 2 3 4
- You mig h t p re s e n t a n at te n tio n - get te r, s uc h a s a q u e s tio n, a p r o p, a s t a r tling fact
o r idea. Use t his firs t p a r t t o intr o d uce yo u r s u bject a n d give b ackgro u n d you r
rea d er mig h t fin d inte res ting.
- Early in yo ur s p eec h, t ry t o s ta te a clear FOCUS s t a te m e n t (like a t he sis s t a te m e n t
w h a t will we lear n a b o u t?) s o we (the a u die nce) ca n figure o u t you r p oi n t.

II. Bod y - Spee ch Score: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

- Develo p yo u r FOCUS s t a te m e n t / s p eec h by u si ng a digital p r e s e n t a tio n.
- Re me m b e r t h a t t his is a n infor m a tive s peec h, s o p r ovide u s wit h infor m a tio n ab o u t
yo u r t o pic!

III. Conclu sion 0 1 2 3 4 5

- Re me m b e r yo u r close r. Do n o t s ay, Tha t s it! or I m d o ne!
- You ca n refer back t o you r foc u s s ta te m e n t / t h e sis.
- You mig h t e n d wit h a q u o t a tio n, q ue s tio n s t he clas s s h o ul d be a ble t o a n swer, a
review, etc. It is acce p t a ble t o b ring foo d t o s h a re wit h t h e clas s a t t his ti m e
(es pecially a s reinforce m e n t for a n swering yo u r q ue s tio n s correctly), b u t m a k e
s u r e it is ea sy t o dis t rib u te a n d ca n be clea ne d u p q uickly.

IV. TIME: ___________ 0 1 2 3 4 5

- Follow t h e mi ni m u m ti m e limit of 3 - 5 mi n u t e s (Practice it. Ti me it. Take yo u r
ti m e!)
Less t h a n 1 mi n u t e = 1 p oi n t;
More t h a n o ne b u t les s t h a n two: 2 p oi n t s;
More t h a n tw o b u t les s t h a n t h ree: 3 p oi n t s;
More t h a n six: 3 p oi n t s.

V. NOTECARDS: 0 1 2 3
– You m ay n o t write you r s p eec h o n t h e n o t ecar d s (It is calle d a NOTEcar d, n o t a
SPEECHcar d!!)
– Main tain eye - co n t ac t wit h t h e a u die nce. Do n't s t a re a t you r car d s.

VI. Expre s sion and Deli v er 0 1 2 3 4 5

- Practice yo ur s p eech u n til you h ave a p p r o p riate eye co n t act a n d ges t u re s.
- Do n t lea n or sit! Dres s u p a little! Do n t a p p r o ac h t oo infor m ally!
- Sou n d like yo u a re involve d in yo ur s p eec h! Speak clearly a n d lou dly.
- Avoid ex p re s sio n s s uc h a s uh a n d u m .
- Rea ding fro m you r n o t ecar d / m a t erials will get yo u a 1!

• I re se rve t he righ t t o a s k for yo ur n o tecar d s / m a t erials / d oc u m e n t a tio n

of s o u rces after you r s peec h.

TOTAL OUTLINE SCORE: _______ / 1 5 TOTAL SPEECH SCORE: ________ / 3 0

Com m e nt s: