Creative and Critical Thinking
Summary Explanation of Assignments
Here is a quick overview of the assignments for this unit. However, be sure you read over the specific assignment instructions that follow for each one. Review the marking rubrics for the assignments before you start.
ASSIGNMENT 1: A Starting Point: Self Reflection
What do you hope to achieve in this course? Consider how you will assess your growth as a speaker and writer. This is why we examine the starting point.
ASSIGNMENT 2: What is Oral Language?
Develop a top 10 tip list for writing good speeches based on the provided article in the assignment after a brief discussion of what constitutes the spoken language.
ASSIGNMENT 3: What Makes a Great Speech?
Use your top 10 list to critique 3 really famous speeches.
ASSIGNMENT 4: Monologue
Now do the same critique for a video monologue from a famous Canadian.
ASSIGNMENT 5: Mark Antony's Speech
Consider the strategy behind a good speech. What figurative devices and rhetorical devices have the most impact? Discuss this famous oration from one of Shakespeare's plays. Practice your expository writing.
ASSIGNMENT 6: Making Inferences
Learn the difference between literal meaning and inferential meaning. Practice your narrative writing.
ASSIGNMENT 7: Response FORUM
In this first response forum, provide a link to a TED talk that interests you. Watch it and then explain (expository style) why you chose that topic. Was the speech what you expected? What rhetorical strategies did you notice the speaker using? Did the speaker use any figurative devices? What was the message? What gave the speech power? Who was the audience?
ASSIGNMENT 8: PROJECT: Writing and Performing a Monologue or Speech
Develop a monologue or a speech on a topic that interests you. You might consider this an opportunity to prepare for a dramatic role and develop a monologue for the stage. Incorporate the public speaking techniques you've learned about in this unit including the art of persuasive writing.