A standards-based narrative speech activity for the first days of school
 

The first days of school set the tone for the rest of the year. Students want to get to know their teachers; teachers want to get to know their students. This activity helps everyone get acquainted. It also supports standards in speaking.

Step One
The teacher will present five statements about things he/she has done. Three of the statements will be true; two, false. Statements of things you have done will lend themselves better to this activity than statements such as "I have two children."

Students briefly discuss which is which with a partner. As a class, they vote on their choices; then the teacher reveals which are true.

Step Two
Students do the same thing, write three true and two false statements about things they have done. When it appears that everyone has finished, students get together with someone they don't know very well and take turns guessing which are true and which are false. Allow a few minutes for students to chat and get to know one another. If time permits, students introduce their partners to the class.

Step Three
The teacher will give each student a copy of the narrative rubric (see link below). After discussing the descriptors, the teacher will present a model narrative speech based upon one of the true statements from Step One, above. The teacher may choose to model some "beginning" traits so students will recognize what to avoid doing.

Step Four
After discussion of the model speech, students will choose one of their own true statements to use as the subject of a narrative speech. The speech will be assessed using the same rubric.

 

This rubric was designed for Indiana Standards 2000 9.7.14. Permission is granted for teachers to download and use it in an educational setting. Commercial use is prohibited.


This activity was inspired by an idea shared on the NCTE ListServ. I don't remember which teacher to credit; instead, I will recommend the List as a generous source of information, support and inspiration for anyone who teaches English/Language Arts.