This middle school unit is a great combination of rhetoric, literature, and historical knowledge, and introduces Year 9/Early Stage 5 (13-15 years) students to public speaking in the modern day - and how it continues classical traditions of oratory. Students work through five topics, studying a famous speech in each one, culminating in an essay which asks them to consider the effectiveness of speeches which move the emotions rather than the intelligence.
 
All speeches are paragraph-numbered for ease of use, and are accompanied by questions and activities - with lots of room for written responses.
 
Unit content:
An introduction to the Art of Speaking
Speeches of Praise
Speeches of Condemnation
Hortatory Speeches
Maiden Speeches
Graduation Speeches
Farewell Speeches
Assessment essay question