Unit 1
​
Speech

Unit Theme and Plan

UNIT 1: Foundations of Public Speaking
With Portfolio Integration

Activities

Teaching with E.L.O.N.  (Enriched Learning Opportunity Nexus) that seamlessly integrates AI 
Unit Purpose:
Students develop foundational speaking skills—voice, nonverbal communication, confidence, audience awareness—while beginning their Speech Portfolio, which will grow throughout the course.
UNIT 1 OVERVIEW
Students will:
  • Build awareness of effective delivery
  • Practice foundational speaking skills
  • Engage in group activities that reinforce concepts
  • Deliver a 1–2 minute Introductory Speech
  • Add artifacts to their Portfolio Section 1: Foundations of Speaking
STANDARDS
  • SL.1: Collaborative discussions & peer coaching
  • SL.4: Clear, purposeful presentation
  • SL.6: Adapting language & delivery for audience
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
  1. What makes a speaker effective and engaging?
  2. How do voice and body work together to convey meaning?
  3. Why does audience awareness matter?
  4. How can a portfolio show growth over time?
PORTFOLIO CONNECTIONS (Unit 1 Requirements)
Students must add the following artifacts to their portfolio during Unit 1:
Unit 1 Portfolio Artifacts
  • Baseline Delivery Diagnostic
  • Notes/observations from group activities
  • Draft + Final versions of Introductory Speech
  • Peer Coaching Sheets
  • Unit 1 Reflection
  • Teacher rubric from the Introductory Speech
Portfolio checkpoints appear throughout this unit.

WEEK 1: DISCOVERING PUBLIC SPEAKING

DAY 1 — What Makes a Great Speaker? (Portfolio Entry #1 Begins)
Mini-Lesson:
  • What is rhetoric?
  • Introduction to ethos, pathos, logos
  • Characteristics of effective delivery
Group Activity: Speaker Detective
  1. Students watch 3–4 short speaker clips.
  2. In groups, identify strengths and weaknesses using:
    • Voice
    • Tone
    • Pacing
    • Engagement
    • Confidence
  3. Groups share insights.
Portfolio Integration (Artifact #1): Baseline Delivery Diagnostic
Students complete a self-assessment answering:
  • What are my current strengths as a speaker?
  • What makes me nervous about speaking?
  • What are my goals for this course?
This becomes the first page in their portfolio.

DAY 2 — Voice: Projection, Tone, Pacing, Clarity
Mini-Lesson:
  • Breath control
  • Volume vs. projection
  • Using pacing to create meaning
Group Activity: Emotion Orchestra
Students direct each other in reading neutral lines using emotional variations.
Portfolio Integration
Students add:
  • A one-paragraph summary of what they learned about their voice today
  • Their group’s “Emotion Notes Page”: how tone changed meaning.
DAY 3 — Nonverbal Communication: Body Language & Presence
Mini-Lesson:
  • Power stance, purposeful gestures
  • Eye contact triangles
  • Expressiveness without speaking
Group Activity: Silent Scenes Challenge
Groups act out scenes silently; observers decode the message.
Portfolio Integration
Students upload or paste their:
  • Observation notes from decoding scenes
  • A “Movement Reflection”:
    What gestures or movements felt most natural? Which felt awkward?
DAY 4 — Audience Awareness & Adaptation
Mini-Lesson:
  • Why audience matters
  • Matching tone to purpose
  • Choosing appropriate vocabulary and energy
Group Activity: Same Message, New Audience
Groups rework a short persuasive message for wildly different audiences.
Portfolio Integration
Students add:
  • Their rewritten message versions
  • A short explanation:
    How does changing the audience change the delivery?
DAY 5 — Peer Coaching Circles: First Attempts at Speaking
Mini-Lesson:
  • How to give constructive feedback
  • “Glow and Grow” feedback stems
Group Activity: Coaching Circles
Students deliver 30–45 second mini-introductions to peers.
Portfolio Integration
Students add:
  • Two Peer Coaching Sheets they received
  • One sheet they gave (evidence of SL.1 collaboration)
  • A short revision plan:
    Based on feedback, what will I adjust for my Introductory Speech?

WEEK 2: CREATING & REHEARSING THE INTRODUCTORY SPEECH
DAY 6 — Managing Nervousness (Portfolio Reflection Work)
Mini-Lesson:
  • Why nerves exist
  • Mind-body strategies to calm anxiety
  • Reframing nervousness as excitement
Group Activity: Embarrassment Olympics
Fun, low-stakes performance tasks to reduce fear.
Portfolio Integration
Students write a short reflection:
Which fear-reduction strategy worked best for me today? Why?
DAY 7 — Organizing a Speech: Hooks, Structure, Flow
Mini-Lesson:
  • Hook types
  • Clear message statements
  • Strong conclusions
Group Activity: Hook Factory
Groups create multiple hooks for assigned topics.
Portfolio Integration
  • Students select 1–2 hooks to use in their speech draft.
  • Add their “Hook Sheet” to the portfolio.
DAY 8 — Drafting the Introductory Speech
Mini-Lesson:
  • Writing for the ear
  • Conversational tone vs. formal writing
  • Using stories effectively
Group Activity: Line-Swap Workshop
Students exchange lines from their draft and revise based on feedback.
Portfolio Integration
  • Draft #1 of Introductory Speech
  • Notes from peers
  • A revision reflection:
    What changes did I make, and why?
DAY 9 — Rehearsals: Delivery Practice
Mini-Lesson:
  • Effective practice strategies
  • Timing & pacing
  • How to rehearse without memorizing
Group Activity: Speed Rehearsals
Students practice repeatedly with rotating partners.
Portfolio Integration
Students add a Practice Log Entry:
  • What they worked on
  • What still needs improvement
  • Final changes they plan to make

DAY 10 — Introductory Speech Showcase
Assessment:
Students deliver their 1–2 minute Introductory Speech.
Portfolio Integration: Final Steps for Unit 1
Students add:
✔ Final Speech Manuscript
✔ Speech Rubric (graded)
✔ Self-Reflection (Unit 1 Reflection)
Unit 1 Reflection Prompt
  1. How did your speaking confidence change during Unit 1?
  2. What delivery choices improved the most?
  3. Which group activity helped your growth the most?
  4. Compare your Baseline Diagnostic to now—what’s different?
  5. What goals will you set for Unit 2?
This completed set of artifacts becomes Portfolio Section 1: Foundations of Speaking.
​The following activities include AI tools that enhance student engagement, provide data-driven insights, and facilitate personalized learning. 
​GROUP ACTIVITY 1: Delivery Diagnostics with Clip Interrogator
AI Tool: Clip Interrogator (HuggingFace) or similar speech-to-text + analysis tool
Purpose: Build awareness of delivery habits through machine-generated descriptive feedback.
Procedure
  1. Record a short 30–45 second introductory speech using any classroom-safe recording tool.
  2. Upload to Clip Interrogator (or comparable speech-analysis model).
  3. Students receive an AI-generated descriptive breakdown summarizing:
    • Vocal tone
    • Perceived emotion
    • Tempo and clarity
    • Physical cues (if video input is used)
  4. In small groups, students compare their AI summaries and discuss:
    • What the AI detected accurately
    • What seemed incorrect
    • How these insights can improve delivery
Portfolio Integration
Students add:
  • The AI-generated descriptive output
  • A reflection on what matched or did not match their self-perception
  • One delivery goal based on the AI’s analysis


INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY 1: Confidence Coaching with Replika (AI Companion)
AI Tool: Replika or Woebot (AI emotional coaching assistant)
Purpose: Reduce communication anxiety and practice emotional regulation before a speech.
Procedure
  1. Students privately interact with Replika and complete a short coaching session on social anxiety or confidence-building.
  2. They ask the AI for personalized strategies on calming nerves, tone management, or posture during speaking.
  3. Students test one recommended strategy during an in-class micro-presentation.
Portfolio Integration
Students add:
  • A written summary of the strategy they used
  • Notes on how effective it was during practice
  • A confidence rating before and after the activity


GROUP ACTIVITY 2: Voice Projection Lab with Play.ht
AI Tool: Play.ht (AI text-to-speech generator)
Purpose: Compare student delivery to AI-generated “ideal” projection and pacing.
Procedure
  1. Groups write a shared 30-second script.
  2. Each student reads the script aloud.
  3. The script is also fed into Play.ht to generate several different AI voice versions (calm, energetic, authoritative).
  4. Groups compare:
    • Their volume vs. the AI’s
    • Pacing differences
    • Use of emphasis
    • Clarity of articulation
Portfolio Integration
Each student selects one AI voice model and writes:
  • What they want to emulate
  • What they want to avoid
  • A small practice plan


INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY 2: Eye Contact Training with Adobe Express Video Coach
AI Tool: Adobe Express Video Coach (AI-based presenter feedback)
Purpose: Improve eye contact, facial expression, and camera presence.
Procedure
  1. Students record themselves delivering a 20–30 second introduction.
  2. Upload the video to Adobe Express Video Coach or a similar tool with AI presenter analysis.
  3. The AI provides specific feedback such as:
    • Time spent looking away
    • Expression consistency
    • Engagement cues
Portfolio Integration
Students add:
  • Their AI feedback report
  • A revised recording
  • A short reflection comparing the two videos


GROUP ACTIVITY 3: Gesture Mapping with Luma AI
AI Tool: Luma AI Motion Capture
Purpose: Analyze gestures and physical communication through AI motion visualization.
Procedure
  1. Students perform a short speech in front of a mobile device.
  2. Luma AI processes the recording and creates a simple motion-capture model of the speaker’s gestures.
  3. In groups, students review and compare gesture patterns:
    • Underuse
    • Overuse
    • Repetitive motions
    • Effective emphasis
Portfolio Integration
Students add a “gesture map” screenshot plus notes identifying one gesture pattern to improve.


INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY 3: Tone Experimentation with ElevenLabs Voice Lab
AI Tool: ElevenLabs Voice Lab
Purpose: Help students explore emotional tone and vocal variation.
Procedure
  1. Students type or paste a short line from their upcoming speech into ElevenLabs.
  2. They generate several tone variants (encouraging, formal, passionate, humorous).
  3. Students rehearse saying the line using three different tones inspired by the AI output.
  4. They evaluate which tone fits their speech purpose and audience.
Portfolio Integration
Students add:
  • A tone comparison chart
  • Their final tone choice with justification


GROUP ACTIVITY 4: Collaborative Rhetorical Analysis with Perplexity AI
AI Tool: Perplexity AI (AI research and summarization tool)
Purpose: Introduce rhetorical analysis by examining real speeches.
Procedure
  1. Groups select a famous speech.
  2. They upload the text or link into Perplexity AI.
  3. The AI summarizes:
    • The speech’s main idea
    • The speaker’s purpose
    • Key rhetorical moves
  4. Groups cross-check the AI’s analysis with their own manual observations to evaluate reliability.
Portfolio Integration
Students add a two-column chart:
  • What the AI noticed
  • What the group noticed
  • A comparison on accuracy


INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY 4: Personalized Delivery Coach with ChatGPT (Voice Mode)
AI Tool: ChatGPT Voice Mode or ChatGPT Presenter Coach
Purpose: Provide tailored feedback on pacing, clarity, delivery, and organization.
Procedure
  1. Students rehearse part of their introductory speech aloud to ChatGPT.
  2. They ask for specific feedback:
    • Am I speaking too quickly?
    • Where should I pause?
    • How can I make my introduction more engaging?
  3. ChatGPT generates personalized coaching suggestions.
Portfolio Integration
Students include:
  • A transcript or summary of coaching
  • Their revised script section


GROUP ACTIVITY 5: Delivery Style Matching with YouTube Transcript Analyzer
AI Tool: YouTube Transcript Analyzer (AI keyword + delivery pattern detection)
Purpose: Compare student delivery to professional speakers.
Procedure
  1. Groups choose the transcript of a TED Talk or other professional speech.
  2. The AI tool analyzes:
    • Frequency of pauses
    • Repeated phrases
    • Word choice and pacing patterns
  3. Groups then compare these metrics to their own speech transcripts (generated by ChatGPT or Whisper AI).
Portfolio Integration
Students add:
  • A chart comparing themselves to a professional speaker
  • A reflection on the gap and how to close it


INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY 5: Script Clarity and Simplification with GrammarlyGO
AI Tool: GrammarlyGO (AI-enhanced editing)
Purpose: Improve the clarity and readability of early speech drafts.
Procedure
  1. Students paste a rough draft of their introductory speech into GrammarlyGO.
  2. They review suggestions for:
    • Conciseness
    • Clarity
    • Sentence pacing
  3. Students accept or reject edits and justify their decisions.
Portfolio Integration
Students add:
  • A screenshot of GrammarlyGO feedback
  • A before-and-after comparison paragraph
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