Instructions for "Show and Tell" -- grade 8's

Drama 8:

Here are your instructions for the "Show and Tell" presentation.  We will be presenting these speeches in the last week of January.

1.  Choose an item that is able to generate two minutes of engaging, interesting material.  Tell a story that relates to the item (something like when you tell stories for the question of the day).  The story should be something that the audience can relate to.  If you are interested and enthusiastic about the item, the audience will catch your enthusiasm and enjoy your speech.  Any item that is acceptable at school is fine for your speech.  If you would like to speak about a pet or about something valuable and you don't feel comfortable bringing it to school, a photograph or a drawing is fine.

2.  Start with a question ("Have you ever been lost in a foreign city?") or a quote ("neither a borrower nor a lender be") or a joke ("when a frog's car breaks down, it gets 'toad' away") to get the audience's attention.  End with a conclusion -- this is the lesson you learned, or why you decided to share the story, or what you would like the audience to take away from your speech.  Do not start your speech with "so".  Do not end with "yeah".  You don't need to introduce yourself.  We know you.

3.  When you are planning and practicing your speech, make sure you have two minutes of material.  It should not be less than two minutes and should not be a lot longer than two minutes.

4.  When you are practicing, make sure you speak clearly and project your voice.  Ask someone to listen to your speech and tell you honestly if they can hear and understand you.  Do not speak too quickly and think about being still -- do not move unless you have planned it.  Pacing and repetitive gestures can be distracting to your audience.

5.  When you are presenting your speech, be sure to make eye contact with the audience.  It is fine to have notes or cue cards to help you stay on track, but you need to look at the people in the crowd from time to time to make them feel like you are sharing something important to them.  Let us see that you are enjoying telling us your story.

Any questions?  Let me know.  Kristian can really help you, too.