8th Grade Promotion Speech Guidelines
- PURPOSE
- Think back on middle school
- Thank/acknowledge influential people
- Inspire others for the future
- AUDIENCE
- All other 8th grade students
- Teachers
- Administration of CCMS
- Administration of district
- Family and friends
- DELIVERY
- 2 – 3 minutes
- Speak loudly, slowly, and clearly
- Speak,DON’TREAD from your paper
- Use “we,” not “I,” except for on occasion – this is not an autobiography!
- WRITING PROCESS
- Ways to organize (these may be combined):
1)By time (6th – 7th – 8th – high school)
2)By theme (e.g., “new things”, “friendship”, “learning about life”, “determination”, etc.)
3)With a metaphor (e.g., journey, river, trip, adventure, time travel, dance, seed and tree, etc.)
4)Poem, Rap, Singing… think outside the box.
- You do not need to hand in a written speech. Your grade will be based on the content and delivery during the speech itself.
- If your teacher recommends you and you agree, you may enter a contest for giving the speech as part of promotion activities.
--TURN OVER --
Speech Writing and Speech Delivery
❖Speak as if you are on the stage at promotion
❖The audience will include the entire 8th grade class, many parents and relatives of 8th grade students, the Culver City school board, CCMS administration, all 8th grade teachers.
❖Two to three minutes maximum length
❖Welcome parents, faculty, friends, and students and/or Catchy Introduction.
❖Life at CCMS- general information, not just about you
❖All positive (do not bash on a teacher.)
❖Humor when appropriate, Well Organized, Conclusion
❖Extemporaneous speeches are not accepted. You must write a speech and practice it. I will not collect your written speech or notes.
❖You may use notes while you present. Do not read your speech; speak your speech.
❖Give eye-contact to the group (look up most of the time) and stand up straight!
❖Advice for Future, Rules for Life, a Metaphor for Life, or some other organizing structure.
❖IDEAS: use an extended metaphor, lines from a favorite song, make it like a little story, write a rap or a poem
❖Ideas for metaphors: cooking, computers, video game, a play, family, surfing, skateboarding, ways of communicating, painting, making a book, building, a trip, science, space travel, a movie, mythology, bicycling, snorkeling, cheerleading, basketball, football, baseball, soccer, music
❖One way to organize: Part of the speech about the past, part about the present moment of promotion, part about the future
Name:Period :Date:
Rubric for Promotion Speech
CONTENT ______(50 Points Possible)
❖Welcome parents, faculty, friends, and students and/or Catchy Introduction.
❖Life at C.C.M.S- general information, not just about you; all positive(do not bash on a teacher.)
❖Advice for Future, Rules for Life, Metaphor for Life
❖Humor when appropriate, Well Organized, Conclusion,
❖Overall Organization.
Grading Scale
50-45 A// 44-40 B// 39-35 C // 34-30 D // 29-F
DELIVERY______(50 Points Possible)
❖Tone, Volume, Posture, Eye Contact,Voice Modulation, Gestures
❖Enthusiasm, Proper Speed, Avoid use of fillers (“Ah”, “Um”,”You Know”)
❖Proper Length (2-4 minutes)
Grading Scale
50-45 A// 44-40 B// 39-35 C // 34-30 D // 29-F
Grade ______(100 points possible)
Name:Period:Date:
Rubric for Promotion Speech
CONTENT ______(50 Points Possible)
❖Welcome parents, faculty, friends, and students and/or Catchy Introduction.
❖Life at C.C.M.S- general information, not just about you; all positive(do not bash on a teacher.)
❖Advice for Future, Rules for Life, Metaphor for Life
❖Humor when appropriate, Well Organized, Conclusion,
❖Overall Organization.
Grading Scale
50-45 A// 44-40 B// 39-35 C // 34-30 D // 29-F
DELIVERY______(50 Points Possible)
❖Tone, Volume, Posture, Eye Contact, Voice Modulation, Gestures
❖Enthusiasm, Proper Speed, Avoid use of fillers (“Ah”, “Um”,”You Know”)
❖Proper Length (2-4 minutes)
Grading Scale
50-45 A// 44-40 B// 39-35 C // 34-30 D // 29-F
Grade ______(100 points possible)
STUDENT:TEACHER:
Morr
Verge
Richardson
Thomasson
Other / CONTENT
Appropriate for promotion, positive, inspirational, funny, original, creative, proper length, other / DELIVERY
Eye contact, voice modulation, proper volume, enthusiasm, smile, gestures, other / VENUE SUGGESTIONS
❖Promotion
❖Awards Assembly
❖Intercom
Score 1-10
(10 being best)
STUDENT:
TEACHER:
Morr
Verge
Richardson
Thomasson
Other / CONTENT
Appropriate for promotion, positive, inspirational, funny, original, creative, proper length, other / DELIVERY
Eye contact, voice modulation, proper volume, enthusiasm, smile, gestures, other / VENUE SUGGESTIONS
❖Promotion
❖Awards Assembly
❖Intercom
Score 1-10
(10 being best)
STUDENT:
TEACHER:
Morr
Verge
Richardson
Thomasson
Other / CONTENT
Appropriate for promotion, positive, inspirational, funny, original, creative, proper length, other / DELIVERY
Eye contact, voice modulation, proper volume, enthusiasm, smile, gestures, other / VENUE SUGGESTIONS
❖Promotion
❖Awards Assembly
❖Intercom
Score 1-10
(10 being best)
CREATIVE SPEECH EXAMPLE
Hasta la vista, baby!
We get up early,
Throw ourselves into the hurly-burly,
Go to school every day,
Most classes are okay,
Sometimes no clue what to do,
Don’t forget your P.E. shoes.
Between bells the hallway is a zoo.
In history we learn about the Sioux.
Teach us something new.
The Land Lady in our nightmares,
Accepting our friends’ dares,
Turning pages in class,
Counting as the minutes pass,
Test days,
Grade craze,
What is a verb phrase?
Running the cross-country course,
Reading about gravitational force,
English language from the Norse.
To the office, to the nurse,
Culver is so diverse.
Meeting people every year,
Shouting out like Paul Revere,
Friends on the black top,
Fun and games never stop.
Capri-suns at the student store,
Hiding gummies in a drawer.
Freedom, we want some more.
Dress code,
Staying in mode,
Shoes can’t be open-toed,
Huge homework load,
Brain’s gonna explode.
At 2:20 we hear the last bell,
Finally able to exhale,
Meeting with friends after school,
Oh, don’t we think we’re cool.
Girls sharing lotion in the locker room,
At lunch loud speakers boom,
Always playing a popular tune.
Ginkgo trees on campus grounds,
Rustling fall leave sounds,
People yelling YOLO,
That one kid who walks solo,
Going home to play Halo.
Spanish and Japanese,
The need to always please.
Don’t tease.
A pipe break on the black top,
But shooting hoops never stop,
Parents bringing lunch drops.
Sick kids with cough drops.
Monotony of state testing,
Heads on tables resting.
Got a three on the stamp sheet,
Feeling like chopped meat,
Surviving the week is no easy feat.
As sixth graders we were lost,
Piling into the Robert Frost,
Watching our peers perform,
Writing our own cuneiform,
Going through puberty,
Looking at the other sex peculiarly,
Little advances seem newsworthy.
Last year was a blur,
The summer we did prefer,
Relaxing over holiday breaks,
Back to school free of aches,
Teachers that care so much,
Friends for an emotional crutch,
As if they have the Midas touch.
Band plays,
Longer days,
Going our own ways,
In class essays,
Want to escape the awkward phase.
We’ve finally reached the finish line,
Magic Mountain at nighttime,
An experience so sublime,
But this is not the end,
High school just around the bend.
So, we’ll be together once again,
Life in the fast lane.
Trying to remain sane,
No telling what’s ahead,
But there’s nothing I’d rather do instead.
Each of us growing and exploring,
Devouring,
The future we’re scouring.
Challenges towering.
No cowering.
Just remember what middle school taught you,
Cause high school is no déjà vu,
It’s totally new,
Step into a bigger shoe,
And do just as you do.