Course Syllabus

Syllabus Speech 1

University of Missouri

Welcome

Welcome to Speech 1! We are so glad you’re here in our Mizzou Academy high school speech course! Being able to clearly express your ideas and be heard matters. This is because you matter. You have important things to say and we want to hear them.

 

In Speech 1, you will learn the basics of verbal and nonverbal communication and practice delivering a clear message to an audience.  You will review the basics of speech writing and construction. You will deliver a variety of speeches, each with different goals, such as informing, persuading, and entertaining. Your speech performances  will be different lengths, have different requirements, and some will incorporate visual aids. 

 

The first half of Speech 1 will cover basic terminology and deeply explore verbal and nonverbal communication strategies. There will be two major assignments in the first half of speech one. The first will be a verbal reading demonstration after Lesson 3, where you will creatively interpret and read a text out loud. The second assignment will be the Midterm speech performance, where you will tell your classmates about spectacular travel destinations around the world. 

 

The second half of Speech 1 will reinforce the concepts from the first half of the course and expand upon those skills by introducing rhetorical persuasion, the use of visual aids, and building up to a 2 to 4 minute speech where you will demonstrate a topic of your choice. 

 

By the end of Speech 1, you will have gained an awareness of many strategies to set you up for public speaking success for years to come! We hope you have a great time in Speech 1 and hope you will continue on through Speech 2!

Course Overview

Speech 1 is a performance-based course that introduces students to the tools and skills of successful communication. Through engagement and practice, Speech 1 will guide students as they express their thoughts and feelings effectively for a public speaking environment. Students will create and utilize skills in written, verbal and nonverbal communication with intentionality. Speech 1 provides an introductory experience into the art and science of clear communication, encouraging and empowering students to communicate with various audiences in different situations. Students will practice and develop techniques to create and deliver informative, persuasive and entertaining speeches and to communicate their ideas in our global conversation.

Course Objectives

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

  • control verbal communication with intentionality
  • control nonverbal communication with intentionality
  • deliver an appropriately-structured and audience-centered speech
  • engage appropriately with a text and with a template
  • plan and structure an effective presentation
  • develop and engage effective listening and feedback strategies
  • develop topic and content ideas from prompts
  • work with and overcome fear of public speaking
  • express themselves clearly, with confidence and power, in a variety of speaking situations

Pacing

This course can be completed in as few as six weeks or take up to 6 months (180 calendar days). The six weeks are counted from the date of the first lesson submission and not the date of enrollment.

Required Materials

During the course of the semester, students will need to have the following items available to them.  It is up to the instructor whether students will buy their own supplies or if the school will keep these things on hand for students:

 

  • Notebook and pen/pencil for taking notes
  • Poster board or butcher paper or any large paper that could be used for cue cards
  • Index cards
  • Colored markers or colored pencils
  • Post-it notes
  • A means of video recording speeches (students may use their cell phones, or you may prefer to have a video camera, tripod, and microphone in the classroom for student use)

Technical Requirements

The most up-to-date requirements can be found here: 

Additional requirements for the course are below: 

  • audio and video recording capabilities (e.g. smartphone, camera)

Accessibility

If you anticipate barriers related to the format or requirements of this course, please let Mizzou Academy know as soon as possible. If disability-related accommodations are necessary (for example, a scribe, reader, extended time on exams, captioning), please contact Mizzou Academy.

Grades

Your final grade will be based on the number of points you earn on assignments and exams.

You will be able to see your exam percentage in the "Exams" column in your gradebook.

The following grading scale applies only to students who meet this standard:

Grading Scale
Grade Percentage
A 90–100
B 80–89
C 70–79
D 60–69
F 0–59

After completing the course, unofficial transcripts will be available in the Tiger Portal. See this page for information on requesting official transcripts. 

Canvas and Technical Support

Canvas will be used as the primary platform for accessing course materials and assignments for this class.