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Middle School Speech Therapy Activities: 10 Best Picks

Shannon November 8, 2021 Leave a Comment

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Middle school (and high school) speech therapy activities can be hard to find, but I’ve got you!

Middle school has a mixed reputation. I know some SLPs are intimidated by teenage attitudes, or aren’t sure what to work on once the basics have been covered. Some of these middle schoolers and high schoolers have been in speech therapy for a long time and are just. over. it.

A lot of students are dismissed before middle school and high school, so there are fewer secondary SLPs out there, but I have found them to be a special bunch.

I’ve talked about the pros and cons of working in middle school speech therapy , but in the end, I loved working with these kids!

If you already count yourself as one of the lucky SLPs who get to work with secondary students, check out my top 10 middle school (and high school) speech therapy activities, tools, and materials!

#1: Graphic novels

Whoever popularized graphic novels in the past 15 years deserves a solid high five!

Graphic novels are absolutely the best for engaging students, especially reluctant readers, with a highly visual reading experience.

The best part is that so many popular tween/teen book series now have graphic novel adaptations. Our kids with reading problems can be reading the same books as their peers in a scaffolded way.

If you’re a wordless picture book fan , you will love graphic novels because they also provide so many opportunities for inferencing based on the illustrations.

And have you heard of Toon Books and Toon Graphics? They are graphic novels written specifically to facilitate literacy skills. Plus, their website has a Teacher’s Guide for every book they write, containing lots of lesson planning ideas linked to ELA Common Core requirements!! I’ve been able to find some Toon Books at my local library.

#2: Online Tools

There are some really great free tools online to get the most out of your materials.

Rewordify allows you to copy and paste text into their online tool. When you submit your text, they will return a simpler version by reducing the complexity of sentences and vocabulary. This could be a perfect tool for working on creating and breaking down compound and complex sentences, or working on semantic skills such as synonyms/antonyms and vocabulary in context.

The Academic Word Finder from Achieve the Core enables you to copy and paste text into their tool, select your desired grade level, and it will find tier 2 vocabulary words in that text on, below, and above grade level. There are also example sentences provided, which are perfect for practicing vocabulary strategies !

#3: Free Non-Fiction Articles!

So we have some great tools to use once we have text, but where do we get the text?

Middle and high school tend to leave behind fictional stories and narratives and have a greater focus on expository and non-fiction comprehension. Our students have learned to read (hopefully, but maybe are still struggling!) and now they need to read to learn.

Two really great resources for non-fiction articles are NewsELA and ReadWorks . Both websites are free to use and they include constantly updated articles on topics that kids are interested in.

NewsELA is great for current events articles. Actually, my favorite feature of NewsELA is that you can adjust the reading level of the articles. If your students are struggling readers, you can give them a text at or below their reading level so you’re only working on one skill at a time! There are comprehension quizzes that go along with the articles, so some of your therapy is already done for you!

ReadWorks articles are about a variety of topics. You can find articles about students’ personal interests, or ones that complement something they are learning in the classroom. Some articles are labelled as “StepReads,” which also provide multiple reading levels for one article. Articles include target vocabulary and comprehension questions. Some articles focus on a specific skill, like inferencing, that you can filter through in your search! ReadWorks also has lesson plans focusing on certain skills, such as cause and effect, main idea/theme, etc. They are targeted for kids K-6th grade, but many of them can be used to set the stage with your older students as well.

#4: Curriculum

SLPs are in the schools to support kids with their education! What better way to do that than to use curriculum materials?

Now, in middle school and high school, our students are taking 8 different subjects with 8 different teachers, so it might be hard to track down curriculum materials.

The good news is, more and more teachers are storing information and curriculum links online. Sometimes just asking a teacher if you can join their Google classroom will help you stay on top of the curriculum without having to continually beg the teacher.

Sure, you can use Language Arts materials, but science is also full of rich opportunities for vocabulary and describing. Math word problems are a challenge for kids with language impairments!

I know some districts use tools such as News2You , which contains news articles with supports for students with complex learning needs. Some life skills classrooms might use Kids A-Z for their reading instruction.

Find out what the teachers are using and steal it! (It’s actually not even stealing, it’s just being an awesome SLP and supporting your students where they need it).

You’re not teaching them the material. You are using material they are already familiar with to explicitly teach skills to help improve their language abilities.

#5: YouTube videos

Even though virtually every middle schooler and high schooler is on YouTube daily, they still can’t get enough of it. Here is a really easy way for buy in – find and use YouTube videos in speech therapy!

Whether you are using Pixar short films for social emotional learning or using a video to kick off comparing and contrasting, there are an overwhelming number of motivating and engaging videos online.

Check out my list on Pinterest with over 200 ideas for short films to use in speech therapy .

#6: Science experiments and cooking

The time for crafts is probably over for this group, but hands-on learners might still appreciate the occasional science experiment or cooking activity!

For science experiments, I like Science Bob , which provides downloadable PDFs with a few visual steps included for many of their experiments. They all include a video model too if that helps.

Prepping science projects for speech therapy can be a little more work, but if you’re struggling with engagement, I recommend giving this a try!

#7: Games (sort of)

I’ve talked before about judiciously using board games in speech therapy . With the right purpose and goal in mind, they can be effective tools.

Quick games like Uno or Bounce Off are decent for a little bit more fun during drill type therapy sessions.

In middle school, specifically, I’ve used Superfight as well as Hedbanz and 20 Questions with success.

But in general, I don’t use a lot of games because in middle school, it’s time to get down to business.

Which is why I like to use….

#8: Counters

Some of the activities and tools on this list are a little elaborate, but for your artic kids, all you really need is a word list and a tally counter. There are some materials that just work for just about any kid at any age .

If older kids are still working on articulation in the upper grades, they’ve probably been working on these sounds for a long time! We need to make sure that they are aware of their correct and incorrect productions and get as many of those good productions in as possible. And the best way I’ve found to do this is by giving them the counter and try to get as high as you can.

Simple, yet effective!

#9: A solid oral mech exam

And on that note, if you have kids who have been working on the same artic goals for years, especially goals like /s/, /z/, “sh,” “ch,” and “dg,” and maybe even /r/, sit them down for a solid oral mech exam.

A lot of families are looking into orthodontic work at this age and it’s worth investigating if there are any potentially complicating oral structures that have been holding them back for years.

It’s really frustrating to be working and working and not see progress and we owe it to our students to take another peek.

If this sounds dangerously like oral motor controversy, or if you want to learn more, check out Char Boshart’s free Perfect Oral Storm article or podcast here .

#10: Speechy Musings Products

And of course, I have to tell you about my favorite activities/materials/tools, which are the Speechy Musings line of materials ! (it is my blog, after all! :D)

I design all of my products to be clean (not cutesy!), with well-described, systematic, strategy-based instruction. The middle school speech therapy materials and activities I listed above are great to reinforce, but we have to make sure that we are explicitly teaching our students first, then practicing what we’ve learned (even SLPs can benefit from first, then statements sometimes!)

Nobody is working on the goal “NAME will complete Speechy Musings One Sheet Vocabulary worksheets with 80% accuracy.” (At least not that I know of, but if someone was, it would be kinda awesome, but also probably not the best goal and maybe we should talk about effective goals ).

But, the strategies in my products will build up skills, which should be reinforced in other settings and with other materials. Set a strong foundation and it’s ok if you can’t move on quickly. Just make sure each individual student progresses at their pace and with their needed supports.

My Middle School Speech Therapy Starter Kit 2.0 includes a nice sampler of middle school speech therapy activities and materials to really get started (including the complex sentence materials shown above!).

I wish you all the best when working with this unique and rewarding group of individuals! And I would love to hear what is working for you in your secondary speech sessions too!

About the Author

Shannon is a pediatric SLP and the creator behind Speechy Musings. As an SLP, she is most passionate about language, literacy, and AAC. Outside of being an SLP, she loves hiking, camping, dogs, and travel.

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20+ Engaging Middle School Speech Therapy Activities

Middle school speech therapy activities can be engaging AND educational. Read about five activities to engage your secondary students in speech therapy sessions.

Working with middle school students can be a blast! It can also be very challenging. I’ve had some of my most meaningful sessions with middle school students, but also my hardest. Middle school is hard…but working with middle school students in speech therapy sessions doesn’t have to be . 

The great thing about (most) speech and language goals and sessions is that there isn’t a certain curriculum you have to follow. You likely have the opportunity to be flexible and choose the topics you’re going to cover so long as you can tie in their goals. This allows you to engage with students a little more easily than someone like their social studies teacher can (though I had some pretty great ones). 

Continue reading to see five ways to engage middle school speech therapy students and 20+ activities you can use in your speech therapy sessions.

5 Ways to Engage Middle School Speech Therapy Students

1.get to know your students and their interests.

This sounds simple, but taking the time to focus on building rapport with your students can be really helpful for increasing engagement and motivation. By learning about some of their hobbies or interests, you can show them that you have an interest in them , and you can incorporate some of these interests into your session plans. 

I have zero to no interest in video games, but many of my middle school students love them. As they mention certain games, I mentally make notes about their names and try to find ways to incorporate them, or video games in general, into sessions. We have read articles about a video game engineer before and played a video game version of Wordle . 

This also goes for other hobbies or interests: movies, sports, games, music, and more. 

Ask Leading Questions:

It can be hard to even figure out what your students’ interests are, so asking leading questions can be helpful. Instead of asking, “What’s your hobby?,” you can ask Would You Rather…? questions to get some insight into what they like. You may ask, “Would you rather win tickets to a [insert popular local sports team] game or [insert popular band/singer]?,” or “Would you rather join the skateboarding club, Dungeons and Dragons club, or another type of club after school?”

Use AI Systems:

Using ChatGPT or other AI systems can also help create tailored content as well. For example, if you have students who have niche interests, you can use these AI models to create reading passages or questions related to these interests in literally seconds . You could search, “Create a short fiction passage for middle schoolers about the trains in Europe with accompanying comprehension” and voila, you have your content ready for your session! 

2.Provide task/activity options

Providing options can help middle schoolers feel a greater sense of control or ownership in what they are doing. There are many ways to provide simple options to increase engagement during their speech therapy sessions. 

Topic Options:

If your session activity is related to reading comprehension, try to provide multiple options with different topics. For example, find 2-3 different passages, and ask them which one they would like to read. 

Expressive Options:

If you are working on expressive goals, try to provide different options for how they express themselves. If they love drawing, see if they can draw a summary of a story (and then verbally explain what they drew and why 😉). If they like to write poetry, they can try to write a poem using coordinating conjunctions.

Session Options:

If you have two or more different activities you are planning on doing in your session, ask your students which one they would like to do first. 

3.Utilize technology

The vast majority of middle school students love technology. Harnessing that preference while incorporating goals is a great way to build engagement in students.

Wordless videos:

Watching wordless videos and animated shorts are some of our favorite ways to target a variety of skills. Check out some of our top videos we like to use during sessions. We also have wordless video companions inside our Open Community (1-pager) and Premium Community (lengthier packets). 

In addition to watching and discussing wordless videos, they can be expanded on by:

• Researching real-life connections: Catch It is about meerkats; learn about meerkats and the environment they live in. Pip is about guide dogs; read about what they do in real life. 
• Creating your own ending: Come up with an alternative ending or think about what might happen after the video ends. 

There is a lot of great educational content on YouTube, though I recommend screening videos ahead of time. Keep scrolling to see some great educational channels. You can also find sports highlight videos on YouTube. 

Speech-to-Text:

Use Siri or other speech-to-text instruments to look up information on search engines (e.g., Google) can be used for speech sound generalization. Articulation must be fairly accurate in order for the speech-to-text to display accurate results, which can be motivating for students who are having difficulty with generalization. I have used speech-to-text instruments to look up when movies are coming out to theaters, when the next NBA game is, or when a certain current event (e.g., Daylight Savings) is happening. 

4.Play games

Simple games can help increase engagement without taking too much time away from the learning content. For students with articulation goals, they may have to complete X trials before they take their next turn. For language goals that are not always as straightforward, you may take a turn or two in a game after reading or listening to two paragraphs (part of the language target). It may seem simple to you - but it can make a big difference in engagement. 

It can also be fun to up the ante with games. For example, the winner of a quick round of Tic Tac Toe may get to choose the reading passage, or the loser of the card game War round has to answer the next question in the question set.  

5. Encourage self-reflection

Self-reflection can help students think about their engagement and stay engaged over many sessions. Asking a few simple questions at the beginning and/or end of each session can help students better understand why they are spending their time in the session. 

Self-Reflection Questions:

How do you rate today’s session (1-5)?, Why do you rate it that way?, What did you do well today?, What could you improve on next time?, Bonus: goal-specific questions (e.g., What comprehension strategy did you find helpful today?)

These self-reflection sheets ( and all of our other resources ) are accessible inside our Premium Community . 

Bonus: Understand your students might just not be “having it” that day

Middle school can be tough. Sometimes, a student is having a rough day due to circumstances beyond your (and their) control. Think back to your middle school experiences: you probably had some rough days, where no matter what happened , you were not going to be super engaged in anything. This is likely going to happen to your students sometimes! Hopefully, it’s not a trend that continues for many weeks, but understanding that it’s common can be helpful if you feel like your sessions just didn’t go well. Using self-reflection tools (as mentioned above) can also provide some insights into students’ emotions and experiences. 

20+ Favorite Middle School Speech Therapy Activities

Find over 20 engaging middle school activities, with links when applicable. 

Tapping into interests

Articles/Reading Passages: About topics of their interest (e.g., anime, video games)

Facts and Opinions: About topics of their interest (e.g., “Lamar Jackson won the NFL MVP award this year” versus “Patrick Mahomes was robbed of the NFL MVP award this year.”)

Perspective Taking: About current events or special interests (e.g., Pros and cons of starting school at a later time ). 

Speech-to-Text: Search about preferred topics using accurate articulation

AI Systems: Create reading passages or questions about topics of interest

Playing games

Tic Tac Toe

Card games : War, Go Fish, Crazy 8s, etc.

Dominos : students can get creative and build things, or they can play the standard way and take turns

Reading passages 

Note: these are all free but some have paid premium options

K5 Learning  

NewsELA - Lite

Watching YouTube videos

Wordless videos and animated shorts

Nat Geo Kids

Virtual field trips

Sports highlights

Colossal Cranium

Student-friendly explanations about holidays or popular events, e.g., St. Patrick’s Day

Asking conversation questions

Would you rather…? Questions : related to hobbies, current events, special interests. Access some inside our Premium Community . 

Conversation starters: related to hobbies, current events, special interests

We hope you find new and engaging ways to work with your middle school students!

This post contains some affiliate links and we are (slightly) compensated if you use them, but all opinions are our own. We appreciate the support!

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The Ultimate Guide to Middle School Speech Therapy Activities

March 07, 2018 3 min read

The Ultimate Guide to Middle School Speech Therapy Activities provides Speech Language Pathologists a reference point for easily locating educational resources for older students.

Many children are able to master their speech goals in elementary school and no longer require therapy services. But all too often we have students that carry over and need additional support at middle or junior high school level.

It’s no secret that most of these kiddos would rather disappear into their seats rather than be called from class to go to speech therapy. So how do we as SLPs get them motivated enough to keep them excited and working towards their language goals?

We understand your struggle! It can be a nightmare trying to find engaging speech therapy resources for the “big kids”!

This guide is full of middle school speech therapy activities created especially for your “tween”-age students. You’ll find awesome products, a ton of SLP tips, and don’t forget to pick up your fabulous freebies!

Learn About Middle School School Speech Therapy Activities from Your Favorite SLP Bloggers

These tried and true tips and tricks from real SLPs will help you keep your junior high students engaged and excited to come to speech therapy. Who better to get advice from than those working in the field everyday?!

Top 5 Middle School Speech Therapy Activities: Games for Middle School

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Find Engaging Middle School Speech Therapy Activities at Your Favorite SLP Stores on TpT

Seeking out quality themed resources for older students can be very time consuming. We know that your schedule as an SLP is already full, so we’ve tried to find a little bit of something for everyone on your caseload. To help save even more of your precious time, many of these brilliant products are low prep or NO PREP at all!

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Screening Toolkit for Middle School

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And now for our favorite part…FREEBIES! That’s right! If you’re on the fence about purchasing a particular product or simply want to “try before you buy” this is your lucky day. Find fabulous freebies from your favorite SLPs on TpT. We’re sure you’ll find something you can use!

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Make sure to bookmark this page as we will be adding more awesome resources as we find them! We always love coming across a diamond in the rough, and we’re sure that you do to!

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20 Middle School Articulation Activities

October 25, 2023 //  by  Seda Unlucay

Keeping middle schoolers engaged during speech therapy practice can be quite a challenge. There are fewer targeted resources and heavier caseloads than with elementary students, making it all the more important to take a targeted approach and use your limited time effectively.

This thoughtfully curated collection of school-based speech therapy activities, articulation ideas, games, audio and video-based resources, and high-interest reading passages are designed to make your job easier while providing students with fun and engaging learning opportunities.

1. Practice Speech Sounds with a Football-Themed Game

Students can choose their own articulation words and compete to race them through the LEGO goalposts. The words can be adapted for different levels of difficulty while the kinesthetic aspect of this game encourages better memory and recall of the target vocabulary.

Learn More: Sweet Southern Speech

2. Articulation Students Bundle 

This collection includes various challenging phonemes such as L, S, and R blends. Students will be challenged to define each word, determine its category as a noun, verb, or adjective and use the word in a sentence, providing them with ample articulation practice.

Learn More: Speech Sprouts

3. Speech Therapy Articulation Activity

These 12 endangered animal passages have proven to be a hit with middle school students. The package features reading and listening comprehension questions drawn from real-world scenarios, designed to build language skills as well as articulation activities to practice target speech sounds.

Learn More: The Speech Owl

4. Try a Game to Ease Your Articulation Woes

Yeti in My Spaghetti is a super popular game and this creative twist on articulation is sure to be a hit. Every time students pronounce a word correctly, they can remove a noddle from the bowl without letting the Yeti fall in.

Learn More: Speech is Sweet

5. Make Paper Fortune Tellers for Middle School Speech Students

Fortune tellers are not only quick and easy to make, but they are also a hands-on way to get students involved in their learning. Why not adapt them for mixed articulation practice with words, phrases, and phonemic blends?

Learn More: Speech Blubs

6. Battleship Game to Practice Articulation in Speech Therapy

Battleship is a favorite game among students and this DIY version is easy to put together. Players practice saying any two targeted words as coordinates for their partner to guess. Unlike the original game, this version can be adapted as students progress with their learning goals.

Learn More: Sublime Speech

7. Articulation Placemat for Middle School Students

This simplified board game includes different target sounds, a tick-tack-toe board, a spinner, and a word list for each day. It’s a great way to reinforce in-school learning with fun, home-based practice.

Learn More: Blogspot

8. Word Mats Featuring a Complexity of Sentence Levels 

These challenging articulation worksheets are perfect for middle school speech therapy. They contain one-syllable and multi-syllable words and phrases and feature a wide variety of sentences for students to use the target sounds in a structured context.

Learn More: Twinkl

9. Favorite Articulation Activity for Middle School Grade Levels 

These vibrantly illustrated picture cards challenge students to describe similarities and differences between pairs of objects. They are an easy way to establish a conversational setting and encourage spontaneous speech and improve pronunciation skills. 

10. Try a  Digital Speech Blend FlipBook to Coach Students on Articulation

This online version of a speech flipbook is an interactive and compelling way to teach articulation, treat apraxia and dysarthria and develop phonological awareness. It’s easy to customize the content with your own word list items to reach specific articulation goals.

Learn More: Tactus Therapy

11. Articulation Stories and Daily Articles

This articulation activity bundle is perfect for middle school kids who can handle more sound practice per story. It features a data tracking sheet as well as a fun drawing portion with real photos. The series of concrete and abstract questions will challenge students to share their learning aloud and in words. 

Learn More: Speech Tea

12. Play a Ball Game for Articulation Practice Fun

Beach balls are a great, low-prep tool for adding movement to a speech therapy session and can be used to practice articulation, as well as phonology with target words and sentences. All you need is a sharpie and some space to move!

Learn More: Natalie Snyders

13. Read Articles on Topics of Interest to Students

This free online resource features a wide variety of interesting articles for students to choose from. Even better, the articles can be adapted to different grade levels and include comprehension questions to facilitate lively discussion.

Learn More: Newsela

14. Word Vault Pro App

This comprehensive app features picture flashcards, words, phrases, stories, and audio recordings organized by level of difficulty and concept. You can also add your own custom phrases, audio recordings, and pictures.

Learn More: Home Speech Home PLLC

15. Play a Speech and Language-Based Video Game

Video games can be more than just a source of entertainment for your learners because without knowing it they’ll also pick up on key speech and language skills. Invite them to play video games that are centered around practicing a language or allow them to play a multiplayer game where they’ll need to communicate with their teammates to win!

Learn More: English Club

16. Watch a Wordless Video to Teach Inferencing

Designed by an SLP, this series of engaging videos are a great way to develop articulation skills through retelling, sequencing, describing, and inferencing.

Learn More: Speech is Love

17.  Read and Discuss Middle School Literature 

Using a literature circle is one of the many ways that you can encourage your kids to discuss their favorite books in an exciting way. Simply split them into groups, have them read a specific section of their book before inviting them to discuss this section in their assigned groups.

Learn More: The Literacy Effect

18. Read and Discuss Kid-Friendly Articles from DOGO News

DOGO News features kid-friendly articles covering science, social studies, and current events. Students can read and listen to each article before sharing their thoughts, summarizing, or sequencing in order to get context-based articulation practice.

Learn More: Dogo News

19. Make and Narrarate Videos with Flip Grid

Middle school learners are sure to enjoy making their own videos and enhancing them with text, icons, and voiceovers. Why not have them read or retell a story, explain a tricky concept, or share a joke or riddle?

Learn More: Flip

20. Play a Game of Apples to Apples

Apples to Apples is an excellent game for middle school articulation practice as it emphasizes speech and vocabulary when making creative comparisons. You can adapt the game to target articulation, and fluency or specific parts of speech.

Learn More: Crazy Speech World

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5 Creative Parts of Speech Activities for Middle School

If you’re a middle school ELA teacher, you may be wondering why you still need to teach your students parts of speech. After all, wasn’t this something that was covered in elementary school? 

While it is true that parts of speech is often taught in elementary school, it is important for middle school students to continue to review and practice this skill. Having a strong understanding of the 8 different parts of speech is a crucial aspect of improving writing and communication skills.

Here are 5 activities for teaching the parts of speech to your middle school students.

1. Parts of Speech Escape Room

Using an escape room can be a fun and engaging way for middle school students to learn about using parts of speech. In a parts of speech escape room activity , students work together in teams and use their knowledge of the 8 parts of speech to complete puzzles and activities to escape.

For my parts of speech escape room , I like to set up 5 different classroom stations containing different tasks for students to complete. Each completed task reveals mystery words, codes, or sentences. Here’s how I set up my stations:

• In the first station, students read famous quotes that have one of the parts of speech highlighted. Students must properly label which part of speech is used in each quote.
• In the second station, students answer 10 multiple-choice questions that help them properly label parts of speech.
• For the third station, students read a sentence on a task card. Then, they need to determine how many examples there are of one of the parts of speech. They write the numbers into their answer booklet.
• In the fourth station, students sort sentences highlighting parts of speech under the proper part of speech. Then, they have to unscramble the letters on the cards.
• The final station has students decode an encryption based on hidden symbols they have to find throughout the game.

This interactive and collaborative activity can help students to better understand and remember the different parts of speech, as they are actively using them to solve problems and complete tasks. Using an escape room to teach parts of speech can be a memorable and effective way to help middle school students master this important skill.

2. Color By Part of Speech Mystery Image Activity

Another fun way to get students to practice parts of speech is with a hidden mystery pictures activity. For this activity, students are provided with a grid, and each box has a word that students must color based on what part of speech it is. Students will need to have a strong understanding of parts of speech to know which color to use where and to properly reveal the hidden picture.

I find this works especially well for review, as it helps students to solidify what they might already know but may have forgotten. I like to use two versions of this activity, in particular—one for Christmas and another for Easter .

3. Famous Parts of Speech Task Cards

Let’s be honest, learning parts of speech can be a little bit, well let’s say…dry. One way to make it more engaging for students is to get creative with what source text you when getting students to identify the 8 different parts of speech. For example, I like to use a collection of famous quotes for mine. 

I also get them up and moving around the classroom just to make it even much more engaging and memorable. Have your students circulate the room to find famous quotes task cards at different stations set up in the room. Each quote can have different parts of speech underlined/bolded. Here are a few famous quotes that I use:

• “A word is dead when it is said, some say. I say it just begins to live that day.” – Emily Dickinson (Adjective)
• “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” Albert Einstein  (Preposition)
• “I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity .” – Edgar Allan Poe (Noun)

As they go around the room and read the quotes, students will record which parts of speech they think are being used in their answer booklets . Then, at the end, everyone can come together to go over each of the task cards and review the answers. 

4. Parts of Speech Grammar Challenges

Escape-style grammar challenges are another effective way to make learning parts of speech more engaging. There are many different ways that you can do this, depending on how much time you want to spend reviewing parts of speech with your students. 

One activity, the parts of speech grammar escape challenge , has students read a narrative backstory that engages them in the escape-style scenario. Then, they must use their knowledge of parts of speech to complete the related challenge (which involves completing a parts of speech puzzle). This is easy to implement and is meant to be done over the course of a single class. 

You can also use a grammar escape room bell-ringers that students complete over the course of a week. For example, you might try the escape the alien planet grammar challenge about an astronaut attempting to escape an alien planet that is facing a severe meteor shower. 

This activity can be done daily in small groups for the first 5-10 minutes of class. Each day, they will get progressively closer and closer to escaping by the end of the week, which is the goal, by using their knowledge of the different parts of speech.

This activity works great when broken down like this, as each of the daily puzzles brings students into a new part of the study where they uncover more clues and attempt to succeed in each task to have a successful escape.

5. Parts of Speech Paper Fortune Teller

Finally, you can also get students to review and practice their knowledge of parts of speech with paper fortune tellers. Have students fold up pre-made fortune tellers with the definitions and examples of the different parts of speech. 

Taking turns with a partner, students will roll a die and move the flaps back and forth according to the number they receive. The other student defines the part of speech shown when the fortune teller stops. They can check their answer and get examples of each of the 8 parts of speech by lifting up the flap. 

There you have it! I hope you find these suggestions helpful for going over the parts of speech with your middle school ELA students. Looking for tips and resources for teaching ELA skills and resources? Click here. You can check out the ready-to-use ELA resources mentioned in the post below.

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How to Engage Middle School Students in Speech Therapy

Let’s be real for a moment.  If you look at the BIG companies that sell us resources to target speech and language skills, you won’t find much geared towards our secondary age students. In fact, recently I compiled a list of speech and language games that are commercially out there to target a variety of speech and language skills and something I was shocked to find was that when the company marked the ages it was appropriate for, it would start with something like “2nd grade and Up”.  Okay, up to what age?  I know that resource wouldn’t engage my 9-year-old, let alone a middle school student!  So how do we keep them engaged?!

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Creative ways to teach parts of speech in middle school and high school, by: tiffany rehbein.

In this article, you'll find tips for reviewing or teaching parts of speech in middle school and high school. Plus, download five creative printables for your classroom.

Keep scrolling to download free activities, worksheets, and games!

Memories of my middle and early high-school English class might be similar to your own: desks in rows, quiet work time, and sentence diagramming. Remember sentence diagramming? That tedious puzzle of using one line under the subject, two lines under the verb, a backslash to separate the subject from the predicate that led to the more complicated algorithm of circles, squares, and arrows. All of which was meant to do what? Improve writing? Increase identification of sentences? Keep students quiet?

Fortunately, research has led teachers toward practices that improve writing, namely, spending time to write. The National Council of Teachers of English released a position statement in 1998 stating the following: "Decades of research and practice have shown that teaching of grammar in isolation does not improve composition skills, nor does it help students to acquire Standard English usage." How might teachers of middle and high school students provide students with relevant instruction around basic parts of speech?

Students need to be able to construct quality sentences that communicate information accurately and clearly. Understanding basic parts of speech is the first step to this effective communication.

The 8 Parts of Speech Students Should Know

A noun is a word used to refer to people, animals, objects, substances, states, events, ideas and feelings. A noun functions as a subject or object of a verb and can be modified by an adjective.

Types and Examples of Nouns

Nouns can be people as in the dancers , or a name: John.

Nouns can be things as in a lion , a table , or places as in Paris .

Example Sentences

A pronoun is used in the place of a noun or phrase.

Examples of Pronouns

I, you, he, she, it

#3 Adjective

Adjectives are used to describe or specify a noun or pronoun

Examples of Adjectives

good, beautiful, nice, my

A verb is used to show an action or a state of being

Examples of Verbs

am, is was, are, go, write, exist, be

An adverb is used to modify a verb, adjective, and other adverbs.

Examples of Adverbs

completely, never, there

#6 Prepositions

A preposition is a word that relates a noun or pronoun to some other word in the sentence and often forms a phrase that shows where, when, how, or why

Examples of Prepositions

in, above, to, for, at

#7 Conjunctions

Conjunctions connect words, phrases, or clauses

Examples of Conjunctions

for, and, nor, but, or, yet,

#8 Interjections

Interjections are used to show surprise or emotion.

Examples of Interjections

Oh!, Wow!, Ah-ha!

Teaching Parts of Speech in the Middle School Grades

One way to avoid the traditional grammar instruction done in isolation, teachers can get students up and moving. For grades 6-8, most state standards convey that students should know everything from proper case pronouns (subjective, objective, possessive), to intensive pronouns ( myself, ourselves ), to correcting vague pronouns. By including pronouns in student practice, teachers will ensure these elements are taught.

In addition, students need to use commas to set off nonrestrictive elements – we will do this when we use interjections! Students must also explain the function of clauses, know how to use a comma to separate coordinate adjectives, and how to form and use verbs in a variety of ways.

Creative Ways To Teach Parts Of Speech In Middle School

RESOURCE: Pin the Part of Speech on the Pig Game

When you download the Pin the Part of Speech on the Pig Game , your students will get much more practice than is deemed important in state standards! This game is not only a creative way to teach parts of speech, but it gets students up and moving while they learn.

The Pin the Part of Speech on the Pig Game combines learning/practicing the parts of speech and a modified version of the game Pin the Tail on the Donkey . Although this game was originally created for elementary grade levels, its a great activity for parts of speech practice in the middle grades.

Objective of Game: Pin the part of speech on the pig! With a grammatical twist on the classic game, students will choose the part of speech that is the focus of the day. Monday = nouns, Tuesday = verbs, Wednesday = adjectives, Thursday = adverbs, Friday = prepositions.

Materials : Pig Game, Parts of Speech cards, blindfold, tape.

How to play in the classroom : Middle school students love a competition! Form groups of 3-5, depending on your class size, and, start tallest to shortest. The first student will choose a Part of Speech card from the card pile. The person behind them will put the blindfold on them then slowly spin them three times and set them off to pin the part of speech on the pig. Use a small piece of tape to adhere the card to the pig. The blindfolded student will return to their team, exchange the blindfold and repeat the process. The game can end at any time: when the first pin on the tail happens, when everyone has gone once, or when all the cards are gone.

Download one or multiple copies of the game, depending on your class size and start playing today.

RESOURCE: Shamrock Parts of Speech Game

Sometimes teachers tend to overthink things when trying to come up with creative ways to teach parts of speech...especially in the middle and upper grade levels! The Shamrock Memory Card Game is a simple activity that will engage students in learning or reviewing parts of speech. 

Despite being created a couple years ago for the month of March, I use this game year round! Download the Shamrock Memory Card Game now.

Objective: Match parts of speech with an example of that part of speech. Like all memory games, the goal is to have paired the most cards when the round ends.

How to use in the classroom: Decide whether you want students to play individually or in two small groups. Display the 48 cards face down. Choose who will go first. The first person or group will turn one card face-up. They will either see the part of speech or a word. Then turn over a second card. The card must match the first card with the correct part of speech or a word. For example, if a student turns over a card with "noun" on it and then turns over a second card with the word "leprechaun", the cards match! If the cards match, the student(s) gets to go again. The student or group with the most pair of cards at the end wins the round.

RESOURCE: Identifying Parts of Speech in a Complex Text Lesson

This next activity is not the most creative way to teach parts of speech, but it is effective! The Identifying Parts of Speech in a Complex Text Lesson has students read a complex text and then identify various parts of speech. 

Students need to be able to construct quality sentences that communicate information accurately and clearly. Understanding basic parts of speech is the first step to build effective communication. Reading complex texts to practice identifying parts of speech is a great way for students to see how quality sentences are constructed.

Objective: Students will read a text to identify appropriate nouns, pronouns, and interjections by answering the question: What do you notice about the nouns, pronouns, and interjection in this text?

How to use in the classroom: Handout the text excerpt to each students. Tell them their purpose for reading the text is to identify and circle the nouns that act as subjects in each sentence. Also, ask students to underline all pronouns and put a box around all interjections.

Teaching Parts of Speech in the High School Grades

By the time students enter high school, the focus shifts from isolated parts to speech to more complete understanding about the way sentences work. For grades 9-10, state standards require students use various types of phrases, including noun, verb, adjectival, adverbial, participial, prepositional, and absolute. Students should also use clauses such as independent or dependent; and noun, relative, and adverbial to convey specific meanings and add variety and interest to their writing.

Teachers can use a combination of hands-on activities and individual work to assess students’ knowledge of language. Students will build on the basic parts of speech they learned in the middle grades by understanding irregular verb forms, verb tenses, plural forms of words, reflexive pronouns, and dependent clauses.

Creative Ways to Teach Parts of Speech In High School

RESOURCE: Baseball Interactive Writing & Parts of Speech Grammar Game

The use of sports in the classroom is a creative way to teach parts of speech and engage young people! With the Baseball Grammar Game students will get students moving, writing, and identifying parts of speech.

Objective: Teams of students will participate in a classroom baseball game that requires they complete a writing prompt and correctly identify parts of speech.

Materials: Plastic bat (optional), Baseball Grammar Game Downloads

How to use in the classroom: Prior to playing the game, students will write short essays based on a writing prompt provided by you, the teacher. Some examples of a writing prompt are: Describe your favorite outdoor activity or What is the best part of going to a baseball game?  The essay should be short, perhaps 5-10 sentences. Have students write each sentence of their essay on the Baseball Writing Activity Sheet provided in the Baseball Grammar Game download. These papers will be wadded up and become your "baseballs."

The teacher will divide the class into two teams and assign each person a position. Each team needs the following position players: pitcher, catcher, first baseman, second baseman, shortstop, third baseman, left fielder, center fielder, and right fielder. All position players will play the field and have a turn at bat. If you have extra students, use a rotation system after each batter or each strike-out. Students can also be “bat boys or girls”, scorekeepers, or baseball handlers.

The defensive team will take the field and the offensive team will line-up to bat.

The baseball handler tosses the first baseball to the pitcher who pitches it to the batter.

The teacher will ask the student a question about the sentence. To get a “hit” and advance to first base, the batter answers the question correctly. (It is not important that the batter catches the ball, only that their answer is stated correctly). If the batter gets the question incorrect, it is an out.

The rotation continues until there are three outs for the team. After three outs, the teams switch sides. Have the scorekeeper keep track of runs and outs.

RESOURCE: Hopscotch Parts of Speech Activity

Hopscotch is a game whose origins date back to Roman times. If you give the traditional game of hopscotch a grammar twist you end up with a creative way to teach parts of speech. For the parts of speech key with definitions and examples, download the Hopscotch Parts of Speech Activity !

Objective : Give an example of the part of speech.

Materials : Sidewalk chalk or hopscotch board, marker, parts of speech key.

How to use in the classroom : If the weather is nice, head outside with some sidewalk chalk and create the hopscotch board. If the weather is not nice, teachers could use tape to create the boards on the classroom floor. Use a small stone to use as a marker.

To begin, write the parts of speech into each square. Students will toss the marker onto a square, then the student should give the example word, phrase, or sentence If correct, the student should hop onto the board. If incorrect, the student goes to the back of the line. The stone is left on the square where the student last got the correct answer. Depending on the size of your class, there might need to be several hopscotch boards so 4-5 students can play at once.

If correct, the student who tossed the marker will complete the hops on the board. The person who answered correctly will toss next. This process will be repeated until the game ends.

If the person answers incorrectly, the person who answered will go to the back of the line and the next person will answer. This process will continue until the answer is correct.

If the weather is not nice, the hopscotch board can be designed on the classroom floor with duct tape.

These creative ways to teach parts of speech are sure to engage middle school and high school students! These printable resources allow students to move while learning and reinforce their understanding of different parts of speech.

In addition, I outlined eight parts of speech that every middle and high school student should know and understand. Students need to be able to construct quality sentences that communicate information accurately and clearly. Understanding basic parts of speech is the first step to build effective communication.

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• 17 fun effective impromptu speech activities

17 fun impromptu speech activities

Impromptu speaking competence without stress

17 fun, effective, and easily taught, impromptu speech activities to ease the way into impromptu speaking, one step, one word, at a time!

• the hilarious, raucous and super effective speed speaking group game where participants make numerous one minute speeches one after another,
• four variations on one minute speeches ,
• expert interviews ,
• connect the dots (which you can see in the preview pdf below),
• plus ten more !  

 They're popular, versatile & effective activities

You'll find the activities invaluable and popular additions to  speech and debate, or high school level ELA classes. 

From experience I know they're equally good with adults in a work place or community group. (These are tested and proven activities!)

Some require longer to run than others. These you can use as the core of a lesson. Others you make great fillers when you have a spare couple of minutes. 

In short, they're versatile, contagiously good fun and they work! 

Additionally, they're evergreen. You'll use them, and the resource files they come with, over and over again.

Speech Language Pathologist Kadisha Currie  from New York says: 

I tried the “one-minute speech” and “speed speaking” activities with my students and they were a huge hit. 

My shy students got a lot practice speaking in a fun, stress-free environment with their peers. 

My gregarious ones learned to speak in a timely fashion and practiced turn taking. 

I look forward to trying the other activities in the next school year. This is an excellent resource! 

What's in this ebook?

• 17 impromptu speech activities  (plus multiple variations and extensions) with full instructions,
• 26 printable topic, image, outline and feedback sheets  
• and,  guidelines covering the physical space needed, optimum group size, timing, demonstrating the activities, setting student guidelines, conducting positive and valuable feedback sessions, selecting, and evaluating an activity.

In all there are 27 hyperlinked pdfs. That's one main PDF and 26 printable resource files.

The ebook fully interlinked for ease of use

To make it easy to use the ebook is extensively cross-linked and the activities are classified by:

• focus point: 15 of them; including developing awareness of vocabulary, topic, fluency, audience, listening skills, eye contact, body language, credibility, structure, and transitions
• skill level: beginner, experienced, or both, making it easy to choose an activity.

Paul Andreas, Certified Speaking Coach , London, UK says: 

17 Fun, Effective, Impromptu Speech activities is a great resource for anyone who wants to learn how to teach impromptu speaking.

The book lists many suggestions for impromptu topics and several methods for answering them, such as the Point, Reason, Example (PREP) method and Past, Present, Future. There is also a template for each of them, making it easy for students to structure their answers. A method of giving good feedback to students is explained, in order to build up the students' confidence and to show them areas for improvement. Lastly, there are many suggestions for group activities, which make learning fun and take the fear out of public speaking.

I teach impromptu speaking to the students that I coach online and this book will be very useful for me.

Paul Andreas Certified Speaking Coach London www.tofluentenglish.com

Ready to show them speaking up can be fun?

For US based teachers

These activities belong to the English Language Arts (ELA) Literacy strand and meet the Common Core Standards (CCSS) Speaking & Listening criteria listed below. (To find out more click the grade link you want. It will take you to the page on the Common Core State Standards website,  that will give you more information.)

Grade 6 

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.4,  CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.6

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.7.4,  CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.7.6

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.4,  CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.6

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.4,  CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.6

Grades 11 & 12

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.4,  CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.6

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If you find this ebook is  not  what you need, or what you thought it was, email me within 30 days of buying it and I'll refund your full purchase price.

Or if you run into problems with the download process  contact me via my product support page .  I'll sort it out for you as fast as possible.

Please note  before  you buy: this ebook is NOT available in hard copy.

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Please note:.

You are buying an instantly available downloadable ebook (pdf) and 26 resource files (pdfs).

After you have paid:

You will be automatically returned from the PayPal thank you page to a special page on this site containing the ebook download link.

Click the link and download the ebook pdf file to your computer. When you open it and click on the resource file links within it, you'll gain access to the 26 supporting pdfs.

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25 Innovative and Engaging Parts of Speech Activities for Middle School: Fun Grammar Games to Enhance Learning

Students in Mrs. Maxey’s class working on grammar practice and identifying parts of speech with holiday activities! pic.twitter.com/f3UCR69rsj — Malcom Bridge Middle (@MalcomBridgeMS) December 14, 2023

1. Color a Parts of Speech Picture

Students use a color-coded system to identify and color parts of speech within a picture. This visual and interactive approach enhances word recognition and deepens understanding of grammar, making it an ideal activity for visual learners who benefit from color association in learning.

What It Teaches

2. parts of speech paper fortune teller.

Watch the video to learn how to create a fortune teller out of paper, guiding you through each step of the crafting process.

3. Face Off in Tic-Tac-Toe

Difficulty Level: Easy

4. Bag It Up

5. use parts of speech clip cards.

Identify and clip the correct part of speech for given words using clothespins. This activity promotes precision and quick identification skills, providing immediate feedback and a tactile learning experience for students.

Enhances linguistic categorization skills through a hands-on matching activity, promoting precision and quick identification of parts of speech. This method reinforces learning through repetition and immediate which is feedback, crucial for solidifying students’ understanding of grammatical roles.

6. Shamrock Parts of Speech Game

Play a memory card game that involves matching parts of speech with examples on cards. This activity encourages cognitive skills and reinforces grammar through a familiar game-based approach, making learning both fun and effective.

7. Play Hangman with Parts of Speech

Incorporates parts of speech into the classic game of Hangman, stimulating vocabulary expansion and grammatical reinforcement by requiring correct identification for successful gameplay. This adaptation brings a fresh twist to Hangman, making it a valuable tool for language learning.

8. Learn the Parts of Speech Poem

Students memorize and recite a poem that incorporates all parts of speech, emphasizing their forms. This activity uses rhythm and memory techniques to solidify grammatical knowledge, making it a memorable and lyrical learning experience.

Uses rhythm and memory to solidify understanding of grammatical forms, enhancing retention and appreciation of the functional roles of parts of speech. The rhythmic nature of poetry aids memory and makes learning grammatical structures more memorable and enjoyable.

9. Cinquain Poems

10. make parts of speech signs.

Create and decorate educational signs that display different parts of speech. This artistic activity not only strengthens understanding but also turns students into contributors to the classroom environment, making learning visible and accessible to everyone.

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Cost: Low ($1 to $5)

11. Play Parts of Speech Bingo

Sharpens quick identification and categorization skills for parts of speech, improving linguistic agility and grammatical knowledge. This game format encourages active engagement and cooperative learning among students, making the learning process both fun and competitive.

12. Famous Parts of Speech Task Cards

13. dress up a sentence, 14. hunt and sort eggs.

Engage students in an outdoor or indoor egg hunt where each egg contains a word; students then sort these words by parts of speech. This activity combines physical activity with linguistic learning, making grammar lessons dynamic and enjoyable.

Merges physical activity with linguistic learning as students sort words into parts of speech categories, enhancing understanding of language structure through active engagement. This exercise also fosters teamwork and outdoor learning, providing a refreshing change from traditional classroom activities.

15. Add a Grammar Twist to Jenga

This activity merges the excitement of Jenga with the educational challenge of grammar, enhancing students’ understanding of parts of speech through interactive play. Each colored block not only tests their grammatical knowledge but also develops their ability to think quickly under pressure, fostering critical thinking and strategic decision-making skills. This game makes learning grammar dynamic and memorable, encouraging students to engage deeply with language mechanics in a fun, stress-inducing environment.

16. Match up Parts of Speech Dominoes

Students play dominoes where matches are made by aligning words with their corresponding parts of speech. This enhances analytical skills and grammatical knowledge through a strategic matching game.

Watching the short video describing our domino game will provide clear instructions and helpful tips on how to effectively use this activity to support understanding of different parts of speech.

17. Sort Magnetic Poetry Words and Make Sentences

18. super stories substitution game.

Using a smartboard, students edit a basic story by substituting words with others that fit specified parts of speech, enhancing creativity and grammatical agility. This interactive storytelling game transforms narrative skills and deepens understanding of language components.

Cost: Low ($1 to $5) requires a smartboard or similar technology

19. Build Sentences with LEGO Bricks

Cost: Middle to High ($10 to $20) depending on the availability of LEGO sets

Develops syntax skills and encourages creativity through the physical manipulation of sentence components, reinforcing interaction between parts of speech. This tangible method of constructing sentences helps students visualize grammatical structures and promotes a deeper understanding of how language works.

20. Parts of Speech Jeopardy

Challenge students with a Jeopardy game focused on parts of speech, testing their depth of knowledge in a team competition format. This game enhances understanding of grammar while promoting teamwork and strategic thinking.

Difficulty Level: Moderate to High

21. Throw Darts and Give Examples

Combine the physical activity of throwing darts with the cognitive challenge of grammar by targeting sections labeled with parts of speech and providing appropriate examples. This activity enhances both accuracy and quick thinking in grammar applications.

Combines physical activity with cognitive challenges by requiring examples of the targeted parts of speech, enhancing accuracy and quick thinking in grammar. This activity also develops motor skills and focuses on precision, integrating physical education with language learning.

22. Go on a Parts of Speech Scavenger Hunt

Transform a traditional scavenger hunt into a dynamic grammar lesson by having students search for real-world examples of parts of speech in old magazines. This activity not only reinforces language skills but also encourages creativity as students cut out their findings and create educational posters to decorate the classroom.

23. Re-purpose a Set of UNO Cards

Transform the classic UNO game into a vibrant educational tool to supplement lessons on parts of speech or provide additional practice for students. This version, named “ONE,” utilizes the familiar, colorful format of UNO, making the learning process engaging and almost seamless.

Cost: Low  ($1 to $5) if UNO cards are already available

24. Parts of Speech Escape Room

Create an immersive escape room experience where middle school students utilize their knowledge of the eight parts of speech to solve puzzles and “escape” from the classroom. This activity is designed to be both educational and exhilarating, providing a dynamic environment for learning grammar.

25. Tally Parts of Speech

Students count and analyze the frequency of parts of speech in selected passages. This develops analytical skills and deepens understanding of language mechanics, providing insights into the practical usage of grammar.

Three Key Benefits of Understanding Parts of Speech

Useful resources, final thoughts, leave a comment cancel reply.

CHECK OUT MY TIER 2 VOCABULARY INTERVENTION WITH RESEARCH, VISUALS AND MNEMONICS!

3 Middle School Speech & Language Activities for December

As the winter holiday season approaches, it can be tricky to find engaging seasonal activities for your older students. In addition, not all students celebrate each holiday…

That’s why I’m sharing my top 3 ideas for using a New Year’s theme with your middle school students!

The 3 lessons below will allow you to target these skills with your “big kids”:.

• Inferencing
• Tier 2 Vocabulary
• Executive Functioning
• Problem-Solving
• Semantic Webbing

Now let’s dig in to December!

1. NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS

SKILLS TARGETED : Tier 2 vocabulary, executive functioning, problem-solving, semantic webbing

WHAT TO DO:

• Define and discuss what resolutions are and why  they’re valuable.
• Example : “I want to get in better shape.”
• Resolution : “I will exercise 3 times per week for the entire year.”
• Word : “Perseverance”
• Discuss word meanings and a build a web to similar words (e.g. “perseverance, determination, dedication”)
• Ask students to anticipate potential roadblocks that can occur during the year and list potential solutions. (“Anticipate” is a great Tier 2 word!)
• Next, ask students to do go through the entire process with their own resolutions!

2. NEW YEAR’S CLUES

SKILLS TARGETED : Inferencing, cause-and-effect reasoning

• Generate a list of resolutions and words.
• Create fictional characters with various problems.
• Ask students to infer which resolutions fit each character.
• They must provide evidence and reasoned verbal explanations for their matches.

If you don’t feel like coming up with your own list, grab my no-prep bundle of  Infer & Explain Special New Year’s Edition!  

(This includes printable and digital versions!)

Alternatively, if you want to just focus on winter more generally, I created a similar activity in which winter travelers lose their suitcases!

Students must infer who owns each suitcase so they can continue on their winter travels! You can check out my Infer & Explain Winter Travel Trouble resource here!

3. RESOLUTION CONTEXT CLUES

SKILLS TARGETED : Vocabulary, deriving meaning from context

• Write a list of New Year’s Resolutions.
• Insert unfamiliar vocabulary.
• Ask students to guess what the words mean based on the clues from the resolutions.

E.g. “I will persevere as I try to achieve my math goals, even when it’s hard.” What does persevere mean?

Check out how I do it HERE!

(Also, I know I only planned on sharing 3 activities, but if you have articulation students, you might find these 50  Silly Articulation Resolutions fun!)

If you found all of these ideas helpful, check out my bundle of No-Prep New Year’s Resources for Mixed Groups!

I hope this post left you feeling inspired to use this winter theme with your older students! Please share with any friends who might find these ideas helpful!

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Free Parts of Speech Lesson Plan for Middle Schoolers - Aligned to Common Core

Common Core Lesson Plan - Parts of Speech 

Objectives:

- Students will be able to identify and define the eight parts of speech: noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction, and interjection.

- Students will be able to correctly use the different parts of speech in sentences.

- Whiteboard or blackboard

- Markers or chalk

- Handouts with sentences for practice

- Pencils or pens

Bell-Ringer Activity:

- Display a sentence on the board and ask students to identify the parts of speech in the sentence. For example: "The cat jumped over the fence." Students can work individually or in pairs to identify the parts of speech.

Direct Instruction: 

Introduction: 

1. Begin by asking students if they know what a part of speech is. Allow for a brief discussion.

2. Explain that a part of speech is a category of words that have similar grammatical properties and functions in a sentence.

3. Inform students that there are eight main parts of speech: noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction, and interjection.

4. Emphasize that understanding the different parts of speech is important for constructing sentences correctly and effectively.

Part 1: Noun

1. Write the word "noun" on the board.

2. Explain that a noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea.

3. Provide examples of nouns such as "dog," "city," "book," and "love."

4. Ask students to come up with their own examples of nouns and write them on the board.

Part 2: Pronoun

1. Write the word "pronoun" on the board.

2. Explain that a pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun.

3. Provide examples of pronouns such as "he," "she," "it," and "they."

4. Ask students to come up with their own examples of pronouns and write them on the board.

Part 3: Verb

1. Write the word "verb" on the board.

2. Explain that a verb is a word that expresses an action or a state of being.

3. Provide examples of verbs such as "run," "eat," "is," and "play."

4. Ask students to come up with their own examples of verbs and write them on the board.

Part 4: Adjective

1. Write the word "adjective" on the board.

2. Explain that an adjective is a word that describes or modifies a noun.

3. Provide examples of adjectives such as "happy," "big," "beautiful," and "tasty."

4. Ask students to come up with their own examples of adjectives and write them on the board.

Part 5: Adverb

1. Write the word "adverb" on the board.

2. Explain that an adverb is a word that describes or modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb.

3. Provide examples of adverbs such as "quickly," "very," "loudly," and "carefully."

4. Ask students to come up with their own examples of adverbs and write them on the board.

Part 6: Preposition

1. Write the word "preposition" on the board.

2. Explain that a preposition is a word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and another word in the sentence.

3. Provide examples of prepositions such as "in," "on," "under," and "between."

4. Ask students to come up with their own examples of prepositions and write them on the board.

Part 7: Conjunction

1. Write the word "conjunction" on the board.

2. Explain that a conjunction is a word that connects words, phrases, or clauses.

3. Provide examples of conjunctions such as "and," "but," "or," and "because."

4. Ask students to come up with their own examples of conjunctions and write them on the board.

Part 8: Interjection

1. Write the word "interjection" on the board.

2. Explain that an interjection is a word or phrase that expresses strong emotion or surprise.

3. Provide examples of interjections such as "wow," "ouch," "oh," and "yay."

4. Ask students to come up with their own examples of interjections and write them on the board.

Guided Practice:

- Distribute handouts with sentences for practice (included below). Instruct students to identify the parts of speech in each sentence and write them down. Walk around the classroom to provide assistance and answer any questions.

Independent Practice:

- Ask students to write one sentence containing all the different parts of speech, and have them label each one. Encourage them to be creative and use a variety of words. Collect the sentences for assessment purposes.

Exit Ticket:

- Give students a short quiz (included below) on the parts of speech. This will allow you to assess their understanding of the lesson.

- Review the different parts of speech with the class, emphasizing their definitions and examples. Ask students if they have any questions or if there is anything they would like to review.

- Remind students that understanding the parts of speech is important for improving their writing and communication skills.

- End the lesson by summarizing the main points and thanking the students for their participation.

Resources - Parts of Speech 

Guided Practice Examples:

1. The tall girl ran quickly to catch the bus.

2. My brother and I went to the park to play soccer.

3. The delicious pizza smelled amazing.

4. The cat lazily stretched out on the warm windowsill.

5. After school, we will meet at the library to study.

6. Wow! What a beautiful sunset!

7. The teacher patiently explained the math problem.

8. The dog barked loudly at the mailman.

9. I love to read books about adventure and mystery.

10. Please pass me the red pen. 

Exit Ticket Quiz

Question 1:

Which of the following is a noun?

b) Beautiful

Question 2:

Identify the pronoun in the following sentence: "She went to the store to buy groceries."

Question 3:

Choose the correct verb form to complete the sentence: "The dog _______ in the park."

Question 4:

Which of the following is an adjective?

Question 5:

Identify the adverb in the following sentence: "He spoke softly to avoid waking the baby."

Question 6:

Select the correct preposition to complete the sentence: "The book is _______ the shelf."

Question 7:

Which of the following is a conjunction?

Question 8:

Identify the interjection in the following sentence: "Wow, that was an amazing performance!"

Question 9:

Choose the correct part of speech for the word "quickly" in the sentence: "She ran quickly to catch the bus."

Question 10:

Which of the following is not a part of speech?

d) Sentence

Note: If you need to add new questions to this quiz, please provide the new questions and specify where they should be inserted.

Answer Key:

Question 1: c) Table

Question 2: d) She

Question 3: c) runs

Question 4: b) Quickly

Question 5: c) softly

Question 6: a) on

Question 7: b) And

Question 8: d) Wow

Question 9: d) Adverb

Question 10: d) Sentence

Start Here: Teaching Public Speaking

This semester-long course is designed for students new to public speaking and oral communications.

The first half is a scaffolded approach, giving students a foundation in oral communications principles and successful experiences with quick speeches in front of the class or in small groups.

This course covers the fundamentals of public speaking rather than focusing on teaching specific competitive NSDA events.  

Students Will Be Able To:

• Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning. 
• Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
• Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks by utilizing nonverbal communication, vocabulary, and the tone, rate, volume, and pitch of their voice.
• Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source.
• Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, identifying any fallacious reasoning or exaggerated or distorted evidence. 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Enter your email to access a sample of our “Start Here: Teaching Public Speaking” collection.

Analyzing Famous Speeches as Arguments

• Resources & Preparation
• Instructional Plan
• Related Resources

Traditionally, teachers have encouraged students to engage with and interpret literature—novels, poems, short stories, and plays. Too often, however, the spoken word is left unanalyzed, even though the spoken word has the potential to alter our space just as much than the written. After gaining skill through analyzing a historic and contemporary speech as a class, students will select a famous speech from a list compiled from several resources and write an essay that identifies and explains the rhetorical strategies that the author deliberately chose while crafting the text to make an effective argument. Their analysis will consider questions such as What makes the speech an argument?, How did the author's rhetoric evoke a response from the audience?, and Why are the words still venerated today?

Featured Resources

From Theory to Practice

Nearly everything we read and hear is an argument. Speeches are special kinds of arguments and should be analyzed as such. Listeners should keep in mind the context of the situation involving the delivery and the audience-but a keen observer should also pay close attention to the elements of argument within the text. This assignment requires students to look for those elements.

"Since rhetoric is the art of effective communication, its principles can be applied to many facets of everyday life" (Lamb 109). It's through this lesson that students are allowed to see how politicians and leaders manipulate and influence their audiences using specific rhetorical devices in a manner that's so effective that the speeches are revered even today. It's important that we keep showing our students how powerful language can be when it's carefully crafted and arranged.

Further Reading

Common Core Standards

This resource has been aligned to the Common Core State Standards for states in which they have been adopted. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, CCSS alignments are forthcoming.

State Standards

This lesson has been aligned to standards in the following states. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, standard alignments are not currently available for that state.

NCTE/IRA National Standards for the English Language Arts

• 3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
• 4. Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
• 5. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
• 7. Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.

Materials and Technology

• ReadWriteThink Notetaker
• Teacher Background and Information Sheet
• Student Assignment Sheet
• List of Speeches for Students
• Queen Elizabeth I’s Speech with Related Questions
• Historical Speech Research Questions
• Peer Response Handout
• Essay Rubric

This website contains audio of the Top 100 speeches of all time.

Included on this site is audio of famous speeches of the 20th century, as well as information about the speeches and background information on the writers.

The "Great Speeches Collection" from The History Place are available here in print and in audio.

This website includes information on finding and documenting sources in the MLA format.

Preparation

• Review the background and information sheet for teachers to familiarize yourself with the assignment and expectations.  Consider your students' background with necessary rhetorical terms such as claims, warrants, the appeals (logos, pathos, ethos), and fallacies; and rhetorical devices such as tone, diction, figurative language, repetition, hyperbole, and understatement. The lesson provides some guidance for direct instruction on these terms, but there are multiple opportunities for building or activating student knowledge through modeling on the two speeches done as a class.
• Check the links to the online resources (in Websites section) make sure that they are still working prior to giving out this assignment.
• Decide whether you want to allow more than one student to analyze and write about the same speech in each class.
• Look over the  List of Speeches for Students to decide if there are any that you would like to add.
• Look over the suggested Essay Rubric and determine the weights you would like to assign to each category.  For example, you might tell students that Support and Research may be worth three times the value of Style. Customize the Essay Rubric to meet the learning goals for your students.
• Reserve the library for Session Three so the students can do research on their speeches.
• President Obama’s Inauguration Speech.
• Former President Bush’s Defends War in Iraq Speech.
• Former President Bush’s 9/11 Speech.
• Former President Clinton’s “I Have Sinned” Speech.

Student Objectives

Students will

• analyze a speech for rhetorical devices and their purpose.
• identify an author’s purposeful manipulation of language.
• identify elements of argument within a speech.
• write an analysis of a speech with in-text documentation.

Session One

• Begin the lesson by asking students what needs to be present in order for a speech to occur. Though the question may seem puzzling—too hard, or too simple—at first, students will eventually identify, as Aristotle did, the need for a speaker, a message, and an audience.
• The class should discuss audience and the importance of identifying the audience for speeches, since they occur in particular moments in time and are delivered to specific audiences. This is a good time to discuss the Rhetorical Triangle (Aristotelian Triad) or discuss a chapter on audience from an argumentative textbook. You may wish to share information from the ReadWriteThink.org lesson Persuasive Techniques in Advertising and  The Rhetorical Triangle from The University of Oklahoma.
• Next distribute Queen Elizabeth’s speech to the troops at Tilbury and use the speech and its historical context as a model for the processes students will use on the speech they select. Provide a bit of background information on the moment in history.
• Then, as a class, go over  Queen Elizabeth’s speech and discuss the rhetorical devices in the speech and the purpose for each one. Adjust the level of guidance you provide, depending on your students' experiences with this type of analysis. The questions provide a place to start, but there are many other stylistic devices to discuss in this selection.

Discuss the audience and the author’s manipulation of the audience. Consider posing questions such as

• This is a successful speech.  Why?
• Elizabeth uses all of the appeals – logos, pathos, and ethos – to convince all of her listeners to fight for her from the loyal follower to the greedy mercenary.  How?
• The tone shifts throughout the selection.  Where?  But more importantly, why?

Martin Luther King, Jr. uses an appeal to pathos in his “I Have a Dream” speech through his historical allusion to Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation: “Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.” This is particularly effective for his audience of people sympathetic to the cause of African American men and women who would have been especially moved by this particular reference since it had such a significant impact on the lives of African Americans.

Session Two

• Continue the work from the previous session by distributing the  Analyzing Famous Speeches as Arguments handout and discussing the assignment and what it requires. See the  background and information sheet for teachers for more details.
• Tell students they will be getting additional practice with analyzing a speech as an argument by showing a short  10-minute clip of a presidential speech . Ask students to think about how the particular moment in history and the national audience contribute to the rhetorical choices made by the speaker.
• Lead a discussion of the speech as an argument with regard to purpose and intent. Work with students to identify warrants, claims, and appeals.
• Ask students to consider how the author manipulates the audience using tone, diction, and stylistic devices. What rhetorical devices aided the author’s manipulation of his audience? Discuss a particular rhetorical device that the President used and the purpose it served.
• Share the Essay Rubric and explain to students the expectations for success on this assignment.
• Allow students to select a speech from the List of Speeches for Students . If they wish to preview any of the speeches, they can type the speaker's name and the title of the speech into a search engine and should have little difficulty finding it.

Session Three

• Take the students to the library and allow them to research their speeches. They should locate their speech and print a copy for them to begin annotating for argumentative structure and rhetorical devices.
• What was the speaker up against?  What is the occasion for the speech?
• What did the author have to keep in mind when composing the text?  
• What were his or her goals?  
• What was his or her ultimate purpose?  
• What was his or her intent?
• Remind students that the writer of the speech is sometimes not the person who delivered the speech, for example, and this will surprise some students. Many people assume that the speaker (president, senator, etc.) is always the writer, and that’s not always the case, so ask your students to check to see who wrote the speech. (They might be surprised at the answer. There’s always a story behind the composition of the speech.)
• Help students find the author of the speech because this will challenge some students. Oftentimes, students assume the speaker is the author, and that’s sometimes not the case. Once the speechwriter is identified, it is easier to find information on the speech. Help students find the history behind the speech without getting too bogged down in the details. They need to understand the climate, but they do not need to be complete experts on the historical details in order to understand the elements of the speech.
• If they wish, students can use the ReadThinkWrite Interactive Notetaker to help them track their notes for their essays. Remind them that their work cannot be saved on this tool and should be printed by the end of the session so they can use it in future work.
• For Session Four, students must bring a thesis, an outline, and all of their research materials to class for a workday. Remind them to refer to the Analyzing Famous Speeches as Arguments , the Essay Rubric , and any notes they may have taken during the first two sessions as they begin their work.
• The thesis statement should answer the following question: What makes this speech an effective argument and worthy of making this list?

Session Four

• Set up students in heterogeneous groups of four. Ask students to share their outlines and thesis statements.
• Go around to check and to monitor as students share their ideas and progress. The students will discuss their speeches and their research thus far.
• Have students discuss the elements of an argument that they plan on addressing.
• Finally, have students work on writing their papers by writing their introductions with an enticing “grab” or “hook.” If time permits, have students share their work. 
• For Session Five, students should bring in their papers. This session would happen in about a week.

Session Five

• In this session, students will respond each other's drafts using the Peer Response Handout .
• Determine and discuss the final due date with your students. Direct students to Diana Hacker’s MLA site for assistance with their citations if necessary. 
• Remind students that their work will be evaluate using the essay rubric .  They should use the criteria along with the comments from their peer to revise and polish their work.
• During the process of analyzing  Queen Elizabeth I’s Speech , consider showing the related scene from the film Elizabeth: The Golden Age . Though the text of the speech is drastically cut and altered, seeing one filmmaker's vision for the scene may help reinforce the notion of historical context and the importance of audience.
• Allow students to read and/or perform parts of the speeches out loud. Then, they can share some of their thinking about the argumentative structure and rhetorical devices used to make the speech effective. This activity could happen as part of the prewriting process or after essays have been completed.
• Require students to write a graduation speech or a speech on another topic. They can peruse print or online news sources to select a current event that interests them.  Have them choose an audience to whom they would deliver an argumentative speech.

Student Assessment / Reflections

• After peer response has taken place, use the essay rubric to provide feedback on student work. You may change the values of the different categories/requirements to better suit the learning goals for your classroom.
• Calendar Activities
• Lesson Plans
• Student Interactives
• Strategy Guides

Students explore the ways that powerful and passionate words communicate the concepts of freedom, justice, discrimination, and the American Dream in Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.

While drafting a literary analysis essay (or another type of argument) of their own, students work in pairs to investigate advice for writing conclusions and to analyze conclusions of sample essays. They then draft two conclusions for their essay, select one, and reflect on what they have learned through the process.

Useful for a wide variety of reading and writing activities, this outlining tool allows students to organize up to five levels of information.

This strategy guide clarifies the difference between persuasion and argumentation, stressing the connection between close reading of text to gather evidence and formation of a strong argumentative claim about text.

• Print this resource

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• Kindergarten K

Middle School Resources for Teletherapy

Aug 23, 2020

This week I wanted to share about some resources that will help you with doing teletherapy with your middle school students. It has been a few years since I have worked with those ladies and gents, but I remember it like it was yesterday. For many years, I worked at a middle school and to get these friends excited about seeing me was a daily challenge sometimes.

Distance Learning Resources for Middle School

News-O-Matic is an app for your iPad that is offering free subscriptions until June 30th for families and teachers. I love that there are daily articles and students can choose what they want to read about. There are different levels, and it can be translated into Spanish. You can read more about the app HERE . 

Jeopardy Labs  or  Jeopardy PowerPoint were two digital materials I used to create custom Jeopardy games for my students. If you get the PowerPoint version, just make sure to “save as” and re-title the version. You can make a fluency one, articulation, vocabulary, and social language to then use in teletherapy or assign in Google Classroom. Jeopardy Labs is a cool tool because you can use games already created by other users. So, you could share the workload with your other fellow middle school SLPs and each creates a game and then share.

Use   YouTube   to use for wordless shorts, Simon’s Cat videos,   America’s Funniest Videos   or your other favorite channels to engage learning. If you need a social pragmatic Google Slide with all the videos, m ake a copy of mine   HERE . I LOVE wordless short videos too. You can target so many skills with those, so mixed groups are easier with these types of videos.

Some of my favorite wordless videos to use are Simon’s Cat videos. They are so versatile because they are mini video comics, short in length, and always entertaining. You can read more about these videos HERE .

Using EdPuzzle with your Middle School Students

EdPuzzle   is a website that you can take a video and add in questions for your student to answer while watching the video. This allows you to track their comprehension. It will pause the video when you embed a question. Plus, you can search for other lessons already created and assign them to students on Google Classroom. You can see a tutorial about how to create your own EdPuzzle video on my YouTube channel . Speech Time Fun also has some EdPuzzle videos already prepped for you that can be used in teletherapy sessions.

Check out this YouTube video to see how you can use your favorite videos to create lessons for your middle school teletherapy sessions. 

Free Websites to Use for Your Middle School Teletherapy

If you haven’t used NewsELA or ReadWorks , you seriously need to go check them out. You can find FREE articles that are at your student’s age level and interest to use in therapy.

Use the website Word Sift to help with reviewing the text and key vocabulary from the passage. This tool makes it a little easier to plan. I learned about this website from Speech Time Fun. Check out her Instagram Stories for more details !

I also love using the website vocab grabber to find tier II vocabulary words to work on with students. Plus, these free articles are great for articulation carryover. 

Articulation Carryover Materials for Middle School Teletherapy

You can use Flipgrid to have your students respond with a facial expression, practice answering a question while staying on topic, or work on answering and asking questions with you as a distance learning activity. Watch the tutorial above to see how you can get started with this tool.

What Digital Materials Do You Use for Middle School Teletherapy Lessons?

What digital tools do you use with your middle school students?

Do you have any favorite Chrome extensions that help you in your teletherapy sessions?

I would love to know of any digital programs, YouTube videos or games that you have found to be engaging for your students. Share in the comments!

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Helping Middle Schoolers Cope with Jealousy

Jealousy is a common but challenging emotion that many middle schoolers experience. It can affect friendships, self-esteem, and academic performance. As a middle school counselor or teacher, you play a crucial role in helping students develop healthy coping strategies for jealousy. One effective tool is the animated video “Coping with Jealous Feelings” from Everyday Speech, which teaches students to cope with big feelings. This blog post will guide you through a lesson plan and no-prep activity ideas for helping middle schoolers cope with jealousy, focusing on recognizing the emotion, talking about it, focusing on strengths, practicing empathy, and setting personal goals.

Understanding Jealousy in Middle Schoolers

Jealousy can arise from various situations, such as comparing oneself to peers, feeling left out, or desiring something someone else has. It’s important to address jealousy early, as it can lead to negative behaviors and affect emotional well-being. By teaching students to cope with jealousy, we can help them develop resilience, improve their social interactions, and build a positive self-image.

Introducing “Changing the Channel”

The “Changing the Channel” video from Everyday Speech introduces a valuable skill for managing big feelings like jealousy. It teaches students to recognize their emotions, shift their focus, and develop healthier coping mechanisms. The steps to cope with jealousy are:

• Recognize it.
• Talk about it.
• Focus on your strengths.
• Practice empathy.
• Set goals for yourself.

Lesson Plan: Coping with Jealousy

By the end of the lesson, students will understand the steps to cope with jealousy and apply the “Changing the Channel” skill to manage their feelings.

Materials Needed

• Coping with Jealous Feelings video from Everyday Speech
• Whiteboard and markers
• Journals or notebooks

30-40 minutes

Activity Steps

1. introduction (5 minutes).

Begin the lesson by discussing jealousy. Ask students if they’ve ever felt jealous and what situations might trigger these feelings. Explain that jealousy is a normal emotion, but it’s important to manage it healthily.

2. Watch the Video (5 minutes)

Show the “Coping with Jealous Feelings” video. After watching, ask students to summarize the key points and the steps mentioned in the video.

3. Discuss the Steps (10 minutes)

Write the five steps to cope with jealousy on the whiteboard:

Discuss each step in detail, providing examples and encouraging students to share their thoughts.

4. Reflective Journaling (10 minutes)

Ask students to write in their journals about a time they felt jealous. Prompt them to reflect on how they handled the situation and how they could apply the “Changing the Channel” steps in the future.

5. Group Discussion (10 minutes)

Have students share their journal entries (voluntarily) and discuss how they can use the steps to manage jealousy. This open dialogue helps normalize the emotion and reinforces coping strategies.

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Helping middle schoolers cope with jealousy is an essential part of their emotional development. By using the “Changing the Channel” video from Everyday Speech and the steps outlined in this lesson plan, counselors can provide students with practical tools to manage their feelings. These skills not only help with jealousy but also contribute to overall emotional intelligence and resilience. Implement these strategies in your counseling sessions to support your students in navigating their emotions healthily and constructively.

Sample Video

Try out this sample animated video lesson. We offer our entire Social-Emotional Learning platform free for 14 days here !

Related Blog Posts:

Navigating Middle School: Enhancing Social Skills Through Videos

Teaching Middle School Students to Stay Calm and Solve Problems

Promoting Mental Well-being: SEL Lessons for Middle School Students

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Public Speaking Unit

Looking for a public speaking bundle ? I can provide you with an overall picture of how to teach public speaking. 

EDIT: This blog post about a public speaking curriculum has turned into a monster post! It is easily three times as long as my normal blog posts. That’s ok because I know how intimidated I was when I taught speech the first time. All of the lessons and activities mentioned below are in my Public Speaking Bundle . BUT?! I think you could still use these ideas as a springboard into speech if you aren’t looking to buy a bundle. 

I get lots of emails. Most emails pertain to grammar. The second most emails? Public speaking. Teaching public speaking is challenging. 

I have taught public speaking; I teach in Illinois and hold a teaching endorsement in speech. Additionally, I have coached a speech team and substitute-taught public speaking. I understand the challenges and rewards. 

Students have ambivalent feelings about public speaking. They understand the power of speeches, but they are nervous as can be. Our goal as teachers is to harness that range of feelings and get students speaking comfortably in front of crowds. That is my overarching goal as I organize and create these activities.

A few notes about this blog post:

• This public speaking outline took me years to develop, and I still add pieces every semester that I teach. The order and the activities have reasons for placement, and I’ll explain those as we continue. For your needs and students, you may wish to rearrange these procedures. Please! Personalize as necessary! I purposefully left room for teacher personalization.
• ALL of these activities are in my Public Speaking Bundle —BUT!—if you aren’t looking to purchase anything, I hope you can still use this outline to get started, to know what to expect with a public speaking course.
• When I mention a “Discussion Starter,” I am referencing an activity in the bundle. The topic is a recurring question students have, so you should be aware that students will need that information.
• The “weeks” are general guidelines. Don’t stress if you finish early or run a day over—I do too. Flexibility and compassion help nervous students.
• Please, please feel free to contact me. I will happily answer any question about public speaking. It may be the most difficult class I’ve ever taught, but it certainly is rewarding.

My biggest belief with teaching public speaking: students need time to practice their speeches while providing structure and diverse speaking opportunities. We spend days practicing our speeches alone, with peers, and with me. Professional speakers practice intensely, and students should see that practice prepares them.

How can I develop a public speaking unit?

Teaching public speaking requires flexibility and pep talks. It also takes layered activities and student buy-in. By providing a framework with room for personalization and adaptation, students can thrive in a safe and supportive environment that nurtures their communication skills.

Emphasizing the importance of practice, both solo and in various group settings, is key to instilling confidence in students. Encouraging them to engage in discussions and activities that address common concerns allows for a deeper understanding of the challenges they may face.

Week One: Introduction.

How to teach public speaking? Connect with your students and their parents. We complete introductory speech activities . (Download for free. ) Part of teaching public speaking should be building a community to set young public speakers at ease. Giving a speech in front of others can be nerve-racking, and I have never regretted spending time discussing communication and the multiple factors of public speaking with students. General conversations and fun activities help build a supportive community; you really will be setting the room for success.

Discussion Starter: “In the Beginning”

I email parents/post to the classroom website the note for parents about public speaking. (Note in bundle.)

I cover the role of audience members with students (worksheet in bundle). When I give students this expectation, it helps because they know they have a role in class even when they are not speaking.

We read an overview of giving a killer presentation . This takes an entire class period; we discuss how powerful speaking is.

I define the differences between interpersonal and intrapersonal communication. We write about how our intrapersonal communication influences our interpersonal communication.

Week Two: Baby Steps.

Audience Analysis. Who is your target audience? For every speech, students must recognize their audience. We complete the Audience Analysis activity which normally takes two class periods.

Write a radio commercial . Students must realize that their audience cannot read the message; they can only hear and see. I practice “hear” first with a thirty-second speech. Students write and deliver a radio commercial.

This helps because students understand that public speaking holds power—in fact, that is probably why they are nervous about speaking to an audience! I want to harness that excitement and power but not scare students. With the radio commercial, students can “ease into” public speaking. It is quick, short presentation, but it allows me to outline my expectations for speeches.

The radio commercial also allows students to focus on verbal communication without focusing on hand gestures, positioning, etc.

Weeks Three – Four: Narratives: writing and presentations.

Teaching public speaking is a personal endeavor because students will share personal information. Narrative speeches are a great way to build relationships with students.

Discussion Starter: “Where do I stand during my speech?”

I choose a narrative topic for students. I have done numerous, so I have plenty of samples and instructions .

Goal setting sheets help student, and I devote time explaining the process and reasons for planning goals in life. I want them to set goals so that the information is important to them, so they are invested in the process. Setting goals also allows me to differentiate without students asking about their classmates’ plans. After the narrative speech, students create their first goal sheet.

Students deliver a speech without researching and citing sources. The narrative is about them, so they can write and deliver it rather quickly. This gets students in front of an audience without immense pressures.

Week Five:   Informative : research and writing.

For the first researched speech, I have students complete a biography. I do this because they are so easy to organize—students use a timeline of a person’s life. When I question how to teach public speaking, I believe starting students with confidence pays off later.

Additionally, with researching and citing sources, students can become overwhelmed. When they start with a biography, they do not yet have to worry about organizing information. We use the brainstorming sheet as we research these speeches.

Discussion Starters:

• “How do I research my speech?”
• “Citing sources”
• “Outlining your speech”

We research and write the speech outlines. During this week, we practice extensively. Students have completed several smaller speeches at this point, but this speech is different since students research the topics and cite sources. My sample speech is about Kate Chopin. Showing students this speech allows for me to demonstrate organization while not stealing a potential topic. Most students won’t write about Chopin!

Weeks Six – Seven: Practice, prep, and planning . Presentations.

This week, students will make a visual aid, decide on their goals, and practice their biographical speeches. I often have students work with peers and provide feedback. I rotate around the room these days. Students often put too much information on their visual aids, and this is a correction I work with them.

To differentiate, students choose their own goals. A goal can be to speak loudly, to minimize “um,” or to move hands purposefully. When I grade, I keep each student’s goal sheet by me and watch if they have improved on what their focus was.

Students often want to write their speech and deliver it the next day. To prevent this, I make the outline due a week before we start speeches. Students get points for having their outline done, which they appreciate. This forces them to practice.

I cannot stress enough that students will need lots of prompting and encouragement to practice. Students sometimes tell me that they perform better if they don’t practice. This is not true! Rarely have I given a class too much time to practice and had them bored. Students can always perfect their speeches.

We have many discussions and classroom conversations. Our worksheets start reflection and provide talking points.

• “When Does My Speech Begin?”
• “Using a Visual Aid”
• “Where Do I Stand During a Speech?”

Presentations take about a week (of course, this depends on the size of your class). I encourage proper audience behavior. Students should be engaged and check statements from presenters. Part of a speech class is learning to be a good audience member.

I record students as they speak. As we finish presentations, students watch their presentations and reflect. They write what they should improve, how to improve—taking their goals into account. We wrap up by having a class discussion about concerns and strengths. Students can become overwhelmed or unmotivated, so I always acknowledge the difficulty of giving speeches and how they are succeeding in certain areas.

Weeks Eight – Eleven: Argumentative research and writing.

At the start of this process, students are still watching and reflecting on their previous speeches. Students do this alone, so the rest of the class is often researching and outlining their new speeches.

We repeat the informative layout, but we cover more information as a persuasive/argumentative speech. To me, this is the type of speech students will most often deliver in life. It’s important for them to take it seriously and do well. I don’t have this as the final large speech because when I did that, winter break or the end of the school year (whenever the semester ended) took away from serious speech practice.

I add another week into this speech because I typically increase the time requirement. Students need more practice as this speech is a new format and typically longer.

Decide ahead of time what format you want students to use. I typically use Monroe’s Motivated Sequence for persuasive speeches.

Two days are spent completing the Ethos/ Pathos/ Logos Activity .

Discussion Starter: “Diving deeper with your topic”

Students are familiar with the creation process, so the speech creation and practice process normally is better.

Week Twelve: Impromptu , narrative.

Students have worked hard so far, and I give them a slight break from preparation while teaching them valuable skills: thinking, organizing, and speaking quickly. Plus, students often have habits that need broken: fillers (um, yeah, so) or unnecessary hand gestures. These short and relaxed impromptu topics require students to speak, but at the same time, they can focus less on the content and more on what they should improve.

We also study a famous speech by Susan B. Anthony . These activities are important, but they also give students a rest.

Weeks Thirteen – Fifteen:  Informative , non-biography.

Returning to an informative speech is difficult for students, and I do this on purpose. Students must understand the different expectations of speeches. They will try to persuade during this speech, and that is something of which they must be aware. Part of teaching public speaking is challenging students in new ways.

Informative speech topics can include different types of technology, careers in a certain field, or roles of government branches. I have a sample informative speech included in my speech unit. The speech is on modernism, and I stress to students that they should not border on persuading their audience.

• “Adding emphasis in your speech”
• “Elevating your rhetoric”

We repeat the speech preparation format that the other speeches followed. I also show a presentation about figurative language and show students speeches with samples of the figurative language. Then, students brainstorm figurative language to put in their own speeches.

Weeks Sixteen – Seventeen: Impromptu/Argumentative, how-to .

(Again, you can download these public speaking lesson plans PDF in my library. The impromptu activity is included.)

We practice persuasive speeches again, only this time in impromptu format. Students need to present their point of view logically and persuasively. Many “speeches” will be in front of a college professor or boss when called on to present their case for or against something.

I have students create the topics which normally include ideas like, “sell me this pen” or “explain why your work schedule should change.”

Finally, if I have a large class, students might complete the impromptu speeches the entire week. If I need another speech topic, we complete the other how-to speech we did not do earlier. (I have two how-to speeches included, one for food and one for non-food.)

Week Eighteen: When I taught seniors, this was the most exciting time for my speech class. Students wrote a graduation speech, and administrators judged who would give the speech at graduation. (Students not in my class could participate too.) It was an authentic audience, it was meaningful, it had everything for the end of a public speaking course.

I do not give students a list of rules for their graduation speeches; I make students develop them. This is more meaningful because it shows me if they understand what it takes to create and deliver a great speech, if they understand that not all speeches are the same, and if they can take the initiative in delivering a speech. I use the rubric that is included in the bundle.

Sometimes, schools require that each class have a final exam. The public speaking bundle has a test, which I give if required. Other times, I use the graduation speech as the culminating activity. Then, we complete a final evaluation sheet so that we can close the class.

When I began teaching, I had fifty-year-old books that my students hated. (I didn’t love them and struggled to build a public speaking unit with them.) I had my speaking experiences, and not much else. Teaching public speaking takes dedication and effort, but you can succeed. My hope is that this outline of a public speaking curriculum saves another teacher stress and pain.

I developed this order, these processes after mistakes, reflection, and more reflection. I hope this public speaking unit helps other teachers.

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Thanks for stopping by my blog! I’d love to connect with you after you download the public speaking lesson plans PDF. Join me on Facebook to meet other educators who discuss best practices for how to teach pubic speaking, how to develop high school speech lesson plans, and how to create a speech curriculum for high school.

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33 Meaningful Icebreakers for Middle and High School Students That Really Work

Get to know your students and foster classroom respect.

The first few days of school are so important—it’s a chance to get to know your new students and set the tone for the year ahead. But finding the right high school and middle school icebreakers can be a real challenge. Older kids can see the usual “getting-to-know-you” activities coming from a mile away. And they don’t want to risk looking silly or awkward in front of their peers. So in order to gain real buy-in, you’ll need to choose activities that are meaningful and fun. The key is to make them forget themselves temporarily because they are so wrapped up in the game or challenge. We have a little bit of everything on this list, from speed-dating-inspired activities to snowball fights. Try one of these high school and middle school icebreakers to start off your year on the right foot!

Getting To Know You Icebreakers

Setting classroom expectations icebreakers, team-building icebreakers.

Here’s a tip: Before you ask kids to tell you about themselves, be sure to introduce yourself first! We’ve got a great list of ways to introduce yourself to students here , and a lot of these can be flipped for your students to use too.

Now you’re ready to ask kids to reveal a bit about themselves. This is an opportunity to find ways to connect with them in the months ahead, and for them to find new friends too. Here are some high school and middle school icebreakers that really do help teachers and students get to know each other.

1. Flip-book intros

Have you tried Flip with your students yet? It allows teachers and kids to record and safely post short videos—and it’s completely free! Record a Flip video to introduce yourself to students, then have them do the same. We love that this is a low-risk way for kids who hate talking in front of the class to introduce themselves.

2. Would You Rather

Would you rather … do math homework or go for a 2-mile run? Read a book or watch a movie? Wrestle a gorilla or swim with alligators? No matter what questions you ask, this is such a fun way for kids to mix and mingle. Pose your question, then have kids move to different sides of the room to show their answers. Give them a few minutes to chat about the topic before moving on to the next one. Check out the section with Would You Rather questions on this list to get started.

3. Classmate Bingo

Use this free bingo card generator to create your own Classmate Bingo cards. Give one to each student, then set them loose to find another student who can initial each space. If you have enough kids, make a rule that each student can only initial one space on any card. Offer small prizes to the first student to fill in a row and the first to fill their whole card.

4. Blobs and Lines

Teacher Jenn of Cult of Pedagogy loves to use this one with her students. Students respond to prompts either by lining up (in order of height, birthday, alphabetical by middle names, etc.) or gathering in “blobs” (grouped by type of shoes, hair color, favorite ice cream flavor, and so on). Jenn loves that it’s ridiculously easy, low-risk, and gives kids a chance to find out what they have in common.

5. What Do You Meme?

We found this idea on Mondays Made Easy . Find some popular meme images on the web, print them out, and post them in various places around your classroom. Start class by asking kids to find and stand by the meme that best represents how they feel about the subject you teach. Let them chat in groups for a minute or two, then pose a few more icebreaker questions for them to group together and discuss.

6. Speed meetings

The old “interview each other and introduce them to the class” bit is pretty played out. Try this twist instead, which is a lot like speed dating. Divide the class in half, and have them sit in two concentric circles facing each other. Ask an icebreaker question, set a timer for 60 seconds, and let each pair discuss. When the timer dings, the outside ring moves one seat to the left. Give the new pairs a new question, and set the timer again. You can continue this as long as you like. Tip: To increase engagement, have kids help you generate the list of icebreaker questions before you start.

7. Safe social media

Your students may or may not use social media in real life, but they can all use this classroom-safe form of it. Use this free online Fakebook generator , or try a printable template instead. Kids can personalize these in ways that are appropriate for school. (This also gives you a good opportunity for a lesson on internet safety and using social media responsibly.)

8. Collaborative playlist

Music is meaningful to all of us, and the songs we love can be a window into our personalities. Ask each student to contribute one song choice to a class playlist, along with an explanation of why they love that song. (Depending on age, you can decide on parameters for lyrics and language.) Create the list on Spotify so all students can listen to one another’s songs. If you allow music in your classroom, add this playlist to your collections .

9. Word clouds

The words we choose to define ourselves can be really telling, and word clouds are a fun way to see that in action. Kids can create word clouds by hand on paper, or try one of these free online word cloud generators instead.

10. Two Truths and a Lie

This one’s a classic icebreaker, and for good reason. Ask each student to share two facts about themselves and one lie, without identifying which one is untrue. Other students try to guess which one is the lie. Kids always have fun coming up with stuff to fool each other!

11. A funny debate

Debate team isn’t for everyone, but there is a way to make it fun for the whole class. The key is to pick a not-so-serious subject like what is the best pizza topping or whether or not clowns are scary. Then, watch as your students get into defending their positions. If you need ideas, check out these funny debate topics .

12. Toilet paper pass

This fun idea from Mrs. Spangler in the Middle puts a spin on the usual get-to-know you middle school icebreakers. Pass a roll of toilet paper around before explaining what you’ll be doing. When the students ask the inevitable question of how much they should take, simply tell them to “take what they need.” Finally, for every square of toilet paper taken, have students tell a fact or facts about themselves.

13. Yes, No, Stand Up

This video presents this game as an ESL icebreaker, but we think it would work well for any classroom. Simply ask your students questions and let them know that a yes answer means stand up and a no answer means stay seated. It will certainly be fun to look around the room to see who shares your answer!

Many teachers start the first day of school by sharing their classroom rules, assigning seats, and introducing the year’s agenda. Now, let’s be honest: Most kids tune out when you start sharing your rules. They’ve heard them all before, right? So, try giving your students some ownership over the expectations in your classroom . You’ll be surprised at how this can be a real game-changer.

14. Seating plan spin

In the beginning, any seating chart you create is pretty arbitrary. The main purpose is to have students in the same seat each day so you can get to know their names, right? So start out by letting students decide how the initial seating chart works (but they CAN’T pick “sit wherever we want”). They might suggest options like “alphabetical by middle names,” “grouped by birthday month,” and so on. Then, they vote to choose the winner. Finally, kids figure out how to get themselves into the right seats using the rules they chose.

15. Right or wrong skits

First, share your classroom rules and expectations. Then, divide kids into small groups, one for each rule. The group has 10 minutes to prepare short skits showing the right way to follow the rule and the wrong kind of behavior. Kids really have fun hamming up the wrong behaviors, and they’re all much more likely to remember your rules.

Learn more: The Teacher’s Prep

16. Classroom constitution

By middle school and high school, students tend to know instinctively the rules they need to follow. Give them ownership by letting them draw up the class constitution. Brainstorm expectations for a good classroom, then create the guidelines they’ll need to follow to make that happen. Craft the language and have everyone sign. This is a project that can take more than one day, but it’s especially fun in social studies, history, and government classes. Get a free online lesson to walk you through the process here.

Learn more: The Teacher Dish

17. Shared goals

From day one, you’ve got an agenda with lesson plans ready to go, of course. You’ve probably got standards to follow and routine projects you do every year. But that doesn’t mean you can’t take time on the first day to find out what your students really want to know. Post a few anchor charts around the room with the following questions. Have kids circulate and write their answers on the charts. Then, look each one over as a class and talk about the responses. Try these questions:

• What do you think you’ll learn in this class this year?
• What do you really want to learn in this class this year?
• How can your teacher help you learn and succeed?
• What are you most looking forward to in this class?
• What do you dread most about this class?

18. Try a Blind Kahoot!

Here’s another fun way to introduce your class to what they’ll be learning. Create (or find) a Kahoot that covers the basic fundamentals of your syllabus. Kids will likely moan and groan over each question, but it will give you a chance to learn what they already know, and help them discover what’s coming in the semesters ahead.

Learn more: WeAreTeachers/Kahoot Ideas

19. Student expectations

Start by writing “Expectations” on a whiteboard. Then go around the room and have students do three things. They should introduce themselves, share their expectations of the class, and finally, share their idea about the best possible outcome if their expectations are met. An example might be, “Hi, my name is Harper. I’m expecting to learn to see different perspectives. My wildest expectation is that if I knew how to do that, I would become more open-minded and make friends with more people.”

Learn more: ThoughtCo./Understand Student Expectations

20. Snowball fight

Once you’ve gone over classroom rules and expectations, hand out blank pieces of paper to your students. Then, have them try to remember those rules and write one on their paper. Now for the fun part: Have them crumple up the papers and throw them inside the circle. Finally, have them grab any paper, read it, and elaborate on the importance of the rule.

Team-building activities can be a lot of fun, though you’ve got to pick them carefully, especially with this age group. Be sure to debrief when you’re done—ask students to think about why you had them do this activity and what they learned from it. And if you’re choosing something physical, remember that not everyone in the class may be able (or willing) to participate, so think about how you’ll handle that in advance. Find a list of our favorite team-building games and activities here , which are great to use for high school and middle school icebreakers, or try some of the following ideas.

21. Tarp-flip challenge

Spread a few tarps on the floor. Get groups of students to stand on them. The challenge? They have to flip the tarp completely over without stepping off of it. Other students can watch to help keep them honest!

22. Scavenger hunt

There are so many ways to use scavenger hunts as high school and middle school icebreakers. Is this a new school for your students? Send them out to explore it. Want to show them around your classroom? Set up a hunt for different areas and resources. Just want a fun chance to get to know them? Do a hunt to see which group can produce various items (purple pen, hair scrunchie, breath mint, etc.) from their bags or pockets the fastest. The point is to get kids working together in groups and having a little fun.

23. Classroom escape room

If you really want to impress and engage your students, start off with an escape room. You can theme it to help them learn more about you, about the school, or the subject you’re teaching. Kids will have to work together to beat the clock, and each student’s individual skills will make the group stronger as a whole.

Learn more: WeAreTeachers/Build a Classroom Escape Room Lesson

24. Common thread

Divide students into groups of four and have them sit together in these small groups. Give each group 5 minutes to chat among themselves and find something they all have in common. It could be that they all play soccer, or pizza is their favorite dinner, or they each have a cat. Whatever the common thread, the conversation will help them get to know one another better. Repeat this activity in new groups as many times as you like.

25. STEM challenges

STEM challenges are great high school and middle school icebreakers because they get kids thinking outside the box and working together. There are so many you can try, and they almost all only require the most basic of supplies. Looking for ideas? Find our big list of STEM activities for all ages here.

26. Classification challenge

Prepare a tray (or a picture collage) with 20 unrelated items—for instance, a spool of thread, an eraser, a juice box, etc. Divide your class into groups and challenge them to put the 20 items into four categories that make sense to them. For example, they may put an earring, a glove, a headset, a sock, and a smile into the category “things you wear.” Have groups work quietly so that their ideas are kept secret. When each group is finished, give each one time to present their categories and their rationale behind each category.

27. Perfect square

This activity requires strong verbal communication and cooperation. Kids need to be blindfolded, so you may want to allow some students to opt out and be observers instead. Blindfolded students try to take a piece of rope and form a perfect square. It’s harder than it sounds, but if kids master it too quickly, ask them to try a harder shape, like a circle or a hexagon.

28. Follow the leader

Ask for a volunteer guesser and have them leave the room. While they’re gone, choose a leader and have the group stand in a circle. The leader begins a movement, which the rest of the group must mimic. (For instance, the leader might jump up and down or wave their arms over their head.) Invite the guesser back in to stand in the middle of the circle as the movements continue. Every so often, the leader changes the movement, and the rest of the group follows. The guesser must try to determine who the leader is by watching the group’s actions closely.

29. No-hands cup stacking

So simple and so fun! Students use a rubber band attached to pieces of string to pick up and stack cups into a pyramid. Want to make the challenge even greater? Don’t let them talk while they’re working, limit them to one hand only, or make the strings different lengths.

30. Game day

Imagine your students walking into class on the first day to find a stack of board game boxes! Games actually make terrific icebreakers, and lots of them help you with team building too. Try cooperative party games like Codenames, Herd Mentality, Pictionary, or Decrypto. Find more terrific classroom games here.

31. Balloon tower

First break your class into small groups of four to six students. Then supply each group with many multisized balloons and masking tape. Give each group several minutes to brainstorm techniques before they actually start building. Finally, challenge each group to build the tallest tower they can. We love that this activity will get even the shyest of students talking!

32. Stations

Set up stations around the classroom and provide each station with a sentence starter. Then have students complete that sentence. Once that is done, have them gather at the appropriate station and share what they filled out for their sentence starter. Then, attach the sticky to the wall at that station and rotate the kids. Be sure to keep the groups small, so quieter kids aren’t able to hide. As far as high school and middle school icebreakers go, we think this one will certainly get kids talking without feeling too self-conscious.

33. Hot Seat

One student sits in the Hot Seat with their back to the whiteboard while the other students sit facing them. Once the teacher writes a word on the board, the students not in the hot seat must get the designated player to guess the word without saying it!

What high school and middle school icebreakers do you use? Come share in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook!

Plus, get 4 free 15-minute icebreakers here .

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Lesson Plan

Jan. 15, 2024, 9:20 a.m.

Lesson plan: Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have a Dream' speech as a work of literature

For a google doc version of this lesson, click here .

Introduction

Students will study Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech and discuss the rhetorical influences on King's speech, the oratorical devices that King used in delivering his speech and how a speech is similar to/different from other literary forms.

English, Social Studies, Government

Estimated Time

One 50-minute class period, plus extended activities

Grade Level

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s most memorable speech from his life as an activist, “ I HAVE A DREAM , ” was delivered on August 28, 1963, before more than 200,000 people in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The speech was part of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. It not only helped to galvanize the already growing civil rights movement across the country at the time, but also became one of the most influential and inspirational pieces of rhetoric in American history.

Remarkably, midway through his delivery, King suspended his pre-scripted text and began to improvise; what resulted was the speech’s most recognizable section, the passage in which the words “I have a dream” are passionately repeated. Indeed, King’s background as a Baptist preacher in the South instilled in him a talent for improvisation as a speaker and the skill to frame the urgency of the moment.

What is also apparent in “I Have Dream” is King’s deep commitment to scholarship (he earned a Ph.D. from Boston University). King was clearly well-versed in both American history and religious scripture, and he seamlessly weaves references to both into the fabric of his oration. Overall, “I Have a Dream” can be held up as a masterful creative work in itself; its dramatic structure coupled with its image-laden content render a remarkably moving piece of American literature that still strongly resonates today.

• Begin by supplying foundation material for the students through the NewsHour Classroom article and the NewsHour's Martin Luther King, Jr. section, the background explanation above and the links provided.
• Distribute the COMPLETE TEXT OF "I Have a Dream."
• Review the LITERARY TERMS HANDOUT with the students.
• What examples of figurative language can be found in the text? (For example, "seared in the flames of withering injustice"; "manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination"; "whirlwinds of revolt"; "oasis of freedom and justice"; "symphony of brotherhood."
• How do these uses enhance the overall impact of the speech? What oratorical devices does King use to add vitality and force to his speech? (For example, use of refrains such as "I have a dream," "let freedom ring" and "we can never be satisfied"; multiple shifts in sentence lengths; dramatic shifts in tone, such as from enraged to cautionary to hopeful; use of questions as well as exclamations, such as "when will you be satisfied?" and "I have a dream today!")
• In what specific ways does King call forth his experience as a preacher to lend persuasive power to the speech? (For example, he uses several images that call to mind both the plight of black Americans as well as the Old Testament Hebrews under the oppression of slavery — "the manacles of segregation" and the "chains of discrimination"; the final line of the speech invokes "the old Negro spiritual" and is steeped in Biblical influence — "Free at last, free at last; thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"
• Discuss the responses as a class.

Extension Activity

• How are the speeches alike and/or different in their choices of language? In other words, do the speeches seem as if they were composed for the general public or rather for specific groups?
• Of the three, which do you see as being the most direct? That is, which speech uses the least amount of figurative language and/or obscure references?
• Which of the three is the most metaphorical in its content? In other words, which makes the most use of figurative language?
• For each speech, explain how relevant its ideas would be in society if the speech were delivered today. Do the mentioned struggles still exist? Has the country evolved since the speeches were given? Has society responded to the specific appeals for change?
• Passionate?
• Intellectual?
• Persuasive?
• 5-10 minutes in length
• Clearly defined opening, body and conclusion
• Clearly defined thesis (main point)
• Use of supporting examples to support thesis
• Use of figurative language
• Use of oratorical devices such as refrain and hyperbole
• Clearly expressed goals (legal reform; public awareness; etc.)

Written by Doug DuBrin, French International School, Bethesda, Maryland, in 2010.

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Israel-Hamas war latest: Two members of Israel's war cabinet resign with harsh words for Benjamin Netanyahu

Benny Gantz confirms his resignation from Israel's emergency government, saying the decision was "complex and painful".

Sunday 9 June 2024 22:46, UK

• Israel-Hamas war

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• Benny Gantz resigns from Israeli government
• Number of Palestinians killed during Israeli operation 'rises to 274'
• Three hostages killed during Israel's rescue operation - Hamas
• Paramedic describes 'horror movie' scenes after strikes
• Who are the rescued hostages?
• Analysis:  Hostages rescue will be cathartic for Israelis - but Netanyahu is under pressure and infuriating the US
• Live reporting by Jess Sharp and (earlier)  Josephine Franks  

That's all our live coverage on the Israel-Hamas war today. 

We'll bring you any major developments overnight, and will return with all the latest updates in the morning. 

The Israel Defence Forces has denied claims that it killed hostages during its rescue operation yesterday. 

Soldiers retrieved four hostages from the Nuseirat area of Gaza in the Arnon Operation, but Hamas has claimed they killed three Israeli captives in the process. 

Speaking to Sky News, IDF spokesman Peter Lerner said the allegation was part of the militant group's "propaganda war".

"Why should we believe anything they say?" he asked.

"Categorically, I would say it is the propaganda effort of Hamas. They've been trying to exert emotional pressure on Israel since day one." 

You can watch his full interview below... 

A far-right minister has demanded a seat in the cabinet following Benny Gantz's resignation. 

National security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said he had issued his request to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

"Now, in light of Gantz's retirement, I have issued a demand to the prime minister demanding to join the reduced cabinet," he said on X.

"The time has come to make brave decisions, achieve real deterrence and bring security to the residents of the south, the north, and Israel as a whole." 

Ultra-nationalist Jewish Power, headed by Mr Ben-Gvir, holds six seats in the Israeli parliament.

Following in the footsteps of Benny Gantz, another member of Israel's war cabinet has resigned. 

Gadi Eisenkot said decisions have been made by the government which are "not necessarily driven by the national consideration and the good of the country". 

Like Mr Gantz, Mr Eisenkot has clashed repeatedly with the religious nationalist members of Benjamin Netanyahu's government, who have remained adamantly opposed to any political settlement with the Palestinians.

The former Israel Defence Forces chief wrote: "It is time for us to end our duties and leave the government, believing that in this way we will faithfully serve the citizens of Israel."

"Despite my multiple efforts, along with those of my colleagues, the cabinet headed by you has for a long time avoided making decisive decisions," he said in a letter addressed to Mr Netanyahu. 

"This avoidance actually harms the strategic situation and the national security of the state of Israel." 

Mr Eisenkot served as an observer in the cabinet and was a minister for the National Unity party. 

Opposition leader Yair Lapid reacted to both of their resignations on X. 

"Gantz and Eisenkot's decision to leave the failed government is important and just," he said.

"The time has come to replace this extreme government with a sane government that will lead to the return of security to the citizens of Israel, to the return of the hostages, to the restoration of Israel's economy and international status."

Benny Gantz is positioning himself to be the next prime minister of Israel, Sky's Alex Rossi has said.

While Mr Gantz's resignation does not mean the Israeli government will fall, it is a "massive body blow to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu", our international correspondent said.

He added from Jerusalem: "He's not only quit the war cabinet - he's kind of pitching to be the next prime minister.

"He's also calling on Netanyahu to set a date for elections in October - the one year anniversary [of the 7 October Hamas attacks] so the Israelis themselves can decide."

Rossi said Mr Gantz had "accused the prime minister of Israel of putting his own political ambitions, needs, desires before those of the state of Israel and the hostages still in Gaza".

Mr Gantz has a lot of influence, Rossi said, observing: "He's a former chief of general staff in the IDF - a man of great stature."

Having him in the war cabinet had given Benjamin Netanyahu "credibility", Rossi said.

Israel's prime minister has reacted to the resignation of Benny Gantz from the country's war cabinet. 

According to Reuters, Benjamin Netanyahu has told the centrist minister: "This is no time to abandon the front." 

Mr Gantz's resignation had been expected, In fact, he was due to announce his departure yesterday.

The move comes after he gave Mr Netanyahu an 8 June deadline to come up with a post-war plan for Gaza.

Benny Gantz has confirmed his resignation from Israel's emergency government. 

The country's centrist war cabinet minister was expected to make the move yesterday, but delayed it following the rescue of four hostages from Gaza.

Addressing the nation, he said the decision was "complex and painful". 

"Leaving with a heavy heart, Netanyahu is preventing us from progressing to a real victory," he said. 

Mr Gantz also said the Israeli government needs to put the return of the hostages seized by Hamas on 7 October "above political survival".  

He called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to set an election date. 

His decision means the only centrist power in the embattled leader's far-right coalition has been withdrawn.

Last month, Mr Gantz presented Mr Netanyahu with an 8 June deadline to come up with a clear day-after strategy for Gaza. 

The departure of Mr Gantz does not pose an immediate threat to Mr Netanyahu's governing coalition, but it could have a serious impact.

With Mr Gantz gone, Mr Netanyahu could lose the backing of a centrist bloc that has helped broaden support for the government in Israel and abroad. 

An incident has been reported near Yemen's port city of Aden, the UK Maritime Trade Operations has said. 

In an alert on X, the organisation said it received a report and authorities were investigating. 

Vessels have been warned to take caution in the area. 

Yemen's Houthi group has been attacking vessels in the area for months, saying it is targeting ships linked to Israel in retaliation for the country's war in Gaza. 

But many ships have no Israeli connection. 

The uncle of rescued hostage Almog Meir Jan has spoken to reporters today following his nephew's return. 

Aviram Meir praised Israeli forces for their efforts in bringing him home. 

"Yesterday, we had a very big surprise that Almog arrived in an incredible operation that the Israel Defence Forces did," he added. 

Almog was one of four hostages rescued from the Nuseirat area of Gaza. 

The Hamas-run health ministry has said 274 Palestinians were killed during the operation. 

The Israel Defence Forces has released some more details about yesterday's hostage rescue.  

During the mission, which has been named the Arnon Operation, the battalion combat paratrooper patrol led the hostages from vehicles while under fire, it said. 

The air force, fighters from the Sheldag unit and the navy also coordinated airstrikes and the use of fire throughout the mission, it added. 

The operation was named after Commander Arnon Zamora who was killed while trying to rescue the captives. 

"The fighters of Unit 669 and the Sheldag unit fought for the life of the late Commander Arnon Zamora from the moment of the collision until arriving at the hospital, where he died from his wounds," the IDF said. 

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