A speech with a fresh perspective!
Grade 1 Speech
APPROPRIATE FOR: GRADE 1 / SPEECH TYPE: SAMPLE (not for sale) / TOPIC: I would rather read than play on my tablet / AGREE/DISAGREE?: AGREE
WORD COUNT: 398 words / ILLUSTRATED: YES
Brand names maketh the man
Appropriate for Grades 6 and 7
Chairperson
If I should say Nike, and you think: “Oh yes, I need new running shoes”, then Nike’s brand is probably pumping.
If I should say “McDonalds” and you start singing: "...had a farm, hee hi hee hi ho…”, then I am afraid the hamburger chain store will soon go bankrupt.
Now if I should say “Apple” and you think “Oh yes, I am quite hungry” – well, you get it.
You are as old as a dinosaur and you managed to miss the dawn of the age of computers AND the advent of advertising.
Dear audience
I have just illustrated to you how effective a brand name can be. But tonight it is my job to find out whether brand names indeed matter enough to maketh the man?
Firstly, why do people buy expensive branded goods?
...... end of speech excerpt
SPEECH TYPE: STOCK
TOPIC: Brand names maketh the man
AGREE or DISAGREE? DISAGREE
WORD COUNT: 641
Be careful what you wish for
Appropriate for grade 4 or 5
“If wishes were fishes we'd all swim in riches"
Chairperson
Show me a person who does not have a wish, and I’ll show you a poor soul. Most people do have wishes and would be only too happy if their wishes should turn into “riches”.
I want to caution you to be careful what you wish for. To do that, I shall call in the help of three wise and accomplished people:
a Statesman, a Saint and an Author.
Enter wise person number one:
Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of America’s constitution, wrote in “Poor Richard’s Almanac”, in 1752:
“If a man could have half his wishes,
he would double his troubles”.
.... end of speech excerpt.
SPEECH TYPE: STOCK
TOPIC: Be careful what you wish for
AGREE or DISAGREE? AGREE
WORD COUNT: 594
Electronics make children lazy
Appropriate for Grades 2 / 3 / 4
Chairperson
Picture this: A massive solar superstorm hits the earth. The power grid fails. Electronic devices are useless. We are OFFLINE!
Cars won't start and shops cannot trade. These days nobody can do maths without a calculator. There is no Google or Siri to help me with homework and nobody knows where to find a library. Social media withdrawal is making everybody super-grumpy.
Ladies and Gentlemen
Unlike our parents who learned important life skills without electronics, children my age are growing up with a cell phone in hand and the internet on demand ........................ end of speech excerpt.
SPEECH TYPE: SAMPLE (not for sale)
TOPIC: Electronics make children lazy
AGREE or DISAGREE? AGREE
WORD COUNT: 565
