Our Programs
Empowering students from low-income and underrepresented backgrounds to develop strong communication skills and self-confidence.
Teach4Speech Curriculum
By Session
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Session 1
Objectives:
- Introduce the program and how it works
- Collect intake data via the student surveys
- Help students understand how to play the filler word game
Lesson Plan:
Program Introduction (5 minutes)
- Explain that they will be playing fun games involving speaking to the class and debating with their peers.
- Frame the sessions as games and not as lessons.
Intake Survey (5 minutes)
- Have each student fill out a copy of the survey found on page 17 in the appendix.
- Students will fill out this survey at the beginning and the end of the program to gauge their improvement in speaking confidence.
- Read each survey question out loud as students bubble in their answers.
Filler Word Game (20 minutes)
- The objective of this game is to see how long the speaker can talk about a given topic without pausing or saying filler words such as “uhhhh” or “likeeee”
- Be sure to record each student's initial speaking time (typically around 10 seconds) so that it can be compared to later speeches
- If not all students play, there will be another opportunity for initial speaking data during session 2.
- Brainstorm with students to identify what strategies people used to speak longer (e.g. talking slowly, brainstorming talking points before speaking, connecting to their own lives, etc.)
- Encourage them to try out these strategies next time they play the game.