Shakopee Saber Speech Team

1. Shakopee Saber Speech Team What is it & how can you be involved?

2. What is Speech • MSHSL Activity where students compete in one of 13 categories. • Public Address Categories • One piece for the whole season – 8 min. • Draw Categories • Several Pieces/speeches • Interpretive Categories • One piece for the whole season – 8 min. • Discussion • Competitions • Invitationals • Sections • State • Lettering • Points and Behavior Based • National Forensics League • Points based national honor society for speech competitors

3. Public Address Categories: • All speeches are researched and written by the competitor. • Informative – an informational speech using visual aids to explain and teach about a topic of your choice. Structured similarly to a 5 paragraph essay. Visual aids can be 3D manipulatives or Posters. • Original Oratory – a persuasive speech where you inform the audience on a debated issue, then lay out a logical and researched argument for why your opinion is correct. • Great Speeches – Choose a great speech from history and analyze the rhetoric of the speech. Use this to teach your audience why the speech is one that goes down in history as a great one.

4. Interpretive Categories • Categories are dependent on the literature type – all pieces/ cuttings last 7-8 min. • Creative Expression – Any format, must be written by the competitor. • Drama – Piece is from a play or screenplay – script format. • Duo – Any format, two person team. • Humorous – Any type of literature that is comedic in nature. • Prose – Short story or novel cutting. • Poetry – One poem or several that revolve around a theme.

5. Draw Categories • Extemporaneous Speaking • Competitor researches current events – either domestic or international and writes several speeches on different topics. At tournaments the student will draw a question relating to current events and has 30 minutes to prepare by tailoring one of their speeches to answering the question and practicing the wording of their speech. • Extemporaneous Reading • Student prepares several predetermined pieces – either prose or poetry – and at tournaments is given a random cutting from those pieces to perform. They have 30 minutes to prepare their performance. • Storytelling • Student prepares several predetermined folk tales told in their own words with their own characters etc. At tournaments they are given the title of a story and have 30 minutes to practice the performance of that folktale.

6. Discussion • Non - performance based • Students research current events on a predetermined topic. At competitions they are placed in random groupings of other competitors and are as a group given a task to discuss and accomplish. • This years topic is: • America’s Image Abroad: • Re-thinking Our Standing as the Only Remaining Global Superpower • Preparing for this event includes not only researching the topic but also learning how to steer group conversations and influence others in a panel discussion situation.

7. Competition • Tournaments: • Invitationals – Held every Saturday from Mid January until the end of March. Not required but highly recommended. • Conference –Missota Conference Tournament will be held in Northfield on Thursday 2/20/14 after school • Section – 4/5/14 Mankato West • State – 4/11&12 Blaine High School • Each meet consists of 3 rounds where you are randomly grouped with 6-8 other competitors in your category. You then perform your piece for these other competitors and a judge. • The judge evaluates each performance and gives you a rank (1st, 2nd, 3rd etc.) in the round. • The round scores are averaged and the top 6 students in each category are recognized at an awards ceremony at the end of the tournament. • In addition to being recognized individually, round scores give points to the team, and the teams earning the most points overall are also recognized.

8. Achievement Recognition- besides trophies • Lettering – SHS awards letters for speech participation. Criteria include points based on competitive performance and leadership on the team. • National Forensics League – a national honor society for speech competitors • Each time you compete you earn points based on the ranks you achieved in your rounds. These points are added together and entered into the NFL online database. Once you achieve 25 points, you are inducted into the league as a merit member. With accumulated points, you achieve different levels (or degrees) within the league. • Since 1925 - 1.4 million students, with more than 120,000 active members in more than 3,000 schools. Nation’s oldest and largest forensic honor society, and is widely regarded as the highest standard of excellence in secondary school speech and debate. 

9. Benefits to speech competition go far beyond winning and losing • Skill Building: Writing, reading, listening, research methods, organization, interpretation, critical thinking, analysis, language usage, public speaking. • Build self esteem and confidence • Learn how to conduct yourself in a professional manner. • Career Preparation and Resume builder for College & Job applications • Scholarships • Be a part of a Community • Make Friends & Have Fun

10. Register Online with Activities:

11. Contact me to let me know that you are registered for the team. revenson@shakopee.k12.mn.us

12. Attend the Practice Season Kick Off Workshop • More information will be coming on this soon. Once you have registered with activities and contacted me to let me know, you will be included in our communications.

13. Thank you! We hope to hear from you soon!