Communication 101: Essays & Speeches: One Credit High School English Course in Bloomington, MN

Say goodbye to fear of writing and public speaking in your home! Your teen can become a confident, skilled communicator! Teens learn to communicate effectively through writing and speaking in
Communication 101: Essays and Speeches
where students read classic essays before they write one. They listen to skilled orators before they give their own speeches and read one living book a month.
Communication 101: Essays & Speeches
, a one-credit high school English course, can be used at home or in a group setting.
Before we give a speech, we listen to a skilled orator. We start simple with reading a picture book aloud expressively. Your own family will make a great audience for your teen or combine with another family to get a bigger audience for speeches. This course has been a huge success in the co-op setting and even shy teens have enjoyed the challenge of speaking in front of their peers.
Students Will...
Read & discuss Great works of literature in a book club setting
Read a classic essay each month and look up vocabulary words
Write an essay similar to the one they read
Read essays aloud to family or homeschool co-op group
Listen to great speeches by excellent speakers
Give speeches in a safe atmosphere
Write 5 timed essays
Students will listen to the following speakers:
Ronald Reagan
William F. Buckley
John F. Kennedy
Margaret Thatcher
Winston Churchill
Martin Luther King
General Douglas MacArthur
Ken Ham
Students will give the following speeches:
Read picture book aloud
Introductory speech
Demonstration speech
Personal testimony
Persuasive speech
Commercial
Interview
Extemporaneous
Debate
Students will read essays by the following writers:
G.K. Chesterton
C.S. Lewis
Cal Thomas
William F. Buckley, Jr.
Mark Twain
Charles Lamb
Sir Frances Bacon
Founding Fathers
Students will write the following essays:
Descriptive
Narrative
Article
Letter to the Editor
Persuasive
Comparison
Add Humor to an Old Essay
Critique or Review
Grammar
Quick review of grammar in the beginning of the course and subsequent grammar reviews twice a month. However, this is based on the assumption that students have already studied grammar and just need review.
All the required essays are included in Communication 101: Essays & Speeches:
"The South Sea House" by Charles Lamb
"Of Travel" by Frances Bacon
"Why the Articles Failed" (Anti-Federalist Paper)
"The Insufficiency of the Present Confederation to Preserve the Union" (Federalist Paper)
"So Help Me Darwin" by William F. Buckley
"French and English" by G.K. Chesterton
"Taming the Bicycle" by Mark Twain
You will need to purchase, or download from the internet, the following books:
Elements of Style
by E.B. White
God in the Dock
by C.S. Lewis (a collection of essays)
The Screwtape Letters
by C.S. Lewis
The Prince and the Pauper
by Mark Twain
Around the World in 80 Days
by Jules Verne
Ivanhoe
by Sir Walter Scott
The Mysterious Island
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
Time Machine
by H.G. Wells