Voices at the Podium

Overview

Students deliver their formal group speeches on complex characters from The Diary of Anne Frank to a live audience. Listeners use a structured listening guide to evaluate the speaker’s argument, evidence, and language choices, then reflect using brief teacher feedback.

Learning intentions

• Students will deliver a formal speech to a class audience with a clear point of view.
• Students will use and control language features to shape meaning for listeners.
• Students will support claims with relevant evidence and explain its relevance to the character.
• Students will respond respectfully as an audience member using notes from a structured listening guide.
• Students will use quick formative feedback to improve reflective decisions for future presentations.

Success criteria

• I can clearly state my claim about my chosen character and maintain focus throughout.
• I can select evidence from the text and link it to my reasoning about courage or resilience.
• I can shape meaning using appropriate tone, sentence control, and purposeful emphasis.
• I can listen actively and write accurate, respectful notes using the guide.

Curriculum links

• EN5-ECA-01 — Students craft personal, creative and critical texts for a range of audiences by experimenting with and controlling language forms and features to shape meaning.
• EN5-URB-01 — Students evaluate how texts represent ideas and experiences, and how they can affirm or challenge values and attitudes, through attention to perspective, theme, and argument.
• EN5-ECB-01 — Students use processes of planning, monitoring, revising and reflecting to purposefully develop and refine composition of texts.
• EN5-URA-01 — Students analyse how meaning is created through the use and interpretation of increasingly complex language forms, features and structures, especially point of view and characterisation.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Setup and reminders. Teacher outlines the goal for Group 1 and reviews the listening guide headings (claim, evidence, reasoning, language choices, impact). Students get their script/notes ready and audience members confirm they have a clean listening sheet.

2. 5–7 min · Quick performance warm-up. Teacher models one concise strategy: speaking pace + emphasis on key words (without adding new content). Students rehearse their first two sentences silently, then out loud to a partner.

3. 7–16 min · Speech 1 (~4–5 min) + micro-feedback. Teacher times the speaker and prompts the audience to record evidence and key language moments. After the speech, teacher gives brief formative feedback (one strength, one specific growth point) and students add one refinement note to their listening guide or planning sheet.

4. 16–25 min · Speech 2 (same structure). Teacher supports smooth transitions and ensures audience note-taking stays structured (no vague comments). After the speech, teacher delivers brief formative feedback and invites one audience member to respond using evidence from their notes.

5. 25–34 min · Speech 3 (same structure). Teacher maintains pace and checks that evidence is linked to the character’s actions/attitudes. After the speech, teacher provides quick feedback focused on language control (tone/imagery/emphasis) and reasoning.

6. 34–41 min · Audience synthesis reflection. Teacher directs students to complete a “Compare and Reflect” prompt using their notes:

• Which speech most clearly justified its claim with evidence?
• Which language choice most changed the audience’s understanding of courage/resilience?
• What is one improvement you would apply to your own next draft/delivery? Students write short responses (3–5 sentences) in their own workbook.

7. 41–45 min · Exit check (teacher collects). Teacher collects one page from audience members (listening guide + reflection). Students submit and also record one “next time” action for themselves: pacing, signposting, evidence explanation, or concluding impact.

Resources

• Listening guide handout (per student) with headings and sentence starters
• Timekeeping device (visible timer)
• Group 1 speech scripts/teacher-approved note cards
• Class set of The Diary of Anne Frank excerpts or pages used for evidence
• Feedback sticky notes or a small teacher feedback card template
• Timer, whiteboard, markers
• Optional: rubric-lite checklist (matching listening guide categories)

Assessment

• Formative: teacher feedback after each speech (strength + one targeted next step) based on evidence, reasoning, and language control.
• Formative: audience listening guide entries checked for completeness and accuracy (claim/evidence/reasoning/language/impact).
• Summative-in-progress: exit reflection prompt assessing students’ ability to evaluate how texts represent ideas and experiences and how language features create meaning.

Differentiation

• Support for speakers: allow note-card use with clear signposting cues (e.g., “My claim is…”, “Evidence shows…”, “This proves…”).
• Support for audience members: provide sentence starters on the listening guide for each category (e.g., “The speaker’s claim was…”, “The evidence used was…”, “The speaker’s reasoning connected this to…”).
• Extension for advanced students: ask them to identify one connotation/imagery or perspective shift and comment on its effect on audience values/attitudes.
• EAL/SEN considerations: reduce cognitive load by limiting required evidence to two quotations per speech and using sentence frames for analysis; offer a brief pre-listening clarification of key terms (claim, evidence, reasoning).