Environmental Speech Crafting Worksheet

Name:

Date:

🎯 Part 1: Identifying Rhetorical Devices

Read this speech excerpt:

"Can we really stand by and watch as hurricanes devastate communities? As floods destroy homes? As earthquakes shatter lives? You have the power to act. You have the responsibility to care. You have the chance to make a difference. The time for action is now – not tomorrow, not next week, but today."

1. Identify the main rhetorical devices used in this excerpt. Tick all that apply:

Rhetorical questions

Triplets (rule of three)

Direct address

Emotive language

Repetition

2. Which phrase best demonstrates emotive language?

"The time for action is now"

"hurricanes devastate communities"

"You have the power"

"not tomorrow, not next week"

3. Explain how the use of rhetorical questions engages the audience in this excerpt:

📝 Part 2: Speech Planning Template

Task: Plan a speech to persuade young people at your school to take responsibility for environmental protection.

4. Write an engaging hook to open your speech (use a rhetorical question, shocking statistic, or powerful statement):

5. List your three main persuasive messages:

Message 1: _________________________________________________

Message 2: _________________________________________________

Message 3: _________________________________________________

6. Choose three rhetorical techniques you will use in your speech:

Emotive language

Rhetorical questions

Triplets (rule of three)

Direct address ("you," "we")

Repetition for emphasis

Statistics and facts

7. Write a powerful call to action for your conclusion (what specific actions do you want your audience to take?):

✅ Part 3: Peer Review Checklist

Use this checklist to review a classmate's speech draft:

8. Rate each element (tick one box per row):

Clarity of message:

Excellent - very clear purpose

Good - mostly clear

Needs improvement - unclear in places

Use of rhetorical devices:

Excellent - 3+ devices used effectively

Good - 2-3 devices used

Needs improvement - limited use

Engagement and persuasive impact:

Excellent - very engaging and convincing

Good - quite engaging

Needs improvement - lacks engagement

9. One strength of this speech:

10. One suggestion for improvement:

Vocabulary Bank - Persuasive Language: compelling, urgent, vital, devastating, responsibility, accountability, sustainable, catastrophic, empowerment, collective action, future generations, irreversible, crisis, opportunity