This text is intended for one semester of a year-long speech course at high school level. BJUP publishes another text, Performing Literature, to be used for the other semester. However, this speech course could easily be expanded into a full year course by assigning additional speeches.
A softcover student book and separate teacher's edition are all you need. The teacher's edition has reduced copies of student pages, with occasional overprinted answers plus teaching notes in the margins. These include alternative suggestions to classroom activities for homeschoolers. At the back of the teacher's edition are some extra helps, the most important of which are a grading rubrics chart and one-page overview of what is to be covered each day of the course.
This is a comprehensive speech course, covering both broader communication skills and actual speech creation and presentation. Examples of the range of communication skills taught are understanding your audience, vocal skills (one entire chapter on this topic!), overcoming a fear of public speaking, telephone etiquette, and workplace communication (i.e., interviews, meetings, presentations, dealing with conflict).
Students learn how to plan, research, organize, and present a number of different types of speeches as well as how to present an impromptu speech. Assigned speaking projects include a self-introduction speech, interview and presentation about the interview subject, demonstration speech, declamation (formal public speech that is highly emotional), informative speech, devotional, and a persuasive speech. There's no specific impromptu speech assignment in the text, but p. 355 of the teacher's edition has a fun suggestion you might want to try. The text presents plenty of examples of different types of speeches and suggested topics for some types of speeches.
Students also learn basic skills such as eye contact, using illustrations, appropriate body movement, making an argument, etc. that you expect in a speech course.
This is a thoroughly Christian text. Speech skills are presented with many practice assignments to help students develop communication skills as a means of both glorifying God and benefiting others. Many sample speeches as well as the instructional information use Scripture, biblical allusions, and Christian-oriented content.
Obviously, it would work best with a group of students, but homeschooled students might work through the text and prepare their presentations independently, then do their actual speeches before an audience of some sort. It really should be an audience that includes non-family members so that students gain more realistic experience.
