Task 1 Preparing a Speech
In this task, you will select a topic for a speech, research the topic, and submit a plan for your speech to your teacher for review and feedback.

In a word-processing document, using an audio recording tool, record your responses to parts A, B, and C. You’ll submit the document for review at the end of task 1.

Part A
Choose one of the topics in this list for your speech:

Voting rights in the United States: Do potential voter ID laws improve voting fairness or restrict the right to vote?
Gun rights in the United States: Does abiding by the Second Amendment mean gun restrictions are illegal, or should the government limit civilian ownership of modern weapons that the founding fathers couldn’t imagine over 200 years ago?
Public education in the United States: Does the current system of funding public education primarily through local property taxes enhance community ownership of education or cause a tiered system of successful and failing schools based on the value of local property?
Immigration in the United States: Should the US federal government allow amnesty for illegal immigrants in the country, provide a system for earning citizenship (such as US military service or being in a provisionary time period that allows immigrants to earn citizenship), or deport all the immigrants currently here? Why?
Or, select a topic that is not on this list if it has been approved by your teacher.
Which topic did you choose, and which viewpoint do you support?

Include your answer on your word-processing document.
Part B
Identify at least five online or print sources that provide relevant information or opinions that support or develop your stance on the topic. It's okay if your research leads to a change in your views. What's important is that you should be able to support your stance with evidence and reasoning. You can use both primary and secondary sources in this activity. Remember, a primary source contains an eyewitness's account of an event (e. g., a letter or diary) or actual data from an experiment or a survey that the authors conducted. A secondary source summarizes or synthesizes information from primary sources (e. g., essays or reviews).

Before you decide to use a source to plan your speech, assess its quality and relevance. Read through the following articles on assessing sources of information:

Locating and Assessing Sources
Evaluating Sources
Evaluating Information on the Internet
Guide to Oral Presentations: Research
List the sources you chose for your work on the word-processing document. Describe why you have chosen each resource, how it relates to the issue, and how it supports your stance. Your teacher will review your document and provide feedback on the resources.

Part C
A thesis statement in a persuasive speech captures the main idea of the speech and makes the speaker's viewpoint clear to the audience. Create a thesis statement that clearly addresses and answers the question you chose in task 1. Your thesis statement should be original. It should specify your topic as much as possible and clearly reflect your opinion on the topic. Your speech as a whole will focus on elaborating, clarifying, and supporting the thesis statement.

To help you form a thesis, consult these resources on creating a thesis statement:

The Thesis Statement
Creating a Thesis for Research Paper
Writing Tips: Thesis Statements
Write your thesis in the word-processing document for your teacher to review.

Part D
Finalize your document and submit to the Graded Activities sections at the left of the screen. Be sure to submit it for review only.

Submitting for review allows your teacher to provide feedback to use in task 2.