Introduction to Farrago Speech
Sophomore English

April 2012

FARRAGO:   A confused mixture; hodgepodge.

Synonyms: medley, mixture, hash, jumble, mix, blend, olio

PURPOSE

To develop skill in identifying, selecting, combining and presenting quality literature from a variety of genre which addresses a specific theme or emotion.

PREPARATION

1.)     PICK a common theme you are interested in.  This could be a topic, person, emotion, historical event.  You could also go about choosing your theme by picking a work you already know and love, and deciding to highlight a specific aspect of that work.

2.)     FIND quality materials from different genres that fit into this theme

a.       What does quality mean?  Quality literature explains motivations and reasons for actions; it convinces and describes.  You should try to find something that is really meaningful, not something silly and trite.

b.       Genres you MUST use for your speech (I expect you to use at minimum three different works)

                                                               i.      Prose (remember, we talking about what this means in the beginning of the year…)

                                                              ii.      Poetry

                                                            iii.      Nonfiction or Drama

3.)     RESEARCH the authors and background of the works.  Delve into what each piece really means.  Look up any and all vocabulary you are not familiar with (you must know how to pronounce it AND what it means).  Observe punctuation.  Decide what YOU THINK the meaning of the piece really IS.

4.)     Once you know the meaning of each piece, decide how it fits into your THEME.  You need to write an introduction and transitions that present the reader with unifying information so your speech is easy to follow.  This is very similar to the “hand holding” I talk about with every paper you write.

5.)     Practice reading your pieces aloud.  Voice, gestures, and movement are an important part of your grade.  You may only walk during your transitions (NOT while you are reading).

6.)     MEMORIZE your introduction transitions.  MOUNT your pieces to read on construction paper.

7.)     TIME YOURSELF.  Your speech should be 8 minutes, give or take 15 seconds.  You need to keep this in mind while you are selecting pieces.

8.)     PRACTICE!  Really, you need to practice in order to get this right.

Brainstorming Sheet

Name: _______________________

Some possible THEMES I might be interested in exploring for my speech include…

                What works or events might work for this theme?

Some possible WORKS I might be interested in exploring for my speech include…

                What themes or events might work for this work?

Some possible EVENTS I might be interested in exploring for my speech include…

What themes or works might work for this event?