A Reason to Speak

For groups with students ages 11–13 years

Launching Your Journey Toward Confidence and Conviction

This engaging course introduces students to valuable public speaking skills and why these skills matter. Students will practice applying these essential skills immediately as they develop confidence and character while finding their Reason to Speak

This introduction to public speaking is designed for students ages 11–13.

registration opens September 13

About the Curriculum

Designed for

Classrooms with students ages 11 – 13 years or middle school students

Course Length & Duration

4 weekly sessions

45 minutes each

Requirements

Reliable internet access for all instructors

OBJECTIVES

 

Week 1 – It’s Not about Me!

  • Explore an audience-centric approach to public speaking
  • Discover how effective speaking can be a first step to connection with others
  • Practice using limited preparation skills
  • Comprehend how listening contributes to effective communication
  • Explore how competence, character, and connection assist in the transformation of next generation Christians

Week 2 – You’re Next!

  • Develop platform writing skills by using a hook, thesis, visual aid and conclusion
  • Understanding how to use feedback
  • Select a palm-sized prop to assist in your self-introduction
  • Comprehend that our actions speak louder than words
  • Explore how expression and articulation support effective communication

Week 3 – Write It!

  • Practice delivering a speech with clear expression and clear articulation
  • Begin to offer peer feedback
  • Discover how poise, pause, and pacing supports vocal expression
  • Learn the sandwich approach to coaching

Week 4 – Your Voice Matters

  • Practice using pause to help make a story memorable
  • Explore how expressive reading brings a story to life.
  • Interpret and record a short story, Aesop’s fable, or scripture reading
  • Anticipate next steps in the coaching journey

Included Materials

Outcomes

  • Discover reasons to speak
  • Develop beginning skills in impromptu speaking
  • Practice using projection, inflection, and pacing in interpreting a short story or scripture reading by voice
  • Write and give a short platform speech
  • Use a prop to share a simple personal introduction
  • Practice evaluating peers in live practice sessions

A Reason to Speak Instructor Access

$77 per instructor

What's Included For Each Instructor

  • Get access to your curriculum the same day you purchase in most cases
  • Interact with the instructor materials and our global community in our secure online-learning Academy
  • Join in twice-monthly support and connection video call

How to Determine How Many Instructors You Need

Our experience tells us that 6-12 students per instructor is ideal, depending on the age of your students.

Instruction Options

Man Speaking to Group on Video Call

Your instructor Delivers Training

Basic Package
  • Most affordable option
  • You will instruct with the materials you purchased
  • You can show all videos during your class meeting time via your instructor access
  • Instructor access ends after 180 days

Online Classroom for Students

Available Add-On
  • Best option for reinforcing comprehension and creating connections for your students
  • Easy access to the online classroom for each of your students for 180 days
  • Includes a fully customizable and personalized classroom for each instructor
  • Supports assigning of grades and other academic documentation
  • Students may enroll in ICCFS tournaments! Here they will receive feedback forms from live evaluators
  • Instructors must purchase the curriculum first. Not available separately
Student drawing with colored pencils

Get Started now — Only $77!

A Reason To Speak Course

Purchase Instructor Access

You’ll have access to your curriculum for 180 days.

Purchase Online Classroom Access

After you purchase your curriculum, you’ll receive an email with details as to how to purchase student materials.

Instructors purchasing any student materials, your online access to curriculum is extended for an additional 180 days.

Students have access to their classroom for 180 days.

Frequently Asked Questions

Instructor Resources

A. You’ll get access to 180 days of support that begins as soon as you purchase:

  • Interact with the instructor materials and our global community in our secure online learning academy
  • Join in twice monthly support and video connection call

A. A Reason to Speak is shared by instructors around the world. You are all using the same content. Content is not editable by individual instructors. If you have suggestions for improvement, please fill out the form contained in the course “Share your Questions and Suggestions.” You may fill it out multiple times throughout your journey.

A. YES! They are found in your Reference Resources in the curriculum resource. You will decide when your student is ready to receive a completion certificate.

A. The ICC Academy is hosted by Schoology as our provider. They have created short tutorials that answer typical questions. Click on the links to see!

Schoology 1st Steps video

Schoology Next Steps Video

A. Our learning platform has a helps page with multiple FAQ, video tutorials, and instructional aids. Visit it at Help Center (click on Support found in the black toolbar at the bottom of every page in the ICC Academy).

A. Every online school determines their own philosophy of who gets access to their course materials. We are only able to provide access to the ICC Academy for individuals with an iccinc.org email account or those who are not registered with other Schoology organizations. If you register with a personal email address, make sure it is one not used in a different Schoology-registered school.

Student Access

A. In A Reason to Speak, only instructors can view the course materials. Instructors will have the ability to print student sample handouts from the instructor materials.

A. Purchase Student Access for the required number of students.

A. Parents of A Reason to Speak are not able to view the online curriculum.

A. The Student Access Plan allows online access to the online classroom of A Reason to Speak. Lessons there reinforce and extend the concepts and skills taught in your live classroom setting. Students will need wifi/internet to complete their homework and class preparation outside of structured, interactive class time.

A. YES! The ICC Academy is happy to link individual classrooms (called sections) in the same online course. We can link multiple sections of students to the same online course, separated into distinct sections. Read more at Linked Courses in the ICC Academy. Please request this feature when you purchase the Student Access Plan.

A. In most cases, we should be able to build your customized, completely editable classroom for your students in 3 – 5 days after the Student Access Plan has been purchased.

  • We’ll need unique email addresses for each student enrolled.
  • Each instructor will be given an email template for helping students gain access to their course. Instructors will customize the template for their own students.
  • Please allow an additional one week, minimum, before your estimated course start date for your students to complete their Academy Orientation.
  • Read Course Materials to learn the features of your online curriculum.
  • Notify your students using Course Updates: Students who sign into their course will always see updates when they arrive. You’ll want them to set up notifications (details included in the Academy Orientation) for this feature to work best.
  • Share upcoming important dates for your course on the calendar feature.
A. You’ll find your course materials in a folder marked Instructor Resources and in each lesson where they are labelled with TG (Teacher’s Guide).

A. In A Reason to Speak, both teachers and students have access to the course. There are individual folders marked “Instructor” which should always be kept hidden/unpublished. You do have more options to make folders available on certain dates or for limited times. You can continue reading below for more details. For further understanding, read up on Organizing your Course Materials.

Using Folder Availability

Folder Availability can be set to Published, Unpublished, Publish on start date, or Published during date range, giving you greater control over when the folder (and its material) is available to students. This way, you can create material ahead of time but keep it hidden from students until you are ready to cover the material.

If a folder is Unpublished, neither the folder nor its contents will be accessible to students. If it is set to Publish on start date or Published during date range, the folder and its contents will only be visible to students after or during the specified dates.

To adjust these settings, follow these steps:

  1. Select the Materials tab from the left menu in the Course Profile.
  2. In the folder that you wish to modify, click the gear icon to the right and select Edit.
  3. In the Availability menu, choose Published, Unpublished, Publish on start date, or Published during date range.
  4. If you choose one of the latter two options, choose the appropriate dates in the calendars in the Date row.
  5. Click Save Changes to complete.

Note: The date and time of availability follows the user’s time zone. If a student of a course has a different time zone than your settings, the folder will be available according to the date and time of the student’s time zone. You can change your timezone in your personal Account Settings.

A. Completion rules only apply to those participating in the course as a student. To determine if you are a student or an instructor, click on “members”. You’ll find a special icon (a badge with a star) to the right of your name if you are an instructor. If, as an instructor, you remove the completion rules, your students will no longer have that completion rule in your course.

Instructors can add comments to any assignment. These comments will remain in the course and will be visible by all students. All discussion comments are viewable by everyone in the course.

A. A Reason to Speak is yours to edit and use as you’d like. If you would like to use it with a second class, you would pay for additional student seats at that time. We have some basic helps (click here) to get you started on revising content, if you’d like to customize any lessons.

A. A Reason to Speak  can be graded by an Instructor. Read this guide for additional helps. 

A. A Reason to Speak has completion certificates already uploaded into your curriculum. You will decide when your student is ready to receive a completion certificate.

General Helps

  1. Wifi/internet is required, especially for streaming videos. 
  2. Instructors of A Reason to Speak find that downloading and printing lesson plans ahead of time helps them be more confident in the face to face classroom setting.

A. To date, the most common reason for inability to see the videos seems to be linked to trying to view the videos from the Schoology app. If you are having problems, please make sure you are signing in from a browser using this address https://academy.iccinc.org

If videos still won’t play, please fill out the Academy Support Form for assistance.

Reach out to our People Care team (available on LIVE CHAT on the website or by email peoplecare@iccinc.org). Make sure you include the following needed information (failure to include this information will slow down the process)

  1. Name of Original Purchaser. 
  2. Name of School or Learning Center, if appropriate. 
  3. Approximate date (month, year) of purchase
  4. Item of Curriculum purchased
  5. Your concern
  6. We will work with you and our team of ICC leaders to make sure you get the help you need.

For School/Learning Centre Groups Only (purchasers of 3 or more basic instructor plans)

A. Every PURCHASER and every named instructor for whom the purchaser indicated at the time of purchase will be given access to the same curriculum as the instructors. If you don’t have access, and believe you should, please fill out the Academy Support Form for assistance.

If you have more questions, please contact People Care at Lisa.McLean@iccinc.org

Updated 01.01.22

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