Throughout history many Americans have used oratory as a way to drive civic change. Read on to discover 10 change-makers whom you might not know about yet.
Reflecting on Successes of the National Oratory Fellows Program
We share lessons learned about the National Oratory Fellows program after completing year one of a three-year evaluation report by our independent evaluator and researcher Catherine Awsumb Nelson.
How the Ford's Theatre National Oratory Fellows Program Made Me a Better Public Speaker and Teacher
Learn how oratory education helped one teacher gain confidence and become a better educator.
Teachers and Students Reflect on their Experience at the National Oratory Fellows Performance
Read first-hand accounts from students and teachers who have spoken on the Ford's Theatre stage!
Strategies for Students: Overcome Stage Fright in Public Speaking or Performance
To be an effective public speaker, students need to understand a variety of elements, including use of appropriate tone, natural gestures and effective eye contact. If stymied by stage fright, all of their hard work might feel for naught. In this interview style blog post, professional actors and teaching artists Victoria Reinsel and JJ Johnson share with Ford’s Education team some of their best strategies and advice for teachers and students to calm nerves and speak with confidence. In this interview style blog post, professional actors and teaching artists Victoria Reinsel and JJ Johnson share with Ford’s Education team some of their best strategies and advice for teachers and students to calm nerves and speak with confidence.
Improving Student Comprehension: Analyzing Word Choice in Primary Source Texts
Teacher Joyce Erb-Appleman shares how she helped a colleague use a close-reading approach to analyzing word choice to help students gain a deeper understanding of a primary source text.
Learning What Works: National Oratory Fellows Program
The National Oratory Fellows program is a signature initiative of Ford’s Theatre, drawing on our institutional expertise in history, education and performing arts. It is a long-term teacher professional development program designed to build teacher capacity to use public speaking and performance as teaching strategies in middle and high school classrooms.
We CAN Talk about Politics in the Classroom
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) surveyed more than 10,000 administrators, teachers, counselors and support staff about their post-election classroom and school environment. Data showed that half of teachers surveyed were uncomfortable bringing up the election and politics in their classrooms. We must build a community where students feel comfortable exchanging ideas. Creating a safe learning environment starts on day one of the school year.
A Lesson in Linguistics Through Historical Transcription
In spring 2016, Jason Rude, a seventh and eighth grade social studies teacher at New Hampton Middle School in New Hampton, Iowa, worked with Ford’s Theatre on a pilot project to transcribe primary sources from the Remembering Lincoln website with his students.
Bringing Podcasting Into the Classroom
In the following post, Ford’s Theatre Teacher-in-Residence Dave McIntire discusses how to use podcasting as a teaching tool for middle school students’ public speaking.
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