Writing, Speech, Debate, & General Knowledge
Topics & Worksheets

Topic 1. Writing Processes and Strategies

ChapterDateNotes
01. Writing Test
02. Writing a Five Paragraph Essay
03. Types of Essays
04. The Argumentative/Persuasive Essay
05. Persuasion
06. Compare and Contrast
07. Writing Process Steps
08. Writing Process Steps - Doing Research
09. Writing Process Steps - Revising and Editing
10. Writing a Story: Using a Mind Map
11. Writing Effective Introductions for Speech and Essay
12. One Paragraph to Each Topic
13. Begin Each Paragraph with a Topic Sentence
14. In Summaries, Keep to One Tense
15. A Few Matters of Form
16. Paragraph Organizer
17. Writing Fluent Sentences
18. Avoiding Shifts in Sentences
19. Transitions
20. Repairing Run-on Sentences
21. 2007 Essay Writing Contest - Level 1
22. 2007 Essay Writing Contest - Level 2
23. 2008 Essay Writing Contest - Level 1
24. 2008 Essay Writing Contest - Level 2
25. Writing From Knowledge and Experience
26. Writing Prompts for Middle & High School Students
27. Letters About Literature
28. How to Write a Newspaper Article
29. In the News
30. Essays for College Admissions Applications (University of Michigan)
31. Essays for College Admissions Applications (MIT)

Topic 2. Public Speaking/Debate Processes and Strategies

ChapterDateNotes
01. Introduction to Rhetoric
02. Means of Persuasion
03. Ethos, Pathos, and Logos Applied: President Bush Addresses the Nation
04. Review Test - Writing Level 8
05. Outline of an Effective Speech
06. Public Speaking Template
07. Catchy Openings Using Famous Quotations
08. Catchy Openings Using Interesting Facts
09. More Great Quotations
10. Mini-Speech Practice
11. 2007 AIM4A Public Speaking Contest Level 1
12. 2007 AIM4A Public Speaking Contest Level 2
13. 2008 AIM4A Public Speaking Contest Level 1
14. 2008 AIM4A Public Speaking Contest Level 2

Topic 3. People, Society, and Issues

ChapterDateNotes
01. Character Is Destiny
02. John F. Kennedy
03. George Washington
04. Thomas Jefferson
05. Theodore Roosevelt
06. Franklin D. Roosevelt
07. Ronald Reagan
08. Abraham Lincoln
09. Famous Philosopher -- Confucius
10. Bjorn Lomborg sets global priorities

Topic 4. Sports, Games, and Fitness

ChapterDateNotes
01. Baseball
02. Golf
03. Yoga and Meditation
04. Healthy Eating
05. Graham Hill: Why I'm a weekday vegetarian
06. Essay Writing Test - Favorite Sport

Topic 5. Money, Finance, and Economics

ChapterDateNotes
01. The World Population
02. Investing Basics
03. Stock Investing
04. Petroleum (Oil) Industry
05. Stock Research -- Dow Jones Industrial Average Companies
06. The Great Depression (1929-1939)
07. Global Financial Crisis of 2008
08. Economic Bubbles

Topic 6. History, Geography, and Civics

ChapterDateNotes
01. Memorable Speech: Give Me Liberty, or Give Me Death!
02. Memorable Speech: The Space Shuttle ''Challenger'' Tragedy Address
03. Geography Extremes
04. Geography Extremes - 2
05. Countries and Capitals
06. Countries and Capitals - 2
07. Immigration to the US
08. This Day In History
09. Article of the Day
10. Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action
11. Cycles
12. Rivers in the US

Topic 7. Science and Technology

ChapterDateNotes
01. Nano Technology
02. Biotechnology
03. Fields of Study
04. Researching Career Choices
05. Joel Levine: Why we need to go back to Mars
06. Richard Sears: Planning for the end of oil
07. Michael Specter: The danger of science denial
08. Pranav Mistry: The thrilling potential of SixthSense technology
09. Angela Belcher: Using nature to grow batteries
10. Mitchell Joachim: Don't build your home, grow it!
11. Mikko Hypponen: Fighting viruses, defending the net

Topic 8. Advanced Writing & Composition

ChapterDateNotes
01. Persuasive Essay Topics
02. More Persuasive Essay Topics
03. Writing Practice 3
04. Writing Practice 4
05. Writing Practice 5
06. Writing Practice 6
07. Writing Practice 7
08. Writing Practice 8
09. Writing Practice 9
10. Writing Practice 10