Outcomes and Skills
Year 9 Power of Speech • Expository • Outcomes
Exposition is the art of making something understandable. It is not a list of facts and it is not an argument dressed as information. A strong explanation answers a real question, selects what matters, organises it for a listener and checks that the audience has followed.
Unit outcomes
- Explain the purpose and audience of an expository speech.
- Evaluate sources for authority, accuracy, currency and relevance.
- Structure an explanation with a clear frame, signposted sections and a purposeful close.
- Use examples, analogies and definitions to make an idea understandable.
- Translate jargon into plain language without losing accuracy.
- Present data and visual aids honestly and accessibly.
- Demonstrate a process while speaking clearly and managing equipment.
- Answer audience questions accurately and respond to confusion.
Explanation, argument and story
| Mode | Core question | Typical shape | Success looks like |
|---|
| Explanation | How does it work? Why does it happen? | Frame, mechanism, example, summary. | The audience can retell the idea. |
| Argument | Should we accept or do this? | Claim, reasons, evidence, refutation, call. | The audience accepts or acts. |
| Narration | What happened? | Orientation, complication, resolution, reflection. | The audience follows and feels. |
Most speeches combine modes. A persuasive speech may need to explain a mechanism before arguing about it. The point is to know which mode is doing the main work so the structure supports it.
How the skills connect
| Skill | What it looks like | How to practise it |
|---|
| Question framing | A precise question the speech will answer. | Turn a broad topic into three testable questions. |
| Source judgement | Choosing credible, relevant evidence. | Rank three sources against four criteria. |
| Structure | A frame, signposted sections and a close. | Build a skeleton before drafting. |
| Example selection | Concrete cases that fit the point. | Test each example for relevance and accuracy. |
| Analogy | A comparison that clarifies and names its limits. | Explain where the analogy holds and breaks. |
| Plain language | Clear terms without losing precision. | Rewrite a jargon paragraph for a younger audience. |
| Data literacy | Honest graphs and described trends. | Describe a graph aloud without pointing. |
| Demonstration | Speaking while doing. | Practise a process with a backup plan. |
| Question handling | Accurate, calm responses. | Three question types in a rehearsal. |
I can statements
- I can turn a broad topic into a clear question.
- I can explain who my audience is and what they already know.
- I can judge whether a source is trustworthy.
- I can open with a frame that orients the audience.
- I can signpost the sections of an explanation.
- I can choose an example that actually clarifies the point.
- I can use an analogy and say where it breaks down.
- I can replace jargon with plain language.
- I can describe a visual so it works without sight.
- I can demonstrate a process while speaking.
- I can answer a clarifying question.
- I can say “I don’t know” and explain how I would find out.
Success criteria for a short explanation
| Element | A strong explanation | A weaker explanation |
|---|
| Question | The audience knows what is being explained within the first thirty seconds. | The topic is broad and the point arrives late. |
| Orientation | Key terms are defined and prior knowledge is activated. | The speaker assumes knowledge the audience does not have. |
| Structure | Sections follow a logical order and are signposted. | Facts are listed without a through-line. |
| Mechanism | The explanation shows how or why something happens. | The speaker names the phenomenon but does not explain it. |
| Examples | Specific, relevant and accurately described. | Generic or misleading examples. |
| Language | Clear, precise and audience-appropriate. | Jargon, acronyms or vague abstractions. |
| Visuals | Honest, labelled and described aloud. | Decorative or misleading; speaker talks to the screen. |
| Close | Answers the opening question and consolidates the idea. | Stops abruptly or adds unrelated material. |
Key terms
| Term | Working definition |
|---|
| Exposition | Speech that explains how or why something works. |
| Frame | The opening that establishes the question, context and terms. |
| Mechanism | The process or relationship that produces an outcome. |
| Signpost | A word or phrase that shows the structure of the explanation. |
| Analogy | A comparison used to clarify an unfamiliar idea. |
| Jargon | Specialist language that excludes people outside a group. |
| Plain language | Clear, direct language that preserves meaning. |
| Source authority | The expertise and standing of the person or organisation behind information. |
| Currency | How recent the information is. |
| Correlation | A relationship between two variables that does not prove causation. |
| Causation | A relationship in which one thing produces another. |
| Baseline | The starting point against which change is measured. |
| Accessible visual | A visual that can be understood through description as well as sight. |
| Demonstration | Showing a process while explaining it. |
Knowledge and skills
Knowledge
- Purposes of exposition.
- Source evaluation criteria.
- Explanatory structures.
- Definition, example and analogy.
- Plain-language principles.
- Data and visual conventions.
Skills
- Framing a question.
- Evaluating evidence.
- Structuring an explanation.
- Translating jargon.
- Describing visuals.
- Answering questions.
Next, read what exposition does for the conceptual foundation. The research and source quality page begins the practical research work.