Teacher Notes
These notes support a five-week unit on expository speaking for Year 9. They cover planning, differentiation, sensitive content, source evaluation and classroom protocols. They do not prescribe a school program or a formal reporting instrument.
Purpose and scope
This packet is a teaching resource, not a faculty plan. It offers a sequence, explanatory pages, models and activities. Teachers should adapt the pace, topics and level of challenge to their class. The unit assumes no prior public speaking experience and no specialist scientific or technical knowledge.
The emphasis is on explaining something real to a real audience. Students should speak in every lesson, even if only for sixty seconds. The final explanation is an opportunity to integrate the skills, not a high-pressure test.
Planning the five weeks
| Week | Planning priority | Checkpoint |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Establish the difference between explanation, argument and story. | Can students turn a topic into an explanatory question? |
| 2 | Teach source evaluation, structure and plain language. | Can students build a clear skeleton? |
| 3 | Work on visuals, data and demonstration. | Can students describe a visual without pointing? |
| 4 | Practise questions, accuracy and rehearsal. | Can students answer a clarifying question? |
| 5 | Deliver and reflect. | Can students explain one change and its effect? |
Creating a safe speaking classroom
- Establish norms: listen respectfully, no laughter at mistakes, no unsolicited personal questions.
- Start with pair and small-group explanations before whole-class performance.
- Offer choice in topic, format and audience size.
- Model imperfection: demonstrate a stumble and recover from it.
- Separate practice from performance; not every explanation needs an audience.
- Allow students to record privately or speak to the teacher only.
- Never require disclosure of personal trauma, health or family information.
Sensitive content
| Content | Consideration | Response |
|---|---|---|
| Health and medicine | Students may explain conditions that affect them or their families. | Allow fictional or general topics; do not require disclosure; check claims against reliable sources. |
| Mental health | Explanations may touch on self-harm, suicide or trauma. | Use content notes; avoid method detail; provide support information; offer alternatives. |
| Race, culture and religion | Explanations may describe communities or histories. | Use authentic sources; avoid stereotyping; follow community protocols. |
| Politics and contested science | Students may explain issues people disagree about. | Teach fairness, evidence and uncertainty; distinguish consensus from debate. |
| Personal data | Examples may identify individuals. | Require consent; remove identifying details; use composites where necessary. |
| Demonstrations | Heat, blades, chemicals, allergies. | Check safety rules; use a low-risk version; have a backup. |
Differentiation
| Need | Support | Extension |
|---|---|---|
| Confidence | Pair speaking, short turns, scripted opening. | Lead a question session or chair a panel. |
| Reading and writing | Sentence frames, keyword cards, oral planning. | Write a longer explanation or a counter-explanation. |
| EAL/D | Pre-teach vocabulary; allow first-language planning; model pronunciation without erasing accent. | Compare explanatory conventions across languages. |
| Neurodiversity | Clear steps, predictable routines, visual timers, quiet rehearsal space. | Offer a choice of format and extended thinking time. |
| Gifted students | Compress the basics; focus on nuance and source evaluation. | Ask for an independent investigation or a counterargument. |
| Vision impairment | Large-print scripts, audio cues, described visual aids. | Ask students to design an accessible explanation. |
| Hearing impairment | Transcripts, captions, clear sight lines, microphone. | Ask students to analyse a captioned explanation. |
| Physical access | Step-free space, seated speaking option, flexible microphone use. | Ask students to design an accessible demonstration. |
| Anxiety or selective mutism | Non-verbal roles, written explanations, recorded audio, small audience. | Ask students to design and lead a low-stakes activity. |
Participation without performance
Students can develop explanatory skills without delivering to the whole class. Offer:
- pair or small-group explanations;
- recorded audio with no audience;
- a written explanation read by someone else with permission;
- a support role such as timing, feedback, visuals or cue cards;
- a research or fact-checking role for a group presentation;
- a design role for an accessible visual.
Teaching source evaluation
- Model lateral reading with a live search.
- Use three sources on the same question and rank them together.
- Show a misleading graph and ask what changed.
- Teach students to distinguish fact, inference and opinion.
- Require a source log for any factual claim.
- Discuss the difference between a source being biased and being useless.
Formative feedback
- Focus on one or two choices per task.
- Use the “I noticed ... and it made me ...” sentence.
- Ask the student what they intended before offering a correction.
- Model the next step rather than rewriting the explanation.
- Give time to try the change immediately.
- Record progress through a short reflection, not a score.
Classroom protocols
- Preview any audio, video or website before showing it.
- Check links and sources for accuracy and appropriateness.
- Keep volume levels safe.
- Do not require students to disclose or perform personal material.
- Use a calm, predictable routine for speaking tasks.
- Offer a quiet space or an alternative task if a student is distressed.
- Check consent before recording or sharing student work.
No assessment instrument. This packet contains no test papers, marking keys, scores, bands, weightings or reporting schedules. It is a teaching and formative-feedback resource. Teachers keep their own school instruments offline.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Possible response |
|---|---|
| Students choose topics that are too broad. | Require an explanatory question before research begins. |
| Students copy from the first source. | Require three sources and a verification note. |
| Students read an essay aloud. | Teach spoken sentence length and keyword cue cards. |
| Students use slides as a script. | Limit text; require one visual per idea. |
| Demonstrations run over time. | Cap the process at three steps; rehearse with a timer. |
| Students panic at questions. | Practise three question types every week. |
| The room is too large or noisy. | Use a microphone, reduce audience size or move to a smaller space. |
Review checklist
- Do students speak in every lesson?
- Is every explanation built around a clear question?
- Are sources checked and recorded?
- Is feedback specific and focused on one or two choices?
- Are there low-stakes alternatives to whole-class performance?
- Are visuals accessible and honestly designed?
- Do students have a chance to answer questions?
- Do students reflect on whether the audience understood?
This page is a teaching support document, not a formal reporting instrument. It contains no scores, bands, weightings or confidential school material.