Convince us!

You are going to prepare and deliver a short persuasive speech. That is, you are going to choose a topic to argue for and convince people about your opinion.

Your presentation could be about a topic from the list below, or it could be something else that you want to argue for. The choice is yours.

All students should wear uniforms in school. 
School must start two hours later, because students are very tired 
Separating boys and girls help them perform better in school 
Parents must limit how much time their children spend on tech devices - two hours per day is enough
Mobile phones should be banned during the whole school day 
Grades are not necessary - children study anyway
Homework should be forbidden 
Schools should offer cash bonuses for good test scores
Students committing cyber bullying should be expelled from school.
Students need more holidays 
Cats are better than dogs (or vice versa)
Messi is better than Ronaldo (or vice versa) 


How do you do give a persuasive speech? 

• Start with stating your opinion clearly. That is, tell your audience what you think about a topic. 
• Then give reasons for why you think the way you do. You should have at least three reasons for your opinion. Use linking words and phrases to connect your opinions and reasons. 
• Say something about what other people may think about this subject, then say why they are wrong and you are right. In other words, refute their argument. 
• Finish with a concluding statement. 

Look at the example below: 

In my opinion, smoking should be banned in public spaces for several reasons.

First of all, smoking bothers other people.  It smells horrible and causes other people to cough.

Another reason to ban smoking in public places is the influence smoking has on teenagers.  When teenagers see young adults smoking, the teenagers may think it is cool and start a habit that is very difficult to quit. 

Also, smoking is bad for your health. Not only does it affect the smokers, but it causes lung and throat cancer in people who inhale secondhand smoke. 

Some people might say that smoking outside is not so bad, because the smoke blows away and won't bother anyone. But even if the smoke doesn't always affect people, smoking is a filthy habit. Smokers leave their cigarette butts on the ground and drop their ashes anywhere. 

Finally, smoking can be very dangerous since careless smokers who throw away cigarettes sometimes cause building and forest fires. 

So, in conclusion, I think that the ban on smoking is necessary in order to protect people

Look at this picture from awesome colleagues for help as well:

What should you keep in mind when you speak? 

Do not, I repeat, do not read from a script! Write down keywords or draw a mind map of what you are going to say, but don't read a text out loud. That is not the point of this assignment. 

How will you be assessed? 

Jag kommer att bedöma din förmåga att... 

• formulera dig och kommunicera i tal,
• använda språkliga strategier för att förstå och göra sig förstådda, [och]
• anpassa språket efter olika syften, mottagare och sammanhang.