Challenge 1: Bee the Change

For Individuals or Groups (2–5 students per group) — Maximum points: 200 (100 per entry; 2 entries per school)

YOUR CHALLENGE: Public speaking is not only an important part of school and work but also in everyday life. This skill is especially useful when an issue is important to you and your community, allowing you to be heard, to encourage, to persuade, to lead, and to enact change. For this challenge, use your voice to inform, inspire and persuade your community about the importance of understanding and protecting bees. Research bees and write a 5-minute persuasive speech to convince your community why bees are important and why they need to be protected. Downloadable PDF

ENTRY SUBMISSION: Monday, October 17, 2022 to Sunday, October 23, 2022

Electronically submit the following:

Uploaded PDF file to entry form includes:

  • Written persuasive speech
  • Bibliography
  • Video uploaded to YouTube and Video URL to entry form
✓  Entry Requirements:
 Persuasive speech and bibliography must be saved as a single pdf file and uploaded on entry form. PDF file name must include school name and student name
 Research topic thoroughly and write a 5-minute persuasive speech that takes a stance and encourages specific action. Suggested word count is 600-800 words depending on speed of speaking.
 Video of student speaker shows they maintain eye contact and use appropriate facials and body gestures
 Bibliography cites a minimum of 3 sources, following MLA or APA format
 On-time entry submission (late entries may not receive points)

EVALUATION CRITERIA: 
For more information on how your submission will be evaluated, see Challenge 1 Evaluation Sheet

STATE ACADEMIC STANDARDS: 
This Challenge meets various state standards, visit Challenge 1 Benchmarks

CHALLENGE RESOURCES:
National Speech and Debate Association: Start here: Teaching public speaking
PBS: Public speaking and persuasion – Improve your school!
TEDxKids@SMU: Danish Dhamani: How I overcame my fear of public speaking (video)
TEDxCoconutGrove: Amy Padolf: Learning from History, Preparing for the Future (video)
Edutopia: A 10-step process for teaching monologues

BACKGROUND RESOURCES:
National Wildlife Federation: Bees
Penn State Extension: Why are bees important?