The Hunger Games: Speaking Out

We have just left Katniss and Peeta preparing themselves for the cameras at the close of Collinss novel.
Katniss knows that she threatened the Capitols Hunger Games with the nightshade berries. She also knows
that she must pretend to be in love with Peeta so she appears harmless to the Capitol. But what if Katniss
decides to speak out against the Capitol, The Hunger Games, and President Snow? What if she decides to go
against Haymitchs advice? You are to imagine yourself as Katniss giving a speech to the cameras, a speech
that will ignite a rebellion.
What would Katniss choose to speak out against? You will choose at least two different problems that
Katniss finds within her nations society. For example, Katniss could accuse the Capitol of perpetuating
poverty within District 12 even though there is excess wealth in the Capitol. For each problem you choose, you
should refer to a specific event in the book that illustrates the significance of that problem. Your speech should
have an opening hook, a body of supporting evidence, and a riveting closing.

A good speech will:
-have an engaging opening hook that grabs the readers attention
-be written in a persuasive manner
-be consistent with Katnisss character traits and sound like Katniss
-feature at least 2 key problems that Katniss finds within her nations society
-have strong supporting evidence from the text for each of the two problems
-end with a closing that could ignite a rebellion































Katnisss Speech Scoring Guide
6Superior
o Hooks the readers attention with a compelling and persuasive opening
o Thoroughly addresses all aspects of the prompt; displays a sense of audience and purpose
o Establishes an exceptionally clear argument in support of Katnisss position
o Addresses two or more problems with the Capitols society that strongly relate to key themes in the novel
o Passionately creates Katnisss point of view through creative language and inclusion of important details
o Demonstrates exceptional control of sentence structure and variety that draws attention to key arguments.
o Contains exceptional control of spelling, capitalization, punctuation usage and appropriate format requirements.
o Finishes strongly with a passionate closing that convinces the reader to start a rebellion!

5Advanced
o Attracts the readers attention with a compelling or persuasive opening
o Clearly addresses all aspects of the prompt; displays a sense of audience and purpose
o Establishes a clear argument in support of Katnisss position
o Addresses two or more problems with the Capitols society that relate to key themes in the novel
o Strongly creates Katnisss point of view through creative language and inclusion of important details
o Demonstrates strong control of sentence structure and variety that draws attention to key arguments.
o Contains strong control of spelling, capitalization, punctuation usage and appropriate format requirements.
o Concludes with a passionate closing that makes the reader think about to starting a rebellion

4Proficient
o Invites the readers attention with a convincing opening
o Addresses all aspects of the prompt; displays a sense of audience and purpose
o Establishes an argument in support of Katnisss position
o Addresses two problems with the Capitols society that relate to key topics in the novel
o Creates Katnisss point of view through creative language and inclusion of important details
o Demonstrates effective, but sometimes predictable language; mostly consistent point of view.
o Demonstrates adequate control of spelling, capitalization, punctuation usage and appropriate format requirements.
o Concludes with an enthusiastic closing that talks about rebellion

3Basic
o Attempts to engage the readers attention with an opening statement
o Addresses most aspects of the prompt; displays some sense of audience and purpose
o Supports a position using generalizations or simplistic ideas as evidence
o Addresses less than two problems with the Capitols society in a general way
o Struggles to maintain Katnisss point of view, written in an inconsistent voice
o Uses static, predictable language; often inconsistent point of view
o Contains some control of spelling, capitalization, punctuation usage and appropriate format requirements.
o Concludes with an simple closing that mentions the idea of rebellion

2Below Basic
o Attempts to produce an opening statement, but does not engage the readers attention
o Addresses most aspects of the prompt; displays limited sense of audience and purpose
o Includes an unclear, confusing argument that may or may not support a position
o Addresses less than two problems that do not clearly relate to the Capitols society or Katnisss platform
o Does not maintain Katnisss point of view, switches between point of views of writer and Katniss
o Uses either simple and short sentences or awkward/rambling sentences
o Contains limited control of spelling, capitalization, punctuation usage and appropriate format requirements.
o Vaguely concludes with a sentence or two that may or may not refer to rebellion

1Far Below Basic
o Does not produce an opening statement, does not engage the readers attention
o Does not address the prompt; displays limited or no sense of audience and purpose
o Does not contain an argument, does not support a position
o Does not address problems with the Capitols society
o Does not maintain Katnisss point of view, written in the point of view of the student
o Uses fragments and run-ons/ awkward/rambling sentences
o Contains little if any control of spelling, capitalization, punctuation usage and appropriate format requirements.
o Does not conclude at all or concludes the speech without making reference to rebellion