English · Year 5

Active learning ideas

Public Speaking Craft: Volume, Pace, Eye Contact

Active learning works for volume, pace, and eye contact because these skills require real-time adjustments and immediate feedback. Students must feel how changes in volume fill a space, how pace shifts the mood, and how eye contact builds connection.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9E5LY08
• AC9E5LA09

• 15–30 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

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• 20 min · Pairs

Pairs Practice: Mirror Delivery

Partners face each other; one speaks a poem excerpt while the other mirrors expressions and gestures. Switch roles after 2 minutes, focusing on matching volume, slowing pace for key lines, and holding eye contact. Discuss what felt engaging.

How does varying the pace of a speech keep an audience interested?

Facilitation Tip

During Pairs Practice: Mirror Delivery, circulate to listen for volume shifts and note when partners naturally adjust pace.

What to look for

Students watch a short recorded poetry reading by a partner. They use a checklist to rate the speaker's use of volume (too loud, too soft, just right), pace (too fast, too slow, varied), and eye contact (minimal, consistent, effective). They provide one specific suggestion for improvement.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

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• 30 min · Small Groups

Small Groups: Feedback Carousel

Groups of four prepare 1-minute poetry speeches. Each performs for the group, who note one strength and one tip on volume, pace, or eye contact using sticky notes. Rotate speakers until all have performed.

What role does body language play in establishing a speaker's authority?

Facilitation Tip

In the Feedback Carousel, model how to give feedback using sentence stems like 'I noticed when you...' before students begin.

What to look for

Present students with a short, simple script. Ask them to mark the script with symbols indicating where they would increase volume, slow down pace, or pause for eye contact. Discuss their choices as a class.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

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• 25 min · Whole Class

Whole Class: Audience Adaptation Challenge

Divide class into two audiences: noisy cafe and quiet library. Students deliver the same poem snippet to each, adjusting volume, pace, and eye contact. Class votes on most effective adaptations and explains why.

How can a speaker adapt their tone to suit different audiences and purposes?

Facilitation Tip

For the Audience Adaptation Challenge, provide a metre stick or measuring tape so students can measure their distance from the audience and test volume levels precisely.

What to look for

Students write one sentence explaining how changing their speaking pace can make a poem more exciting for listeners. They also write one sentence about why making eye contact is important when speaking to a group.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 04

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• 15 min · Individual

Individual: Record and Review

Students record a 1-minute speech on device, emphasising the three elements. Watch playback, note one change for volume, pace, or eye contact, then re-record and compare improvements.

How does varying the pace of a speech keep an audience interested?

Facilitation Tip

When students Record and Review, give them the same checklist you will use for assessment so they can self-assess before submitting.

What to look for

Students watch a short recorded poetry reading by a partner. They use a checklist to rate the speaker's use of volume (too loud, too soft, just right), pace (too fast, too slow, varied), and eye contact (minimal, consistent, effective). They provide one specific suggestion for improvement.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should create low-stakes, repeated practice with clear success criteria. Avoid over-correcting in early attempts, as volume and pace adjustments feel unnatural at first. Research shows that students improve fastest when they hear their own voice played back and see peer reactions in real time. Focus on small, measurable goals like 'speak 20% louder for the back row' rather than vague advice.

Successful learning looks like students adjusting volume to fill the room without shouting, varying their pace to guide listeners' emotions, and scanning the room naturally during speaking. They should give and receive feedback that is specific and actionable.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Pairs Practice: Mirror Delivery, students may assume louder volume always grabs attention.

  Circulate and remind partners to test volume by moving to the back of the room and asking 'Can you hear me clearly without straining my voice?'

• During Feedback Carousel, students may believe fast pace shows excitement and keeps energy high.

  Guide the group to listen for moments when slowing down builds suspense, using the feedback prompt 'Where did you lose track of the story because the speaker rushed?'

• During Audience Adaptation Challenge, students might think eye contact means staring at one person intensely.

  Have students practice scanning the room in a figure-eight pattern, pausing briefly at three different spots to connect before moving on.

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Methods used in this brief

• Expert Panel