Talking Point 1 Assignment Sheet
For Talking Point 1, you’ll be working with one
Talking Point 1 Assignment Sheet
For Talking Point 1, you’ll be working with one of the following TED talks:
“I listen to color” by Neil Harbisson
“The voices of Twitter users” by Evan Williams
“Leather and meat without killing animals” by Andras Forgacs
*If you would prefer to work with a TED talk on a subject that you’re particularly interested in, you can.
You can search for talks on specific topics here: https://www.ted.com/topics. The talk you choose should be at
least 5 minutes long. You should choose a traditional TED talk, not an animated TEDed video or an interview.
The Talking Point Assignments are designed to help you develop the skills that you’ll use in the major
essays:
(1) summarizing a text concisely and accurately, comment on the persuasiveness of a text
(2) identifying main ideas and central arguments of source texts as well as understanding a text’s structure: its
introduction, main points, supporting evidence, and conclusion
(3) introducing, incorporating, and citing quotations from source texts in MLA style
(4) learning to synthesize texts by drawing connections between the arguments of multiple sources
(5) evaluating source texts and responding to them critically
(6) creating end text citations in MLA style for future Works Cited pages
*I want to make it clear that the Talking Point Assignments are not essays. Instead, they are a series of
tasks designed to help you develop specific skills, divided into sections using subheadings. You will need
to include these subheadings/labels for each section of the assignment. Please refer to my Talking Point
example and the student examples on D2L to see how your final Talking Point should be formatted. I’ll expect
your Talking Point to be formatted just like these examples. You should feel free to download my example or
a student example, erase the example content, and type your own content under each subheading/label. This
will ensure that you are following the correct formatting.
Transcripts of TED talks are available on the TED website for each talk. Just click on the icon for
“Transcript” and it will appear. Printing the transcript (or copying into a word document) allows you to follow
along with the presentation and annotate it as you watch/listen. These transcripts also make it far easier to
quote and outline these hybrid texts.
As you watch your chosen TED talk you should annotate the transcript and try to identify:
-The introduction of the talk (locate the speaker’s thesis)
-The main points or main arguments that the speaker uses to support their thesis
-The best examples/evidence the speaker uses to support each main point
-The conclusion of each talk (how the speaker emphasizes their thesis or issues a “call to action”)
-The speaking style of the presenter (their speech, movements, and body language)
Format for Talking Point 1
Remember: TPs may be single-spaced. They must be done in 12 point, Times New Roman font. They must
meet the minimum length requirement of 800 words. It is fine to exceed this minimum length.
I. Summary and Evaluation of Argument: Summarize the text, focusing primarily on what you see as the
author’s main argument. Your summary should be concise, around 7-10 sentences. Be sure to follow the
summary guidelines given in class. After you the summary, include a 2-4 sentence evaluation of the author’s
argument (a statement as to whether or not you found the author’s argument persuasive—i.e whether or not
you agreed with the argument or central message— explaining specifically why or why not).
II. Outline: Outline the structure of the text, including labels for each section, and provide a brief summary of
each of the primary sections of the text (around 3-4 sentences per section). Focus on breaking the text up into
the following labeled sections: introduction, multiple main arguments/points, key examples/evidence for
each argument/point, and the conclusion. For videos, use time as in-text citation along with the speaker’s
last name. Example: (Jones 2:30).
IIIa. Quotation #1: Select a quote that is representative of the text. Introduce the quote with a signal phrase
(Ex. According to Jones), include the quote in quotation marks, and cite the quote in MLA Style (with time
signature—and the author’s last name, if you haven’t already included it in the signal phrase). Briefly explain
what the quote means and why it is important to the author’s main argument.
IIIb. Quotation #2: Select a second quote that is representative of the text. Introduce the quote with a signal
phrase (Ex. Jones says), include the quotes in quotation marks, and cite the quote in MLA Style (with time
signature—and the author’s last name, if you haven’t already included it in the signal phrase). Briefly explain
what the quote means and why it is important to the author’s main argument.
IV. Connection: Draw a specific connection between this this text and another text we’ve discussed in class
or another TED talk that you’ve found on your own. Identify the other text by its full title and explain the
connection that you see. You should include a quote from each text in your connection as support. When you
include direct quotes, be sure to introduce and cite them properly.
V. Personal Response: In the personal response, you can share your own thoughts and opinions on the
author’s topic. You may also use this section to critique the author’s argument or presentation style, point out
their strengths and weaknesses, or offer some points of opposition to their claims. *Since the Summary and
Outline should be presented in a neutral manner, this section offers you a chance to respond to the author’s
ideas with your own unique perspective on the subject.
Works Cited: Full MLA style Citation (following the format for a Lecture or Oral Presentation)
Last Name, First Name. “Title of Speech.” Name of the particular conference, name of the organization, Date
presented. Type of presentation.
Ex. Harbisson, Neil. “I listen to color.” TEDGlobal, TED, Jun 2012. Conference Presentation.