fo·ren·sic adjective 1. pertaining to, connected with, or used in courts of law or public discussion and debate.
2. adapted or suited to argumentation; rhetorical. noun 3. forensics, ( used with a singular or plural verb ) the art or study of argumentation and formal debate. The Yucaipa High School Forensics class is a year-long class open to all grade levels. It is designed to teach and develop public speaking skills in both classroom and competitive environments. Enrollment in the class carries with it a concurrent enrollment in the YHS Speech & Debate Team. Students may repeat the class up to 4 times (8 semesters) for academic credit. The class fulfills the (g) requirement for UC/Cal State admissions.
Students will follow an individualized program of speaking, developing, memorizing and performing a number of different speeches and interpretations in a variety of competitive and non-competitive settings. Classroom speeches will be uploaded to the private class YouTube channel for critiquing by the rest of the class. Competition speeches will be given at various interscholastic speech tournaments throughout the school year.
Grades will be based on total points earned during the semester. NFL points count 1-1. Service points count 2-1. A non-exclusive list of speeches includes:
Expository 30 points
Service topic 20
Rotary 20
5 min. Interp. 20
Book Review 10
Children’s Lit. 10
Poetry
