State of the Union Assignment

State of the Union Assignment-
 Here are some links to the live feed of the SOTU-
1. Everything you Need to Know about the State of the Union
2. White House State of the Union Site

The speech starts at 8:00 PM- January 12th
Pick a network.. they will cover it live.

SOTU Issues...
Here is a link that can help you prepare for the issues that the speech will address:
State of the Union 2016 Issues Guide

Interview with President Obama's speech writer:
Interview with Cody Keenan

THE ASSIGNMENT:
1. Watch the State of the Union with a pen and paper.
2. While the President is speaking, listen closely to his syntax. Are you able to distinguish the parts of a sentence? Can you hear independent clauses and subordinate clauses? What about modifiers? When are phrases used? How?
3. Once you get in the swing of listening in this manner, drift into analysis. How does his grammatical constructions help deliver his message? When does he choose simplicity? When does he utilize modifying phrases? Why? Advantage? Disadvantage?
4. How does the President and his speech writers have command over the use of syntax? Remember the purpose of communication is to "get stuff"... How does having control over syntax and diction aid him in presenting his message and agenda?
5. Jot down as many ideas and conclusions that you can during the speech. You will be turning in the notes.
6. After you are done, write a summary of this experience. What did you learn? How did this type of listening approach help your comprehension?

Due: Notes and typed response, January 19th.