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hello, I am wondering if anyone can give me an informative and unique idea for a speech. no global warming, no smoking is bad, no teen pregnancy... etc. something different than the usual. I am in grade 8 :) I'm thinking of doing dreams & deja vu, all that stuff. looks interesting. if that sounds like a good topic, tell me (: thanks for your advice - victoria
heres one for you!!! take some words out to change it to your own words & maybe even shorten it abit & depending on where you live, check the statistics to get it all right!~!!!
& best of luck!
Don't Be Scared of Those Sharks
What happens to you when you hear the music from the movie JAWS?
Do chills run down your spine?
Do you think of sharks coming out of the depths at you?
Our active imaginations have made sharks into modern day monsters.
But do you really know what your chances are of getting attacked by a shark?
Just what is fact?
And what is fantasy?
Well here’s the fantasy.
We all know this about sharks, don’t we?
They’re vicious,
They’ll eat anything,
They all want to eat people,
and they’re everywhere.
Well, just think about this.
Most shark species (about 80%) have never even attacked a human.
And of the ones that do, it adds up to about 100 people, each year, worldwide… and most of these victims survive.
In fact, most sharks are small, harmless and don’t live anywhere near us.
So now that we know the facts, let’s look a little more closely at the life of a shark and how they really behave.
First things first: how keen are they to get themselves some human flesh?
Hardly at all, as it turns out.
Their job is to live by eating, breathing and reproducing – just like any other animal.
They eat fish and other marine animals.
People are not part of their normal diet.
Some sharks are even plankton-eaters.
And they don’t eat all that much!
According to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, sharks that have been studied eat about 2% of their body weight per day - slightly less than most humans.
That means a 45-kilogram (100 pound) shark would probably eat food equal to about five hamburgers a day!
And think about this:
If white sharks really were attacking humans for food,
why is it that nearly 75% of these attacks are non-fatal?
Why do they stop eating?
The answer, according to most experts is that they’re looking for something with more fat.
People are too scrawny.
And that’s why, after it takes a first bite, a great white will usually turn up its nose at whatever remains.
So why exactly do they attack, if they don’t want us?
About the only time sharks attack humans on purpose is when their territory is invaded or their courtship rituals are interrupted.
Anyone with a pet knows that any animal can become fierce when strangers invade its space.
Sharks are just the same.
Most other shark attacks are probably also cases of mistaken identity: a swimmer's flapping feet and hands may look like the movements of a fish darting through the water; a human, especially one wearing a black wet suit and flippers, may look something like a seal.
But don’t even assume that because you can aggravate them, that there’s danger waiting on your beach.
The beaches aren’t full of great white sharks, just waiting for us.
Far from it.
In fact, great whites are relatively uncommon, and they prefer cooler waters.
What’s more, in some parts of their range, great whites are close to being endangered.
Jaws got it wrong – it is safe to go into the water.
But just for arguments, sake, even though the odds of you running into one are really remote, let’s assume the worst: you’ve got in the way of a shark.
What will happen to you?
Well, more than likely, you’ll come through it okay.
During the majority of attacks, the shark bites the person only once and then retreats.
Ken Goldman, a shark researcher from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, in Gloucester Point, has been studying great whites in the Farallons for the past seven years.
He says their attacks are very controlled, and so is their feeding behavior, and that means the idea of a feeding frenzy is just wrong. So now you know how low the risk is, what can you do to make that risk virtually disappear?
Here’s what Canada's Pacific National Aquarium, in Stanley Park have to advise:
The best prevention for shark attack is common sense applied to where you swim and what activities you undertake, and awareness of what may invite or provoke an attack.
Avoid swimming between sandbars, near steep drop-offs, near channels or at river mouths where sharks are found.
Avoid wearing shiny jewelry that might simulate the scales of a prey fish, and also avoid uneven tanning and contrasting, bright-colored clothing.
Avoid spreading blood or human wastes in the water.
If schooling fish start to behave erratically or congregate in large numbers, leave the area.
And, if despite all the adds against it happening, you see a shark, the answer is simple:
Just leave the water calmly and quickly.
Sharks often are called unpredictable, but this has been more a reflection of our own knowledge rather than the behavior of the sharks themselves.
The plain fact is that they’re not after us.
They’d rather eat fish, most of them never even come near us, and the ones that do are most likely to do so by mistake, or because we’re just plain in the wrong place.
So the answer is simple:
You just have to learn a little about sharks' natural behavior,
And that’s what you’ve just done.
You know how unlikely anything bad is to happen, And you also know how to deal with it if the unlikely actually comes to pass.
And that means you can enjoy yourself in the water.
So rest easy next time you hit the beach – Jaws isn’t looking for you.
He’s got other fish to fry. Outline
I. Introduction
I. Attention Device What happens to you when you hear the music from the movie JAWS? Do chills run down your spine? Do you think of sharks coming out of the depths at you?
ii. Preview Our active imaginations have made sharks into modern day monsters. But do you really know what your chances are of getting attacked by a shark? What is fact? What is fantasy?
II. Body
I. Fact versus Fantasy 1. Fantasy: Sharks are extermely dangerous and they are everywhere. 2. Fact: Most shark species have never even attacked a human. Most sharks are small, harmless and don’t live anywhere near us.
ii. Shark Behaviour 1. Eating a. Sharks eat fish and other marine animals. People are not part of their normal diet. b. They don’t eat much c. Sharks, when they do attack humans, tend to abandon them because there is not enough fat. 2. Attacking a. Sharks usually attack humans on purpose when their territory is invaded or their courtship rituals are interrupted. b. Most other shark attacks are probably cases of mistaken identity 3. Location a. The beaches aren’t full of great white sharks, just waiting for us. 4. Degree of Danger a. During the majority of attacks, the shark bites the person only once and then retreats. b. The idea of a feeding frenzy is wrong.
iii. Prevention 1. Understand where to swim and what activities to you undertake, and be aware of what may invite or provoke an attack. 2. Avoid swimming between sandbars, near steep drop-offs, near channels or at river mouths. 3. Avoid wearing shiny jewelry, and also avoid uneven tanning and contrasting, bright-colored clothing. 4. Avoid spreading blood or human wastes in the water. 5. If schooling fish start to behave erratically or congregate in large numbers, leave the area. 6. if you see a shark, leave the water calmly and quickly.
III. Conclusion
I. Summary Most sharks would rather eat fish, most of them never even come near us, and the ones that do are most likely to do so by mistake, or because we’re just plain in the wrong place. You just have to learn a little about sharks' natural behavior, and you can enjoy yourself in the water.
ii. Concluding Device So rest easy next time you hit the beach – Jaws isn’t looking for you. He’s got other fish to fry.
Hi! I did a speech about sharks last year in grade 5- and won the regionals! I made sharks look good, and not only that, but I made them good. I revealed how media can twist our minds into what they want it to be. I told them why sharks are on this planet- Phytoplankton, and once they started caring for sharks, I pulled out the threats facing them, which is a big deal. #1 Rule: As soon as they care if you dont smack down the sappy stuff, they wont buy it. PS- be dramatic! :P Hope your speech works out for you! :)
honestly, you kneed to do something that no one else ever does... but as well it needs to be something you like, something that you would like to learn more about. The dreams topic I thing is a marvelous idea...
good luck
great theme,..maybe Karma? how it effects the ones who believe in it and what kind of things go wrong ..just an idea
yes it is because no one talks about those things and that can be a good change for once
I am also in 8th grade how about something on womens rights in your school
how america should adopt the canadian health care system.
