Lesson 45: Multimedia Civic Memory Brief, Practicing a Presentation

Turn and Talk

Today, students will prepare to give presentations to the class about their Civic Memory Briefs. Begin by having students think about and discuss what qualities make a presentation engaging and interesting.

Say these Directions: Think about a presentation or speech you saw that was really interesting and made you want to listen. What qualities or actions made it effective? Turn and discuss your thoughts with a partner.

• The presentation I’m thinking of was good because the speaker asked an interesting question at the beginning. Then he moved quickly through a few pieces of evidence to answer it. He also spoke clearly and loudly enough to be heard and not too fast, so it was easy to follow.

Invite students to share out, and elicit two or three quick responses.

Transition: 

• Say: Today, you’ll prepare to give a presentation to the class in the next lesson about your Civic Memory Brief. You’ll get a chance to see me model how to give this type of presentation and to practice presenting with a partner.

Present the Active Listening Checklist to students. Explain that active listening skills are an important part of this presentation.

Say these Directions: Read your copy of the Active Listening Checklist. Active listening is an important part of this presentation, so review the checklist carefully. If you have any questions about the checklist, be sure to ask for clarification.

Active Listening Checklist

• Face the speaker, and show interest and attention.

• Sit still, and avoid distractions.

• Listen without interruptions.

• Wait until the speaker is finished to ask questions or make comments.

• Ask thoughtful, respectful questions.

Think-Aloud Modeling

Present the speaking and presentation checklist to students.

Read your copy of the Speaking and Presentation Checklist. Review each part of the checklist and ask any questions you have if something is unclear. Remember to focus on how the presentation is delivered.

Speaking and Presentation Checklist

• Face the audience, and make eye contact whenever possible.

• Speak loudly and clearly.

• Read at an appropriate pace that is not too fast and not too slow.

• Refer to visuals as needed, and pause to allow classmates to follow along.

• Show confidence through posture and voice.

Explain to students that you are going to model two different presentations about your Civic Memory Brief (use the exemplar from Lesson 40) to show the importance of speaking and presentation skills. Ask students to listen to the two presentations and observe the differences. Tell students to be ready to provide you with feedback using the criteria from the Speaking and Presentation Checklist.

For your first model presentation, read the headlines and captions on the cover aloud, and then read just the first paragraph of the essay. Purposefully give a poor presentation, not adhering to any of the skills in the checklist. Speak fast and quietly, don’t make eye contact, and don’t stand up straight. This first model is meant to show students ineffective presentation skills that do not meet the criteria outlined in the Speaking and Presentation Checklist.

Ask students to provide you with feedback using the checklist to improve the next version of your presentation.

• Say: Now, I invite you to give me feedback based on the checklist to help me improve the presentation. Remember to keep your feedback respectful and constructive.

  • Try to talk slower and louder, because it was a little hard to hear this time. Also, try to look up at the audience more because it makes you seem more confident.

Next, give your model presentation again, integrating all the feedback the students just provided and addressing all the skills on the checklist. During this second presentation, you are showing students how to demonstrate the skills from the checklist for an effective presentation. This time, read more of the essay aloud to model for students how they will present their briefs.

Ask students to provide you with feedback using the checklist. Ask students to explain the differences between the two presentations. Students should tell you that the second presentation was aligned to the Speaking and Presentation Checklist and that you demonstrated the skills for an effective presentation.

• Say: Now, I’m going to ask for feedback based on the checklist again. This time, I want you to think about how the presentation was different the second time in terms of the criteria on the checklist.

  • This time, you talked much more slowly and more clearly, but still fast enough that I didn’t lose interest. That made it much easier to follow. You also made a lot more eye contact, which made me feel like you were talking to me and made me want to listen more.

• Say: Toward the end of this lesson, you will use this same process to practice presenting and give each other feedback based on the checklist.

Learning in Action: Presentation Practice (SL.8.4, SL.8.6) (30 minutes)

Rehearse & Refine

Remind students of how you modeled ineffective and effective presentations earlier and how they practiced listening and giving feedback.

Say these Directions: Take out your Speaking and Presentation and Active Listening Checklists. Now you’re going to practice presenting, listening, and giving feedback on presentations with your partner. One of you will listen while the other presents and then give feedback when the presentation is done. Then you will switch roles and repeat.

Remind students to use both the Speaking and Presentation Checklist and their partner’s feedback to think about how they could refine their presentations. If time allows, encourage students to rehearse their presentations again, repeating the process to practice, listen, and critique.

• Say: Now, hopefully your partner’s feedback was based on the checklist, but check it to make sure and to think of any other ways you can improve your presentation. We’re going to try again, with one partner practicing their presentation as the other listens and gives more feedback, and then switching roles.

Quick Write

Have students reflect on the process of practicing their presentations and receiving feedback from peers, then write a brief response about how the process felt and how they will use what they learned to improve their presentations.

Say these Directions: Take a minute to reflect on how it felt today to practice your presentation in front of someone and hear their feedback. Complete a Quick Write in response to the prompts:

• What parts of this process were especially helpful or difficult?

• How do you plan to use this experience to improve your presentation?

  • I was really nervous to give my presentation, and it was difficult to hear some of the feedback, but it was also helpful. It really helped when my partner said to add some pauses after showing the images. It made it easier for them to follow and gave me a chance to think and catch my breath. I also slowed down while reading my essay aloud. I plan to improve my presentation by practicing it a few more times tonight and trying to be slower, louder, and clearer each time.

Scoring Rubric 

Homework

Introduce the homework to complete before the next lesson:

Think about your confidence level throughout this preparation process. In your Journal, record some thoughts about how receiving feedback impacted your confidence and which feedback you felt most comfortable incorporating.

Continue practicing your presentations and come into the next lesson prepared to present.