Lesson 36: Research Multimedia Presentation, Analyzing the Task

Think-Pair-Share

Transition students into partners. Invite students to think about school and out-of-school moments when they have needed to speak, explain, perform, or present for an audience.

Say these Directions: During our student-led research, we explored our own inquiry through our self-selected research topic, inquiry questions, and reading and taking notes on sources. Today, we are turning that research into a presentation plan by thinking about who will hear our ideas and what we want them to remember.

Instruct students to take a moment to think about the following questions and then share with their partner.

Display the following questions.

• Ask: What is your experience with performing or presenting in front of an audience? What do you like about it, what feels challenging, and how do you usually prepare?

  • (Student responses will vary.) I like presenting when I know my topic well because I feel more confident and I can explain ideas clearly. The hardest part is usually getting nervous or forgetting what I want to say. I prepare by practicing out loud, looking at my notes, and thinking about what my audience needs to understand.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: Now that you have already researched a topic of your choice, you will learn how planning choices help that research land with an audience.

Students review how to use active and passive voice when speaking aloud.

Language Study

Display the following sentence set and have students read through it.

• Reciprocity was important to Indigenous communities.

• It maintained ecological balance.

Display the combined sentence and have students read through it.

• Reciprocity was important to Indigenous communities because it maintained ecological balance.

Display and read aloud the following active/passive voice comparison:

• Active voice: Reciprocal practices maintained ecological balance.

• Passive voice: Ecological balance was maintained by reciprocal practices.

Ask students the following questions:

• Ask: What makes the first sentence active voice, and what makes the second sentence passive voice?

  • The actor or the entity doing the action comes first in the first sentence. In the second sentence, the actor comes later in the sentence.

• Say: When presenting, I do not want my ideas to sound choppy or disconnected. I can take two simple sentences and connect them with a subordinating conjunction to show contrast. In this example, the second idea explains the first one, because it is the best choice. I also notice that this sentence is easier to say clearly than two short sentences in a row. Now I want to think about voice. If I say, “Ecological balance was maintained by reciprocal practices,” that sentence is correct, but the action comes later. When speaking, active voice is often clearer, so I would rather say, “Reciprocal practices maintain ecological balance.“ That is the kind of sentence structure that helps an audience follow my thinking.

Say these Directions: We are going to practice combining ideas so your presentation language sounds clear and connected. As you work with your partner, decide what relationship the ideas have first, then choose a conjunction that fits, and finally make sure your sentence uses active voice when possible.

Display the following sentence pairs for guided practice:

• European colonizers used extraction-based systems. These systems depleted resources quickly.

• The Wampanoag practiced seasonal observation. Colonial farmers followed European agricultural calendars.

• Ask: How could we combine the first pair of sentences to create coherence between ideas? How could we use the active voice in the newly combined sentence?

  • We could say, “European colonizers used extraction-based systems because these systems depleted resources quickly.” A stronger revision in active voice would be “Extraction-based systems depleted resources quickly because European colonizers relied on them.”

• Ask: How could we combine the second pair of sentences to create a coherent relationship between ideas? How could we use the active voice in the newly combined sentence?

  • We could say, “While the Wampanoag practiced seasonal observation, colonial farmers followed European agricultural calendars.” The word while shows that the two systems worked differently. The combined sentence uses active voice, as the Wampanoag are the ones practicing.

• Ask: Which voice usually sounds stronger when you are speaking to an audience, and why?

  • Active voice usually sounds stronger because the listener can tell right away who is doing the action. It sounds more direct and easier to follow.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: As you analyze the presentation task and decide what your audience needs to hear, you can think about using this same type of clear, active language.

Part A: Reviewing the Performance Task Prompt (RI.8.1) (10 minutes)

Distribute the Unit 8.3 Performance Task Prompt and Presentation Rubric. Students should also have their research notes nearby. Remind students that they reviewed this Performance Task prompt before they began their research.

Say these Directions: Read the performance task prompt and rubric closely.

• Box the part of the prompt that tells you exactly what you must do.

• Underline words or phrases that reveal your audience and purpose.

• Star at least three criteria from the rubric that will be most important for making your presentation clear and engaging.

Say these Directions: As you annotate, make sure you can answer:

• Did I clearly identify what I am required to do?

• Did I notice what my audience needs to understand or care about?

• Did I identify what strong, effective presentation work looks like based on the rubric?

Provide time for students to independently read and annotate the Performance Task prompt and rubric.

Next, transition students into a whole-class discussion using the following questions.

• Ask: In the Criteria for Success, what specific elements make a research presentation interesting and engaging?

  • An interesting presentation is organized, uses clear evidence, and includes visuals that actually help the audience understand the topic.

  • An engaging presentation also explains why the topic matters, not just what the facts are, and it keeps a professional tone.

  • A strong presentation compares different perspectives instead of only summarizing one source.

• Ask: Why are you required to include at least two sources that present different perspectives on the topic?

  • The task wants us to show synthesis, not just report one point of view. If two sources interpret the same process differently, I can explain where they agree, where they differ, and what that teaches my audience about multiple ways of knowing.

Part B: Naming Task, Audience, and Purpose (SL.8.4) (20 minutes)

Group Accountability Share

Transition students into small groups. Explain that students will now identify the task, audience, and purpose of their intended presentation using the Performance Task prompt and guiding questions.

Say these Directions: In your small group, you will use your Performance Task prompt and the following guiding questions to identify the task, audience, and purpose for your own presentation. Then, you will decide on one main takeaway you want your audience to remember when you finish speaking.

Provide students with the following guiding questions to use as they identify their task, audience, and purpose for their individual presentations. Remind students that their tasks and audiences might be the same, but they may have different purposes depending on the individual research they completed.

What is the task your presentation needs to accomplish?

• My task is to explain my research question and findings clearly, using evidence from credible sources, and show how the topic connects to reciprocity or restoration.

Who is your audience, and what might they need from you?

• My audience is my classmates and teacher. They might need background information, clear explanations of key terms, and visuals that help them understand the ideas from my research.

What is your purpose as a presenter?

• My purpose is to teach the audience what I learned through my research and help them understand why the topic matters. I also want to show how different sources or knowledge systems interpret the concept of reciprocity.

What is one takeaway you want your audience to walk away remembering?

• I want my audience to remember that when communities restore relationships with land and share knowledge carefully, they can also help restore ecological balance.

Provide student groups with time to discuss the guiding questions. After student groups have discussed, lead a whole-class discussion in which you call on student volunteers from each group to share their ideas they discussed.

Provide students with a confidence continuum (i.e., 1–5). As needed, model how to demonstrate a level of confidence using the continuum.

Quick Write

Say these Directions: Today, you clarified not just what you researched but what you want an audience to understand from it. That step will help you choose stronger evidence, visuals, and delivery choices in the upcoming presentation lessons.

Instruct students to complete the following Quick Write response in 2–3 sentences based on the following prompt.

Say these Directions: Complete the following Quick Write based on your learning today.

What information do you want your audience to walk away with about your research after your presentation?

• I want my audience to walk away understanding that fire management is not just about preventing wildfire but also about restoring balance between people and ecosystems. My next step is to go back through my research notes and star the evidence that best shows how Indigenous fire knowledge and scientific research connect.

Instruct students to think about the information they want to include in their research presentation and have them annotate their research notes for the information they want to share with their audience.

Think about the information you want to include in your research presentation. Annotate your research notes for the information you want to share with your audience.