Lesson 37: Research Multimedia Presentation, Selecting a Format

• Say: In Lesson 36, we figured out the task, audience, and purpose of our final presentation. Today, we are taking the next step by deciding which format will help our message land clearly.

Think-Pair-Share

Choose an online presentation to share with the students that demonstrates a strong oral speaking component with multimedia visuals.

Say these Directions: As we watch this short presentation clip, notice two elements: how the presenter communicates the information and what materials help the audience understand it. Jot quick notes about what you see and hear, then turn to a partner.

Show the presentation clip for about 2–3 minutes and then instruct students to jot down their notes. Next, have the students turn to their partner and discuss the following questions.

• Ask: What choices helped you understand the presenter’s message?

  • (Student responses may vary depending on the online presentation you decide to show the students.) The presenter spoke clearly, paused between big ideas, and used a photo and a simple chart to make the information easier to follow. The visuals helped me remember the main point instead of just listening to a lot of facts.

  • Ask: What materials or features supported the presentation?

  • (Student responses may vary depending on the online presentation you decide to show the students.) The slide titles, captions, and images supported the presentation because they gave the audience another way to understand the information. The presenter did not just talk; they used visuals to highlight the most important ideas of their presentation.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: You have now noticed that strong presentations depend on both message and format, which leads into today’s presentation planning work.

Language Study

• Say: Before we begin planning more of the presentation, we are going to talk about different ways to use language to describe your research effectively.

• Say: When we present research, we do not want to introduce sources vaguely. An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that adds extra information about another noun, and commas help us set that extra information apart so the audience can follow our meaning.

Display and read aloud the following mentor sentences:

• Lisa Brooks discusses Indigenous land practices.

• Lisa Brooks, a scholar of Abenaki history, discusses Indigenous land practices that sustained resources for generations.

Think-Aloud Modeling

Model for students how to use appositives effectively by using a think-aloud.

• Say: I start with the first sentence: Lisa Brooks discusses Indigenous land practices. That sentence names the source, but it does not help the audience know why Lisa Brooks matters. I ask myself: Who is Lisa Brooks, and what information would help my audience trust and understand this source? If I know she is a scholar of Abenaki history, I can add that information right after her name as an appositive: Lisa Brooks, a scholar of Abenaki history, discusses Indigenous land practices that sustained resources for generations. The commas matter because they show the audience that this is extra information about the person, not a new main idea. When I use an appositive, I make my source introduction clearer, more precise, and more credible because I name the person and their role.

Say these Directions: Now we are going to practice adding appositives for the following examples so our source introductions sound more precise and clear for an audience:

Instruct students to revise the following sentences by using appositives.

Chief Massasoit established treaties with Plymouth colonists. Chief Massasoit was a Wampanoag leader.

• Chief Massasoit, a Wampanoag leader, established treaties with Plymouth colonists.

William Bradford recorded early colonial interactions. William Bradford was the governor of Plymouth Colony.

• William Bradford, a governor of Plymouth Colony, recorded early colonial interactions.

Traditional ecological knowledge guides sustainable practices. Traditional ecological knowledge has been developed across generations.

• Traditional ecological knowledge, a body of knowledge developed across generations, guides sustainable practices.

• Ask: How can you use appositives during your presentation? How will it make your sources more credible?

  • It will provide more background information about specific people or ideas that we may discuss. Also, it will create a better flow of ideas so our presentation is more coherent.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: You can now use appositives to introduce sources clearly, which will strengthen the way you explain research in your presentations.

Part A: Matching Your Format to Your Message (SL.8.4) (10 minutes)

Say these Directions: Take out your task, audience, and purpose notes from Lesson 36. Today, you will use those notes to decide which multimedia format best fits your oral message: a digital article with visual displays, a short video, or a multimedia presentation with captions and visuals.

Explain that a strong format choice is not about which option seems easiest. It is about which option helps the audience understand the most important information most clearly.

Display and review these planning questions:

• What does the task require me to explain?

• Who is my audience, and what will help them follow my ideas?

• What is my purpose: to inform, persuade, compare, or call attention to a problem and response?

• Which format best highlights the strongest parts of my research?

• Say: I am using our class model topic: fire management. My task is to present findings clearly, my audience is classmates and teachers, and my purpose is to explain how Indigenous knowledge and scientific research both help us understand fire management and restoration. A short video could be powerful if I wanted to show motion or a sequence, like how controlled burns work over time. I could also choose a multimedia presentation because I need to speak live, compare perspectives clearly, and highlight visuals while explaining them.

• Ask: Based on the teacher model topic, which format seems strongest, and why?

  • A multimedia presentation seems strongest for the fire management topic because the speaker can explain the main ideas live while also showing maps, photos, and captions. That format would help the audience compare Indigenous knowledge and scientific research more clearly.

  • Ask: Which format best fits your topic right now, and what is one reason?

    • My topic is pollinator restoration, and I think a digital article fits best because my audience will need time to look closely at images and captions. It will help me organize information in sections and show evidence step-by-step.

Explain to students that in the next part of the lesson, they will look at presentation models and decide the format they want to use.

Part B: Selecting Your Presentation Format (SL.8.4) (20 minutes)

Gallery Walk

Display the three model presentation formats before students begin the Gallery Walk. The formats should include the following: one digital article with visuals, one short video excerpt with captions, and one multimedia slide presentation. Giving students an opportunity to see the pros and cons of each format will help them to make an informed decision about the format that will work best to present their research orally.

Say these Directions: As you move through the model presentation formats, use the Notice, Wonder, Connect organizer to track what each format does well in supporting an oral presentation. Notice the features, wonder about how the audience would experience them, and connect each format to your own presentation purpose.

Provide time for students to move around to each presentation format and use their Notice, Wonder, Connect graphic organizers to record notes.

After students have had time to visit and observe each presentation format, transition the students into partners to discuss the following questions.

Display the following questions.

Say these Directions: Discuss the following questions with your partners based on the Gallery Walk.

Which features of each format seem most helpful for an audience trying to understand research clearly?

• Captions, section headings, and simple visuals seem most helpful because they guide the audience to understand the key ideas that will be spoken aloud. In the video model, captions made the information easier to follow, and in the digital article, headings helped organize the topic.

After reviewing the models, what format are you leaning toward, and why?

• (Student responses may vary.) I’m leaning toward a multimedia presentation because I want to explain my evidence out loud while showing visuals and short captions. Our audience is a live class, so that format will help me emphasize the most important points.

After students have had time to discuss, lead a whole-class discussion of the questions.

Next, transition students into working independently.

Say these Directions: Decide on one format for your presentation. In your notes, write a brief reason for your choice and draft one appositive sentence you might use to introduce a source or expert in that format.

Provide time for students to select their format and write down their decision in their journals.

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

Students are now ready to name not only what format they chose but why that choice fits the purpose of the final presentation.

Quick Write

Instruct students to complete a Quick Write response.

Say these Directions: In 2–3 sentences, explain why you chose your presentation format based on the task, audience, and purpose.

• Ask: Why is your chosen format the best fit for your presentation right now?

• I chose a multimedia presentation because my audience will be a live class, and I want to explain my visuals while I speak. My purpose is to help the audience understand how reciprocity connects to water restoration, so slides with captions will help me emphasize the most important ideas.

Review your research notes and chosen format. Bring one idea for a visual, caption, or section you want to include in your presentation draft in the next lesson.