Today’s class will be devoted to planning and preparing for your group presentation:
As an exercise in reviewing one of the lessons in the Check, Please! course and as an exercise in collaboration and oral communication, you and two or three of your classmates will deliver a concise and engaging presentation that addresses the most significant points covered in one of the five lessons in the Check, Please! Course. (You will receive your specific group assignments this morning in class.)
DIRECTIONS FOR PLANNING
- Plan a presentation of five to ten minutes that addresses the most significant points covered in your group’s designated lesson in the Check, Please! course. (See pages 2-3 for the lists of groups and lesson assignments)
- Include in your presentation (a) an opening in which you state each member’s first and last name, (b) a close examination of one segment of the lesson, and (c) a conclusion that provides closure and invites questions.
- You are encouraged but not required to address how the lesson has been relevant to your other work in English 1103 an/or your other courses.
DIRECTIONS FOR REHEARSING
- In preparation for rehearsing, write your notes on an index card. If your initial notes are written in complete sentences, rewrite them to include only words and short phrases for your key points. If your notes are too detailed, you will risk relying too heavily on them and making minimal eye contact with the audience. Plan to make as much eye contact as possible and be sure to make eye contact with people throughout the room rather than fixing your eyes on one or two people.
- Familiarize yourself with the presentation station. If you have not used the presentation station, I encourage you to devote part of today’s class period to familiarizing yourself with its setup.
- Do not create a PowerPoint slide show or any other visual presentation. The focus of your presentation should be your designated lesson of Check, Please! https://checkpleasecc.notion.site/checkpleasecc/Check-Please-Starter-Course-ae34d043575e42828dc2964437ea4eed.
- Practice good posture. As you deliver your presentation, your ears should be directly above your shoulders. If you tend to shift your weight from one foot to the other—a distracting habit that’s sometimes called rocking the boat—stand with your feet perpendicular to each other. If you do so, you will not be able to shift your weight from one foot to the other.
- Avoid filler words, such as uh, um, like, and you know. If you tend to use filler words, practice pausing at the points where you are likely to use fillers.
- Take turns delivering your portions of the presentation, and offer feedback to your group members. Offer both suggestions for improvement and words of encouragement.
Next Up
Wordplay Day! To prepare for class, revisit the Dictionary and World Builder pages on the Scrabble website. Also review the posts on my blog devoted to Scrabble tips.
Jane Lucas 