Month: December 2023

• Set an alarm to ensure that you will not sleep through your final exam period. For students in section twenty, that’s 8 a.m. on Saturday, December 9; for students in section nineteen, that’s 8 a.m. on Wednesday, December 13.
• Keep all of your required blog posts for the semester (your final essay and annotated bibliography, analysis, and literacy narrative) published (visible on your blog) until final grades have been posted. Also make sure that you have deleted all placeholders/sample posts. Since blog activity is a component of your course assignments grade, I will review your blogs before I finalize those grades.
• If you haven’t done so already, submit course evaluations for ENG 1103 and your other classes.

Your course assignment grade has been updated to its preliminary final average; exemplary blog activity and class participation may raise it. If you wish to check that preliminary grade, please do so before 4 p.m. tomorrow, December 8. After that, the Blackboard course site for English 1103, sections nineteen and twenty, will no longer be available to students. Final grades for the course will be posted in eServices on the afternoon of Wednesday, December 13.

If you have any questions regarding your presentation grade or your final grade for the course, please email me the second week of January. I will be out of the office from the afternoon of December 13 until the morning of January 8.

Today’s class period will be devoted to planning and preparation for your individual oral presentations, which you will deliver during the final exam period: 8 a.m., Saturday, December 9, for section 20 students; 8 a.m., Wednesday, December 13, for section 19 students.

As a finalist for a much-sought-after internship in your field, you are required to deliver a concise and engaging presentation that highlights your achievements in English 1103 and demonstrates your ability to effectively assume the responsibilities that the internship requires of you. Among the aspects of the course that you should address are one or more of your major writing assignments and the development of your critical thinking and collaboration skills. You are encouraged but not required to address additional aspects of the course.

Directions for Planning

1. Plan a brief presentation of five minutes or fewer that highlights your achievements in English 1103 and demonstrates your ability to effectively assume the responsibilities that the internship in your field requires of you.
2. Address one or more of your major writing assignments and the development of your critical thinking and collaboration skills. You are encouraged but not required to address additional aspects of the course.
3. Include the following in your presentation:

• an opening in which you state your first and last names and your major,
• concrete details in your blog that illustrate the development of your writing, your critical thinking, and your collaboration skills.
• a close examination of one pertinent passage in your blog, and
• a conclusion that provides closure and invites questions from the interview committee.

Directions for Rehearsing

1. In preparation for rehearsing, write your notes on index cards. If your notes are 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 heavily on them and making minimal eye contact with the interview committee. Make as much eye contact as possible and be sure to make eye contact with committee members throughout the room rather than fixing your eyes on one or two people.
2. Familiarize yourself with the presentation station. Demonstrating that you are not adept at using the technology required for your presentation may jeopardize your chances for obtaining the internship. 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.
3. 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, you will not be able to shift your weight from one foot to the other.
4. Avoid filler words, such as um, like, and you know. If you tend to use filler words, practice pausing at the points where you are likely to use fillers.
5. Rehearse with a classmate. Take turns delivering your presentations and offering feedback. Offer both suggestions for improvement and words of encouragement.

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Next Up

Wordplay Day! To prepare for class, revisit the Dictionary and World Builder pages on the Scrabble website, and review the posts on my blog devoted to Scrabble tips.