Making Connections Presentations
For almost every unit, two students will need to volunteer to research and present information on a contemporary issue that is related to the events and ideas we are learning about in that chapter. Everyone will eventually have to do a presentation, so don’t think that if you don’t volunteer, you will never have to do it!
When you volunteer to work on a “Making Connections” presentation,
you must do the following:
1. Read your designated section of the chapter and make a list of the major events and ideas that are discussed
.
2. Go to Menlo School’s library homepage (http://library.menloschool.org)
and click on either Infotrac or Lexis-Nexis. Enter the subject that you want
to research and both of these databases will give you contemporary magazine,
newspaper, and journal articles on your requested subject. Search through the
articles and find one that you think makes the best connection between our
chapter and a contemporary issue. The article needs to have been written in
the past year.
3. After selecting your article and reading it, you must write a one to two-page
paper divided into two parts. In the first part, you should summarize the article.
In the second part, you need to make the connection between this article and
the history that we are studying. What do they have to do with each other?
Staple the article to your essay and include a work cited sheet.
4. Besides writing the short paper, you will present your finding to the class.
Follow the same format as the paper you wrote—summarize the article and
make the connection between the article and the history that we are studying.
Students will be evaluating your
presentation, so make sure that you have practiced and know what you are going
to say before you begin your presentation. The presentation should be no longer
than 10 minutes.
5. If you are having a hard time getting started, please come by and see
me for help.
Grade Breakdown
15 Points Written Report- Is your report coherent? Did you summarize and make
a connection?
15 Points Presentation- Did you speak clearly and loudly? Did you know what
you were saying? Could the class follow you?
What the rest of the class has
to do:
1. Pay attention to the presentation and ask questions if you didn’t
understand something.
2. After each presentation, you will be responsible for evaluating how well
the presenter researched and explained the connection between the past and
present. Did it make sense? Was it in his/her own words? Did you learn something
new? Both the presenter and I will read your evaluations. If you have criticisms,
make them constructive so that the presenter will know what to do better next
time. If you think the presenter did a good job, don’t be afraid to tell
him/her!