HOUSATONIC  RIVER  RESTORATION  
 
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Housatonic River Unit

 

Housatonic Project – Elementary Presentations

 

Focusing Question(s):  How can we change our presentations that we gave to our peers in order to give elementary students an appreciation of the Housatonic River?

 

Standards:

2.4 Integrate relevant information gathered from group discussions and interviews for  reports.

3.11 Use appropriate techniques for oral persuasion.

3.12 Give oral presentations to different audiences for various purposes, showing appropriate changes in delivery (gestures, vocabulary, pace, visuals) and using language for dramatic effect.

3.13 Create a scoring rubric based on categories supplied by the teacher (content, presentation style) to prepare and assess their presentations. 

20.4 Select and use appropriate rhetorical techniques for a variety of purposes, such as to convince or entertain the reader.

 

Length of Time Needed to Complete: One class period to present oral presentation rubric and let students help develop a scoring rubric.  Two class periods for students to work in groups to sufficiently prepare for these presentations.

 

Resources/Materials: Assignment pages, notebooks, notes from unit, materials from first presentation.

 

Procedure:

After processing the Housatonic River presentations that the students gave their peers, the teacher will explain the second presentation that the students will give.  During the first presentation, students pretended their peers were Bostonians in 1733.  The job of the presenters was to convince the audience members to move to the “new land” of the Berkshires and settle along the Housatonic River. 

 

In order to give their second presentation, students will be forced to alter their original presentations.  The second presentation requires students to teach elementary students an appreciation for the river.  Each member of the group will be responsible for one aspect of the presentation.  One member will give an introduction of the presentation.  Included will be a discussion of the purpose of the presentation, the purpose of the unit, and an explanation of the visual displays the students did for their projects.  The second member will discuss the historical background of the river, focusing especially on the Native American use of the river (since Native American history is a topic the elementary school teaches).  The third member will discuss the preservation of the river and offer these young students ways to help save the river.  The last member will give a conclusion that includes a question and answer period. 

 

Once the teacher has explained the roles of each group member, the teacher will explain how the students need to tailor their presentations for the class they will present in front of.  These classes range in grade from kindergarten to sixth grade.  The groups will have to use language and material that is accessible to the individual grade levels.  Students will also have to key on specific areas related to the river that individual elementary teachers have asked them to focus on. 

 

Once the outline of the presentation is complete and the students clearly understand their expectations, the teacher will assign the groups a teacher and a grade level.  Then, teacher will allow the students to provide input for the grading rubric that will be used to grade their presentations.  Students will help decide on a point values for areas such as content, presentation style, organization, and overall knowledge. 

 

Students will use the remaining time to meet with their groups and decide who will be responsible for each area of the presentation.  Students will receive additional class time to work with their groups to fine-tune their presentations.   

 

Assignment:

Students will be required to compose their presentations in class and at home.  Every student will be required to write up two index cards worth of notes and submit these.  These cards are intended for use during the presentations, but some students will choose to memorize their material rather than use the cards.  Students are also expected to practice their presentation form and style with their other group members.

 

Assessment:

  1. What are the students going to do to show you what they learned?  Students will produce a constructed response in the form of a performance they will provide.

 

  1. What tool/scoring guide/reference point will you use to measure their progress? Teacher will use a task-specific rubric.

 

  1. How will you communicate back to them how they are doing? Teacher will conference with students during the class time used to work on their presentations and provide comments on the various rubrics.