The big idea of the ‘Presenting’ phase of the information process is: “How can I present this information?”
The key steps and questions of this phase are:
– What will I do with my information?
– Who am I sharing this information with?
(NSW Department of Education, 2023a)
As mentioned in the task overview and purpose sections on the ‘Home’ and ‘Defining’ pages, you will be presenting your information using Google Slides. Click here to see a read-only version.
You can access your copy that you can edit through your Google Classroom assignment. Have one person create the main presentation, and then share it with the other group members by clicking the “Share” button at the top right of the Slides. The email will be your firstname.lastnamenumbers@education.nsw.gov.au
It’s important to make sure that all members in your group have access for several reasons:
1. So you can all work on it at the same time on different devices.
2. In case people are away on library days.
3. In case people are away on the day of your presentation.
4. So you can work on it at home if you WANT to (YOU ARE NOT EXPECTED TO!).
This should be the VERY first thing you do when you are ready to start your Google Slides presentation.
If you need help, just ask us (your teacher-librarians)!
The Google Slides template provided gives you ideas for how your information can be organised for your presentation. You are welcome to change the headings and subheadings, add new slides, or duplicate slides if you need more space. Make any changes you feel are necessary, as long as you’re careful to make sure you don’t go off-topic. Remember to look at the L.I.S.C. and the Assessment Rubric often to make sure you’re meeting your task and learning goals.
This is the step in which you will transfer your organised information into your presentation. In this step, it’s EXTREMELY important for you to make sure that all information in the slides is in your own words. There should not be ANY words in your presentation that you don’t know the meanings of, and you should be able to explain any fact or detail in your own words, if asked. Remember, just changing a couple of words around isn’t enough to put something in your own words. You need to rephrase things, use language appropriate for your age, change the order of facts and fit things under your own headings and subheadings.
You should also include your own insights, add in rhetorical questions to ask the audience, etc. But make sure to remember your purpose. Jokes and humour can be a great way to engage your audience during public speaking, but it would NOT be appropriate for an informative presentation on a serious topic like the Stolen Generations. You also need to be careful not to use any outdated or offensive language/terms. Ask us for help if you’re ever unsure!
Of course, you will also need to change the appearance of the slides in order to make your presentation visually appealing (look good), however, this should be done LAST after all your information is in.
When you’re up to that step, remember these design tips:
- design is appropriate for the context (e.g. bright, cheerful, rainbow themes and backgrounds would NOT be appropriate for a serious topic like the Stolen Generations)
- short dot points of information where possible
- mixture of words and pictures
- text is large enough to read easily
- text colour contrasts with background colour so it’s easy to read (e.g. DON’T put yellow text on a light background, or dark blue text on a black background)
When you’re finished with your Slides (well done!!!), share them with your library teacher as well (our staff Google email addresses are on the whiteboard in the library).
All that’s left now is to present! Rehearse with your group by doing the following:
- Make a plan for how you will address your audience at the start and end e.g. “Good morning Miss _____ and Stage 3. Today _____, _____ and I will be talking about ______.” and “Thank you for listening.”
- Organise who will be reading out/talking about which slides (this needs to be fair and equal).
- Do a first run-through with your group, focusing on reading in a loud, clear voice. If you notice any typos or mistakes while you’re presenting, fix them up as you go.
- Do a timed run-through. Aim for 2-4 minutes. If it’s under 2 minutes, look back at the L.I.S.C. and rubric and check if you’ve forgotten anything (or perhaps you need a bit more detail). If it’s over 5 minutes, it’s DEFINITELY too long. Work out which information you can take out of your slides altogether, or keep in but just not read while presenting.
- Keep rehearsing, timing, and making adjustments. Each time you rehearse, try to make more and more eye contact with the audience, and read off the slides less.
Next will come the ‘Assessing’ phase, after you’ve presented. You’ll self-reflect on how you went, receive feedback from your teacher-librarians, and even give feedback to your teachers as well.
Good luck with your presentations, everyone!