
Soon my students will be presenting to the class about a typical day in their lives. I wanted to share the presentation write up in case any of you wanted to try it with your own classes.
When I give project information I like to be very detailed and identify not only requirements for the presentation itself, but also include the steps we will be taking to get ready for the presentation. Rather than expecting students to prepare and practice at home, I like to have them do it in class. It allows me to help them break down their preparation into small steps that can be practiced over a period of time and prevents "cramming" which rarely results in any long term language acquisition.
When I give project information I like to be very detailed and identify not only requirements for the presentation itself, but also include the steps we will be taking to get ready for the presentation. Rather than expecting students to prepare and practice at home, I like to have them do it in class. It allows me to help them break down their preparation into small steps that can be practiced over a period of time and prevents "cramming" which rarely results in any long term language acquisition.
On the days identified as "partner practice", we will use flashcards that students created during step 3. Here is what we will be doing:
1. Go through all 10 cards with your partner and keep track of how many they can say in Spanish at the START of the practice session without needing to look at the reverse side of the card. Record that number on the graph provided.
2. Start with one flashcard. If your partner can say it correctly in Spanish, add a second card. If your partner can not say it correctly, repeat the Spanish for them and ask them again. Continue going through the cards adding a card each time your partner gets all of the existing cards correct.
3. Go through all 10 cards with your partner and keep track of how many they can say in Spanish at the END of the practice session. Record that number on the graph provided
We will add details as we continue to practice which will make remembering things more challenging for some. Part of my hidden agenda is also to look at how much students retain from the end of one class to the beginning of the next. Poor retention is always something I am looking for ways to combat. I am trying to see if all my students retain at the same rate (unlikely) and if not, who has trouble retaining information the most. Then, I can suggest some memory retention techniques for them.
Here is the graph they will be using to record their progress. Our goal is to be able to describe at least 10 activities that we do in a typical day.
1. Go through all 10 cards with your partner and keep track of how many they can say in Spanish at the START of the practice session without needing to look at the reverse side of the card. Record that number on the graph provided.
2. Start with one flashcard. If your partner can say it correctly in Spanish, add a second card. If your partner can not say it correctly, repeat the Spanish for them and ask them again. Continue going through the cards adding a card each time your partner gets all of the existing cards correct.
3. Go through all 10 cards with your partner and keep track of how many they can say in Spanish at the END of the practice session. Record that number on the graph provided
We will add details as we continue to practice which will make remembering things more challenging for some. Part of my hidden agenda is also to look at how much students retain from the end of one class to the beginning of the next. Poor retention is always something I am looking for ways to combat. I am trying to see if all my students retain at the same rate (unlikely) and if not, who has trouble retaining information the most. Then, I can suggest some memory retention techniques for them.
Here is the graph they will be using to record their progress. Our goal is to be able to describe at least 10 activities that we do in a typical day.
How do you help students prepare for presentational speaking? Leave your ideas for our readers in the comment section below!