Projects and Presentations 0716632225, 9780716632221

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ROOSEVELT MIDDLt bWIUUl LIBRARY

PROJECTS

AND PRESENTATIONS

THE

WORLD BOOK

Volume

6 PROJECTS

AND PRESENTATIONS

Published by

World Book, a Scott Fetzer

Inc.

company

Chicago

ROOSEVELT MIDDLE SCHOOL LIBRARY

28121

b)

V-U

2'

281 Staff

ROOSEVELT MIDDLE SCHOOL 460 ARGUELLO BOULEVARD 94118 SAN FRANCISCO. CA.

67669

Product Production

Publisher William H. Nault Editorial

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Joseph

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L.

Florio

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Copyright

©

World Book,

Art

1986 by Inc.

Merchandise Mart Plaza Illinois 60654

Chicago,

Executive Art Director William

Hammond

All rights

may

Designers Tessing Design,

or Inc.

Photography Director John

S.

reserved This volume

not be reproduced

in

whole

any form without written permission from the publishers in part in

Printed in the United States of America

Marshall ISBN 0-7166-3190-3 (Volume 6) ISBN 0-7166-3184-9 (set)

Photographers Don Sala

Library of Congress Catalog No. 86-50558

Jim Ballard

a/hi

—

Contents

Introduction

7

Section I Presenting Your Project and Yourself

8

Section

II

Developing Your Project Section

14

III

Rehearsing Your Presentation

48

Section IY

Making Your Presentation

78

Section V Ideas for School Projects

90

Section VI Attention Getters

Index

112 124

Acknowledgments

The anecdote on Inca ruins

that

appears on pages 116-117 was

adapted from Secrets of the Past by

©

Gene

S.

Stuart, copyright

1979, National Geographic Society.

The quotation from 122

is

Carl Sagan that appears

from Cosmos by Carl Sagan, copyright

Sagan Productions,

Inc.

Inc.

New

on pages 121—

1980 by Carl

Reprinted by permission of the author

and the author's agents, Scott Meredith Third Avenue,

©

York,

New York

Literary Agency, Inc.,

10022 and

845

Random House,

Introduction From time

to time in school

you are called upon

to create

a special project or to deliver an oral presentation as part

of your classwork. Such a situation provides you with an

opportunity to be creative and to share what you learn with your fellow classmates. Projects tells

you

how

effectively to

and Presentations

to put together projects

and present them

your audience.

The first section of this volume explains why projand presentations are an important part of your school work. It also describes the types of skills that you develop by performing such assignments. The second section gives helpful information on developing your project, from analyzing your audience to making props and using ects

audio-visual aids.

Section

III

helps you rehearse your presentation.

It

and gives a step-by-step Section IV tells you what to

offers various delivery techniques

approach to your rehearsals. do on the day of your presentation. Helpful hints explain how to handle stage fright, audience reaction, and unexpected problems.

The tains

fifth

more

projects.

section of Projects

and Presentations

con-

than 100 ideas that you can use for school

There are suggestions

for each

major area of

study: social studies, science, language arts, final section

of this volume explains

ence's attention and hold

it

how

and math. The your audi-

to get

by using helpful speaking deand star-

vices such as anecdotes, quotations, questions, tling facts.

Before you begin your next class project or presenvolume. You will get the extra help

tation, consult this

order to make your assignment a success benefits both you and your schoolmates.

you need

in

that

PRESENTING YOUR PROJECT—AND YOURSELF mi^mmmi

&m This section explains the purpose of creating projects and presentations and the skills you will need to develop in order to carry out these assignments. The Purpose of Your Project

10

The Long-Term

1

Benefits

Vesmmm

—

—and Yourself

Presenting Your Project

Presenting Your Project and Yourself

A

5

a student, your day-to-day school learning is shaped in many ways. You spend

experience

time reading textbooks, listening to teacher

lectures,

participating in class discussions, doing in all sorts of other

homework, and taking part learning

activities.

Some of the most

challenging of

these learning activities involve projects

and

presentations.

—

ject

Doing a project means creating something an obmake a model or

or an event. For example, you might

a diorama, sculpt a figure,

demonstrate a folk dance, or

dramatize a scene from a story.

Presentations are the

means by which you share your project with your classmates or some other audience. In most cases, you simply stand in front of the class to present your project. At other

group outside your for example. Sometimes, as in dramatic reading, the presentation and the project are the same thing. Projects and presentations fit into the school routine in a variety of ways. They may be assigned to everyone in the class as part of the regular curriculum. Your social studies teacher, for example, may ask you and your classmates to do projects as you study a unit on Latin America. Sometimes you do a project either assigned or voluntimes,

you present your project to

classroom

tary

—

a

—other students or parents,

—

for a special school activity,

You may do

from tumbling. together

on

such as a science

fair.

a project for extra credit to help save a grade

On

certain occasions, your class

a project that will

be presented

may work

as a

program

for parents or the entire school.

The Purpose of Your Project Doing a project and preparing considerable amount of time.

10

It

a presentation can take a is

time well spent, how-

I

because

ever,

in the

For many

handy both

Helping

in

a

lot

offun

to do.

process you are gaining knowledge,

tapping your creativity, and developing in

students, projects are

skills that will

come

and out of school.

You Learn

Even the best teachers cannot give you

all

the information

would like to about certain topics. There just is not enough time. Projects give you and your classmates a chance to learn more than what can be taught in the limited amount of time your teacher spends with you each

they

does not stop when you step out of the classroom, and doing a project is a form of independent study learning on your own. When it is your turn to present your project, you are giving your classmates information they may not have known before. As you listen to your classmates present their projects, you are learning from their experience and effort. In this way, each of you conday. Learning

—

tributes to the overall learning process.

Projects can

be

particularly effective learning tools,

because they make you, the student, an active participant in the learning process. In

many

cases, projects involve a

hands-on approach to learning. For example, instead of just reading in your science textbook about the properties of air, you can set up a demonstration showing that air weighs

something or

that hot air rises.

reading or listening, you are

By doing,

more

instead of just

likely to

remember

what you have learned.

Tapping Your Interests and Creativity For

many

students, projects are a lot of fun to do.

They

give you a chance to pursue a special interest or satisfy a

Perhaps you are interested in drama, and you out what theaters looked like in Shakespeare's time. Building a model of the Globe Theatre

curiosity.

would

like to find

might be an acceptable project for your English an enjoyable experience

at

the

same

class

and

time.

Because many projects involve a creative process, they frequently give you a chance to put special talents or

11

Presenting Your Project

—and Yourself

hobby

skills to

good

use. If

you love

to

work with

clay, for

example, and you are studying American Indians in your social studies class, a project assignment might mean a

chance to create a bowl or a pitcher

in the style of the

Zuni

Indians.

Skills

You

Will Develop

and the fun involved in doing and presentations, you will develop a number of important skills in the process. These include the skills

In addition to the learning projects

necessary to do research, to organize information, to speak

before a group, and to

work

cooperatively with others.

Research Skills As you plan and create a project, you will develop research

You cannot

build a model of the Globe Theatre or bowl without first finding out what those things look like. Your project may lead you to the library skills.

create a Zuni

to find information or to other sources that can provide

you with the

facts

you need.

Organizing Skills As you prepare for the presentation of your project, you need to organize the facts at hand so that you can present

them

in a

can follow

way

makes sense and that your classmates These organizing skills are an important

that

easily.

part of a successful presentation.

Speaking Skills

When you present your one of your main purposes is to share what you have

project,

learned with your audience.

12

Making a presentation involves another set of skills speaking skills. When you present your project, one of your main purposes is to share what you have learned with your audience. You need to convey your message clearly and keep the audience's attention from start to finish. To do that, you must employ the techniques of effective public speaking. Learning how to speak in front of a group involves more than just saying words, however. It also means having poise and self-confidence. In that sense, you are

Projects to

I

and presentations add a

your school

presenting yourself, as well as your project, stand up to

make your

special dimension

life.

when you

presentation.

Socialization Skills you are doing a group

you have an opportunity needed for successful cooperation. Working as part of a group is different from preparing a project and presentation on your own. It calls for sharing ideas, dividing responsibilities, and doing your part If

to

project,

develop the socialization

skills

to assure that the final effort succeeds.

The Long-Term Benefits When your school years are behind you, you may not remember every project and presentation you made as a student. But the skills

you

you developed can continue

to serve

in various ways.

The student who was able to think of a good project gathered and organized the necessary information, and then presented it effectively may grow up to be the adult who is asked to take on additional job responsibilities and leadership roles. In many career areas, success depends on creative thinking, diligent research, and self-conidea,

fident presentations.

These same volved

member

group. Knowing to finish

is

skills

can help you

become an

active, in-

of a civic organization or a community

how

to carry

through a project from

start

an asset whether you are planning a PTA fund-

raiser, organizing a neighborhood movement for improved community services, or working to elect a political candidate. Communicating with poise and confidence enhances

your involvement even

further.

and presentations add a special dimension to your school life by allowing you to express yourself in a variety of ways. They allow you to be creative and resourceful and to interact with others. Take advantage of the opportunities they present. Learn from them, enjoy doing them, and remember that the skills they help you develop Projects

can provide lifelong benefits.

13

DEVELOPING YOUR PROJECT This section tells you how to lay the groundwork for successful projects and presentations. Planning for Success

Choosing

a Project

Analyzing Your Audience

Determining the Purpose

Doing Research Organizing Your Presentation

Props and Audio-Visual Aids

Group

Projects

Keeping on Track

* A******

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