I Search Update

Students will be finishing their papers and handing them in today at the end of class along with their first drafts.

On Friday, we discussed what a good oral presentation would look like; guidelines are in the post below, and I'll distribute hard copy and review with students today.

We'll be working on Thursday, Friday, and Tuesday of next week to prepare and practice presentations and accompanying visual elements. Presentations will start next Wednesday, June 6.  Students and I will develop a schedule for who will present when, which I'll share with you by the end of the week.

I-Search Oral Presentation Guidelines

I-Search Oral/Visual Presentation Guidelines

To successfully meet the requirements of the oral/visual part of the I-search project, you will need:

1)    An outline/plan of what you’re going to say and notes to help you when you present.

2)    To speak on your topic for 3-5 minutes. (When you practice, you should time yourself with a watch or timer.)

3)    A visual element to accompany your presentation and help explain your topic to your audience: slideshow, poster, timeline, diagram, model, demonstration, etc.

4)    To follow these guidelines for a successful oral presentation that we established together:

·      organize your ideas

·      use your notes to keep you on track (practice ahead of time)

·      refer to your notes, but don’t just read them out loud

·      include the most important information from your paper

·      share interesting facts

·      be interested in what you say and interesting to your audience

·      talk to the audience, not your notes

·      make eye contact and look around at different people (okay to look at foreheads)

·      watch out for “umm” and “like!”

·      be well informed on your topic so you’ll be able to answer questions; don’t be afraid to make an educated guess if you don’t know an answer, but don’t make something up

·      speak loudly and clearly—enunciate

for your visuals:

·      use visuals that are clear and help explain your topic

·      visuals should be interesting to look at

·      images should be related to what you’re saying at the time, and you should refer to the pictures as you’re speaking

·      consider bringing in real objects to show and share (please check with Tara first)

I-Search Projects

Dear Parents:

I’m sure you’ve heard your sixth grader talking about the I-search (Individual Search)project, and I wanted to write and give you an overview of what the project entails.

I-Search provides an opportunity for each student to research a topic of his or her choosing. This project will entail long-term planning, researching a topic, taking notes and organizing information, writing multiple drafts, and will culminate with a paper (3-5 pages), and a presentation (comprising an oral presentation and accompanying visual element). We’ll be spending our English time on this project in upcoming weeks, but students will also need to work outside of class to complete the project.

I know this project can seem dauntingly large at the start; one of the goals for the project is to break a big project down into pieces to be completed a step at a time.

Students have chosen their topics, started research and notetaking, and will be writing introductory paragraphs this weekend.

Today we reviewed the calendar for the project as a whole; the deadlines on the calendar are not set in stone, so we’ll continue to tweak them as a class when we need more or less time.

We’ll be working next week on outlining and organizing information, citing sources and starting to write. First drafts are due on Friday, May 18.

During the week of May 21, we’ll be doing peer review of one another’s papers, and students will get back my comments and suggestions. We’ll spend time in class revising and finishing our papers. Final papers are due Tuesday, May 29. (My intention is not that students will spend Memorial Day weekend writing, but since their spring concert is on May 24, I want to give them another night or two to finish up.)

During the week of May 29 we’ll prepare to present information (students will speak for 3-5 minutes, with an accompanying visual element), with presentations during the week of June 5. I’ll share details on dates and times for presentations when we get closer to that time.

Please contact me with any questions or concerns.

Best,

Tara