Book Club Group Projects

Oral and Visual Presentation 35 points

  1. You are going to give a 5-10minute presentation over your book. Go over the big points in the book- use the plot structure diagram to make sure you cover it all. Briefly address each of the following. Make sure you give examples/evidence from the story of how you know each of these things.

-Main characters – who is the protagonist? What are some of the character traits of the major characters that affect the plot? Personality is the most important aspect, but physical can be included if it MATTERS to the plot.

-Setting and how setting influences characters, mood, conflict, and theme

-What is the major conflict(s) in the story? What obstacles are presented that develop the conflict for the characters?

-Resolution – how is the conflict resolved for the characters? You must provide the clear ending- no “if you want to know how it ends, read the book…” endings to your presentation.

-Theme(s) of the story. Make sure it’s a THEME not a topic. Explain how the author develops this theme throughout the story. Give examples!

-Persuasive recommendation – tell what was good about the book and convince the audience that it’s a must-read. Even if you didn’t like the book, you must find the positives and convince others to read it.

  1. Once you figure out WHO is responsible for each piece of information, you must submit a list of jobs to your teacher. This will tell me what to grade for each person regarding content and understanding. Whatever information the group member is responsible for gathering is also what they should present. If you do a power point or prezi, the group member’s name should be at the bottom of each slide that they create. DO NOT create slides for your group members if they drop the ball. You are ONLY being graded on your individual contributions and presentation – not the group as a whole.
  2. You must have an appealing visual aid to accompany your presentation. How you visually present is up to you– you can do a PowerPoint, Presi, etc. If you have a creative idea that you think would be awesome, run it by me for approval. Again, each groups member should have a part in creating the visual, and all the information must be included.
  3. All group members MUSTparticipate verbally in the presentation in an equal fashion. Each person should speak for 1-2 minutes. This should be done all at once so that a timer can effectively time the contribution. Again, the material each person is responsible for is what that person should present.
  4. Your presentation is where you talk to the class about your book.

-It could be like a movie trailer or commercial where you try and convince your peers to read the book

-It could be informative where you tell about the different aspects of the book

-It could be an interview format where you have a panel discussion with different characters from the book (the interviewer must come up with the QUESTIONS to be asked in this scenario, and they must be relevant, thoughtful questions. The interviewees should, of course, be aware of the questions in order to prepare thorough answers to present).

  1. Your presentation will be scored following the attached rubric. You should NOT read from the visual The visual should provide brief bullets or notes, and you should elaborate on the points. Failure to do so will result in deduction of points.

The bottom line is – show us that you have read the book and leave us convinced that we should read it!

Presentation Rubric

CATEGORY / 5 / 4 / 3 / 1
Visual Aid / Graphics are all in focus and the content easily viewed. Fantastic visual appeal. Names of creators are on all slides. / Most graphics are in focus and the content easily viewed. Good visual appeal. Names of creators are on most slides. / Some graphics are in focus and the content can be read. May have too much on each slide. Names may be missing from many slides. / Many graphics are not clear or are too small little appeal.
Names are not on slides.
Content – Accuracy/ Thoroughness / All content is accurate information AND information is thorough in all areas including explanations as needed. / Sufficient accuracy AND information is sufficient, but it may be lacking in explanation or clarity. / Minimal accuracy AND/OR information leaves out a lot of required information. / Most parts are not accurate AND/OR there is not enough information to score.
Use of Class Time / Used time well during each class period. Focused on getting the project done. Never distracted others. / Used time well during each class period. Usually focused on getting the project done and never distracted others. / Used some of the time well during each class period. There was some focus on getting the project done but occasionally distracted others. / Did not use class time to focus on the project AND/OR often distracted others.
Preparedness / Student is completely prepared and has obviously rehearsed and created an efficient plan. Does NOT read straight from the power point. / Student seems pretty prepared but might have needed a couple more rehearsals. Student relies on reading the power point rather than just speaking about the topic. / Student is somewhat prepared, but it is clear that rehearsal was lacking. Student only read from the power point with no additional comments or explanation. / Students do not seem at all prepared to present. Read poorly from the power point (seemed unfamiliar with topic) OR had no slides to read due to lack of completion.
Collaboration with Peers / Almost always listens to, shares with, and supports the efforts of others in the group. Tries to keep people working well together. / Usually listens to, shares with, and supports the efforts of others in the group. Does not cause "waves" in the group. / Often listens to, shares with, and supports the efforts of others in the group but sometimes is not a good team member. / Rarely listens to, shares with, and supports the efforts of others in the group. Often is not a good team member.
Speaks Clearly / Speaks clearly and distinctly all (100-95%) the time, and mispronounces no words. Good volume to be heard. / Speaks clearly and distinctly all (100-95%) the time, but may have mispronounced one word. Sufficient volume most of the time. / Speaks clearly and distinctly most (94-85%) of the time. May mispronouncea few words. Volume may vary, making it hard to hear at times. / Often mumbles or cannot be understood OR mispronounces multiple one words. Volume may be too low to be heard.
Speaks for Required Time / Speaker speaks for 1-2 minutes. / Speaker goes 5 seconds over OR speaks 5 seconds less than required. / Speaker goes 7 seconds over OR speaks 7 seconds less than required. / Speaker goes 10 seconds over OR speaks 10 seconds less than required.