ISU Presentation – Beyond the Novel: Literary Themes All Around Us

ENG3U1

GOALS:

  • to create a multi-modal presentation that explores the universality of your theme
  • to engage your classmates in a creative and interesting presentation
  • to make text-to-world, text-to-self, and text-to-text connections

TIME:Approx. 15 minutes

WHAT TO DO:In a way that is interesting to your audience, create a presentation that teaches us about the relevance of your theme (to your novels, to you, to society, to historical events, etc.).

Let’s say that I’ve written the following thesis statement:

Suzanne Collins, the author of The Hunger Games, uses the character Katniss Everdeen to expose her readers to the flaws of a dictatorship. As Katniss’s character shifts from secretly defiant to overtly defiant, she transforms into “the girl on fire”, an eternal flame that illuminates how an oppressive government stifles individual freedoms.

Rather than focus on The Hunger Games as my topic (because this presentation is NOT a book talk), I would give a presentation about how oppressive governments stifle individual freedoms.

SOME HINTS/IDEAS:

You must at some point:

  • include examples of how your theme persists in MEDIA today (movies, music, popular culture, social media, etc.) – show us, and explain it to us, giving your interpretation of the obvious and subtle messages within that form

You might want to at some point:

  • show us how your theme has been presented creatively throughout the ages, through art, poetry, or other modes of writing (show and explain)
  • provide some quotations from your novels, if you can weave them into your presentation seamlessly

(Please DO NOT begin any section of your presentation by saying, “Here are my quotes…” First of all, the word is quotations, people. Secondly, the minute I hear a student utter those words, my brain shuts off.)

  • contextualize your theme in historical events
  • talk about what YOU think, and why

*Remember, and this is very important, you are presenting on ideas, not books. This doesn’t mean you can’t include examples from what you’ve read – of course you can! – but if your presentation is a remake of your ISU conferences, you’ve missed the point.

**Dictionary definitions are forever banned from any essay or presentation you make, from now until the day you graduate from a post-secondary institution.

***For the love of Pete, make a plan before you present. Consider your audience and their interests. Think about how presentations have a beginning, middle, and end. Plan a smooth and logical order of ideas.

HOW YOU PRESENT IT: Multi-modal

  • must include some live speaking (Yes, this means you could record yourself ahead of time.)
  • may include other videos or other audio features
  • must be supported by visual aids (Powerpoint, Prezi, etc.), unless you’ve embedded images into your self-made video

EVALUATION

Oral Communication – 50%

Media Components – 50%

Level One / Level Two / Level Three / Level Four
Oral Presentation Skills / Demonstrates a limited ability to:
(See Level 3) / Demonstrates some ability to:
(See Level 3) / -use language appropriate for audience
-communicate in a clear, coherent manner, using style and structure for purpose and subject matter
-use tone, pace, pitch, and volume effectively
-use non-verbal cues, including facial expressions, gestures, and eye contact to help convey meaning to the audience / Demonstrates a thorough and insightful ability to:
(See Level 3)
Media Creation and Use of Media / Demonstrates a limited ability to:
(See Level 3) / Demonstrates some ability to:
(See Level 3) / -use audio-visual aids effectively to support and enhance the oral presentation and to engage the audience
-interpret media texts identifying and explaining the overt and implied messages they convey (connection to theme) / Demonstrates a thorough and insightful ability to:
(See Level 3)