Exploros | Presenting a Family Story

Engage

Overview

In this experience, students learn and apply the skills for making presentations and active listening. In small groups, each student presents a short, two-minute talk sharing a family story based on an interview they conduct. The other students are active listeners during the presentation, and then they discuss the presentation, generating questions and positive comments. Finally students evaluate their presentation skills.

In scene 3, students will use information gathered in an interview of an older family member. We recommend that you distribute the interview guide sheets prior to assigning the experience, to give students time to conduct the interview and come prepared. If there are students with complex family situations, you can suggest that they interview a neighbor or a faculty member at the school.

Students will collaborate in small groups in scene 5. It is recommended that there be no more than 4 students per group.

At the end of the experience, students will self-evaluate their work based on a rubric. You may review the rubric with them at any point during this experience.

Objectives

Identify good public speaking skills.
Develop and present a two-minute talk sharing a family story.
Identify what is means to be an active listener.
Use public speaking skills.
Use active listening skills.

Duration

Two class periods. Students should come to class on the first day with their interview questions answered. They should practice their talk between days one and two.

In this experience, you will develop a short talk based on a family story to develop the idea of what it means to be a good speaker. Then you will present the talk to a small group of classmates and practice both your speaking and listening skills.

Objectives

Identify good public speaking skills.
Develop and present a two-minute talk sharing a family story.
Identify what it means to be an active listener.
Use public speaking skills.
Use active listening skills.

boy holding microphone to conduct an interview

Think about a story you have heard someone read aloud or tell you. What makes someone a good storyteller?

Describe what made that story interesting or boring for you. Do you have any advice for the storyteller on how to make it better?

Post your answer

Have students share their responses. As they do, generate a class list regarding engaging storytelling. Some examples might be:

Storytellers show interest in the audience.
Storytellers display high energy.
Storytellers include humorous stories.
Storytellers speak loudly and slowly so that the audience can hear and understand.

When everyone is ready to continue, unlock the next scene.