This lesson isn't a lesson in the tradition sense of the word. I don't teach this lesson during regular school hours. Rather, this lesson highlights the culmination of student work on their senior projects. After all the research, planning, writing, and rewriting, students are ready to shine. That's why I have students present their projects at my classes' Senior Project Presentation Night.
In this culminating "lesson," I'll
To plan Senior Project Presentation Night I...
The evening of Senior Project Presentation Night, I greet parents and friends in the media center and distribute programs. I give an opening welcome statement and thanked them for coming. Then I pass out the presentation evaluations, and everyone goes to their respective rooms. I explain the two presentation options--Pecha Kucha and Multigenre--so that evaluators know what to expect from the students.
I check to make sure everything is working in all the rooms and have my student teacher assist me with this.
While students are presenting, I set up refreshments so that students and guests have them available after each group finishes their presentations.
I enlisted a friend and former news anchor to film some of the projects this year. Brenda Stanley graciously donated her time and equipment to record students, to interview them after their presentations, and to edit the video so that I could highlight the multigenre projects and the traditional projects some of my students presented at Senior Project Presentation Night. Here Here I am pictured With Brenda.To see clips from the presentations of four students, Preston, Jocelyn, Makayla, and Amber, click Glenda's project.mp4. Following each presentation clip, each student talks about the experience of working on the multigenre project and why it trumps tradition research and why the Pecha Kucha format is a wonderful, creative, controlled presentation format.
Students gather in the library and visit and share their reactions after their group finishes. Students at Presentation NightOur guests arrive back in the media center, too, and enjoy some refreshments. We snap some pictures and enjoy the ecstasy of having finished the senior projects. Suzanne and K.T.
When all have reconvened, we have a drawing for prizes and applaud the students. I introduce myself to parents I have not yet met and thank them for coming.