Impromptu Presentation–Newspaper Translation Activity

Activity name:  Impromptu presentation: Newspaper translation activity

Class: PWR 2

Activity brief description: Students choose an article from the pages of the New York Times. They use this article as the basis for a short (2 to 3 minute) presentation. In sharing/translating the article, they need to sum up key details from the article while getting the audience interested in the topic and encouraging their fellow students to read more.

Schedule: Week 6 or 7. This activity works best after the draft of the written research argument and during the preparation for the final Research Presentation.

Activity length: 1 hour +/-

Activity goals:

1. To help students become more comfortable with speaking in front of class.

2. To help students understand the concept of translation between writing and speech. The presentation should encourage students to think through the differences between writing and speaking, print and performance.

3. To provide students a sense of timing for brief presentations.

4. To demonstrate that even impromptu speeches involve drafting, structure (introduction, evidence, conclusion, signposts), and practice.

5. To practice using an outline to speak extemporaneously.

Activity details: See handout.

Additional notes: This activity was originally featured as an Activity of the Week in winter 2015.