Using Prezi to Understand the Solar System, Essay Example

Overview of the Lesson/Module:

Students will be asked to watch a Prezi presentation that has previously been made by a student about the planets and the solar system https://prezi.com/vuxtndw2wlhf/planets/. While watching the video, students will be asked to carefully take notes about what is happening and what makes it an effective presentation. They will be asked to note what they learned from the presentation and have a discussion about what they may be able to do to make their presentation as successful as the one viewed, or even more successful given their individuals understandings. The eventual goal of the lesson is for students to make their own presentations about the planets and the solar system and to teach different aspects of this information to their classmates in presentation form.

Students will be asked to pick their own topic about the solar system and the planets and then to conduct research on the topic accordingly. Through this process, students are expected to build their knowledge of the research process, using the books and Internet as a tool. Using information drawn from the previous critical thinking lesson, students will be asked to self-determine in groups what should be included in their presentation prior to creating the Prezi. All Prezi work will be done individually, but it will be done based off of group feedback to ensure that students know what to do before they begin.

Specifically, the aim of this lesson is to engage students in developing their own understandings about the planets and solar system and using this information to help them determine how to select important evidence and how to create a presentation. Doing so will help students build important presentation skills that they can later use in college or at work.

Objectives of the Lesson/Module:

To use the creation of Prezi presentations to discern important information and develop a coherent presentation about the planets and the solar system. This will be measured based on the information presented in the Prezi presentation

Primary Resources:

The primary resource used will be the Prezi website: https://prezi.com/

Additional Supplemental Resources:

Students that speak a native language other than English will be provided with dictionaries or online translators to help them translate their vocabulary to the English language. Students may also refer to library books about history and science in order to determine information for their topic. Pens, paper, the use of the Internet, and books may be needed for this lesson.

Activities, Timeline/Due dates:

Day 1: Watch the Prezi presentation in class. Complete the written reflection of the presentation and determine in groups what makes an effective presentation.

Day 2: Individually develop the topic of choice by conducting research. Students will be required to have a full presentation plan ready before they begin making their presentation in Prezi.

Day 3: Students will begin making their presentations in Prezi. Students who are completed early will begin presenting them for the whole class. Students who are not done by day 3 will be asked to complete the assignment at home for presentation the following day.

Day 4: The Prezi presentations will be given by each student. They will be given approximately 5 minutes each to show how they are able to captivate the audience, present necessary information, and determine what information was important enough to present.

Assessment / Grading

Student performance will be assessed based on the Prezi product that they will provide. Points will be given for the student’s ability to captivate the audience, present necessary information, and determine what information was important enough to present. These points will be made into a rubric on the scale of 0 to 4. Students who surpass these goals will receive a 4 for each point, while those that do not meet them at all will receive a score of 0.