Mary Kempen

EDUP 535: Presentational Speaking Task

Explanation for instructors:
The students will complete this task at the end of a unit on migratory animals. The linguistic goals for
the unit will include the use of the impersonal se for formal presentational communication and the
present tense for repeated and continuing events. Prior to preparing this speech, students will view a
documentary video and read the transcript for it. They will identify the features that make this video
seem objective and answer questions about the animals life and habitat in the Spanish-speaking
country. They will then consider what someone who is accustomed to seeing the animal in this place
might find surprising about the animals life in the U.S. or Canada.
Students will prepare a first draft of their script and slideshow, which the teacher will then review. The
teacher will make recommendations for revisions and corrections, and students will have an opportunity
to make changes or respond to the teachers feedback.
When the project is completed, selected students will present their documentaries to the class. The
other students will record their documentaries and post them to an online class website to share with
the class and the instructor. For example, if 25 or more students are in the class, up to 10 students will
present in class while the other 15 upload their work to the website to prevent boredom with the topic
among the audience. At a later point in the semester, the other 15 will have opportunities to make
presentations while the first 10 make uploads.