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CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY

MONTEREY BAY

Presentation Skills for Middle School Students

Submitted in partial satisfaction of requirements of the degree of

MASTER OF SCIENCE
in
Instructional Science and Technology
CarlottaRhea Van Hoozer Clark
September 1, 2017
Capstone Approvals: (At least one advisor and capstone instructor should approve)

___________________________ ___________________________ _____________

Advisor Name Signature Date

___________________________ ___________________________ _____________

Capstone Instructor Name Signature Date
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Table of Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................... 3

INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................... 4
BACKGROUND .............................................................................................................................................. 4
PROBLEM DESCRIPTION ................................................................................................................................. 4
TARGET AUDIENCE ........................................................................................................................................ 5
LITERATURE SURVEY ...................................................................................................................................... 6

SOLUTION DESCRIPTION ....................................................................................................................... 6

GOALS ........................................................................................................................................................ 7
LEARNING OBJECTIVES .................................................................................................................................. 7
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES ........................................................................................................................... 8
LEARNING STRATEGY JUSTIFICATION ................................................................................................................ 8
PROPOSED SOLUTIONS .................................................................................................................................. 9
MEDIA COMPONENTS ................................................................................................................................... 9
ANTICIPATED CHALLENGES ........................................................................................................................... 10

METHODS ........................................................................................................................................... 10
DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT ......................................................................................................................... 11
STEPS TO FINISH ......................................................................................................................................... 12

RESOURCES ........................................................................................................................................ 13

TIMELINE ............................................................................................................................................ 13

EVALUATION PLAN ............................................................................................................................. 15

FORMATIVE EVALUATION ............................................................................................................................. 15
SUMMATIVE EVALUATION ............................................................................................................................ 15

REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................................... 17
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Executive Summary
Students and adults all over the world struggle to give engaging presentations on a daily
basis. They struggle with the ability to properly stand before a group whether large or small, and
confidently express their ideas about any given topic. Students and adults have to give
presentations throughout most of their lives and while teachers try to teach these skills at a young
age there is no curriculum for them to do so. It is a standard in many middle schools to be able to
present but every teacher can teacher what they choose in terms of presentation skills and they
are put on the backburner and neglected till the last minute, if they are ever taught at all. As our
nations focus turns to technology, math, and engineering, the skills of presenting and speaking
can often be left behind.
Starting at a young age, students should be exposed to presentation skills and best
practices but many arent as the push for the Common Core depicts what is taught in most
classrooms. Teachers are inundated with creating engaging lesson plans and there is not
curriculum to help them begin to expose their students to the best practices and skills to give
presentations. While many teachers assign presentations in the classroom, they dont provide
direct instruction on how to give great presentations. If they do, it is often a one-time lesson due
to time constraints that the students forget by their next academic year. In poverty stricken areas
there are many English Language Learners who dont have the vocabulary or speaking skills
other students do because they dont have access to them at home.
For the capstone project, Presentation Skills for English Language Learners the target
audience will be sixth through eighth grade middle school students. As this audience could
potentially be wide and diverse as other students who are not English Language Learners are still
in the classroom, the instructional designer will be reviewing the project continually and making
necessary adjustments.
Presentation Skills for English Language Learners is a long-term project that will
eventually be an application schools across the nation can purchase to use for their students
continued growth. The capstone project will include both formative and summative evaluation.
Formative assessment will be gathered from volunteering middle school teachers, parents, and
administration. Summative evaluation will include sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students.
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Introduction
Background
Speaking in front of an audience is a skill that will be used throughout a persons entire
life. Presentations of some type are required throughout schooling and in many careers. Being
able to have the confidence to present your ideas and yourself well can significantly affect a
persons life for the better. Many people struggle to give presentations due to a myriad of fears or
simply due to the lack of direct instruction available. Many teachers expect to give students just a
few directions and have it stick with them. Unfortunately, most students are unable to follow
those instructions and give successful presentations. When English language learners are
involved this becomes an even more daunting task because they lack vocabulary and other skills
that are typically taught from a young age in most middle-class American households. The
modules in Presentation Skills for English Language Learners will give teachers the curriculum
they need and give students the direct instruction and practice to be successful.

Problem Description
A student being unable to give a clear and well-planned presentation is a problem that
needs to be clearly addressed. Teachers at every level require students to stand and deliver their
ideas yet; no one has taken the time to explicitly train students on this topic. Time and time again
teachers give rubrics and directions, and expect students to be able to give good presentations.
While this might work for students who have been taught to speak their mind since they were
young, this does not work for ELLs who have had limited language exposure since they were
born. According to research done in the mid-1990s [it was] found there may be a 30-million-
word gap between the number of words children from poor families hear before they enter
kindergarten and the words children from middle- and upper-income families hear (Schmidt,
2015).
This significant gap leads to low-income students having a serious deficit in their language
and speaking skills, and many are unable to catch up through their elementary years of
schooling. When students are unable to catch up or feel confident in their answers they are less
likely to speak out in the classroom. Teachers continue every year to encourage students but
students continue to be uninterested and often shut down altogether when asked to speak out.
Many of these students at one time in their educational career have been laughed at or belittled in
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some way, making them feel inadequate in their ability to participate in a scholarly manner in the
classroom. The problem is two-fold in the fact that students are both unable to formulate grade-
level sentences to give a presentation and they are also lacking the confidence to speak in front
of a large group of other students. Teachers have to continually prompt students and give them
sentence frames in order to help them speak in a scholarly way in the classroom. When a student
is unable to give a proper presentation or even a simple answer in class they often make a joke in
order to cover up their deficiency.
According to a survey sent to Currie Middle School (CMS) teachers, currently 70% of
CMS students are unable to give an adequate presentation where they clearly speak and maintain
eye contact with the audience. Teachers at CMS would like 90% of students to be able to give
presentations that are at least two minutes in length, where they maintain eye contact, dress
appropriately, and speak in a clear voice. The performance gap between our student population at
CMS and non-ELL student populations is extraordinary. Across town, in another local school,
students who are from middle-upper class families are able to speak clearly, maintain eye
contact, and verbally express their facts and opinions in a clear and concise manner. While some
students from these affluent families still struggle to give great presentations, they have more
resources to help them than low-income students. The skill set and motivational difference
between low-income and middle-upper class families is such a large gap that oftentimes students
are never able to catch up. As the educational and career world continues to change all students
need to be able to have the skills to communicate and present their ideas clearly. Students who
are unable to give presentations clearly will be hindered from being able to participate in
scholarly discussions. They will continue to be hindered because they will be unable to interview
well with colleges and when entering the workforce will be unable to complete tasks that are
required of higher paying careers.

Target Audience
The target audience for this project is primarily middle school students is Grades 6-8. The
age of the students is between 11 and 15. Students who might be using this for enrichment or to
help them build confidence could be as young as nine and as old as ninety-nine. The goal for the
subject matter will be to accommodate mainly middle school English language learners but to
allow everyone to be able to learn or perfect their presentation skills. Eventually, the project will
grow to include younger learners and adult learners as it gets developed into an app so that all
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age ranges can receive the benefits of having direct instruction on presentation skills. The
potential audience is great as billions of people access the app store and thousands of middle
schools across the nation would be able to use it in its early stages.

Literature Survey
Teaching students presentation skills is a difficult task, especially when they come
lacking proper vocabulary skills that also need to be taught to them. During their middle school
years, it is a challenging time as they are trying to impress their peers and find themselves. Often
students are not wanting to stand up in front of a group of peers at that age, which makes it even
more difficult for teachers to teach them the skills they need to give presentations throughout
their life and have them practice enough times to make it stick. Students are also often bored
with the content that is given to them to present upon, as teachers try to fit in as much
information as possible throughout the school day.
The article, Why Presentation Skills Matter in Todays Economy (Mancini, 2016), points
out just how important presentation skills are in todays world. When teaching students, it is
important to motivate them. This article could make an excellent addition as a class reading that
to discuss why it is important for them to practice their presentation skills at a young age. It
would prove to them that almost every job/career in the world requires excellent presentation
skills and could impact how much money they earn someday.
Another article that supports the creation of my instructional design project is, Why Are
Presentation Skills So Important by George Torok. George is a presentation skills trainer. His
article and entire website are dedicated to people who need presentation skills training. This
proves how valuable presentation skills are in the business world. Many people do not have these
skills in the real world and still need training, even as adults. By providing students with the
knowledge they need at a young age they will be able to improve on their skills, as they get
older. This will allow them more opportunities in life as they are able to clearly and easily
express themselves.

Solution Description
Presentation Skills for English Language Learners provides a missing component from
todays educational curriculum, as it gives teachers a platform to directly teach their students
presentation skills. Students are provided with multiple lessons that they can watch and re-watch
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at their own pace (with some guidance) and be able to access much needed reinforcements on
how to give presentations. Students will also be provided with a presentation rubric they can
follow to ensure they follow best practices and get the much needed guidance in order to have a
successful presentation.

Goals
The goal of this project is to provide middle school teachers with a curriculum and guide
in order to teach middle school students how to properly give presentations. The goal is to enable
students to feel confident in giving engaging presentations and give them the skills they will
need throughout their life to do well in any type of presentation setting.
Students will be able to speak clearly in front of a room of their peers.
Student will maintain eye contact.
Students will be able to give a presentation without reading off the board or their
notes for a majority of the presentation.
Students will be able to apply best practices when creating slides/visuals and
speaking to the room.

Learning Objectives
There is one main terminal objective and three enabling objectives for each module. Each
of the enabling objectives will ensure that students are learning the topics at the end of the
modules in order to ensure their success with the main terminal objective.
Terminal Objective: Given a topic, sixth-eighth grade students will be able to create and give a
presentation, to their class, and score an 80% or higher on a Best Presentation Practices
Rubric.
Enabling Objectives:
Given a ten-point rubric, sixth-eighth grade students will be able to evaluate their own
presentation according to Presentation Best Practices. Their scores should be within two
points of their teachers.
Given four outfit options, eighth grade students will be able to choose those appropriate for
giving presentations with 100% accuracy.
From memory, eighth grade students will be able to recite and explain Presentation Best
Practices with 90% accuracy.
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Instructional Strategies
Robert Gagnes conditions of learning has always struck me because it describes how I
was taught to plan a lesson. It goes through a particular process in order to help engage the
learner first so that the instructor has their attention. Gagnes conditions of learning describe how
the learning of young children is not determined by their growth as some say but rather by
events in the learners environment. All the books that I have been exposed to in the past few
years of my teaching explicitly note how the learners home life greatly impacts their leaning
capabilities. In a low-income area, such as the one I currently teach in, a learners home life can
contribute to their abilities to learn, or in many cases, their home life is something that hinders
their learning. Many of my students come from a home life where no one can help them with
school work and often times they are helping to take care of their younger siblings. While they
are grown in the sense that they know how to deal with tough life issues, they are unable to
come to school prepared to learn.
Gagnes principles focus on the instruction of a student rather than explicitly how an
instructor teaches. The intent is to address all the events that may directly influence an
individuals learning. (Gredler, 2009) By including this aspect of the child we are then able to
come up with ways as an instructor to engage the learner. In my capstone I have designed
multiple modules that will capture my learner because I have made them funny and entertaining.
I have taken what I know about their typical home life, how they act, and what they wear and
turned into an opportunity for learning. Gagnes Nine Events of Instruction (Clark, 2004) is the
layout I have used to develop each of my modules.

Learning Strategy Justification

During the modules they will watch cartoons catered to the middle school demographic
but also catered to the predominantly Hispanic population in my school. Each module will grab
their attention in a new and interesting way. I will explicitly teach them through the cartoon
segments and video I create how what they think is appropriate to say and wear during a
presentation will not be taken well in a formal, academic setting. I will stimulate their prior
learning by referencing how other professionals in the school dress and let them know the
differences between what is acceptable for certain settings in their life. The students will connect
with the characters as they describe certain scenarios they have been through in their own life.
When going through the modules there will be opportunities to practice that provide them with
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feedback pertinent to their choice. The end of each module will assess their performance and
have them complete task-specific questions that will show their knowledge of the skill they have
learned.
While every module will be done on the device of the learner, they will also be practicing
and receiving training and feedback from their in-classroom instructor. This type of learning is
invaluable as the student would not be able to truly practice the presentation skills in a strictly
virtual environment. The sequence of the nine instructional events also includes attention to
transfer of learning. (Gredler, 2009) In order for the students to truly transfer what they have
learned, they will work on multiple types of presentations in all of their academic classes. Each
student will start by creating a presentation for their peers to evaluate online. After receiving
their feedback, the student will then practice and do an in-class presentation in my own
classroom. After this they will be assigned a fairy of presentations over the course of two months
in their other core academic classes where they will go through the same practice and procedure.
After all of the practice and presentations they will be able to be confident in their speaking skills
and move on to high school knowing they can be successful.

Proposed Solutions
Creating the program I have in mind will directly address the needs of the students by
training them how to speak clearly and provide them with the skills they need to give excellent
presentations. Allowing them to practice multiple times, on their own schedule, will help with
their lack of experience. Continuing to practice and develop their language skills will assist
students in their ongoing struggle to overcome their language barriers.

Media Components
The capstone project will mainly be created using a series of videos and lessons in
Captivate modules. Each module will have some type of video explaining the content of the
lesson and then the learner will have a small amount of practice and a quiz to go with each
lesson. The Captivate modules will all be placed on a website that the learner will have access to
from school and home so they can complete the lessons on a given time frame for their teacher or
at their own pace. Having access to the content wherever there is an internet connection will also
allow students to review the material on their own and practice whenever they want to. Students
throughout the Tustin district, where CMS is located, each have a school issued iPad they can
utilize each day at school and at home.
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Anticipated Challenges
The scope of this project is large for the allotted amount of time I have to create it. I need
to create multiple videos for the modules, utilizing engaging cartoons for the middle school age
bracket, and I have no experience with animation. I want to pair up with an animation or
computer science major that would be able to create the videos for me using my ideas and a
provided script. Due to the time constraints to complete this project it might not be possible to
find someone to do this. Another challenge will be to create the necessary modules and quizzes
in Captivate in the allotted time that I have to create them. I also am worried that once everything
is created in Captivate I will be unable to put it into a website or app properly, as I have no
former coding experience.

Methods
As soon as I started the MIST program I knew the project I wanted to create. As a
teacher, I have always stressed the importance of great presentation skills. To create models and
small lessons for my students, I created short videos using myself as an actress instead of a
creating a cartoon version. A module developed by one of my team members last semester as
part of their assignments that I am utilizing in my final project, after making some minor
adjustments. The module showcased a video and created a quiz for students to test their
knowledge of what is appropriate dress for a presentation. The videos and module that have
already been created was tested on a group of seventh grade English language learners. They had
a positive experience using the module and thought the video was good as well. Each held their
attention and they were ready to have more to use. The seventh grade class also expressed
interest in having more available to them, in order to help them with presentations they had to
give in other classes.
The teachers who have seen the project were ready to utilize it in their classrooms and
were excited to have curriculum to use with their students. Many teachers often found that no
matter how many times they tried to teach these skills to their students it was quickly forgotten
about. Having the module that students could access on their own devices was very beneficial to
them, as they wouldnt have to use class time to continually go over those skills.
During our Advanced Instructional Design class, a small team created units of study for
an AP History teacher in the San Jose area. The overarching goal of those units were
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presentation skills for English language learners in her AP History class. During the development
of those units I created the rubric that will be used in my project for students as well as ideas that
I will incorporate into the modules and my own units of study for the middle school target
audience. I plan to use some of the materials, including videos, rubrics, and the forum setup in
my Capstone project.

Design and Development

To complete the Capstone, I plan to create a video that will clearly depict how the student
should portray the correct skills for giving presentations. The video will be a funny, engaging
video for the middle school audience. I would like to collaborate with an animation student in
order to have cartoon videos made for each module. If I am unable to do this, then I will create
the videos with myself as the actress explaining what each skill is to the students. I will be
creating a video for every module.
After each practice, or response portion, there will also be a quiz for students to
demonstrate their knowledge of the skill. Each quiz will contain five to questions with a variety
of scenarios presented, in order to truly test a students knowledge and mastery of the content
presented. Each module will build on the previous modules skills. This will allow students to
perfect skills along the way and at the culmination of all the modules, they should be able to give
a successful presentation. The overall rubric for presentations has already been created. This
rubric will be given to students before they start the modules so they know their final goal of
what will be expected for them. The following modules will be created for this project that at this
time will be launched via a Google Site for a select group of classrooms
Module 1-Dressing Professionally
How to Dress for a Presentation Video
Why should I dress professionally? Forum
What to Wear-Practice Module and Quiz in Captivate
Module 2- Speaking Loud and Clear, Proper Tone and Posture
Speaking Loud and Clear, Proper Tone and Posture Video
Why is it important for others to hear me? Forum
How to Speak-Practice Module and Quiz in Captivate
Module 3- Eye Contact
Eye Contact Video
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Why is eye contact important? Forum

Eye Contact -Practice Module and Quiz in Captivate
Module 4- Props, Notes, and other tools
Props, Notes, and other tools Video
What make a good prop? Forum
Quiz in Captivate
Module 5- Best practices for slides and props
Best Practices Video
Practice Module and Quiz in Captivate
Module 6- Taking questions
Taking Questions Video
Why should I take questions? Forum
Module 7- Closing and thanking your audience
Closing and Thanking Your Audience Video
Module 8- Nerves
How to Conquer Your Nerves Video
How do you conquer your nerves? Forum
Module 9- Practicing/Putting it All Together
Putting It All Together Video
Practice Module and Quiz in Captivate

Steps to Finish
The first step to completing my project is to find another student who is well versed in
animation to create videos for me. If unable to find a student, I will need to edit the videos I have
currently created to place them individually in each module. There are four videos that I will still
need to create from scratch after making the edits on other videos to fit the modules. I will need
to create all forums with questioning at the middle school level. I will also need to create all
Captivate portions of the modules, with the exception of Dressing for Success which only needs
to be modified. I am confident that with the skills I have learned as a MIST student I will be able
to accomplish these tasks to finish my project.
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Resources
As a MIST student, I have already purchased the full version Adobe Captivate 2017. I
will utilize this version of Captivate to create the modules. I also have access to to publishing all
my modules online thanks to the CSUMB ITCDLand hosting. By utilizing this service, I will be
able to easily upload my videos and content to the web for students to use. The district where I
will be testing my project also uses Google for every single student. This will make it easy for
me to create a Google site that all students will be able access and that other teachers can easily
manage. All of these resources are either already paid for or free for me to use and no cost will
be incurred by me.
The modules, including videos, quizzes, etc. will take up a large amount of hard drive
space. I had already anticipated this and purchased a new computer only four months ago to
dedicate to this project. The computer can easily store the entire project on the hard drive so that
I can make all changes and adjustments without having to access other externals or servers. The
computer will also be able to run Captivate and other programs simultaneously without slowing
down or causing malfunctions so that the project will run flawlessly and be able to be created
with ease.
The technical skills needed in order to complete this project I have gained throughout my
time in the MIST program. I have extensive knowledge of the Captivate program as well as how
to use Google sites and other programs that I will be using to create the final product. I am able
to easily tape and edit videos on iMovie. This semester I will be learning how to use
Dreamweaver in order to be able to create my own website to host all the content, for other
schools that might not have Google classroom. The only skill I dont possess myself is being
able to animate and create cartoon videos. I will not be able to learn these skills in the short
amount of time I have left to create this project. I will be asking another fellow CSUMB student
who has these skills and expertise to create the videos for me. If I am unable to get help, then I
will be creating the videos using myself as the actress instead and they will not be animated.

Timeline
Task Name Finish By Date Hours Remaining
Module 1
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Dressing Professionally Video 9/15/2017 2 hrs.

Captivate Practice and Quiz 9/15/2017 2 hrs.
Forum Creation/Google Site 9/30/2017 1 hr.
Module 2
Proper Tone and Posture Video 9/22/2017 2 hrs.
Captivate Practice and Quiz 9/22/2017 6 hrs.
Forum Creation/Google Site 9/30/2017 1 hr.
Module 3
Eye Contact Video 9/27/2017 2 hrs.
Captivate Practice and Quiz 9/27/2017 6 hrs.
Forum Creation/Google Site 9/30/2017 1 hr.
Module 4
Props, Notes, and Other Tools Video 10/6/2017 2 hrs.
Captivate Practice and Quiz 10/6/2017 6 hrs.
Forum Creation/Google Site 11/1/2017 1 hr.
Module 5
Best Practice for Slides Video 10/13/2017 2 hrs.
Captivate Practice and Quiz 10/13/2017 6 hrs.
Module 6
Taking Questions Demonstration Video 10/19/2017 2 hrs.
Forum Creation/Google Site 11/1/2017 1 hr.
Module 7
Closing and Thanking Audience Demo 10/19/2017 2 hrs.
Module 8
How to Ease Your Nerves Video 10/26/2017 2 hrs.
Forum Creation/Google Site 11/1/2017 1 hr.
Module 9
Practicing and Putting Together Video 11/1/2017 2 hrs.
Captivate Quiz 11/1/2017 4 hrs.
Final Rubric Complete
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Evaluation
Formative Review 11/17/2017 2 weeks
Usability Testing/Summative 11/17/2017 2 weeks
Evaluation
Finalize Capstone 12/6/2017
Complete Capstone Report 12/5/2017 6 hrs.
Mail all Final Deliverables to CSUMB 12/8/2017 1 hr.

Evaluation Plan
Formative Evaluation

Formative assessment of the project will be gathered from fellow instructors to help
evaluate the lessons. This data will be gathered by survey and informal and formal debriefings as
appropriate throughout the development process.

The formative evaluation will be done to test the following:

ContentIs the content effective and appropriate content for middle schoolers?
Learning sequenceIs the learning sequence logical, i.e., in the right order?
UsabilityDo buttons and navigations work, etc.?

I will be using teachers in each grade level over the course of two weeks to demo the lesson
and get feedback from them. Students will take the training and then complete a formative
evaluation, with their own instructor rating them. In addition, the instructional designer will
conduct an informal debrief following the evaluation to record comments and discussion. My
formative evaluation will be available online using Google Forms.
I will analyze information gathered by observing beta test, reviewing surveys, and debriefing
participants after the evaluation. Using the available data, I will determine changes that need to
be made to the instruction. After gathering the data, I will implement and make necessary
changes before submitting the final project.

Summative Evaluation
The summative evaluation of the students learning will be given after they have
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watched every video and done a practice presentation with their peers. The students will then
present their final presentation to myself in their regularly scheduled class period. They will be
graded according to the rubric they have been taught in the modules with all of the best
practices of a presentation. While I will not be conducting transfer or payoff evaluations for
these modules, it is possible that can show up weeks or months down the road in different classes
for an entirely different lesson. Some students who struggled through the course might be able to
eventually spend less time doing remedial work and more time focusing on the lesson at hand.
The evaluation given to students after their final presentation will assist them in continuing to
grow as presenters. This summative evaluation will be compared to their initial evaluation rubric
from a presentation they had completed for their teacher before watching the modules.
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References
Gredler, M. E. (2009). Learning and Instruction: Theory into practice (6th Edition).
Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall: New Jersey.
Mancini, S. (2016, March 30). Why Presentation Skills Matter in Today's Economy. Retrieved

November 21, 2016, from

https://www.ethos3.com/2016/03/why-presentation-skills-matter-in-todays-economy/

rd
Piskurich, G. M. (2015). Rapid instructional design: Learning ID fast and right (3 ed.).

Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Schmidt, H. (2015, February 21). Research says poor children can hear 30 million less words
before... Retrieved November 15, 2016, from
http://www.grandforksherald.com/news/education/3684752-research-says-poor
-childrencan-hear-30-million-less-words-kindergarten-those
Torok, G. (n.d.). Why Are Presentation Skills Important? Retrieved December 1, 2016, from
http://www.torok.com/articles/presentation/WhyArePresentationSkillsImportant.html