Designing Presentations

Lesson Overview

This 60-minute lesson introduces Year 8 students to creating simple slide presentations using Microsoft PowerPoint, focusing on a favourite animal as the theme. The lesson is hands-on, with clear modelling, guided activities, and tiered support to cater for students who need extra help or those who can be challenged further. It aligns with the Australian Curriculum (v9) for Technologies, emphasising digital solutions development, managing data, and creating designed solutions.

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Australian Curriculum Alignment

Strand: Digital Technologies Substrand: Creating Digital Solutions Content Descriptions:

• Plan, create, and communicate ideas and information, including collaboratively online, applying agreed ethical and social protocols (ACTDIP034)
• Collect, manage, and analyse coded data and create information and digital solutions for defined needs (ACTDIP030)
• Use appropriate technical terms and information systems to convey solutions effectively to different audiences (ACTDIK025)

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Learning Intention

Students will develop their skills in creating a simple PowerPoint presentation by inserting and formatting text, images, and transitions, and will personalise their slides to communicate information about a favourite animal.

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Success Criteria

• I can create a PowerPoint slide with text about my chosen animal.
• I can insert and resize images related to my animal.
• I can apply a slide transition effect.
• I can use basic formatting tools to personalise my slides.
• I can explain why I chose certain design elements for my presentation.

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Lesson Structure

1. Introduction (10 minutes)

• Hook: Show a completed sample slide presentation about a favourite animal on the projector.
• Discuss: What do students notice? (Text, images, colour, transitions)
• Explain: Today we will learn how to create our own slide presentation using PowerPoint.
• Relate to curriculum: Explain how creating digital solutions helps communicate ideas effectively.

2. Modelling (15 minutes)

• Step-by-step demonstration using a projector/screen share:

1. Open Microsoft PowerPoint and create a new blank presentation.
2. Insert a title slide and type the name of your favourite animal.
3. Insert a new slide (Title and Content layout).
4. Add a brief description of the animal using the text box.
5. Insert an image of the animal from a file or Bing Image Search (set safe search ON).
6. Resize and move the image to fit the slide layout.
7. Apply a simple transition such as "Fade" to the slide.
8. Save the presentation regularly.

• Visual aids: Present screenshots or live screen sharing of each step with numbered arrows and highlight key icons on the toolbar. Use large fonts and clear colours to accommodate all learners.

• Extra support: Use a printed worksheet with the steps and visuals for students needing additional help.

3. Guided Activity (20 minutes)

• Create own presentation: Students create a 3-slide presentation about their favourite animal.

• Slides:

• Slide 1: Title with animal name

• Slide 2: Description text about the animal

• Slide 3: Image and fact about the animal with a transition effect

• Tiered task support:

• Support Level 1: Use provided text and images; focus on inserting and resizing only.

• Support Level 2: Write own short description and choose image from a curated folder.

• Extension: Add an additional slide with more facts and create custom formatting (font colours, backgrounds).

• Teacher role: Circulate to assist, prompt with questions, and check understanding; provide one-on-one or small group scaffolded support where needed.

4. Sharing and Reflection (10 minutes)

• Select 2-3 students to share their presentations with the class.
• Discuss: What did they find easy or challenging? Which design choices did they make and why?
• Summarise key learning points and reinforce success criteria.
• Encourage students to continue exploring PowerPoint for other projects.

5. Wrap Up and Clean Up (5 minutes)

• Save all files to shared drive or USB for teacher review.
• Clean up workstations and close applications.
• Provide any take-home tip sheets or digital resources for further practice.

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Worked Sample Slide Breakdown

Slide	Content	Visual Example (to be displayed on screen/handout)
1	Title slide: "My Favourite Animal - Koala" in large font centred	Bold text with a simple background colour
2	Text slide: "Koalas are marsupials native to Australia. They eat eucalyptus leaves and sleep up to 18 hours a day."	Text aligned left with bullet points and 1-2 short sentences
3	Image slide: Insert a clear photo of a koala, resized to fit nicely and a caption below: "Koalas live in forests along the eastern coast." Apply "Fade" transition	Image on right half, text caption on left half with matching font styles

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Differentiation and Support Notes

• Visual learners: Use diagrammatical steps with screenshots; highlight buttons and menus visually.
• Students requiring support: Provide simplified step checklists, pair students with peers, and allow verbal responses.
• Extension learners: Challenge to embed hyperlinks, add custom animations, or record audio narration.
• Flexible grouping: Mix abilities for peer mentoring.

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Resources Required

• Computers with Microsoft PowerPoint installed
• Projector or interactive whiteboard for demonstration
• Printed step guides and sample slides handout
• Digital folder with animal images for student use
• USB or shared drive access for saving work

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This lesson plan combines a clear structured approach, Australian Curriculum alignment, and scaffolded, engaging activities to develop foundational skills with PowerPoint, tailored for Year 8 learners within a flexible learning environment.