Practising Presentations

Overview

Students practise delivering short informative presentations in small groups about endangered animals from their “Endangered Animals Expedition” reports. They use a simple presentation structure and make improvements based on peer feedback.

Learning intentions

• Students will deliver a short informative presentation to a familiar audience using topic-specific vocabulary.
• Students will sequence their ideas so listeners can follow the report.
• Students will adjust their speaking (volume and pace) to suit a small group audience.
• Students will give and receive respectful peer feedback using agreed sentence starters.

Success criteria

• I can speak in order: introduction, key facts, and one closing statement.
• I can use some topic vocabulary (for example: habitat, threatened, endangered, survive, food).
• I can speak clearly with an appropriate volume and pace for my group.
• I can give one kind, specific feedback point and one suggestion.

Curriculum links

• AC9E2LY07: create, rehearse and deliver short oral and/or multimodal presentations, using text structure, topic vocabulary, and varying tone/volume/pace.
• AC9E2LY02: use interaction skills by listening actively, responding to others, and extending ideas respectfully.
• AC9E2LY05: use comprehension strategies by listening for key information and monitoring understanding during peer responses.
• AC9E2LY01: notice how similar information is presented in different ways (report notes vs spoken presentation).

Lesson structure (30 minutes)

1. 0–3 min · Warm-up: “Ready to Present”. Teacher sets expectations: “We speak clearly, listen carefully, and give kind feedback.” Students do a quick call-and-response: “I can speak louder/clearer.” and practice one slow sentence together.

2. 3–8 min · Model and checklist. Teacher shows a short “example talk” (teacher reads 3 sentences from a sample endangered animal report) and points to the group checklist: Start–Facts–Close. Students repeat the structure using choral practice: “Today I will tell you… My animal lives… Here is one important fact… My message is…”

3. 8–10 min · Rehearse with prompts. Teacher hands out each student’s prompt card (picture + 3 box structure) and quickly reminds them of volume/pace: “Soft voice becomes clear voice; fast becomes slow.” Students rehearse with their prompt card for 1–2 minutes, practising the first sentence and one key fact.

4. 10–23 min · Small-group presentations + peer feedback (3 rounds). Teacher forms groups of 2 (with 7 students, one group of 3 for one round), and explains the feedback rule: “One compliment + one suggestion.” Students present in turn while peers listen for the checklist items and record feedback using sentence starters.

• Round A (about 4–5 min): Student 1 presents; Student 2 (and/or 3) gives feedback.
• Round B (about 4–5 min): Student 2 presents; peers give feedback.
• Round C (about 4–5 min): Student 3 presents where applicable; peers give feedback.

5. 23–27 min · Improve one thing. Teacher provides quick whole-class focus: “Choose one upgrade: louder, slower, or add a closing sentence.” Students make one edit to their speaking plan on the prompt card (circle the improvement).

6. 27–30 min · Exit check: “I practised…” Teacher reads an exit question on the board: “What was your best presentation step today?” Students answer orally or on a half-page slip with a single sentence stem: “I practised speaking ____. I used ____. I will improve by ____.”

Resources

• Student presentation prompt cards (picture + 3 boxes: Start / Facts / Close)
• Teacher “example talk” script (3–5 sentences) for choral practice
• Peer feedback cards with sentence starters:
• “I liked how you…”
• “Next time, you could…”
• “I heard the part about…”
• Clipboards or simple paper for note-taking in listening roles
• Timer (visible) for each presentation round
• Endangered animals report drafts or completed note pages (from earlier lessons)

Assessment

• Formative during group presentations: teacher listens for structure, vocabulary use, and clarity (volume/pace).
• Peer feedback quality check: teacher circulates to ensure feedback is specific and kind.
• Exit slip/sentence: checks whether students can identify a presentation step and one improvement.

Differentiation

• For low reading ability: use picture-supported prompt cards, teacher-provided sentence frames, and allow students to point to pictures while speaking.
• Provide “listen roles” for peers (e.g., one student tracks “Start/Facts/Close” while another tracks “topic word I heard”).
• Offer a supported speaking length option: some students speak 2 sentences; others speak 4–5, both meeting success criteria in a simplified way.
• For students needing extra support with sequencing: limit to “three boxes” only and pre-highlight their key fact sentence on the draft.
• For EAL learners: allow rehearsing with teacher models; feedback starters use simple, consistent language and visuals.
• Extension (for those ready): ask for one “why it matters” sentence at the end (e.g., “We must protect habitats because…”), but only if they can do it without disrupting clarity.