Artist Research Presentations

Overview

Today students will choose a music artist, research key facts, and practise presenting their findings to an audience using clear spoken language. This builds their ability to communicate and present ideas, then supports music learning through listening, describing, and connecting an artist to musical style.

Learning intentions

• WALT identify an artist and plan what information to include for a listener.
• WALT research reliable details about the artist’s background and music.
• WALT present findings using an organised structure and audience-aware speaking.
• WALT reflect on what worked and what to improve in our presentations.

Success criteria

• I can choose an artist and state why they are interesting.
• I can find 3–5 key facts and explain how each connects to the artist’s music.
• I can use a clear structure (intro, key points, conclusion) when presenting.
• I can adjust my speaking (volume, pace, and language) to suit my audience.

Curriculum links

• Te Mātaiaho English — Oral Language: Communicating and Presenting: Presenting to others (identifying and planning for an audience’s age, interests, and prior knowledge).
• Te Mātaiaho Music — Creating and presenting: using talk and performance skills to communicate ideas about music.
• NZ Cross-curricular English priorities: planning for audience, using organisation in oral communication, and participating in respectful group sharing.

Lesson structure (40 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook (Waiata connection). Teacher plays a short instrumental or records a brief snippet of the song E te tau, e te tau, tahuri mai, tahuri mai, then asks: “Who is the audience for a music artist’s message—children, teens, or everyone? Why?” Students turn-and-talk and share one idea.

2. 5–12 min · Direct teaching (teacher example). Teacher shares a simple model using a made-up “mini presentation” about a chosen artist (or a well-known local artist), showing:

• an audience-aware title (“For Year 7s, here’s why…”)
• 3–4 key facts (where/when, what they are known for, a musical style feature)
• a short explanation for each fact (“This matters because…”) Students observe a teacher checklist and highlight the parts that match: intro → key points → ending.

3. 12–20 min · Choose and research (guided planning). Students choose an artist from teacher-provided options or their own approved choice. They complete a planning box:

• Artist name and one-sentence “why this artist”
• Audience: “My listeners know… / may not know…”
• Key facts (3–5) with sources noted (book/worksheet/teacher handout) Teacher circulates, checks fact accuracy, and prompts students to link facts to musical style (e.g., genre, instruments, rhythm, vocals).

4. 20–28 min · Speaking rehearsal (small groups). Students rehearse in groups of 4–5 using “Present-Pause-Polish”:

• Present for 30–45 seconds
• Pause: group gives one “glow” and one “grow”
• Polish: student revises one detail (clarity, order, or explanation) Teacher reminds them to keep sentences short and use signposting (“First… Next… Finally…”).

5. 28–36 min · Performance (rapid sharing). Volunteer pairs or small groups present for 1 minute each to the class. Audience members use a quick grid:

• Did they follow intro → key points → ending?
• Were explanations clear?
• Did they match language to an audience? Teacher gives supportive feedback linked to the success criteria.

6. 36–40 min · Reflection exit ticket. Students write two sentences:

• “One thing I did well when presenting was…”
• “One improvement I will make next time is…” Teacher collects and sorts responses by need (structure, clarity, audience language).

Resources

• Teacher-prepared example script and planning checklist (intro/key points/ending)
• Artist fact cards or a short set of credible resources (printed or teacher-provided notes)
• Student research planning sheet (audience box, key facts box, links/explanations box)
• “Glow and grow” group feedback slips
• Exit ticket slips
• Audio player for a short waiata snippet (including E te tau, e te tau, tahuri mai, tahuri mai)

Assessment

• Formative during research: teacher checks that students have 3–5 facts and can explain how each links to the artist’s music.
• Formative during rehearsal: group feedback indicates whether structure and audience language are clear.
• Summative-in-mini-form: exit ticket shows reflection on success criteria for presenting.

Differentiation

• Support:
• Provide sentence starters: “My audience may not know…”, “One important fact is…”, “This shows… because…”
• Offer a partially filled planning sheet with prompts for the weakest students.
• Allow students to use cue cards with only key words (not full paragraphs).
• Targeted support for EAL / newcomers:
• Pre-teach 6–8 essential presentation words (artist, genre, instrument, known for, audience, explain, because, conclusion) using examples.
• Let students rehearse with a partner first who speaks more confidently.
• Dyslexia-friendly options:
• Provide research content in short chunks with clear headings.
• Offer audio read-aloud of the provided facts (teacher reads or recorded audio if available).
• Allow typing or using colour-coded cue cards (one colour per section).
• Extension (advanced learners):
• Add a “musical connection” line: identify one musical feature (beat/rhythm/vocal style/instruments) and explain how it reflects the artist’s message or culture.
• Include a brief comparison: “This artist is similar/different to…” and justify it with one fact.