Year 12

Deliver an Oral Presentation

Student Instructions Sheet

This activity requires you to prepare and deliver a presentation of at least four minutes to
your class and teacher.
Your presentation will be about an important aspect of your history such as
a place,
your culture,
traditions, beliefs,
ancestors, family.
You will need to prepare and deliver your presentation so that it:
gives the audience important information about this aspect of your history
shows the effect it has had on your life.
You will be assessed on how well you:
develop and organise ideas about your topic
integrate delivery techniques and
verbal delivery techniques to communicate your ideas to your audience.
Introduction
Our lives are shaped by many different things: our culture, beliefs, ancestors, family, the
people we come to know, places and events, have all helped make us who are we today.
Task 1: Getting Started
a Brainstorm some oral history topics - about particular people, places, and events - from
your history that have helped make you into the person you are today. One of these
topics could form the basis for the oral history you will present to the class.
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b Choose one topic from your brainstorm that you wish to focus on and could talk about. It
should be a topic that you are interested in, that your classmates would find interesting
and informative, and one which you would feel comfortable sharing with your class.
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c You should try to incorporate anecdotes (interesting stories) linked to your topic. Some
television documentaries focus on people and their stories to bring a subject to life e.g.
Coasters. You should try the same approach to interest your audience. The oral history
you present will be more than a list of facts. Think about the stories you could focus on.
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d Get into pairs. Talk to your partner for one minute. Tell a story or anecdote linked to your
oral history topic
e Write on your topic for about 30 minutes. Try to get your ideas down on paper as fast
as you can. This is just a first draft so dont worry too much about the organisation, or
correctness of your writing.
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f

Structuring your info: Try to organise your info into at least three basic groups /
paragraphs
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g Make a final decision on your topic. Be sure that your oral history topic is broad enough
to allow you to speak for at least four minutes, that it will be informative and interesting
to your class, and that you feel comfortable about sharing it with your class. Briefly
discuss your topic with your teacher before developing it any further.
Task 2: Research your topic

a Read the table below that shows the key questions and possible sources of
information.
One student used to help her research her oral history about her great grandfather who
came to New Zealand from Wales in the 1870s:
Key Questions
Why did Charles want to
leave Wales and come to
New Zealand?
What would the voyage to NZ
have been like?
What would settler life have
been like for Elizabeth
Davies, his wife?

What were Charles main

achievements and how did he
achieve them?

Possible Sources
My grandfather knows stories that his
grandfather Charles used to tell him
about his childhood in Wales.
Ill find a book in the library about 19th
Century sea voyages to NZ
Ill ask my aunt and grandfather but if
they cant tell me much I could find
out what it was probably by reading a
book about settlers. I could ask my
history teacher Mr Ulu.
My aunt has done lots of research
into our family tree and she has got
lots of information about Charles.

b Make up a table with a set of key questions and possible sources of information for your
own topic.
Key Questions

Possible Sources

Task 3: Choosing a presentation style

a Choose a creative, interesting and appropriate way to present your material. Some
possibilities are:

presenting a teaching seminar incorporating audio-visual materials such as music,

OHPs, photographs, or posters.

including an object (like an item of clothing, a photo, a letter) as part of your

presentation. If you plan to bring a valuable item to school you should talk about this
first with your family and your teacher.

b The style of your presentation must make your material clear to the audience.
Task 4: Organising your ideas and writing

Delivery
Techniques

Speech Content

Verbal
Techniques

Introduction
Where would we be without our ancestors? Who would we
be without our great-great-great grandparents? The obvious
fact is that we wouldnt be anyone, we just wouldnt be at
all. But the other fact thats really important though, is that
we wouldnt be here. None of us. None of us would be here
now, in this country if our ancestors, or even our parents,
hadnt brought us here. We are all from somewhere else.
From Hawaikii, Britain, Samoa, Tonga, the Cook Islands,
Vietnam, or just about anywhere. And thats why Im here
today. To tell you about how the Davies family got here. The
Childhood in Wales
Charles was born in Bretton, Wales in 1842. His parents
were both farmers but they didnt own their own farm. It was
difficult to find out much of what his childhood was like
because it was so long ago. I did find out that he and his
younger brother John were schooled at home by their
mother, who would have been my great-great-great-greatLeaving Wales
In 1874 they decided to leave Wales and immigrate to New
Zealand. One of the main reasons they made this decision
was that Charles had always dreamed of owning his own
land but that was almost impossible in Wales. They had
heard that
The Voyage
The family left Wales on board the Frederick Douglas on
June 30, 1874. The captain of the ship was Captain Wilson,
and it was the last voyage of his career. The voyage was a
very tough one. The conditions on board were very
unpleasant. Twelve people died on the voyage. Charles and
A Woman Settlers Story
For the first two years the family lived in a little shack in
Okarito, about a mile from where Charles was to later build
the family home. Everyday hed go out and cut the bush
and clear away the forest so he could build their house. Life
must have been hard for Charles in those days because he
had to work hard all day clearing bush to make a farm, and
sufficient.

Charles Accomplishments
Charles was a jack-of-all-trades. He was a farmer, a
carpenter, a wheel-wright and one of the first cheese
makers in the district. He achieved his dream of owning his
Conclusion
Now, 126 years after he decided to take his family and
leave Wales, here I am, Louise Davies, the great-greatgreat-granddaughter of Charles Davies. There are so many
than experience and determination. As a settler he

a Organise all the details you have chosen to include in your presentation under three or
four subheadings.
b Refer back for possible subheadings and questions.

c Write an introduction for your presentation. This should grab the attention of your
audience and give them an overview of your topic.
d Now write the body of your presentation by developing the ideas you listed under the
subheadings in above. Expand your ideas with anecdotes, facts, dates, quotations,
names of people and places. Clearly separate each section with a topic sentence or topic
question at the beginning.
e Write a conclusion. This should briefly sum up your main ideas, and explain how these
factors have influenced you, how you feel about them, and how you think they will
affect you in the future.
Task 5: Planning your delivery
a

Choose some audio/visual aids to enhance your presentation.

For a seminar presentation these could include: photographs, illustrations, maps,
diagrams, family trees, music, video, and PowerPoint. A monologue presentation could
use costume, props, make up, and music.
Consider how you will present these materials, taking into account factors such as the
size of your audience, the venue for your presentation, and what resources are available
to you.

Be prepared.
Check with your teacher before your presentation so that she/he can book TVs, OHPs,
or Data Shows. Check that all equipment is working, and cue up any audio or video
tapes before you begin your delivery.

Make sure everyone in your audience can see the materials you bring. In some
instances it may be appropriate to pass a photograph or object around the class but it
will usually be better to enlarge it somehow. You can make slides by photocopying
photographs onto overhead transparencies. If you bring a small object to discuss you
could photograph it and copy onto an OHT so that it can be clearly seen.

Use audio/visual aids selectively. Sometimes using too many aids, or using them
inappropriately, can distract your audience so be careful that they really will help make
your presentation clearer.

Annotate a copy of your speech to show exactly when you will use each of your delivery
techniques such as pause, change in pace, pitch or volume, gesture, facial expression
and movement and which language features you will use.

Delivery
Techniques

Speech Content

Verbal
Techniques

Task 6: Rehearsal and presentation

a Rehearse your presentation. Make sure that
your voice is loud and clear
you use eye contact
you are not too reliant on your notes.
b To help prepare for your delivery to the class, you could video yourself delivering your
presentation to a small group. Each person in your group will complete the peer and self
review template and give back to you. Watch the video and complete the peer and self
review template yourself. Use the suggestions on the templates to help you improve your
presentation.
Peer and Self Review Template
Delivery
Technique

Standard

Suggestions for improvement:

E=effective
S=satisfactory
I= improvement
required

Eye contact
Use of cue
cards
Body
language
Gesture
Voice
Use of
resources

Sample Speech Outline

The sample speech outline below will help clarify what you want to say as well as help
organise your material.

The process is broken down into 4 steps:

Preparation:- deciding on your topic, considering the audience, refining your topic to
suit them, deciding on the purpose of the speech and the organisational method you
will use

Introduction:- opening greeting and attention getter, defining your thesis statement (a
summary of what your speech is about) establishing your credibility, an overview and
the benefit to the audience

Body:- transition or link between introduction and body, main ideas with supporting
ideas, examples and details

Conclusion:- summary of main points and closer or call to action

Sample Speech Outline

Step One - Preparation
Topic: __________________________________________
(decide what you are going to talk about)
Audience: ________________________________________
(consider who will be listening to you and what aspects of your topic is best suited to meet
their needs)
Title of Speech: ____________________________________________________
(Alcohol abuse by New Zealand teenagers)
Purpose of Speech:
__________________________________________________________________
(Is it, for example, to persuade, inform, demonstrate, persuade or warn) Is it a combination of
these?

Sample Speech Outline

Step Two - Introduction

Greeting:
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(How are you going to greet your audience)

Attention Getter:
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(grab their attention and force them to listen could be a quote, anecdote...)

Thesis Statement:
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(A one sentence summary of your speech topic and your point of view)
Example: New Zealand teenagers between 15 and 18 consume the largest quantities of
alcohol in western world.)

Summative overview:
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(Brief outline of the main points to be covered)

Benefit:
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What's in your speech for your audience? Why will they want to hear what you've got to
tell them?

Sample Speech Outline

Step Three - Body

Main Idea 1:
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Explanation:
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Examples:
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Visuals or props:
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Transition to:
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Main Idea 2:

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Explanation:
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Examples:
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Visuals or props:
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Transition to:
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Main Idea 3
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Explanation:
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Examples:
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Visuals or props:
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Transition to:
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Step Four Conclusion

Summary of main ideas:

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- from body of speech

Re-statement of thesis statement:

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- from introduction

Re-statement of benefit to audience:

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- from introduction

Closer, Clincher or Call to Action:

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- final sentence

Thats it! Very short, sweet and simple. Theres nothing magical about planning your speech
just methodical one-step-after-another.

Cue Cards: - How to make and use them effectively

Making cue cards from standard office supply index cards is relatively simple. Using them well will lift
the quality of your presentation immeasurably.
Why?
The answer is simple.
Because you not relying on a word-for-word text you are free to interact with your audience.
You are able to look around, to respond, gesture and move freely. You will sound, look and feel more
present: 'in the moment'.

For those of you who are nervous about making the transition from a full script to cards, don't be. Take
it slowly. Give yourself time to thoroughly rehearse. You'll be delighted with the result.

How to make Cue Cards

You need a packet of standard index cards, a selection of highlighters, (for example, yellow, pink, blue
and green),and an easily-read pen. I suggest either blue or black ink.
The best cue cards:

have ONE main heading or idea per card

are written clearly using larger than usual font (so you can read them easily)

use bullet points or numbers to itemise the supporting ideas under the main heading

are written on ONE side of the card only

are clearly numbered so that you know the order they come in

How to Rehearse Tips

Aim to have at least three rehearsals before delivering your speech in front of an audience.
The first two rehearsals are to iron out any glitches in either your text or delivery and to
integrate any resource material you may be using. These could be photographs, a power
point presentation etc.
The third is a dress rehearsal for the real thing.

How to Rehearse: What to Watch for

Habitual unconscious gestures like fiddling with your hair, pulling faces when you can't
remember what is next, standing awkwardly, pulling at your clothes...

Irregular breathing running you out of breath over long sentences or holding your
breath which weakens your voice making it sound strained.

Racing your speech through

Pauses or breaks in the wrong places

Specific words or phrases that trip you up

Holding your notes in a way that masks your face

Rattling or fiddling with your notes if you are reading from them

Mumbling

Repeated phrases e.g. 'and then I...','and then I...', 'and then I...'

Repeated fillers e.g. 'um', 'err'...

Lack of eye contact or smiling

Assessment schedule: English 91102

Evidence/Judgements for
Achievement

Evidence/Judgements for Achievement

with Merit

Evidence/Judgements for Achievement with

Excellence

The student constructs and delivers a

crafted and controlled oral presentation.
The presentation demonstrates that the
student can develop, sustain, and structure
ideas and use appropriate oral language
features in a crafted and controlled oral text.
This means that the student:
builds on ideas by adding comments,
explanations, details, or examples
crafts the presentation so that there is a
clear sense of organisation
deliberately uses oral language features
appropriate to the selected audience and
purpose.
These features could include:
oral language (e.g. rhetorical questions,
alliteration)
body language (e.g. eye contact, stance,
gesture, facial expression)
voice (e.g. tone, volume, pace, stress).
The student deliberately uses these oral
language features to create meaning and
effect.

The student constructs and delivers a crafted and

controlled oral presentation.
The presentation demonstrates that the student
can develop, sustain, and structure ideas
convincingly and use appropriate oral language
features in a crafted and controlled oral text to
create effects.
This means that the student:
combines ideas and structure in a way that is
reasoned clear and relevant
builds on ideas by adding comments,
explanations, details, or examples
crafts the presentation so that there is a clear
sense of organisation
deliberately uses oral language features
appropriate to the selected audience and
purpose.
These features could include:
oral language (e.g. rhetorical questions,
alliteration)
body language (e.g. eye contact, stance,
gesture, facial expression)
voice (e.g. tone, volume, pace, stress).
The student deliberately selects and uses these
oral language features to create meaning, effect,
and audience interest.

The student constructs and delivers a crafted and

controlled oral presentation.
The presentation demonstrates that the student can
develop, sustain, integrate, and structure ideas
effectively and use appropriate oral language features
in a crafted and controlled oral text to command
attention.
This means that the student:
makes connections between ideas throughout an
oral text
builds on ideas by adding comments, explanations,
details, or examples
develops and sustains ideas in a structure so that the
effect is insightful and/or original
builds on ideas by adding comments, explanations,
details, or examples
crafts the presentation so that there is a clear sense
of organisation
deliberately uses oral language features appropriate
to the selected audience and purpose.
These features could include:
oral language (e.g. rhetorical questions, alliteration)
body language (e.g. eye contact, stance, gesture,
facial expression)
voice (e.g. tone, volume, pace, stress).
The student sustains the confident and articulate use of
oral language features to create meaning, effect, and
audience engagement.

Final grades will be decided using professional judgement based on a holistic examination of the evidence provided against the criteria in the
Achievement Standard