The purpose of the presentations is to encourage dialogue regarding particular texts and their contexts and to display student research and interpretations as an integral aspect of our course. The different tasks included in the presentations demonstrate the wide variety of valuable literary responses.

You will be divided into groups of 4 or 5 and asked to select a particular text on which to make a presentation. The presentation itself should last about half an hour and include the following three components:
 

Creative	Analytical	Research
Develop a creative response to your selected text that can be presented to the class.	Present an analysis of the significance of all or part of your text.	Present contextual information located through research.
Ideas: Song, story, poem, play or acted scene, dance, essay, drawing, painting, collage, sculpture, photograph(s), model (of a scene or building), costume design, food, etc.	Ideas: Explain the significance of one theme, character, setting, image, poetic technique, etc. What does it mean to the rest of the text? What does it mean to you personally? What effect does it have on the reader?	Include a few significant aspects of the following: Biography National culture Historical moment Literary analysis
Explain the relation between this response and the text OR lead the class in discussing the potential connections.  Consider getting the class involved in any performance (e.g. can we sing the chorus?)	This should be a close reading. Have us reread all or part of the text and look closely at the wording.  Consider asking the class to discuss the aspect of the text that interests you. See if they come to your conclusions.	Summarize your research. Connect your research to interpretation.

Requirements:

• Include all three components described above (they can be combined).
• Fill half an hour (longer is OK).
• Involve the class in discussion or group activities.
• Submit one copy of final works cited page to me.
• All group members must contribute equally in creating and presenting the work. Folks who are comfortable speaking in front of others should help group members who are not by making sure that they have scripts or notecards to look at and that they are included in the discussion during the presentation (invite their opinions).
• Meet with me as a group at least a week in advance of the presentation. At this time or earlier, inform me about A/V needs.
• PRESENTATION DEADLINE: The presentation MUST be delivered on the date assigned.

• Determine responsibilities early: Will you split up to address the three components, or will you all work on all of them? Break down larger tasks into smaller steps that individuals can do at home.
• Recognize the tendency to dominate or fade away in yourself and other group members. Consider assigning group management roles like leader (makes decisions group cannot agree upon, delegates tasks), mediator (makes sure everyone's needs are met, acts as contact person for problems), time-keeper (keeps meetings short and productive, reminds group members of deadlines), doer (does footwork, makes phone calls, gets little details done), or inventor (brainstorms new ideas, class activities, creative approaches).
• Be sure to invite response from all group members before making decisions. Allow time during meetings to think and to discuss options. Make sure everyone has equal tasks to perform before the next meeting.
• Share contact information and respond quickly to group members' questions or concerns.
• Attend all scheduled meetings with work completed. This way, your group members will respect you.
• Practice the presentation in advance.
• Adult learners like to know where they're going during a presentation. Consider summarizing briefly what the presentation will consist of before beginning (here is a good job for shy people).
• CONTACT ME with any problems or questions!

The presentation is worth 30% of your course grade. Grades will not be calculated until electronic self-evaluations from all group members are received. Presentation evaluations will focus on the depth and usefulness of information and analysis, the effort put into the creative aspect, the organization and clarity of the presentation, the ability to guide activities and field questions, and the equal distribution of responsibility during the presentation. All group members will receive the same grade unless circumstances warrant otherwise. If possible, such divergences will be discussed with group members before the grades are assigned.

Rubric:
 
 

	30	25.5	22.5	19.5	16.5
Usefulness of research information	Very useful, connected to analysis	Useful, somewhat connected to analysis	Adequate research presented but may not be connected to analysis	Little research presented	No research presented
Depth of text analysis	Analysis of text by group and/or class dealt connected the wording to an interpretation in interesting ways	Analysis of text by group and/or class connected the wording to an interpretation	Some analysis of text	Little analysis of text	No analysis of text
Effort/approrpriateness of creative aspect	Creative aspect seemed to take some effort and was interesting and relevant to the discussion	Creative aspect seemed to take some effort	Creative aspect was part of presentation	Little creative aspect or point unclear	No creative aspect
Organization of material	Sections of the presentation were presented in a logical order (e.g. background information prior to analysis) with effective connections among them	Connections were made among aspects of the presentation	Presentation of information occurred in unconnected chunks	Some disorganization	Presentation was confusing
Ability to field questions	Most group members seemed capable and willing to answer questions	Some group members answered questions, and most answers seemed thoughtful	Group members attempted to answer questions or one group member answered	The group seemed to have some difficulty answering questions	No questions answered
Equal distribution of responsibility	In the presentation and preparation, all group members took equal responsibility	In the presentation and preparation, everyone did something, but some took more responsibility than others	Some group members didn't participate in preparation or presentation	The group allowed one person to do everything	Few group members made an effort