Yamasaki High School DAY BY DAY

The students of the second grade have been working on an English presentation about foreign countries. At first the students made groups and chose which countries they would like to research. They then did extensive research into the many facets of life in the countries they had chosen. These included such topics as history, famous places, culture, music, food, art, sport, education, plants, and animals etc.

Having done thorough research, the students then developed wonderfully illustrated and detailed PowerPoint presentations expounding upon the many highlights of their chosen countries. Further to this, all the presentations were required to be written and presented in English.

In order to present professionally, the students were individually instructed on correct pronunciation, intonation, and advised on elements of non-verbal communication such as gestures, and eye contact.

All the students had assessment sheets and scored each other’s presentations, using an assessment matrix.

The goal of doing presentations for the students were fourfold.

The first goal was for the students to learn more about foreign cultures.

Secondly we wanted the students to improve their communication skills.

Thirdly we wanted the students to gain some experience in public speaking so that fourthly, it would encourage them to use English more confidently in the future.

Despite the challenge of presenting in English in front of their classmates, all of the students did exceptionally well, and they can be proud of their hard work.