English 1A/Clara McLean/Fall 2008
GROUP RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS
Length: 45 minutes (plan carefully and time yourselves)
Due Dates: M 10/20, M 10/27
Assignment: Working together as a group, research and prepare a 45-minute
group presentation on an issue important in the current elections:
(Health Care, Global Warming, the War in Iraq, Immigration, or the
Banking/Mortgage Crisis)
For the next few weeks, you will be working with your group to come to an indepth understanding of a key issue in the current elections. Your goal is to find out about
the issue itself, as well as to discover a range of political viewpoints on it. The Library
Orientation and the list of admissible sources will point you in the right direction as your
group works together to research the issue, finding 20 high-quality sources which you
will summarize in your group Annotated Bibliography (see handout).
Having pulled together all of this information, your task is to present it to your
classmates in an informative, engaging 45-minute presentation. All members of the
group must participate in the research process and in the presentation itself. Creativity is
encouraged. Please follow these guidelines:
1) By the class period before your presentation, your group will choose 2
excellent sources from your Annotated Bibliography that you will assign the
rest of the class to read in preparation for your presentation.
2) During your presentation, your group should:
a) Present an overview of the issue and what’s at stake, being as objective
as possible
b) Define, and explain thoroughly, at least 4 key concepts that are crucial
to understanding the issue
c) Present a debate showcasing 4 different viewpoints on the issue,
representing different positions on the American political spectrum.
2 of these should be the positions of the major Presidential candidates
(McCain and Obama). The 2 others should be positions from outside
this limited either/or: they could be specific politicians (e.g. Nancy
Pelosi, Michael Huckabee) specific writers (from the articles you have
read) or specific political parties (the Green Party, the Libertarian
Party). Let the class see how these different positions view the issue,
the kinds of solutions they propose, and where they fit on the spectrum.
d) Engage the class so that they are not merely passive spectators
throughout your presentation.
3) By the class day after your presentation, each group member should turn in a
Presentation Self-Assessment in which you honestly evaluate both your and
your groupmates’ individual contributions to the presentation.
McLean/English 1A/Fall 2008
PRESENTATION SELF-ASSESSMENT
Please describe the contributions you individually made to preparing and
carrying out your group presentation. Be specific:
Please describe the contributions your peers made to preparing and carrying
out your group presentation. Be specific:
What do you feel was most effective about your group presentation,
including preparation:
What do you feel was least effective about your group presentation, including
preparation:
Please evaluate your own contribution on a scale of 1-10 (circle one):
1
2
Explain:
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10