PowerPoint: Classroom Uses
Recycled Presentations
The greatest advantage of using PowerPoint for classroom lessons is that you can modify them
and use them over and over again, each time you teach those lessons.
Presentations for Parents
PowerPoint presentations are excellent tools for use for parent events. For open house or parent
night events, develop presentations with automatically timed slide shows. Have these
presentations running in the background.
Some ideas for parent presentations:
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Create a PowerPoint presentation to inform parents and remind students of
classroom expectations, policies, and other important information.
Develop a student slide show that includes digital pictures of each student with
notes to their parents.
Design slideshows to exhibit student work.
Presentations for Instruction
Use PowerPoint presentations to enhance the effectiveness of classroom instruction in many
ways in every subject area.
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Main points can be emphasized and the presentation itself can be enhanced by
using graphics, animation, or sound.
Add flair to presentations with slide and bullet transitions and animated effects.
Presentations can be used to make lessons more organized and flexible.
Text on a PowerPoint presentation is much easier for students to read than trying
to read notes that are written on an overhead projector or chalkboard.
Student interest can be stimulated through the use of graphics and cartoons.
Variety is the key to keeping the attention of students.
Many tools are available for use with PowerPoint, so experiment to see what
works best for you and your students.
Presentations by Students
Give students the opportunity to show you what they know by using PowerPoint.
Math
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After completing a unit on geometry, have students create a slide show to inform
others of geometric figures and their properties. Students could simply name the
figure and give information about it or use pictures to demonstrate the geometric
figure. This concept could be applied to any topic.
Have students create a slide presentation to demonstrate the steps in completing
certain types of mathematical problems.
Great for vocabulary of any kind. Use one word per slide. Students can illustrate
or include graphics and text.
Literacy
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Have students create interactive book talks, author studies, etc.
Students can create slides exhibiting their personal poetry. Add graphics or their
own narration to the slide as well.
After studying various styles of writing, informative, persuasive, descriptive,
etc…. have students create a slide show to present information on each type as
a final project.
For younger students, create an electronic ABC book with one slide for each
letter. As a group discuss what each slide should include and allow students to
record narration or add sounds to enhance their presentation. You could do this
with numbers as well. Older students could employ the same idea creating
shows with the ABC theme. They may, for example, create a show called the
ABC’s of middle school. Allow them to come up with one idea for each slide
related to the theme but beginning with the assigned letter.
Create a slide show to inform a group about the parts of speech. Create a slide
for each part of speech and have students create text to give examples. Graphics
could enhance this presentation a great deal. Narration could also provide “real
language examples”
Create a slide show to illustrate idioms. Have students create one slide per
idiom. Use the idiom as the title and have students illustrate the silly meaning of
the idiom by using a drawing program.
Create an electronic cookbook. Have each student create a slide with a recipe.
(Remember to include specific directions).
Science
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When studying the elements, have students create a slide for each element. Put
each slide together with an introduction and closing slide to create a slide show
on the elements. This works for other topics (planets, classification of animals,
systems, etc.)
Have students create a presentation outlining the steps to complete a specific
experiment. Don’t forget graphics and sounds can be included to add to their
creativity.
Help your students with their science fair projects. Allow them to create a
presentation on the scientific method. They can integrate their own project
information into the slides. When the presentation is complete they can even
print out their slides to use on their presentation board at the science fair
Celebrate Earth Day by creating a slide show that presents information about
how to take care of the environment. Don’t forget that your presentation can be
shared with other classes or even posted on your school web site.
Show the life cycle of a plant in a slide show. Remember that you can use
student drawings or clip art to illustrate these slides.
Have each student design a slide on an animal or plant you are studying. Create
your own zoo or nature trail electronically.
Create a presentation to inform others of the various types of weather.
Create a slide show to honor inventors that have made significant contributions
to science. Include an illustration of their invention, a picture of the inventor if
possible and a short biographical sketch of the inventor or how the invention has
made life easier.
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Social Studies
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When studying states, regions, or countries, let students randomly draw a state,
region, or country and develop a presentation. Require them to include specific
information for each slide as you begin projects such as this. Begin with an
outline or sketch of their slide on paper and then progress to the electronic slide.
Use Power Point to create a presentation on map skills. Use one vocabulary
word per slide and allow students to illustrate the word and add text.
How does a bill become a law? Use Power Point to show the life cycle of a bill.
Give examples of bills that are in action as laws now as well.
Use the Bill Of Rights to create an electronic presentation that will illustrate each
amendment.
Make an electronic timeline. This idea can be used for a number of concepts. A
great way to bring students up to present day history is to limit the number of
slides and have them choose the most significant events to illustrate and write
about on each slide.
Create a slide show on the Presidents of the United States. Include biographical
information and accomplishments while in office.
While studying a particular region of the United States or other country, create a
slide show to present the most interesting tourist attractions in the area.
Celebrate the accomplishments of African Americans in the month of February.
Have each student choose one person to create a biographical slide on.
In March honor the famous women that have made great contributions to history
in a slide show.
During the holidays create a slide show to inform others of how other cultures
celebrate.
Other
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What a great way to introduce your new class at open house! Have each student
create a slide about himself/herself. Have them include their favorite things,
information about their family and one goal for the school year. Remember you
are limited to a small amount of information with a large class and only one slide
per student.
In the media center create presentations informing other students of how to use
the checkout system, finding a book, the Dewey Decimal system or other
resources.
In the music classroom you may choose to create a slide show recognizing
various composers and their music. A clip of music could be played along with
each slide. You may also want to allow students to identify musical instruments
as well. You could start with just the sound then move to the musical family and
give other hints until the instrument is identified.
Art students could give tribute to the great artists with a slide show including
biographical information.
Allow your physical education students to create slide presentations on great
athletes of our time. Have students choose an athlete, include biographical
information, include Internet links to information about his/her sport and a
statement telling why the athlete was chosen.
Great for second language teachers. Create a dictionary presentation. Have
students illustrate both the English word and the Spanish, French word etc…on
the same slide. A great learning tool.
Create a presentation titled “How To _____” This blank could be filled in with
anything you desire. Students in upper grades could create this for younger
students
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Creative Presentation Ideas
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Flash Cards - Create Flashcard presentations for individual and group
reinforcement. You can create a template and choose whether you or your
students will insert the words or phrases. Topics may include: reinforcing math
concepts; practicing parts of speech; practicing spelling; reinforcing story
problems; and reinforcing numbers, letters, or colors.
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Field Trip Slide Shows - Develop field trip slide shows to review and apply
knowledge learned on a field trip. Students can work together to make a slide
show that presents what they saw, as well as what they learned.
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Autobiographical Stories - Students can create short autobiographical stories
about themselves. Scanned photos can be inserted for interest. Once the slides
are complete, you can put them together in a presentation to show an audience,
such as an open house or parent night.
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Music Class Recitals - For music teachers, PowerPoint is a useful tool for
creating slide shows of student recitals. During a recital, take pictures of the
students while they are performing and record a small portion of their music. On
slides, include both each student's picture and music.
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Group Slide Shows - Give your students a topic (such as zoo animals) and tell
them to choose parts of the topic to focus on (such as specific zoo animals).
Have students research their assigned portions of the topic and develop slides to
serve as a part of a group presentation about the topic.
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Student Portfolios - PowerPoint can be used to create portfolios of student
work.
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Class Yearbook-Type Presentations - Collect photos; information about special
events; examples of class and student projects, etc. throughout the year and
create a year-in-review presentation.
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Review Games – Use PowerPoint templates to create classroom review games
like Jeopardy, Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Are You Smarter than a 5 th Grader,
etc.
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