Microsoft PowerPoint: Narrated Slideshow for Verb Tenses

Details

Activity Description

Students create a narrated PowerPoint with images (clip art) and sentences they have written about their goals and dreams for the future, using future verb tenses.

Preparation

1. Download and print the Verb Tenses handout so students can prewrite before going to the computers to prepare their PowerPoints.
2. Find out which version of PowerPoint is installed on the computers students will use for the project.
3. Print and photocopy the Narrate PowerPoint directions for the version (2007 or 2010) and distribute to students.
4. Demonstrate how to follow the steps and how to undo [Ctrl] + [Z] - hold the control key and press the Z key on the keyboard at the same time — if they decide to re-do their recordings after listening to them.

How-To

1. Teach future verb tenses (will, be going to, and future progressive) with plenty of writing and speaking practice activities.
2. Discuss goals and goal setting in class.
3. When teaching about goals using future and future progressive verb tenses, assign students a project using the prompt in the Verb Tense handout above.
4. Explain the assignment to students with the prompt/questions. Help students brainstorm possible goals within each of the categories.
5. Have students write 4 - 8 sentences using future tense verbs about their lives in the future.
6. Provide feedback on the sentences for revision/editing.
7. In a computer lab, pre-teach and model for students how to open PowerPoint, choose a design, add new slides, type sentences, and insert clip art. Then have students record themselves reading the sentences. (See the "Narrate PowerPoint" PDF file for directions for both the 2007 and 2010 versions of the software.)
8. Have students save their files and e-mail to you as attachments or copy onto USB drive.
9. Open the files in your classroom computer as students "present" their goals presentations.

Teacher Tips

• Be familiar with PowerPoint yourself before having students use it.
• Model each step of creating a PowerPoint presentation in a lab setting.
• To narrate (add voice recordings) slides, a built-in microphone or USB microphone is needed by each student.
• Students should have some familiarity with PowerPoint, including how to open the program and insert and resize clip art.
• Students can view their slides by pressing the F5 key on the keyboard (located above the number keys).
• They should be advised to re-save often. The resulting file is a PowerPoint slideshow that runs independently, transitioning through the slides with timed settings.

More Ways

This project can be replicated when teaching any verb tense, vocabulary, or thematic unit, for example:

• Simple present — My Daily Routine
• Simple past — My Autobiography or a Biography of a Famous Person or Historical Figure
• Present Perfect — My Life Experiences or My Life Since I Came to the United States
• Present and Future Conditional — If I Could Have Any Wish Come True
• My Favorite Foods
• My Family
• How to... (explaining a process)
• About My Job
• About Me
• My Country
• A Place I Would Like to Visit

Program Areas

• ESL: English as a Second Language

Levels

• Beginning High
• Intermediate Low
• Intermediate High
• Advanced

Documents

• Verb_Tense_Writing_Activity.doc - Verb Tense Writing Activity
• narratepowerpoint FINAL.pdf - How to narrate a PowerPoint presentation

Tags