My Personal Seal: PowerPoint Project

More Ways

Computers, Internet access (optional), projector, Microsoft PowerPoint, word processing software

Activity Description

Students learn about national seals and then use PowerPoint to design a personal seal with images or symbols that represent who they are, write a paragraph explaining the features of their seals, and make an oral presentation.

Preparation

Download the Example Document (above) titled Samples of National Seals. It is a PowerPoint file.
Delete slides, as desired, and add slides with national seals of your students’ native countries. Resave the file.
Be prepared to explain the meaning behind either the California state seal or the the Great Seal of the United States (also known as the coat of arms).
Make sure that Microsoft PowerPoint is installed on the computers students will use to create their seals.
Practice making your own personal seal on PowerPoint, following the directions provided on the Example Document (above) titled Personal Seal Project Prompt.
Write a paragraph about your seal to use as a model for students (or use the one provided).

How-To

Open the Samples of National Seals PowerPoint (Example Document, above) and project it.
Ask students if they can name any of the images on the state seal, the United States seal, or the national seals of their native countries.
Run the PowerPoint slideshow (select Slideshow – From Beginning).
Explain what the images on the California and United States seals represent (see the notes area under the PowerPoint slides for information from Wikipedia).
Ask students if they can name the country of the seal that is displayed. For students from that country, ask them if they can explain what any of the colors or images on the seal represent.
Tell students that they are going to create a personal seal with two to four things to symbolize themselves. The symbols can be animals, nature scenes, places, or objects. Use the Personal Seal Project Prompt document (above) for a sample personal seal or show and explain your sample personal seal.
Have students choose and draw or write on a paper, words or sketches of two to four things that symbolize them. Provide feedback and ask questions to help students be ready to explain why they chose what they did.
Next, demonstrate in a computer lab using Microsoft PowerPoint how to design the seal. See the Personal Seal Project Prompt file for instructions.
Print (preferably in color) students’ seals when they are complete.
Guide students to write a paragraph about their seals, explaining each image or item and how it relates to the student as a person. See the Personal Seal Project Prompt file for a sample paragraph and outline. Optionally have students type the paragraphs. Provide feedback for revision of the paragraphs, first on content and second on mechanics (grammar, spelling, punctuation, formatting, etc.). Have students revise and print their paragraphs.
Last, have students make brief oral presentations about their seals, using the seals as visual aides, either printed out or projected from a computer, and based on the paragraphs they wrote.

Teacher Tips

To find national seals/coats of arms to add to the introductory PowerPoint slideshow, see Wikipedia's Gallery of Coats of Arms .

More Ways

Students could also read, write, and present about the national seals of their native countries or the coats of arms of their hometowns or home states using Wikipedia's Gallery of Coats of Arms , which lists countries alphabetically with images of coats of arms and descriptions.

Documents

Levels

Intermediate High
Advanced

Standards

Basic Communication

(0.2) Communicate regarding personal information

Basic Communication

(2.7) Understand aspects of society and culture

Basic Communication

(7.3) Demonstrate ability to use problem-solving skills
(7.7) Demonstrate the ability to use information and communication technology
(7.1) Identify or demonstrate effective skills and practices in accomplishing goals