How to give a good "Oceans in the News" presentation

Assignment: You will make an oral presentation about some way that humans affect the ocean (such as pollution, development, destruction of marine life and legislation) or the ocean affects people (such as disasters like hurricanes and tsunamis or new discoveries that help people). Work in pairs, and find two related articles, both published within the past year. Prepare a 5-10 minute PowerPoint presentation for the class.

Purpose: This assignment is intended to help you understand the role of science in ocean policy decisions. You must cite good scientific evidence, not just opinions about an issue.

Preparation

· review two related articles about a single topic

· consider using one article from the popular media and one scientific article

· cite source for both articles -- are your sources reputable?

· give date for both articles -- within the last year

· list 2-4 take-home points for each article

· DO NOT copy and paste chunks of text

Priority Content

· summarize the articles

· clearly explain the scientific aspects of the issue

· include relevant data, graphs and numbers

· practice curiosity and skepticism -- ask questions!

· use the evidence to make an informed judgment on the issue

· provide 2-3 questions for future quizzes

PowerPoint

· keep it short -- you only have 5-10 minutes

· one slide per minute works well (e.g. 4 slides/article + intro & conclusions)

· each slide should have 2-4 simple concepts

· mix words and pictures on each slide

· images should be appropriate and specific to your topic

· no fancy transitions - they're just distractions

· you may add your points to the slide sequentially

· choose a simple, uncluttered background

Presentation

· practice, practice, practice

· stand up straight and don't mumble