TIPS: Using PowerPoint to Teach Organizational Skills – Part III
In this final installment of our series of TIPS focusing on PowerPoint, we look at using PowerPoint to organize a presentation through the slide sorter function (Big6 #5.1). Part one focused on using PowerPoint to present information and part two included great ideas for teaching note-taking using PowerPoint.
Sort Information by Using PowerPoint
The slide sorter function in PowerPoint makes it easy to move slides around so that a presentation is well organized. PowerPoint’s slide sorter allows a user to view thumbnail sketches of all the slides on a screen. The order of the slides may be rearranged by using the drag-and-drop feature using the mouse. Since some novice users are not aware of the slide sorter function, it is a good idea to point this feature out to students.
The focus of Big6 #5 Synthesis is to organize information from multiple sources and present the result in a logical manner. To avoid confusion for the audience who will view the PowerPoint, encourage students to establish an outline or agenda of no more that six parts and to do so on the second slide of the presentation (after the title slide). Then, students can create slides that divide each section to help keep the audience on track. Click here to see a sample PowerPoint formatted in this way.
Learn How to Organize Information
How can students learn to become better organizers? Again, we can also use the slide sorter function. A teacher can create a PowerPoint presentation with key information about a topic that the class has been studying. The teacher can then mix up all the slides, including the title and divider slides, and has the students use the slide sorter function to organize the slides in a manner that makes sense. Students could write a narrative summary of the information from the slide show and submit it to the teacher for comments. What a great way to review a topic and teach organization at the same time! Click here to view an unorganized version of the previous example which students could then organize.
Here are some variations on the above technique:
- Create a presentation that includes divider slides but gives the students a number of new slides to include where appropriate
- Give students a number of unorganized slides but with two different sets of outline and divider slides
- Make a presentation that does not have an outline or divider slides and ask the students to create these.
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TIPS: How to Write a Grant Application
Are you interested in writing a grant? Here are some tips to help you on your way to success:
Choose a Project
- Choose a project you like and one in which you are invested. If you don”t get the grant, at least you’ll be satisfied with your own work.
- Choose a project that your students are easily motivated to complete.
- You have a good grant idea if your class gets excited, demonstrates achievement, and the project fits your curriculum.
Write the Grant
- Allow plenty of time to write your grant. Applications written at the last minute tends to give that hurried impression to others.
- Follow the directions. Write the application based upon the key points suggested.
- Keep your responses concise and to the point.
- Answer all the questions using a word processing program. By doing so, you will be able to reflect and revise your answers. Cut and paste your answers into the application if it is in electronic form.
- Present your project in a way that is fairly easy to replicate or adapt to other classrooms and grades.
- Articulate how the project meets your state and national standards.
- If applying as a group, select one person do the writing to ensure that the writing style will remain consistent throughout the application.
- Attend training or join online chats if they are offered. Ask questions if you are confused about the application process.
- Finish your grant application several days in advance. Take time to reflect on your writing and make final revisions.
And finally…
Volunteer to be a reviewer for grants or various awards. This is the best way to gain firsthand experience about positives and negatives, do’s and don’ts.
Don’t get discouraged. Apply for several different grants. Submitting a grant application is similar to a new job search. It may take time to find the right one.
Biographical information
Rosemarie Granger is a second grade teacher at Fisher Mitchell School in Bath, Maine. She has taught for 34 years and is a leader in the areas of technology and assessment. Projects undertaken by her classes using the Big6 have been recognized on the state and national level. At the state level, Rosemarie serves as a Technology Learning Leader with the Maine State Portfolio Project and received a SEED Developer Award. At the national level, Rosemarie is the recipient of the National Semiconductor Innovator Award.
E-mail: rgranger@horton.col.k12.me.us or rgranger@clinic.net
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Moving Every Child Ahead: the Quest for Evidence — Editorial
“As schools across the nation grapple with the challenge to Move Every Child Ahead, the importance of research-based approaches highlights two critical needs:
– our need to find and apply the most relevant research to classroom
practice
- our need to gather valid evidence through these practices, as a basis
for decisions.”
