NOTES....on PowerPoint Presentations

Presentations for Instruction

Use PowerPoint presentations to enhance the effectiveness of classroom instruction in many ways in every subject area.

· 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.


Creative Presentation Ideas
· 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.
· 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.
· 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.
· Interactive Book Reports - Have students create a PowerPoint presentation about
books they read.
· 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.
· 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.
· Poetry Readings - Students can create slides exhibiting their personal poetry along
with a voice recording.
· Science Presentations - Use PowerPoint to teach processes and how things work.
Teachers or students can add additional items to a diagram to illustrate how a
process grows and changes. Science principles work well using this format.
· Student Portfolios - PowerPoint can be used to create portfolios of student work.
· 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.