Oral Presentations
The importance of oral presentations is stressed in the class. Students have to get in front of the class and speak on specific topics. Rubrics are given for each presentation. The importance of engaging their fellow students and making their presentation interesting are stressed. For the most part notes are not allowed so the eighth graders get use to really learning a topic and then explaining it to their fellow classmates. Once each trimester every student must review a chapter from their history book with the other students in the class. Each student also gives a presentation called "Expansion". In this talk they must create a map and put it together like a puzzle. They explain each piece by telling when, how, and why it became part of the United States of America. Once a month students get up as a team to give a news report update stressing National. International, Local, Weather, and Sports stories. Finally in the final trimester each student must give an oral report on their "Person of Interest"
