Using the Narration Feature in Powerpoint



Classroom Tips for Bringing Grammar to Life!

~Ways to provide more engaging

grammar presentations and practice

Beth Bogage, San Diego Community College District, Continuing Education

Email: bbogage@sdccd.edu

Steps of a Grammar Lesson Plan

✓ Warm up

✓ Presentation

inductive vs. deductive?

✓ Practice (from guided to freer/more communicative)

✓ Evaluation

✓ Application

Note: Technology can be used at any of these stages, but remember that technology is a “vehicle” through which content can be learned, practiced, applied, etc. Use technology thoughtfully…not just for the sake of using it!

Overview of Types of Technology to be Discussed

| |Name/Topic |Quick Description |

|1 |authorSTREAM |A website you can use to upload your grammar PowerPoints and post them online for students. |

|2 |Azar Online PowerPoints |Grammar PowerPoints and other materials for teachers to use (for free); grammar topics accompany |

| | |those found in the Azar Books (3 Levels) |

|3 |YouTube / ESL Teacher Channels |Use ESL Teachers’ grammar video explanations for yourself and/or your students. |

|4 |Using Authentic Videos |Target a specific grammar point that is salient in a particular video; use video to elicit students’|

| | |production of a particular grammar structure |

|5 |Good Websites for Grammar Explanation and|See Section 5 for list of websites |

| |Practice | |

|6 |GoogleVoice-give students speaking |Create a Google phone number for your class (free) and give your students speaking projects to |

| |practice with structures |practice a particular structure in spoken form. |

1- Put your Grammar PowerPoints Online with authorSTREAM

Because PowerPoint files tend to be large in size (especially if they contain image and audio files), it’s a great idea to put your presentations online, so you don’t have to worry about emailing large files or saving them and transferring them.

From a teaching perspective, putting your presentations (grammar, vocabulary, etc.) online is a great way to make them available to your students. Not all students have the PowerPoint program, but computers they use away from school likely do have Internet access. You can also showcase student presentations by putting them on the Internet.

authorSTREAM is an Internet Web site that allows you to upload your PowerPoint presentations to the Web. And the great thing is that if you choose to add sound to your presentations via PowerPoint’s narration feature, the narration will be preserved online.

Instructions:

1) Go to:

2) Register on the website. It’s quick, easy, and free to do so. After you register, you will receive an email message confirming your account, and asking you to activate it. Follow the instructions to activate your account.

3) Go back to the site and sign in. Click on “Upload.” The site will prompt you through a very simple process of attaching your PowerPoint file, naming it, and uploading it:

4) After your presentation is successfully uploaded, the site will convert the file to a Flash animation. Then, two things will happen: first, you will get a message with the URL of your presentation. However, if the site is slow to upload and convert your PowerPoint, you will see a message that the file is in conversion. Just be patient; sometimes big files take time to upload or the site is busy. Second, you will also receive an email message confirming that your presentation was uploaded and providing you with the URL.

(After your PowerPoint is uploaded to authorSTREAM, you can login to your account. All of your uploaded files can be found under the heading "My Stuff." Click My Presentations to see a list of all your presentations.

NOTE: If you have any problems, you can email authorSTREAM tech support. Their team typically responds to any problems promptly.

(go to: ).

Considerations/Tips:

Sometimes when you upload a PowerPoint using authorSTREAM, the formatting of your original PowerPoint may not be perfectly preserved. The following tips help to make your online PowerPoint the most readable:

a) Use basic fonts. If you use a number of different fonts, or if you use some that are obscure, authorSTREAM has difficulty converting the font formatting. Some good fonts to use are the following:

-Times New Roman, Arial, Comic Sans, Maiandra GD

b) Avoid using underlining and italics; these features are both commonly used to illustrate or highlight grammar structures, but again, authorSTREAM has difficulty converting this formatting to online presentation.

c) Avoid using too much custom animation; authorSTREAM can preserve the movement of text and pictures that are created through the “custom animation” feature of PowerPoint. However, if your presentation has too much animation, it doesn’t translate well online. In addition, sometimes the narration doesn’t match up well with the movement of the text and graphics.

Keep your PowerPoints simple if you plan to upload them to the Internet using authorSTREAM.

What to Do with Your Uploaded PowerPoints:

1. Post the URL on a website or elsewhere:

Go to "My Stuff" and click on "My Presentations." You will see the files that you have uploaded. Next to the presentation that you want to post, click the URL tab. Select and copy the URL. Paste it as a hyperlink.

2. Embed or post on a

blog or website:

Next to the presentation that you want to embed, click the Embed tab. Click on the copy button next to the embed code and paste in your blog or website.

3. Share:

Find the share button and click on the arrow to show your options: Twitter, Facebook, or Email.

2- AZAR Online PowerPoints (and other materials)

The Azar series books are some of the most popular and widely-used grammar textbooks in ESL. Most publishers are now putting companion grammar materials online to accompany their textbooks.

✓ Go to

✓ On the left-hand side, click on Classroom Materials. You will see a screen with materials that accomany the three Azar textbooks

✓ For Example, Under the Black Book (Intermediate Level), click on PowerPoint Supplements; then click 4th edition. You will see a list of grammar-related PowerPoint presentations.

✓ Click on Chapter Presentation under the Grammar Topic Past Time.

✓ You can simple view or download the PowerPoint (SlideShow) file.

✓ You will see slides like this that clearly illustrate and explain the grammar point. You can use these slides to help your students better understand the targeted grammar structure. You could also link the Azar site to your class website, so that students can study and practice at home.

Azar’s Fun With Grammar:

Back on the Classroom Materials page, click on the Fun With Grammar link. This link gives you access to the full text of the book written by Suzanne Woodward. You can use download and use these interactive activity ideas in your class. Examples below are show activities for Simple Past.

3- Find ESL Teachers/Grammar Presentations of YouTube

A. Examples of ESL teachers who regularly post videos online

Some ESL teachers actually have their own “channel” on YouTube, and you can find a variety of ESL topics that they cover through video.

✓ English with Stacy



✓ English with Jennifer



✓ Holmwood’s Online Learning

Offers lessons with various teachers



B. Do general YouTube searches for grammar points: In the search box, I usually type “ESL” + the name of the grammar, for example “ESL passive grammar.” You’ll be amazed at how many educational grammar videos are now available on YouTube.

4- Using Authentic Videos in the Grammar Classroom

Why Use Video?

• Students need to be exposed to different sources of American English—NOT just their instructor’s voice.

• Students need to hear authentic English: reduced forms, “normal” speed of talking, different accents, idioms/slang, etc.

• Improved comprehension will boost learner’s confidence as they transition to programs outside of ESL

• Videos are typically a high-interest activity for students; they are engaging and will capture their interest.

• Bring the outside world into your classroom!

A. Example 1: Using Short Videos for Grammar Warm-ups

(with or without sound)

(Video Clip1: “Dog Delivering the Mail”



Students can tell a partner / write down …

Teacher can elicit from students . . .

✓ what is happening (present continuous)

✓ what happened (simple past)

✓ has just happened (present perfect)

✓ will happen next (future)

(Video Clip2: “The Dangers of Texting and Walking”



(Video Clip3: “An Unsuccessful Thief”



(Video Clip4: “Not Your Everyday News Report”



-Elicit from students / help them create structure:

-The woman was walking and texting when she fell into the fountain.

-The thief was trying to escape when he crashed into the glass window.

-A reporter was giving a news report when a car crash occurred behind her.

B. Example: Using Longer Videos to Elicit Practice of a Structure

(Video Clip1: “Florida Student Brings Art to Homeless Kids”



-Video for Simple Past Tense Practice (although other structures could be targeted: (Example Questions)

1. When did Tae get her idea to start helping others through art?

2. Who was she worried about and why?

3. The reporter said that Tae Tae “traded the ______________ for the ______________.”

4. How many letters did Tae Tae write to request donations?

5. How many companies did she hear back from?

5- Good Websites for Grammar Practice and Evaluation

|Learn American English Online | |Teaches grammar structures from Beginning to Advanced |

| | |Levels; most lessons have videos with and ESL instructor |

| | |explaining the grammar point. |

|University of Victoria Study | |Practice with various grammar points, from Beginning-High|

|Zone | |to Advanced. Each grammar point contains a lesson and |

| | |related practice. |

|Long Beach City College: “The | |Excellent array of interactive exercises (many with |

|Big List” |OR |explanation) of grammar topics; from Beginning to |

| | levels |

| |portal.htm | |

| |(back up site if original site is not working) | |

|5 Minute English | |Gives students short and easy grammar explanations and |

| | |practice. |

|Quia | |Create interactive quizzes and games with your grammar! |

| | |Quia can also be used to create your own class website. |

| |(Feel free to email me if you want further |NOTE: This is a fee-site (about $50 annually); some |

| |instructions/information about QUIA. |districts might purchase memberships for teachers. |

|Video Sources |I try to use everyday videos in my classroom often, so that students hear REAL English and usually listen to a variety of |

| |people speaking (i.e., reporter, people interviewed, etc.) |

| |I like short inspirational news stories from sources like these: |

| |NBC News “Making a Difference” |

| |CBS “Assignment America” or “On the Road with Steve Hartman” |

| |CNN Heroes |

| |CBS 60 Minutes – longer video stories about 12 minutes long, but good for higher level |

| |(You can Google these to find their homepages on the web, or you can search in YouTube. |

6- Using GoogleVoice

Google now has a feature in which you can set up a free phone number and access it through your Google Voice account.

✓ You need a Gmail account to use Google Voice.

✓ It is designed to provide FREE calling in the U.S. and make cheap international calls.

✓ You can set up your account so that you are notified in your email (or by text message) every time you receive a Google Voice message.

✓ Go to voice and click on Watch the Videos for more information about Google Voice and about how to get started.

Obviously, most people use this feature for personal communication. However, as a teacher, I set up a Google Voice account so that my students had a number to reach me at (not my personal cell phone).

In addition, my main motivation for starting the account was to use it as a way to give my student speaking practice. I give my students mini speaking assignments using Google Voice.

✓ You could give students speaking assignments based on themes: Tell me about your hometown; Where is a place in San Diego that you like to go, etc.

✓ You could also give assignments that naturally elicit a particular grammar structure: What did you do this past weekend? (Simple Past Tense); Compare the weather, the size, the scenery, etc. in San Diego and in your hometown? (Comparative Grammar)

✓ See attached student handout

Speaking Practice!

Many non-native English speakers feel nervous or stressed when they have to speak…especially on the telephone. Your teacher has set up a class phone number through Google to give you extra speaking practice.

Note: You can always use this phone number to call or text your teacher if you need to get an important message to her. But the MAIN purpose of this phone number is for you to practice. Your teacher will give you brief speaking assignments during the semester with this number.

Assignment #1: What to do

✓ Call this phone number: (619) 722-0375

✓ Wait for the message, and then begin speaking. Be sure to speak clearly, loud enough, and not too fast! Be sure to identify yourself!

Here is the topic to talk about: Tell me what you did this past weekend…even if you didn’t do anything exciting! What did you do on Saturday? On Sunday? Be sure to use simple past tense verbs in your description.

✓ You can and should practice a little before you leave a message at the phone number above, but don’t read! You need to practice more fluent speaking in English without reading!

✓ Your teacher will listen to your message and give you feedback (comments, suggestions, etc.) in written form.

✓ This is supposed to be a non-stressful way for you to practice a little more speaking, so don’t get nervous about this assignment. Think of it as an opportunity to express your ideas in English to your teacher.

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Select and then copy the URL ( [Ctrl] + [C])

Videos that naturally elicit past continuous with simple past interruption

Voice

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