Project Presentations

Project Description

Put simply - the goal of this project is for you to present on a plant that you are really excited about and can get us excited about too! It could be a particular species that you are really enthralled with, it could be an entire plant community working together, it could be a house plant, it could be a plant you planted in the garden, it could be a tree planted by your grandmother when your mother was born, etc., etc. Plants are important and exciting to us for all sorts of different reasons. These reasons can include their utility, their aesthetic, their medicinal properties, their connection to history, and so much more!

Since this is a Botany class you must provide a block of content related to the botanical description of your plant/plant community. There is no need to provide an encyclopedic listing of descriptions (any of us can look that up!). Instead, highlight why this plant/plant community is botanically exciting and important to you. Where can you find it? What is the story of its evolution? What are some characteristics of it that you find particularly fascinating or noteworthy? When you look at it for a long time or up really close what do you notice about it?

At the same time please provide additional "from the gut" knowledge to help us understand your connection to this plant. Are you thankful for what it provides? Does it help you experience beauty? Do you have memories associated with this plant? Does it keep you alive? Does it tie life together? Is it important to your family or remind you of home?

Rubric

I would expect these presentations to be about around 5 minutes, no longer than 6 minutes. You all will be creating a YouTube video as part of this project and this video is what will be graded. If you don't know how to record and post a video to YouTube there are TONS of ways...too many to list here. Instead do some searching and ask your peers. You can record content directly in YouTube, you can use a screen recording app (there are plenty...even Zoom can do it! - I use Nimbus because it lives in the browser and is free). Or your can create a video on your phone and post it to YouTube. Please know that you can use a lot of different formats....there is no need to stick to the slide-show format if that does not fit your presentation. The point of the presentation is to use the most effective means to communicate your thoughts and feelings to us such that we are shown a little bit of your world. Below is how you will be scored:

• [30 points] Content: There is a clear core set of ideas that are communicated to the audience. It is evident that the presenter spent time organizing these ideas and carefully considering how to support them and deliver them through their presentation. There is sufficient material for both the "Botanical Knowledge" aspect as well as the "Why this is important to me" aspect of the project.

• [15 points] Presentation Quality: You have delivered an interesting presentation that is full of genuine enthusiasm and proper elocution (clear voice, good cadence, etc.). It is clear from your presentation that you have practiced and are well organized.

• [15 points] Question & Answers: You have left a thoughtful question on EACH fellow student’s YouTube presentation and have given thoughtful answers to all questions left on your YouTube presentation.