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Oral Presentations - High School
Oral Presentations - High School
Participation in the High School Oral Presentation Component (OPC) is a part of the North Carolina State Envirothon and will be a part of the scoring to determine the overall winner.
Participation in the High School Oral Presentation Component (OPC) is a part of the North Carolina State Envirothon and will be a part of the scoring to determine the overall winner.
Oral Presentation Component (OPC) Information at a glance:
The OPC is a mandatory part of the NC Envirothon state contest for all High School teams. The OPC will not be a part of Area contests.
The OPC will be worth a maximum of 100 points and will be a part of the scoring to determine the overall winner. (1/6th of total contest) Teams participating in the OPC Finals will have their Friday score replaced by their OP Finals score.
The OPC problem will be given to teams at the OPC Preparation station on Friday afternoon. Teams will have 65 minutes to prepare their presentation. Following preparation, teams will rotate to the OPC Judging station to give their presentations.
To maximize the score, Oral Presentations should be timed to be 9 to 10 minutes in length.
Teams will be judged based upon their knowledge of the resource material provided for Soil/Land Use, Aquatic Ecology, Wildlife, Forestry and Current Environmental Issues. No resources outside of what was provided for this year’s NC Envirothon will be required.
No resource material, notes, or use of mobile electronic devices will be permitted at the OPC Preparation station.
Teams will be provided one poster board and a set of colored markers for use in creating visual aids. In addition, 3x5" note cards will be provided to each team for making notes.
Team advisors/chaperones/guests are not permitted to be at the OPC Preparation station.
Team advisors/chaperones/guests are permitted to view their respective team’s presentation. Oral presentation station guests shall refrain from talking while at the station and shall not have contact with the judges before, during, or immediately following the presentation.
What is the Oral Presentation Component?
The Oral Presentation Component (OPC) offers Envirothon teams a chance to address real-life environmental problems as presented through a written scenario. The OPC tests a team’s ability to consider an environmental issue, discuss its likely ramifications and effects, develop possible solutions, and present their findings to a panel of judges. The OPC offers students a chance to hone their public speaking, problem solving and presentation skills, and it also helps the students prepare for the upcoming testing stations.
This is a great opportunity for students to work together and apply some of the things they have learned while studying for the Envirothon competition.
A complete list of Rules and Guidelines for the OPC can be viewed here.
Team Practice and Preparation:
To help your team prepare for the OPC experience, peruse this page for helpful hints and information. This page will contain information on the competition as well as tips for preparing your team for the competition. OP Team Tips
One of the best ways to prepare for a competition is to increase your understanding of the judging criteria. The score sheet used at the NC Envirothon is used to evaluate each team's performance in the Oral Presentation and can be used as a guide in preparing teams for the oral presentation at the state competition. OP Judging Score Sheet
Want to see what a OPC scenario is like? Want to practice? View one of the past scenarios below:
2025 OP Scenario, Rubric, Map, Woodland Productivity Table
2023: 2023 OP Scenario 2023 OP Rubric 2023 OP Map
2022: 2022 OP Scenario 2022 OP Rubric
2021: 2021 OP Scenario 2021 OP Rubric 2021 OP Map (This was a fully virtual OP competition)
2019: 2019 OP Scenario 2019 OP Rubric 2019 OP Map
2018: 2018 OP scenario 2018 OP rubric 2018 OP map
2017: 2017 OP scenario 2017 OP rubric 2017 OP map
2016: 2016 OP scenario 2016 OP rubric
2015: 2015 OP scenario 2015 OP map
2014: 2014 OP scenario 2014 OP map
2013: 2013 OP scenario 2013 OP map
2012: 2012 OP scenario 2012 OP map
2011: 2011 OP scenario 2011 OP map
2010: 2010 OP scenario
In the event of Hazardous Weather...
A Hazardous Weather Action Plan has been developed in the event of anticipated hazardous weather disrupting the Oral Presentations on Friday. Please refer to the Hazardous Weather Action Plan page for more details.
How does it Work and What will it Teach My Students?
The OPC problem will be provided to all teams during the first day of the contest (Friday). The OPC Preparation Station will be 65 minutes in length and be part of the rotation on Friday. At this station the teams will receive written copies of the problem and be given note cards for personal notes and poster board for making visual aids. Immediately following this station the teams will give their presentations at the Oral Presentation Station. During the OPC session, teams present their recommendations to a panel of judges chosen by the North Carolina Envirothon Committee. A total of five judges will constitute a panel. Each team will have up to 10 minutes to make their presentation followed by 5 minutes of questions from the judges. Each team is asked questions based on their recommendations and scored accordingly by the panel of judges. They are asked to defend and explain their recommended actions. Students are judged on their ability to think on their feet and incorporate their existing knowledge of Soil/Land Use, Aquatic Ecology, Wildlife, Forestry and the year's current environmental issue articles.
No resources outside of what is provided for this year’s competition will be required.
OPC Schedule of Events:
The Oral Presentation Component will be held the first day of the contest (Friday) at the same time station training sessions are held. Teams will rotate through 7 stations. 5 stations will offer training in Aquatics, Current Environmental Issues, Forestry, Soils/Land Use, and Wildlife while the sixth station will be the OPC Preparation Station and the seventh will be the Oral Presentation Judging Station.
On Day two of the competition (Saturday), the top 3 scoring teams in the competition (overall score from all 6 components) will compete in the Oral Presentation Finals to determine the contest winner.
The OP Finals will follow the first part of the high school awards ceremony. Prizes for the top score in each resource area and the 4th and 5th place teams will be given out as usual. The names of the top 3 teams will then be announced. These teams will give their oral presentation on the stage in front of a panel of 5 judges and the assembled Envirothon participants. The score each team receives in the finals will replace the score they received on Friday. Following their presentations, scores will be totaled and the prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place will be awarded. Besides increasing the fairness of the oral presentation part of the competition, the finals will be a great opportunity for all teams to watch and learn from other teams presentations.
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