Download What makes a good visual aid - Rochester Community Schools

World History
What makes a good visual aid? A list of do’s and don’ts:
DO
DON’T
 Have a plan. Know where in your
 Assume your grade won’t suffer
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presentation the visual will be used.
Choose the most related and
effective time to introduce it.
Use it up. Refer to your visual as
many times as needed. Don’t feel
like you have to only mention it
once.
Get creative! Yes, you can use
maps, graphs, pictures, etc., that
you found. But you can also
CREATE something. An electronic
collage, a self-made 3d diagram,
etc., are all creative ways to
enhance your presentation.
Add to it. If you find a map or graph
you think will fit, add something to it
to be sure that it will. For example,
if my speech was about dress
codes in public schools I could find
a map of Michigan and then ADD
dots or stars where schools have
uniforms.
Cite it. Be sure to include citations
on your bibliography for all
materials that are not your original
work.
Make it big. A visual no one can
see is just as bad as no visual at all.
Have a plan—make sure you can
see the text from far away and still
be able to tell what it IS.
EXPLAIN. Be sure to explain to
the class WHAT it is and WHY it’s
important.
without a visual aid. It will.
 Mention it at the very end of the
speech and nowhere else.
 Assume the class will know what
your visual is of. Lack of
explanation can hurt your grade
also.
 Come unprepared. If your aid is not
on your h:drive, you will NOT be
allowed to access it. No email,
youtube, etc.
 Wait until the last minute. Ask a
teacher a parent for help with ideas!
Create a folder on your H: titled “WH/LA9 Speech” and save it as “Visual” in the folder.
Open the “Computer” icon on the desk top
World History
Click on you H: (the folder with your name) and create a “New Folder” to save your visual in.