The First Ten Minutes (student presentations)

‘The First Ten Minutes’ refers to the first ten minutes of an English class.

A given student has the first five minutes of a class to present a topic. The topic is chosen by the student alone, or if needs be in consultation with the teacher.  Having said this, it is not a requirement, but it would be an advantage if the topic bears at least some relation to the English-speaking world.

The student concludes the presentation with at least one question to the rest of the class. Ideally, this question opens for a discussion of the topic which the student has just presented. This should last no longer than five minutes.

It is up to the student to organize the presentation. However, the use of IT is strongly encouraged, e.g. You Tube clips, interviews, one or two Power Points, pictures, etc.

Students may always approach the teacher for advice and ideas.

The purpose of the exercise is:
a) To practice at speaking English in front of a larger group
b) To broaden your horizons, vocabulary and general knowledge
c) To show students that English can be used to discuss matters not directly related to school work

List of ideas:
Film
You have just watched an interesting movie. One or two aspects of the film could be used for a discussion (‘Bowling for Columbine’ – school shootings in the US, documentaries; ‘The Remains of the Day’ – class in Great Britain; ‘Life of Brian’ – humour, Christianity)

Books
You have just read an interesting book (fiction, or non-fiction). You could tell us about the book, or the author, or the way in which this particular author writes. You could highlight aspects of the book that may be worth a discussion.

Arts and music
If you have come across an interesting painter, photographer, musician, then you could present a part of their work and discuss it, you could compare their work to an other artist.

Other ideas:
- Medieval architecture in Italy
- The difference between American rugby and European football
- A recent event you have read about or heard in the media
- Why you like Cajun food and why it is so special
- Human rights and the Olympics in Beijing
- The story behind Irish Whiskey
- The future of Northern Ireland