ELA Grade 8 -MIDTERM 2017

For the midterm exam, you must design an ENGAGING presentation that demonstrates what
you learned in ELA this semester.

Your presentation must respond to the following prompts.

 What are some important things you learned this semester in ELA?
 How well did ELA class realize the class principles?

Presentation Parameters and Requirements

 2 minutes (w/20 second grace period, plus or minus).

 Use of images, visuals, costuming, and/or artifacts is required.
 Limit of 10 words of text or less.
o Exceptions may be made to this limit based on special requests and teacher
approval.
 Must use parallelism and at least two other rhetorical devices.
 Your presentation must be memorized and performed without reading.
 Digital files must be emailed to Mrs. Mbengue at Nirvana.Mbengue@fortbendisd.com
You will have 1 class day on December 15th to prepare, design and rehearse your presentation,
plus any other review periods prior to your actual exam. Bring digital devices, such as laptops
and tablets, to support the development of your presentation. Several daily checkpoint grades
for effort, focus, and progress may be taken.
Midterms begin on Monday, December 18th.
 Midterm Exam Rubric
Name ____________________________________ Period ___
Skill 0 - 69 70 - 79 80 - 89 90 - 100
The student does not The student demonstrates The student demonstrates The student demonstrates
Content satisfactorily demonstrate at least a basic acceptable analysis of key insightful analysis of key
Analysis what he/she learned in ELA
this semester.
understanding of key concepts or ideas that
he/she learned in ELA this
concepts or ideas that
he/she learned in ELA this
points learned in ELA class.
AND/OR semester. This analysis may semester, including lessons
The student does not AND/OR or may not include lessons learned via contemplation
adequately address the The student somewhat learned via contemplation of content and process in
question of whether he/she ineffectively addresses the of content and process in class.
believes ELA class realized question of whether he/she class. AND
the class principles. believes ELA class realized AND/OR The student provides
The student provides thoughtful and well-
the class principles.
reasonable explanation as developed explanation as
AND to how well he/she to how well he/she
The student does not believes ELA class realized believes ELA class realized
effectively use the required the class principles. He/she the class principles, using
rhetorical devices or uses may or may not provide anecdotal evidence to
only some of them. anecdotal evidence to support his/her
support explanation. supposition.
AND/OR AND
The student uses The student effectively
parallelism and at least 2 uses parallelism and at
other rhetorical devices least 2 other rhetorical
studied in class. devices studied in class to
make his/her points.
The presentation is The presentation does NOT The presentation meets The presentation meets
Presentation ineffective. meet time limit time limit parameters. time limit parameters.
Aspects AND/OR
Presentation is
parameters. Presentations AND AND
may be cut off if too long. The presentation uses 10 The presentation uses 10
unorganized/unprepared, AND/OR words of text or less. words of text or less.
failing to engage the The presentation violates AND AND
audience in any meaningful the text limit. The presentation uses The presentation uses
way. AND/OR adequate visuals, images, unique visuals, images,
AND/OR The presentation and/or artifacts in a mostly and/or artifacts in a highly
Does not meet the criteria ineffectively uses visuals, effective way. effective way.
for any of the higher images, and/or artifacts. AND/OR AND
categories. AND/OR The presentation is mostly The presentation is
The presentation is NOT memorized and, thus, the memorized and, thus, the
memorized and, thus, the student is able to establish student effectively
student is NOT able to some eye contact. establishes eye contact.
establish enough eye AND/OR AND
contact. Presentation is somewhat Presentation is unique,
AND/OR engaging. insightful, and easily
Presentation conveys classified as highly
information, but cannot be engaging.
considered much more
than ritually engaging[1].
[1] Ritually engaging means that there is little enjoyment in watching the presentation and it feels like it "has to be watched" without feeling
entertaining.