Presentation Guidelines and Grading Rubric
Focus: Your goal is to teach your classmates the essential ideas of your topic. In order to do this you need to understand what you will be discussing and carefully select what to say - you have the paper to discuss at length. Keep the teaching goal in mind when you prepare your talk.
Tips and Remarks
- You may break the rules on this page to make a better presentation—but only if you talk to your instructor first, explain your reasons, and get explicit approval.
- Practice your presentation: Rehearse out loud - with a friend, in front of a mirror, or just talking to yourself. You can also schedule a rehearsal with me during office hours.
- What is a nontrivial example? Trivial = simply stating a formula or definition. Nontrivial = showing how a concept works through a calculation, proof, or worked example that demonstrates understanding.
- You do not need to cover your entire assigned topic. Choose a part that you can explain clearly, including both mathematics and history.
- What you explain doesn't have to be hard—but it should be something you understand deeply. This means choosing something you worked to understand, not something you already knew.
- If you talk about applications, they must relate to the historical development of the idea. (For example, you can explain how the idea of the normal distribution emerged, but not how it's used today.)
Requirements
Your presentation must address all 7 required slide components: Timeline & Context, Primary Source, Mathematical Concept, Worked Example, Learning Moment, Audience Question, and Bibliography.
Time requirement: Your presentation must be between 7 and 12 minutes. Presentations under 7 minutes or over 12 minutes will receive an automatic 50% penalty on the entire presentation grade.
Presentation Notes
- You may use paper notes or index cards with brief keywords and phrases
- Do not write full sentences or paragraphs - notes should only prompt your memory
- Reading from phones or devices is not permitted
- Slides will be displayed from the instructor's laptop; presenter notes cannot be shown
Grading Rubric (12 points total)
| Category | Points | Excellent | Good | Needs Work | Not Demonstrated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematical Explanation | /3 | Nontrivial example with clear steps; demonstrates deep understanding | Adequate explanation with minor gaps in clarity or depth | Superficial treatment or unclear reasoning | Wrong, trivial, or missing mathematical content |
| Historical Content | /3 | Accurate, well-developed historical context; timeline clear | Accurate but basic historical coverage | Thin historical content or timeline unclear | Inaccurate or missing historical context |
| Teaching Clarity | /3 | Clear goal; audience could follow throughout; engaging question posed | Mostly clear with minor organizational issues | Hard to follow or unclear structure | No clear structure; audience lost |
| Delivery | /3 | Used notes as memory aids only; spoke naturally to audience; good eye contact | Some reading from notes but maintained audience connection | Read mostly from notes; limited eye contact | Read entirely from phone/notes; no audience engagement |
Total: 12 points