Ideas for PowerPoint Assignments

Have the students make a presentation about one of the key people in the subject you teach. If you teach English, for example, you may choose an author or a poet. History students can write a presentation about a historical figure in the period they are studying. Let them decide who they choose, but you can choose the topic. Grade them based on how thorough their presentations are.

At the beginning of the year, have the students introduce themselves to the class using a PowerPoint presentation. This is especially effective if it is used in a computer course as it will gauge their knowledge of this common office program, but it can be used in any course as a way of letting the class get to know each other. Limit the number of slides or give them a template to prevent presentations running too long.

Have the students pick a topic to educate the class about. This could be another country if you are studying another country. Make sure they include pictures of the topic and give them criteria for what the presentation must include. As with the biographical presentation, let them choose the topic even if you give them a selection from which to choose. If you teach a science class, for example, you may allow them to create a presentation about another planet.

This can be used in combination with any sort of PowerPoint presentation that students create. Use the opportunity to teach students how to properly research and cite references. Teach them about the format of different types of references and choose a style to teach them such as MLA or APA. Then have them create a presentation about a topic with a bibliography as the last slide. The bibliography should contain properly formatted references from reputable sites. If you will not allow certain sites as references, make that clear before the assignment.