The Big Fresh from Choice Literacy
October 16, 2010
S.T.A.R. Moments
Truly great communicators make it
look easy as they lure audiences to adopt their ideas and take
action. This isn't something that just happens automatically; it
comes at the price of long and thoughtful hours spent constructing
messages that resonate deeply and elicit empathy.
Nancy Duarte, in Resonate
This week I have been enjoying the book Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences by Nancy Duarte. The ability to create powerful presentations is an essential skill for any literacy
leader. If you're trying to integrate more images and stories
into the presentations you produce for students, colleagues, and your
community, I highly recommend this book.
One of the concepts in the book is the S.T.A.R. moment - "Something
They'll Always Remember" should be at the heart of any presentation.
S.T.A.R. moments can come from five sources:
Memorable Dramatizations: These might involve a prop or
re-enactment. I always think of the physicist Richard
Feynman dropping a small round piece of rubber into a glass of ice
water during a press conference about the Challenger space shuttle
explosion in the 1980s. The rubber lost its shape, and decades
later this is still the defining moment in explaining how severe cold
was a key factor in the tragedy.
Repeatable Sound Bites: During any political season, you
see candidates grasping for these during a debate - the quick
clip or quip that will be replayed over and over again. "Where's
the beef?" and the like can easily define someone (for better or
worse).
Evocative Visuals: If you circle the nouns in your presentations,
chances are you can replace at least a couple of them with an image,
and that image may be the seed for a S.T.A.R. moment. Replace a
bullet point with a compelling photo of a child reading or writing, and
you've suddenly reminded everyone of what the work is all about.
Emotive Storytelling: When you think of the S.T.A.R. moments from
presentations you've attended, they are almost always linked to an
incredible story. But what moves the story from being memorable
to unforgettable is linking it in some way to the big idea you're
trying to promote.
Shocking Statistics: We have so many (maybe too many) statistics
at our fingertips now. You can elevate a statistic to S.T.A.R.
status by pulling it out, highlighting it in 1000 point font with its
own screen, and giving the audience a moment to absorb it.
In any presentation, it's hard to resist the urge to cover as much
ground as possible. There is never enough time to say all you
need to say, and make all the points you want to make. Yet the
most important question probably isn't "Have I covered everything?" if
you're trying to create a presentation that moves people to
change. Instead, "Is there a S.T.A.R. moment here?" pushes you to
pull out and highlight the defining concept, idea, or point you want audiences to
carry away.
This week we've posted the second installment of our two-part feature
on favorite classroom spaces. Plus more as always - enjoy!
Brenda Power
Editor, Choice Literacy
Free for All
What's your favorite literacy spot this year in your classroom?
We asked our friends and contributors at Choice Literacy to send in
pictures with brief descriptions for this two-part feature. This
week we take a peek into the classrooms of Cathy Mere, Karen Terlecky,
Ann Marie Corgill, and Patrick Allen:
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/1306.cfm
Nancy Duarte's blog includes many videos that extend the ideas from
Resonate, and has a wealth of tips for improving your presentations:
http://blog.duarte.com/
In a new podcast, Jennifer Allen chats with Franki Sibberson about
working with new teachers, as well as how their needs change throughout
the year. A transcript is included:
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/1273.cfm
Dip and Tip is an easy two-step strategy for quick reading conferences
that helps teachers determine if individual students are selecting
appropriate books, and provides some support at the same time:
http://bit.ly/dD6OCi
Is there any holiday that inspires more conflicted love/hate feelings
in teachers than Halloween? Here is an info-graphic with lots of
fun and macabre facts about Halloween to share with students:
http://www.i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=53392
Join us this fall for our final Choice Literacy Workshops of 2010 in
Orlando, Florida (November 17) at the Altamonte Springs Hilton.
Presenters include Jennifer Allen, Franki Sibberson, Clare Landrigan,
Tammy Mulligan, and "The Sisters" (Joan Moser & Gail
Boushey). We've redesigned our workshop area on the web, and you can
now register online with a credit card. Click on the link to get full
details on topics and cost:
http://workshops.choiceliteracy.com/
For Members Only
In Still Revising After 10 Years, Jennifer Allen considers how her
study groups have changed over the past decade as she continues to
balance district demands with teacher choice:
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1316.cfm
Katie DiCesare shares some of her favorite texts for a primary study on
series books. This is Part 2 in a series, with a catch-up link if
you missed the first installment:
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1315.cfm
Life on the Edge, a new poem from Shirley McPhillips, compares the
energy and purpose of birds in a nest to daily life in
classrooms. It's the perfect metaphor for the fast pace of our
teaching lives:
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1313.cfm
In this week's video, Franki Sibberson guides her intermediate students
as they create a "Questions We Have When We Read" anchor chart.
This is a terrific pre-reading activity for helping students become
more focused and reflective:
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1314.cfm
Video Updates: We continue to repost many videos in new formats
and players (with higher resolution and full-screen options). As
we make these improvements, we'll announce them in the newsletter. Here
is an updated video you may want to revisit -
Ruth Shagoury confers with Kyle, a six-year-old whose language at
home is Vietnamese. Kyle's writing is primarily drawings, and
Ruth asks questions to help Kyle move from images to stories:
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1317.cfm
That's all for this week!
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