1. American History 2011
You will be assigned an American History chapter section to do a PowerPoint
presentation for the class. You will be graded on how the PowerPoint is constructed, how
pertinent information is presented, the section questions and your test scores.
You will need to study your section and come up with 10 question and answers for you
section. Quiz to be taken after section presentation. Present the information from you
section with at least 5 slides (not counting the title slide) YES!!! YOU MAY HAVE
MORE THAN 5!!! There will be comprehensive test over all the questions at the end of
the chapter
Don't Make UGLY Powerpoints!
Formatting
Plan the template at the start
Consider all the elements listed below
Keep it clean and consistent KISS
Avoid busyness in each slide
Maintain the same style throughout
Changing elements causes confusion
Do not crowd the page
Leave borders on edges
Use borders around illustrations
Choose color carefully
Use the same colors consistently
Select a single background, text, and title colors
Let PowerPoint select colors
Use fewer colors, less is more
Use color to accent information, not as decoration
Avoid placing primary colors next to each other
Red, blue, yellow bleed together
Background
Best background: dark color with light letters
Use cool colors
Blue, turquoise, purple, green
Dark text on light background is an alternative
Graduated backgrounds are effective
Transition from darker to lighter shades in the same hue
Avoid busy backgrounds, hard to read
Slide Content
Use one topic per slide
Bullets
Use phrases only, not sentences
Start with a verb if possible
Do not use punctuation
Use parallelism
Follow the 6 x 6 rule
Six lines of text
Six to eight words per line
Bullets imply no significant order
Use numbers only to show rank or sequence
Use a combination of words, pictures, and graphs in the presentation

2. Variety keeps the presentation interesting
Proofread and spell check
Type
Type size must be readable
Minimum 36 point for titles
Minimum 24 point for body
Use upper and lower case lettering (Headline Case)
Easiest to read
Avoid using all capital letters
Use a readable font
Use a sans serif (no feet) font for the body
Arial, Tahoma, Verdana
Use serif fonts (with feet) for titles only
Harder to read in smaller font
New Times Roman
Adjust lettering to discriminate or emphasize
Make titles larger than the body
Emphasize important statements or words
Use bold, italic, color, size, or font
Do not use more than 3 type sizes per page
Maintain the same or similar type size on each slide
Even if some slides have less text
Graphics
Graphics support the spoken word
Clarify ideas
Emphasize key points
Show relationships
Provide needed visual information
Promote understanding
Use quality images, do not pixelate
All images support the message
Use only 1–3 graphics per slide
Graphics face the middle of the slide
Add clip art only where appropriate
Use solid colors on charts
Patterns on bars or pie slices are confusing
Solid colors convey a clear, bold message
Transitions and Special Effects
Special effects should have a purpose
Sound and animation can be distracting
Practice and make sure the slide works
Use the same transition for the entire presentation
Practice so the transition does not interrupt your oral presentation
Presentation
Slides are NOT the presentation
Focus interest on what is important
Refer to your slides. Do not read slides
Maintain eye contact with the audience. Do not talk to the screen
Use a pointer to indicate salient features
Speak loudly and articulate
Be prepared.

3. Guidelines for Power Point Presentations
Seven Steps to a PowerPoint Presentation
1. Start PowerPoint and choose a Blank Presentation
2. Choose slide layout
3. Enter the title and any additional text. Remember to follow the Rules of the
Road text guidelines
4. Add graphic, your choice of clip art, original drawings, scanned images, Internet
images, tables and charts. Remember to follow the Rules of the Road graphic
guidelines
5. Insert new slides and repeat Steps 2-4 for each slide
6. Create and apply background design
7. Add transitions, special effects, animations, and sounds. Remember to follow
the Rules of the Road guidelines
Text
Every bullet is followed by a capital letter
Each bullet has eight words or less
Keep font style simple
No complete sentences
No periods, question marks, or exclamation points
No ALL CAPS
Graphics
Add to the message of the slide
Face the middle of the slide
Transitions
Use one transition for all slides
Proofreading
Check for spelling errors
Check for DOL errors
Effects and Animations
Use up to three different effects on bulleted text
Avoid animation effects on graphics copied from Internet
Background Sounds
Only instrumental music

4. Movie, cartoon, or television theme song
Play throughout presentation or group of more than two slides
PowerPoint - Rules of the Road
Each presentation is graded on its:
1. Communication ... Does the presentation effectively tell the audience your
message? Every component of the presentation should add to the
communication.
2. Creativity ... Does the presentation appeal to the audience? Have the color
choices, graphics, and background design been wisely used?
3. Consistency ... Does the presentation have a similar style from slide-to-slide?
Have the guidelines for text, graphics, transitions and special effects been
followed?
Chapter 4 Section 1-Colton
“ “ “ 2 –Brandan
3- Kass
4 – Dakota
Chapter 5 Section 1 – McKenzy
2 – Samuel
3 – Jared
4 – Sandra
Chapter 6 Section 1 –Tori
2- Nick
3- Aileen
4 – Mr. Harold