Name ___________________ Date ____ Class ____ _

History and Cultures of East Asia and Southeast Asia

Speaking and Listening Skills Activity

Giving a Demonstration

Learning the Skill Giving a good demonstration looks easy until you try it. What

makes a demonstration effective? Being enthused about your subject is a good place to start, but successful demonstrations require a few other factors. Follow these steps to give a good demonstration: • Choose a topic you are interested in and that is appropriate for

your audience. • Practice your demonstration, and then rehearse it before friends,

family, or a mirror. Be sure you have everything you need on hand. You do not want to realize that you are missing a key ingredient or tool halfway through a demonstration.

• Begin by identifying what you are going to demonstrate. Have on hand an example of a finished product for your audience to examine.

• Provide any necessary background information on the topic. • Maintain eye contact with your audience. • Present all steps in the right order, and go slowly enough so every­

one is able to follow. Pause occasionally to be sure everyone under­stands each step.

• Stroll through the audience to see if your instructions are being followed correctly. Use humor if someone has a difficult time following directions-it helps people relax.

• Use oversized props or visuals, such as photos or diagrams, to help explain a difficult process or a new technique. Diagrams are especially helpful when time does not allow you to demonstrate every step.

• Hand out copies of a list of ingredients or supplies needed, along with a set of directions.

• Allow time for questions.

(I P~acticing the Skill Directions: Read the sample demonstration below. Then answer the questions that follow.

Origami History of Origami

Origami is the art of folding paper into three-dimensional figures and objects. I am going to demonstrate how to do that today, but first I'll tell you a little about origami itself.

The word origami means "to fold paper" in Japanese, where some historians say the art form originated. Others believe it began in China in the first or second century, and later

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Speaking and Listening Skills Activity continued

spread to Japan. The Japanese are credited with fully developing origami as a practice. They even included it in religious ceremonies.

Origami as a Symbol

Some origami figures have become famous throughout the world, like the paper crane, which is a symbol of hope and the fulfillment of dreams. According to one Japanese legend, linking 1,000 origami cranes together will make a wish come true. Here is a photograph of 1,000 cranes linked together so you can see what that looks like. After World War II, the crane also became a symbol of peace.

Making Origami

To make origami, the only thing you need is paper, usually a square. It helps if the paper is thin, strong, and easy to crease. You only need to learn a few basic types of folds to get started. These folds are used to form bases-or starting shapes-for all origami figures and objects. There are four bases: the bird base, the

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fish base, the frog base, and the kite base. Here is a photo of what these bases look like. The kite base is the one we'll be using today. Once you have a base, you can add other folds to it to create a figure or an object, which could be almost anything: animals, insects, flowers, boats, or buildings.

Steps to Making a Swan

Today I'm going to demonstrate how to cre­ate a paper swan. I'm going to use an extra large piece of paper to model making the swan so it will be easier for you to see what I'm doing.

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• First, I'll fold the paper along one diagonal, and then unfold it. See how careful I am in matching the comers of the paper? This is very important. So is making sharp creases, which you can do with your thumbnaiL

• Now I'll fold the lower edges of the square into the centerline. Now I've got my base- the kite base, remember?

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Name ___________________ Date _____ Class ____ _

Speaking and Listening Skills Activity

Now watch as I flip the kite base over. Did everybody get that?

• Next I make a double fold like this, and then I do the same thing on the other side.

• Now I'm folding the point of the piece upward, and then folding the head of the swan downward. Did I lose you on that? Here, I'll do it again. Okay, next, I'm going to fold the swan in half like this, see?

• Now, pull the neck of the swan away from the body, and unfold the head

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and body. Presto! An origami swan! Oops! It's a little lopsided, isn't it?

I have learned not to feel discouraged when my attempts to make origami do not come out exactly as I expect-when my dogs look like cats and my cranes look like windmills. You should not be discouraged either. Origami takes practice, and practice is the key to good results. Have fun making origami. Your friends and family will be thrilled to receive your hand­made origami figures.

1. Sequencing What was the first step in the demonstration?

2. Analyzing What visuals did the presenter have on hand during the demonstration?

3. Expressing How did the presenter make sure everyone was following the steps correctly?

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Speaking and Listening Skills Activity continued

~ Applying the Skill Directions: Research other origami designs on the Internet or at the library, and select one that you would like to make. Practice folding the design until you have it memorized, and then practice demonstrating it in front of a mirror. Finally, give your demonstra­tion to the class, keeping in mind the guidelines in "Learning the Skill."

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Assessment Checklist Assess your demonstration using the checklist below:

D Selected a topic to demonstrate

D Rehearsed in front of others or a mirror

D Made sure I had all supplies needed

D Introduced the topic to the audience

D Maintained eye contact with the audience

D Presented steps in the right order

D Used humor to relax audience

D Used oversized props, photos, and diagrams

D Displayed finished product and handed out guidelines

D Allowed time for questions