For full content credit, be sure to adequately include the following information in your oral report outline/presentation:

I.  The Main Idea of the text.  What is the overall concept being explored in the text?  Evaluate: is this concept/question important scholarship?  What is the significance of the overall question?

II. The format of the text. How is the material organized?  Is it generally chronological or topical?  What are the various components of the writing?  Evaluate: does the format chosen by the author adequately deliver the main idea? If so, how so?  If not, what might work better?

III Specific anecdotes/information from the text that is noteworthy or interesting.  What grabbed your attention? Is there anything in the reading that you were surprised to see?  Are there any humorous “human interest” aspects to it?  Good quotes?  Anything you will definitely remember beyond the oral report?

IV. An Evaluation of the author.  What information is there about him/her?  Is he or she an expert qualified to write on their subject?  Is there anything in the author’s background that might contribute to bias?

V. An Evaluation of the effectiveness of the text.  Is it biased?  How so?  Does the author omit alternative viewpoints in the writing, or is he/she fair in his/her approach?  Does the bias of the author interfere with an honest approach?