Oral Presentation Rubric [ANALYTIC]

One of the best ways to assess students’ oral communication skills is to use an oral presentation rubric. It’s true, teachers spend a lot of time supporting students writing ability, but we can’t forget about the importance of oral expression.

When we look at a balanced literacy program, oral language is just as important as word reading fluency as a determination for reading comprehension. What does this mean? Learning how to listen and speak are very important literacy skills.

An oral presentation rubric can support both teachers and students to better understand the core outcomes of expression and communication in a classroom. In this post, we are going to discuss how to use an oral presentation rubric.

What is an Oral Presentation?

Think back to when you were in school and you had to do “speeches”. This is a perfect example of an oral presentation.

An oral presentation is a type of task where students are asked to independently describe (or teach) the listeners about a chosen topic.

Generally, these presentations are combined with some type of performance. The goal is to entertain the listeners. From a teacher’s perspective, we want to look for core literacy skills within the task. This is where an oral presentation rubric comes in.

How to Use The Oral Presentation Rubric

It’s never as simple as handing a student a rubric and explaining a task. Whenever possible, teachers should actively try to discuss the assessment process with their students.

Our Oral Presentation Rubric comes with five key assessment criteria.

1. Understanding & Reflection

A level 4 in this criteria would be highlighted as a superb reflection. The student would demonstrate understanding by defending ideas and using multiple perspectives. This is a core skill and would demonstrate the student practiced content to present. 

2. Depth of Connections

Students looking for an 80% or higher in this criteria would try to develop thick connections. This can be done by using outside sources to create depth and meaning in the presentation.

3. Delivery of Speech/ Conversation

We want students to understand that they need to project their voices and create a presence. Projection and expression show thoughts, feelings, and tone. A+ level students would also answer post-presentation questions in great detail.

4. Word Choice

Word choice in an oral presentation is slightly different than in written work. Teachers should look for excellent use of vocabulary. If the student uses academic, transition, and descriptive words to create a storytelling experience they have achieved level 4 on the oral presentation rubric. 

5. Non-verbal Presentation

How does the student conduct themselves in front of others? Does the student hold the audience’s attention with direct eye contact? Level 4 students should show body language is descriptive and helps with the visualization of discussion.

Make Student Assessment Simple

Every student will have a unique approach to an oral presentation. Just as each student will have a unique short story, each student will use different skills to create an oral presentation.

Use your SUPERRUBRIC to guide students’ understanding of the task. In our view, the purpose of an oral presentation rubric is not to assess the student, it is to create more transparency in how they can succeed.