This activity is part of the Extinction Stinks! unit. 
 

• Remind students about the conclusions they drew from the Helping the Sumatran Rhino activity after evaluating two competing grant proposals to help conserve the Sumatran rhino.
• Ask students to list some of the strengths they saw in those proposals. Based on their evaluations, these may include:
• Clear storytelling that draws in the reader
• Justification rooted in research about the issues faced by the species
• Connects to other species besides just the target species
• Considers needs of human populations as well as nonhuman species
• Reduces costs when possible, but is realistic when costs need to be high to save a species in crisis
• Remind students about the importance of telling a good story. 
• Use the Elements of Storytelling infographic to guide students to tell a story that draws in the audience and makes them want to learn more.

• Have students organize into their project groups and retrieve their Grant Proposal handout from the Helping the Sumatran Rhino activity. 
• Facilitate collaboration among students as they draft each section of their grant proposal. 
• Remind them to follow the structure of the Grant Proposal handout and refer to the first four rows of the Proposal and Pitch Rubric to ensure that their proposal meets the criteria for the project.

• Once students have worked on their proposals, have student groups exchange proposals to provide constructive feedback using the project rubric. 
• Ask students to consider:
• What strengths can you identify in each other’s work? Where could they improve? 
• If you were funding projects, what would persuade you to accept the proposal?

This activity is part of the Extinction Stinks! unit. 
 

• Ask: Why is presenting your pitch with a broader audience in mind important? Possible responses include:
• Evoking audience emotions to encourage them to act
• Providing clear evidence to support the strength of a solution to secure funding
• Remind students of the presentation aspect of their proposal: Groups will be giving a two to three minute pitch of their proposed solution to help their target species, using the content they outlined in their grant proposals.     
• Model weak presentation skills by giving a pitch that is low energy, has no story line, and does not provide adequate detail to be complete. 
• After the weak presentation, ask students for ideas about what would have made the presentation more engaging or complete. Document their ideas in a visible place. Some aspects to highlight include:
• Making eye contact
• Speaking with a strong voice
• Starting with a story that draws in the audience
• Having summarized notes, such as note cards, to avoid reading from a script
• Using images or words (when possible) to help guide the audience
• In addition to student-generated guidelines for a complete presentation, ensure that students understand your expectations for the following criteria:
• Time limit (between two to three minutes)
• Divide speaking time equally among group members
• Including visual cues, if any (e.g., slide deck, pictures, poster)

• Provide students with time to prepare a pitch for their grant proposal as a group. 
• Ensure students use their group’s Grant Proposal handout (provided during the Helping the Sumatran Rhino activity), so that all parts of the proposed solution are included in their pitch.
• Students should divide speaking time equally and practice their presentation several times during class, if possible. 
• Let students know if you are inviting an outside audience on the final presentation day, and encourage them to be well prepared.
• Circulate and provide support in creating an energetic and informational pitch to present the information in their grant proposals. 
• Remind students that to secure funding they will need to include all essential information from the Proposal and Pitch Rubric.
• If some groups finish early, they can use each other as an audience to present to and provide one another with feedback.

This activity is part of the Extinction Stinks! unit. 
 

• Welcome students and audience members to presentation day! 
• Create an order for presentations so students know when they will be delivering their pitches.
• Collect students’ final grant proposals before presentations begin, if you have not done so already.
• Inform students that while other groups are presenting, they will need to listen attentively to assess one another’s work. Students and other audience members should fill out the Audience Feedback Form to provide feedback to each group.

• Direct students to deliver their final pitches to the audience. 
• At the end of each presentation, allow time for audience members to ask questions.
• If you have guest audience members, this is also a great time for them to deliver feedback in a timely manner in a way that is both positive and constructive.

• After the last presentation, distribute the Extinction Stinks! Final Reflection Form to students. Have them complete them individually. 
• At a later date, share some of the major takeaways from students' reflections on the unit’s overall structure and ask if students have other feedback about the project experience. This allows for feedback to be anonymous and for students to build on each other’s responses as a group.