10 Religious Holidays Not Yet Exploited by Hallmark

Presentations have 2 main purposes. First, they help convey information to an audience and, second, they get you a grade so you can pass the class. Both are valid purposes. In this assignment, you will create an informative presentation about unexploited holidays that has all the aspects we have discussed in class and which will be used in presenting the topic. Yes, you WILL be presenting this to the entire class. You need to create a killer presentation that looks good and is informative. Let's get started.

ABOVE: Japanese girls at a shrine, dressed
up for the Shichi-Go-San festival.
ABOVE:Iraqi Children Celebrate Eid al-Adha
ABOVE:Re-enactment of Mormon pioneers
arriving in Salt Lake Valley,
Pioneer Day, 1997
ABOVE: Buddha's Birthday Parade
Ravenswood Buddhist Temple,
Chicago, 2003

Direction for Presentation:

  1. You can work in groups for this assignment, see Weaver for the details.
  2. Pick one of these religious holidays. the only rule is that you CANNOT be a member of the religion:
    • Sikhism: Guru Nanak's Day
    • Shinto: Shichigosan
    • Christianity: Pentecost
    • The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints: Pioneer Day
    • Islam: Eid al-Adha
    • Buddhism: Buddha's Birthday
    • Hinduism: Diwali
    • Paganism: Samhain
    • American Indian: Sun Dance
    • Judaism: Shavuot
  3. Follow the "Right Path" steps while creating:
    1. Save the file
    2. Create all the slides
    3. Enter all the titles
    4. Enter all the text
    5. Change color, font, background
    6. Add pictures
    7. Add animation
  4. You can create any type of slide show you want just as long as you meet these requirement:
    • Minimum of 8 slides & 4 extra slides per person in group
    • History of the holiday
    • Specifics of its observance (How, When, Where, Why)
    • Modern applications of the holiday
    • Locations where it is most observed (maps)
    • How popular is this holiday - How many observe it.
    • At least 5 pictures that relate to the holiday
    • At least 2 cited sources (cited in the notes)
    • Observations, details, ANYTHING to make it interesting
  5. Create and assemble the project in any fashion you like (try dragging your notes from the internet right into the slide notes) but make sure you cite your internet sources in the notes sections of every slide. For example, if you copy and paste a picture from a web site, make sure the sites URL is fully listed in the notes. That way anyone will be able to go the web site and see the original picture. This applies to concepts/information as well as pictures.
  6. Keep the slides text a detailed outlines. NOT PARAGRAPHS! This is not an essay, it is a presentation. Type your speaking notes (word-for-word what you would say in front of the class IF you were going to present) in the notes sections. It might be easier to do this before creating the slide.
  7. Notice I didn't mention anything about color or animation? At this point, everything should be black and white (Steps 1-5 of 'The Right Path'). Now find a nice color, background, color scheme, etc.
  8. Proofread everything and let me know your finished.
  9. You will create in your Google drive and share with members of your group AND ME!

The Presentation

  • You will stand in front of the class and present your presentation
  • You must talk 5 to 7 minutes with an additional 2 minutes for every member of your group
  • You must use printed speaker notes
  • You must speak clearly
  • You must be interesting
  • You may not faint, puke, run out crying, or go comatose
  • If in a group, each person must present equally
  • Your grade will be based on 40% your sideshow, 40% your presentation, and 20% your participation in creating/presenting