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Multimedia in a Presentation

A 40-minute Grade 5 lesson on including multimedia components and visual displays to enhance the development of main ideas.

Multimedia in a Presentation is a free 40-minute Grade 5 English lesson plan for Common Core standard SL.5.5 — use graphics and sound in a presentation where they strengthen the idea. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the mathematics, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.

Grade:
Grade 5
Length:
40 minutes
Standard:
SL.5.5

Grade 5 · Speaking & Listening

SL.5.5

Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, sound) and visual displays in presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.

Objective

Students will be able to choose a medium that suits the idea rather than the one most available.

Students are successful when they can

  • Matches the medium to the idea.
  • Says why another medium would be worse.
  • Keeps the component subordinate to the talk.

What you need

  • Card, pens, devices where available
  • A presentation each
  • The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan

The lesson

Warm-up — four ideas, four media

5 min
  1. Match four ideas to graph, photograph, audio and diagram.
  2. Say what makes each match right.

Teach — the idea chooses the medium

13 min
  1. Take an idea about change over time. A graph fits; a photograph does not.
  2. Take an idea about what something is like. Reverse.
  3. Say what each medium is good at in one phrase.
  4. Show a component that upstages the talk and say why that fails.
  5. Say the rule: the component supports the idea, and the talk stays in charge.
“Do not start with what you can make. Start with what the idea needs.”

Guided practice — one component

12 min
  1. Students name their main idea and choose a medium.
  2. They justify why the others would be worse.
  3. They make it and test it on a partner.

Independent practice

8 min
  1. Students complete the multimedia page.
  2. It plans the component rather than replacing it.

Close

2 min
  1. Take one medium choice and its justification.

What goes wrong, and why

Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.

Chooses the medium they can make most easily.

Why: Capability drives the choice.

Fix: Idea first, medium second. If the right medium is beyond you, a rough version still beats the wrong one.

The component becomes the presentation.

Why: It took the longest to make.

Fix: Time it. If the component runs longer than the talk about it, it has taken over.

Uses several components for one idea.

Why: More looks like more effort.

Fix: One idea, one component. Repetition across media adds nothing.

If they are not there yet

  • Two media to choose between.
  • Give the idea.

If they finish early

  • Use audio where a visual is the obvious choice, and justify it.
  • Make a component that would work without the talk.
  • Say what your component cannot show.

Exit ticket

Which medium did you choose, and why would the others be worse?

What to look for: An idea-based justification. 'It was easiest' means the idea-first order needs enforcing.

Printable practice for SL.5.5

Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.

Questions about Multimedia in a Presentation

How long does the Multimedia in a Presentation lesson take?

40 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 13 min, guided practice 12 min, independent practice 8 min, close 2 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.

Which standard does Multimedia in a Presentation teach?

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.5 — SL.5.5, Speaking & Listening for Grade 5: “Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, sound) and visual displays in presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.” In plain terms, use graphics and sound in a presentation where they strengthen the idea.

What do I need to teach this lesson?

Card, pens, devices where available, a presentation each and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.

What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?

Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: chooses the medium they can make most easily; the component becomes the presentation and uses several components for one idea. The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.

How do I know whether the lesson worked?

The exit ticket asks: “Which medium did you choose, and why would the others be worse?.” An idea-based justification. 'It was easiest' means the idea-first order needs enforcing. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.

Is there a worksheet to go with Multimedia in a Presentation?

Yes — 1 printable SL.5.5 worksheet, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.

Is Multimedia in a Presentation free to use?

Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on 7 September 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.

Last reviewed 2026-09-07. Aligned to SL.5.5 of the Common Core State Standards for English language arts.