Tom Romano
As we approach the end of your high school experience, it is time for you to take some ownership of your own learning. What do you feel you missed? What author did you always want to read, but never got the chance to? Did we miss in teaching you the literature you love? Now is the chance to read and study what interests you most. Start with the basic premise that literature is a mirror to our world. What can you learn from the books you read. Pose a question, conduct some research, and teach us what you’ve learned about your exploration.
- How does the world of the play/book inform what we believe about our world?
- What does it mean to be human?
The Components
1. Proposal: What is your area of interest? What will you read, research, write, produce? What is your timeline? (Blog Grade)
2. Engagement: Are you effectively using your time in and out of class? (Blog Grade)
3. Progress: Complete progress notes and reflection; Create Concept Map (Blog Grade)
4. Engagement: Are you effectively using your time in and out of class? (Blog Grade)
5. Product/Presentation: What will you produce to show for your work? Reading Notes, Annotated Bibliography with Rationale, and a Unified Vehicle for Presentation (Major Assessment)
6. Engagement: Are you effectively using your time in and out of class? (Blog Grade)
7. Metacognitive: 1-page reflection on your work and presentation. How did your thinking evolve throughout the project? In retrospect, what would you change? (Blog Grade)
Sources should include one major novel or play (that could be used on the A.P.E. exam) as well as five (5) of the following genres:
Your research should include 8-10 sources
Research Requirements
Sources should include one major novel or play (that could be used on the A.P.E. exam) as well as five (5) of the following genres:
- Novel
- Play
- Non-fiction book
- Documentary (clips or film)
- Short Stories
- Lecture/Speech
- Newspaper/Magazine Article (periodical)
- Academic Journal/Scholarly Article/Essay
- Poetry
- Art ( 2+ examples -contemporary/classical)
- Chart/Graph/Data
Your research should include 8-10 sources
Documented Reading
- Handwritten Notes (Blue Book Style)
- Note Cards
- Running Google Doc
- Diigo
- Sketchbook
- Dialectic Journal
The Proposal
Objective: To investigate an idea from an inspiring text in a way that synthesizes and conveys relevancy and connections in an interdisciplinary or multigenre approach unified by an original platform or vehicle to convey and present your sources, analysis, and conclusions.
- Anchor Text
- Driving Question
- Provide a short, descriptive title for your project.
- Summarize what you will do for your project. Describe the main tasks your project will require you to do. Explain what research will be involved in project and how it will be documented and used.
- Describe your final product.
- Timeline: How will you get it done? What’s your plan?
Proposal Rubric (Blog Grade)
A - Exceeds Expectations
Student has developed an interesting, thoughtful, and unique question based on an anchor text that will inspire their work. There is evidence of preliminary research and a thoughtful plan for continued research with at least 5 concrete sources to start and a plan for carefully documenting their reading and research. Student has proposed a creative unifying vehicle for their product and presentation as well as a detailed timeline for completion.
B - Meets Expectations
Student has developed an interesting, thoughtful, and unique question based on an anchor text that will inspire their work. There is evidence of preliminary research and a thoughtful plan for continued research with at least some concrete sources to start and a plan for carefully documenting their reading and research. Student has proposed a unifying vehicle for their product and presentation, but it may need some further revision. There is a timeline for completion, but it may need more detail.
C - Approaches Expectations
Student has developed a question based on an anchor text that will inspire their work, but it needs further developing. There is evidence of preliminary research, but a more thoughtful plan for continued reading and research is necessary. Student has proposed a vehicle for their product and presentation, but it doesn’t seem to fully connect to or support their topic . There is a timeline for completion, but it may need more detail.
D/F - Does Not Meet Expectations
Student may have a question tied to an anchor text, but the question lacks originality or thoughtfulness. Minimal research or planning has gone into crafting an initial plan for further reading and research. Vehicle for final product and presentation is simplistic or uninspired. The timeline is minimal as well.
Progress Conference and Concept Map
Prepare a Mind Map and draft of your Annotated Bibliography for this meeting. See Mind Map Instructions.
Prepare the following notes and reflection before meeting with your teacher:
- What have you accomplished so far?
- What still needs to be done?
- What changes need to be made to the original proposal?
- What is your new timeline?
Rubric for Progress Conference (Blog Grade)
A - Exceeds Expectations
It is evident that the student has prepared for the progress conference in advance, coming with meaningful notes (including an interesting, thoughtful, and comprehensive mind map and a 1st draft of their annotated bibliography) describing what they have accomplished so far. They have made thoughtful reflections on how their research has influenced or altered their original proposal and have made the appropriate changes. They have made specific references to the research/texts that has prompted these changes. This student has a clear plan/outline for how they are going to complete the rest of the project and the timeline for making the appropriate deadlines. Significant work prior to this meeting is very apparent.
B - Meets Expectations
Student has come to the progress meeting with some notes (including a comprehensive mind map and a 1st draft of their annotated bibliography) on what they have accomplished thus far. They have a general idea of what they need to accomplish moving forward, but may need to further clarify specific steps that need to be taken. They have reflected on how their original proposal has changed, but may not include details on what research prompted these changes. Their new timeline is evident, but is lacking some details throughout.
C - Approaches Expectations
Some preparation has been made for the progress conference, but specific details on what has been accomplished thus far are missing. Student’s mind map may also be limited in scope and the draft of the annotated bibliography is minimally done. There is a rough trajectory for how this student will proceed with their project, but the timeline is vague and lacking specificity. Student has made superficial reflections on how their research has changed their original proposal and make no reference to what has led to these changes.
D/F - Does Not Meet Expectations
Student has not prepared in advance for the progress conference. There is no mind map and no draft of an annotated bibliography. They have done little to no work on their project thus far and have not outlined a timeline for completing the rest of their work and making the appropriate deadlines. They have not made any thoughtful reflections on how their research thus far might have changed their original proposal.
The Final Product
Documented Reading (Blog Grade):
A - Exceeds Expectations
Student has documented their reading and research for the required number of sources in accordance with their proposed format for taking notes Notes are meticulous and show detailed evidence of thorough reading. There are specific quotations and details from the texts along with the student’s own reactions, reflections, and analysis that provide unique and thoughtful interpretation of the texts.
B - Meets Expectations
Student has documented their reading and research for the required number of sources in accordance with their proposed format for taking notes Notes show detailed evidence of thorough reading. There are specific quotations and details from the texts along with the student’s own reactions, reflections, and analysis. These notes may not be as thorough or complete as the A set of notes.
C - Approaches Expectations
Student has documented their reading and research for the required number of sources in accordance with their proposed format for taking notes Notes show evidence of reading. There are specific quotations and details from the texts along with the student’s own reactions, reflections, and analysis. These notes may be minimal and not show full understanding of the text.
D/F - Does Not Meet Expectations
Student did not document their reading for all of the required sources or does not provide specific detail from the sources to reflect on.
Research & Annotated Bibliography (Blog Grade):
A - Exceeds Expectations
Student has the required number of resources from the required number of genres for their project and credit level. Student writes a rationale to introduce the annotated bibliography that describes the research questions and synthesizes the information to be presented. Student describes each source sufficiently, providing its context and meaning, but also reflecting on why the source offers a unique perspective and adds value to the research as a whole. Both the individual citations and the annotated bibliography as a whole meet the standards of MLA formatting. There are limited grammar and mechanical errors in the explanation and analysis of each artifact.
B - Meets Expectations
Student has the required number of resources from the required number of genres for their project and credit level. Student writes a rationale to introduce the annotated bibliography that describes the research questions and synthesizes the information to be presented. Student describes each source but may not fully provide context or meaning or may not fully defend its value as a source. Both the individual citations and the annotated bibliography as a whole meet the standards of MLA formatting with few errors. There may be some grammar and mechanical errors in the explanation and analysis of each artifact.
C - Approaches Expectations
Student has the required number of resources from the required number of genres for their project and credit level. Student writes a rationale to introduce the annotated bibliography that describes the research questions and synthesizes the information to be presented. Student describes each source but may lack in context or meaning or does not attempt to defend its value as a source. There are many errors in MLA formatting. There are distracting grammar and mechanical errors in the explanation and analysis of each artifact.
D/F - Does Not Meet Expectations
Student does not have the required number of resources from the required number of genres for their project and credit level. Descriptions of sources are limited. There are egregious errors in both MLA formatting and grammar and mechanics.
Product & Presentation (Major Assessment)
A - Exceeds Expectations
The product and presentation are multi-genre in a medium that thoughtfully reflects the purpose of the research question. Within the the product is a clear and original argument and a deepened understanding of the research question. This product effectively utilizes a plethora of sources discovered throughout the research process and analyzes them in a way that clearly supports the argument that their product demonstrates. The product and presentation reflect significant time and effort. They are polished, academic, and well-planned. The presentation is formal, rehearsed, and engages the class interactively in thinking about the research question and responding to the presented material.
B - Meets Expectations
The product and presentation are multi-genre in a medium that somewhat reflects the purpose of the research question. Within the the product is a clear argument and a deepened understanding of the research question, but the argument may lack some sophistication. This product effectively utilizes some of the sources discovered throughout the research process but has a limited analysis that may not fully connect them to their central argument. The product and presentation reflect time and effort. They are polished, academic, and well-planned. The presentation is formal, rehearsed, but may not fully engage the class in thinking about the research question.
C - Approaches Expectations
There are some multi-genre elements to this product, but the purpose behind the product is unclear in connection to the research question. There is a superficial understanding of the research question that lacks sophistication. Very few sources discovered throughout the research process are used to convey their central argument. The product and presentation do not reflect the time and effort required. The presentation seems unrehearsed and does not fully engage the class in thinking about the research question.
D/F - Does Not Meet Expectations
The product and presentation are not multi-genre and have not been thoughtfully crafted based on the research question. The argument is unclear and lacks originality. No sources are used to support the argument. There does not appear to be significant time or effort made in either the product or the presentation.
Timeline: Senior IDEAS Project
Thursday 3/28 - Introduction
- Look at the concept of Capstone. Define Key words: Multi-genre and Capstone
- What does engagement look like? Students in Peer Review Groups. Developing a rubric for engagement in class with student
- HW: Reflection on interests and past experiences: Document.
- Introduce Assignment and Proposal
- Walk through model proposal for Gatsby discussing steps and process. Be sure to discuss nature of preliminary research/hypothesizing.
- Mock Proposal Assignment→ In peer review groups, students can pick a popular culture source as an inspiring text and draft sample proposals to present to the class.
- Presentations of Mock Proposals and live feedback on mock proposals.
- Students use Brainstorming Document and begin to think about anchor text and driving question.
- HW: Choose 1-2 Anchor Texts with Multiple Potential Driving Questions
- PEER REVIEW: Anchor Texts and Driving Questions
- What is preliminary research?
- HW: Choose Anchor and Driving Question & Begin preliminary research and draft proposal.
- What is research note taking? From Thought Co.
- Get Approval of Anchor and Driving Question
- Work on Proposals
- HW: 1st Draft of Proposals Due Wednesday
- PEER REVIEW: 1st Draft Proposals
- HW: Final Draft of Proposal
Wednesday 4/10 - Proposals Due
- Set a Goal. Achieve it.
Friday 4/12
- Library Resources & Source Reliability
- Set a Goal. Achieve it.
APRIL BREAK
Monday 4/22
- Writing and Annotated Bibliography and Rationale.
- Set a Goal. Achieve it.
Wednesday 4/24
- Making a Mind Map.
- Set a Goal. Achieve it.
Friday 4/26
- Planning Project and Preparing Progress. (Annotated Bibliography & Concept Map)
- Set a Goal. Achieve it.
- Set a Goal. Achieve it.
Wednesday 5/1 - DUE DATE - Draft of Progress Report
- PEER REVIEW - PROGRESS REPORTS & CONCEPT MAP
- Set a Goal. Achieve it.
- Teacher Conferences
- Teacher Conferences
- Set a Goal. Achieve it.
- Review of Product and Presentation. - Making a Checklist.
- Set a Goal. Achieve it.
- Set a Goal. Achieve it.
- Set a Goal. Achieve it.
Wednesday 5/15 - 1st Draft Product and Presentation
- PEER REVIEW - PRODUCT AND PRESENTATION
Friday 5/17
- Set a Goal. Achieve it.
Tuesday 5/21 & Wednesday 5/22
- Presentations
Friday 5/24
- Reflection Due
