Preparation for Graduation...

Important announcement:

Check in with your house teachers so that you can make sure the names on your graduation diplomas are spelled CORRECTLY and are FAMILIAR to you (and your family)...

Try to see the senior team TODAY, and if they, for some reason, do not have the list with our names that need to be checked (initialed for approval), check in with Ortega...I know she, for sure, has a list.

Be graceful and gracious my friends!

- an enigma

Blog 24: Last Presentation Reflection

Title: Blog 24:  Last Presentation Reflection
Label: Presentation
Directions: Please answer the following questions, and submit them to the blog.
Due Date: The day after your block presentation by 8:00 A.M.


(1) Positive Statement

What are you most proud of in your block presentation and/or your senior project? Why?


(2) Questions to Consider

a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your block presentation?  Use the component contract to defend that assessment.

AE       P          AP       CR       NC

b.     What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project? Use the component contract to defend that assessment.

AE       P          AP       CR       NC

(3) What worked for you in your senior project?

(4) (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your senior project?

(5) Finding Value

How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors?   Be specific and use examples.

Blog 23: Exit Interview Prep

Title:  Exit Interview
Label:  Exit Interview
Due Date:  Thursday, May 5th by 8AM

Please be advised.  The senior team will not conduct any exit interview in which the student has not turned in a passing notebook count and completed this blog.  In addition, you are expected to dress as you would for a job interview.

Content:

(1) What is your essential question, and what are your answers?  What is your best answer and why?

(2) What process did you take to arrive at this answer?

(3) What problems did you face?  How did you resolve them?

(4) What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?

Be prepared with evidence and specific examples to support any response.  It is also significant to cite sources as you explain.

Blog 22: Independent Component 2

Title: Blog 22:  Independent Component 2
Label:  Independent Component
Due Date:  Friday, 4/22 by 8AM

Content:  

LITERAL
(a) Include this statement: “I, student name, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents ___ hours of work.”
(b) Cite your source regarding who or what article or book helped you complete the independent component.
(c) Update your Independent Component 2 Log (which should be under your Senior Project Hours link)
(d) Explain what you completed.    
(e) Defend your work and explain the component's significance and how it demonstrates 30 hours of work.   Provide evidence (photos, transcript, art work, videos, etc) of the 30 hours of work.   
(f)How did the component help you answer your EQ? Please include specific examples to illustrate how it helped. 

Grading Criteria 

• Log on a digital spreadsheet under Senior Project Hours
• Evidence of 30 hours of work 
• Blog explaining and defending significance of component

Blog 21: Fourth Interview Reflection

 

Title: Blog 17 - Interview 4 Reflection

Label:  Interview

Due Date:  Friday, April 15th by 8AM

Please copy these questions and answer them in your own blog.  Attach a link to your video or sound file (at least 5 minutes of what you feel is your best portion).  As usual, you'll want an appropriate image to lead this.

1. What is the most important thing I learned from the interview?  
2.  How will what I learned affect my final lesson?

The text of this interview should be turned in to turnitin.com.  A verification form for Interview 4 can be printed out from the Senior Project Packet link on the side of the blog.  Do not forget to justify your mentor as an expert in your specific topic. 

Blog 20: Interview 4 Preparation

Title: Fourth Interview Questions
Label: Interviews
Due Date: Friday, April 15, 2016


As with each blog, you should choose an interesting visual to entice people to read what you have written.


1.  Who do you plan to interview?  What is this person's area of expertise?
2.  Post 20 open-ended questions you want to ask an expert in the field concerning your senior project. Your focus should be finding answers to your EQ.

If you have already interviewed someone two times, you aren't allowed to interview that same person without House teacher approval.

The interview itself is not due until Friday, April 15th to turnitin.com. However, we want to give you as much time as possible, so we are asking you to complete the blog now. Remember that in addition to turning in the interview to turnitin.com, you also need to turn in the verification sheet to your House teacher and post an audio excerpt of no less than 5 minutes on your senior project blog.

Blog 19: Third Answer

Title:  Blog 19: Third Answer
Label: Research
Due Date:  Thursday, March 3rd by 8AM

Content:

Just like you did for answer 1 and 2 post your:

• EQ 
• Answer #3 (Write in a complete sentence like a thesis statement)*
• 3 details to support the answer
• The research source(s) to support your details and answer
• Concluding Sentence

*Write your answer like you would write a thesis statement.  Please don't give us one or two words or start your sentence with "by".    Thanks!

Blog 17: Interview 3 Reflection

Title: Blog 17 - Interview 3 Reflection

Label:  Interview

Due Date:  Friday, February 19th by 8AM

Please copy these questions and answer them in your own blog.  Attach a link to your video or sound file (at least 5 minutes of what you feel is your best portion).  As usual, you'll want an appropriate image to lead this.

1. What is the most important thing I learned from the interview?  
2.  How has your approach to interviewing changed over the course of your senior project?

The text of this interview should be turned in to turnitin.com.  A verification form for Interview 3 can be printed out from the Senior Project Packet link on the side of the blog.  Do not forget to justify your mentor as an expert in your specific topic. 

Blog 18: Answer 2

Attention:  The Senior Team has rescheduled this blog in order to allow you to focus on your Interview 3 Submission.  Please take note of date changes.

Title:  Answer 2
Label: Presentation
Due Date:  Thursday, 2/25 by 8AM

1.  What is your EQ?
2.  What is your first answer? (In complete thesis statement format)
3.  What is your second answer? (In complete thesis statement format)
4.  List three reasons your answer is true with a real-world application for each.
5.  What printed source best supports your answer?
6.  What other source supports your answer?
7.  Tie this together with a  concluding thought.

On Friday, 2/26 for Advisory, you will be presenting what you have from this blog.  The presentation is more like a share-out and should not last longer than 2 minutes. You don't need a visual, and you should not read what you have written.  

Blog 16: Independent Component 2 Approval

Title: Blog 16: Independent Component 2 Approval
Label: Independent Component
Due Date:  Thursday, 2/11 by 8AM

Content:

Please review the component contract in the senior project packet.   The Independent Component 2 is an opportunity for you to add a dimension of creativity and/or an additional outlet for research.  The goal of the component is for you to explore your answers in more depth.  On Friday, April 22, 2014, you will be turning in the following to your blog to prove completion of this component:

• Blog post answering specific questions posted by senior team
• Log of hours clearly delineated as Independent Component 2 on the senior project hours spreadsheet (with total number of hours included)
• Evidence of the 30 hours of work (e.g. transcript, essays, tests, art work, photographs) as digital artifacts   

For this blog post and approval, please answer the following questions.

1.  Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.
2.  Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.
3.  Explain how this component will help you explore your topic in more depth.
4.  Post a log in your Senior Project Hours link and label it "Independent Component 2" log.

Your answers to the questions should be supported with details and examples for the senior team to understand what you plan to do.   Once we review your Blog Post 16, your house teacher will discuss with you the approval of your plan.  If it is approved, please start working on it.  If it is not approved, your house teacher will explain why.  It is your job to address the concerns so you can get your component approved.  Additionally, any changes requested must be addressed to your house teacher well in advance of the completion date for full credit on the assignment.

Lesson 2 Reflection

Title: Lesson 2 Reflection
Label: Presentation
Due Date: The day after your lesson presentation by 8:00 A.M.

Content:

1.What are you most proud of in your Lesson 2 Presentation and why?

2. a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your Lesson 2 Presentation (self-assessment)?

       AE       P          AP       CR       NC

     b.     Explain why you deserve that grade using evidence from the Lesson 2 component contract.

3. What worked for you in your Lesson 2?

4. What didn't work? If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your Lesson 2?

5. What do you think your answer #2 is going to be?

Independent Component 1

Title:  Blog 15: Independent Component 1
Label:  Independent Component
Due Date:  Friday 2/5 at 8AM
Content:  

• LITERAL
  (a) Write: “I, __________________________, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents ____ hours of work.”
  (b) Cite your source regarding who or what article or book helped you complete the independent component.
  (c) Update your hours in your Senior Project Hours link. Make sure it is clearly labeled with hours for individual sessions as well as total hours.
• (d) Explain what you completed.    
• INTERPRETIVE 
  Defend your work and explain its significance to your project and how it demonstrates 30 hours of work.   Provide evidence (photos, transcript, art work, videos, etc) of the 30 hours of work.  
  
• APPLIED
  How did the component help you understand the foundation of your topic better?  Please include specific examples to illustrate this. 

Grading Criteria 

• Updated log in Senior Project Hours Link 
• Evidence of 30 hours of work 
• LIA submitted to blog

Blog 14: Interview 3 Preparation

Title: Third Interview Preparation
Label: Interviews
Due Date: Thursday, January 14, 2016


Make sure that you include your EQ in the header of the blog. 


As with each blog, you should choose an interesting visual to entice people to read what you have written.





For this interview, you will prepare 10 open-ended questions that focus on your newly approved EQ (in fact, your first question can be your EQ).  Remember, all interviews must be done in person unless they are specifically approved by your house teacher.  Additionally, one person may be interviewed a maximum of two times.

1.  Who do you plan to interview?  What is this person's area of expertise?
2.  Verify that you have called your interviewee to schedule an interview.  What is the date and time of the interview?
3.  Phrase an open-ended question that will help you find research resources that would help to answer the EQ.
4.  Phrase an open-ended question that will help you think about other useful activities you might do to help you answer the EQ (IC2, possible experts to talk to, etc).
5.  Phrase two open-ended questions that help you to understand your interviewee's perspective on an aspect of your EQ.





The interview transcript  is due to turnitin.com with the 5-minute audio excerpt and entry to the blog on Friday, February 19th. In addition, you need to turn in the verification sheet to your house teacher.

Blog 13: 10 Hour Mentorship Check-In

Title:  Blog 13: 10 Hour Mentorship Check-In
Label:  Mentorship
Due Date:  Friday, January 8, 2016 by 8AM.

Make sure that your mentor calls your house teacher by this Friday at 8AM to verify your 10 hours!

Content:

1.   Where are you doing your mentorship?
2.   Who is your contact?  What makes this person an expert?
3.   How many  hours have you done during the school year? (Summer Mentorship Hours and Mentorship Hours should be reflected separately in your Senior Project Hours log located on the right hand side of your blog).
4.   Succinctly summarize what you did, how well you and your mentor worked together, and how you plan to complete the remaining hours.

*You need 50 hours plus the original 10 in the summer by May.   The original 10 from the summer do not count toward the 50.  By the end of the year, you will have 60 hours counting that original 10.

Blog 12: Holiday Project Update

Title:  Blog 12: Holiday Project Update
Label: Research
Due Date:   January 5, 2015 by 8AM

Content:

1.  It is important to consistently work on your senior project, whether it is break or we are in school.  What did you do over the break with your senior project?


2.  What was the most important thing you learned from what you did, and why?  What was the source of what you learned?

3.  Your third interview will be a 10 question interview related to possible answers for your EQ. Who do you plan to talk to and why?

Blog 11: Lesson 1 Reflection

Title: Blog 11: Lesson 1 Reflection
Label: Presentation
Due Date: 24 hours after presentation

1. What are you most proud of in your lesson, and why?

2. What assessment would you give yourself on your lesson? Explain why you earned that grade using evidence from the component contract.

3. If you could go back, what would you change about your lesson?  How can you use that knowledge to give a better Lesson 2?

Blog 10: Interview 2 Reflection

 

 

Title: Blog 10 - Interview 2 Reflection

Label:  Interview

Due Date:  Friday, October 30th by 8AM

Please copy these questions and answer them in your own blog.  Attach a link to your video or sound file (at least 5 minutes of what you feel is your best portion).  As usual, you'll want an appropriate image to lead this.

1. Please explain how you are spending your mentorship time (Is it at a workplace or somewhere else?  Are you shadowing?  Are you able to do tasks that are meaningfully related to the topic?  If so, what?  Are there other people who are experts in the location?  Etc...)

2.  How did you find your mentor?  How did you convince this person to help you?  

3. How would you rate your comfort level with your mentor at this point in your relationship?  How does this relate to the time you've spent so far at mentorship/with this person

4. What went well in this interview?  Why do you think so?  What do you still need to improve?  How do you know?  How will you go about it?

The text of this interview should be turned in to turnitin.com.  A verification form for Interview 2 can be printed out from the Senior Project Packet link on the side of the blog.  Make sure your parents have also signed the form approving your choice of mentor.  Finally, do not forget to justify your mentor as an expert in your specific topic. 

Blog 9: Advisory House Prep

 

Title: Blog 9 - Advisory Prep 3

Label:  Blogs

Due Date:  Thursday, October 22nd by 8AM

Please copy these questions and answer them in your own blog.  Don't forget an image to promote interest.

We'll have a house discussion in place of a research check this Friday to check in on how things are going.
 
1. State whether or not you currently have a mentor, and what the status of your interview is with that person (I have completed the interview, I have scheduled the interview, I have not scheduled the interview, etc).
2. At this point, your research is probably guiding your studies toward more specific areas within your topic.  Name the area or two you find most promising and explain your reasons.  
3. What kinds of sources do you think will help you in the next month to gain more research depth?  Where will you go to get them?
4. Write down a possible EQ.  Please don't worry about wording other than ensuring that it provides the option for multiple correct answers.  At this point, the senior team is most interested in understanding your thought process.

Blog 8: Independent Component 1 Proposal

Title: Blog 8: Independent Component 1 Proposal

Label: Independent Component

Due Date:  Thursday, 10/8 by 8AM

As usual, include a visual, and copy #1-4 with your answers in your own blog entry.

 What is it?  Independent Component 1 is an opportunity for you to add a dimension of creativity and/or an additional outlet for research.  The goal of the component is for you to explore your topic in more depth with this component.  On February 6, 2015, you will be turning in the following to your blog to prove completion of this component:

• Section documenting hours for Independent Component 1 in Senior Project Hours link (this should be documented regularly and can be spot checked throughout the year).
• Evidence of the 30 hours of work (e.g. transcript, essays, tests, art work, photographs) as digital artifacts.
• Blog reflecting on the work completed

To get your idea approved now, please answer the following questions:

1.  Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.

2.  Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.

3.  Explain how what you will be doing will help you explore your topic in more depth.

4.  Update your Senior Project Hours log.

To be approved, your proposal should be supported with details and examples for the senior team to understand what you plan to do.   

Next steps: Once we review your blog post, your house teacher will discuss with you the approval of your plan either face-to-face or as a comment on this post. If your idea is approved, please start working on it.  If it is not approved, your house teacher will explain why.  It is your job to follow up with your teacher.

Blog 7: Second Interview Preparation

Title:  Blog 7 - Second Interview Preparation

Label: Interviews

Due Date: Thursday, 10/1 by 8AM

The purpose of the second interview is to justify your mentor as an expert in the field.  You will be asking them at least 5 questions about their background and/or the background of the organization or company where they work.

1.  Who is your mentor and where do they work?  If their workplace does not reflect their expertise, what makes them an expert?

2.  What five questions will you ask them about their background?

The interview is due 10/31 by 8AM in numbered Q&A format to turnitin.com.  Additionally, a reflection of the experience as well as a 5 minute audio/video clip should be posted on the blog by that time.