Senior Project

 

         Senior Project
 
Senior Project		.5 credits		  

Marking Period Evaluation

	Welcome to the Senior Project seminar course.  This is a one 
semester 
class for seniors.  

    The Senior Project offers the opportunity for seniors to participate in 
one of two projects which foster independent learning outside of the 
classroom experience.  Students may select a Senior Internship or a Senior 
Research Project. The purpose of the Senior Internship program is to allow 
students with a specific  career interest to experience concentrated time in 
a work environment.  The Senior Research Project program offers students the 
opportunity to design an activity in which they apply the knowledge and 
skills they have acquired during high school to an area of personal 
interest.  In doing so, students will become actively engaged in inquiry 
around a topic of their choosing.  Both projects include a classroom 
component, a seminar class, journaling, and a formal presentation.   
 
    I look forward to an enjoyable and rewarding class with you!

    These are the steps you need to take to guarantee success in this 
class:  
	Come prepared to  class every day.  This means you should bring your 
notebook, pens and pencils for writing, and all work assignments.  
Motivation 
and hard work will increase your learning and the learning of everyone in 
the 
classroom.  During class time, I expect you to work on your assignments, 
work 
cooperatively,  and contribute to class discussions.  Sharing your ideas 
about your research and your internship experiences are an important 
component of the course.  

    	Treat everyone (this includes the teacher!) with fairness and  
respect, and you will receive the same in return.  

       If you are absent from class, check with a classmate or me as soon as 
you return for your assignments.  It is your responsibility to make up all 
assignments as quickly as possible. If you need extra help on any class 
work, 
I will be available after school.

If you are absent on a regularly scheduled work day (for internships only), 
please be certain to make a phone call to your work employer as well as to 
me 
to advise us of your absence.  Make this phone call on the morning of the 
day 
of the absence.

	
The grading for this course is on a pass/fail basis.

    Topics of study for the course:  

	Unit One:  Communication for the Workplace
	Unit Two:  Writing for the Workplace
	Unit Three:	Career Planning
	Unit Four:  The Inquiry Process and Research
	Unit Five:  Making Professional Presentations


These criteria will figure into your final grade.

  Attendance    

	**Daily attendance will affect course credit**
	**You are allowed eight unexcused absences from this semester 
course.**
	**If you are absent, bring a note from a parent or a doctor's note 
(if an excused absence) when you return.**

 Journals and Logs (20)  

	Journals and logs are an important part of the class.  Journal 
entries may be either a specific response to a question asked in class, a 
reflection about the research process or the internship experience, or a log 
of work completed.   Each entry should be dated.  If you are absent from a 
class, you should continue with your journal writing at home.    Journals 
will be examined throughout the semester.  Grades will be determined by the 
quality and quantity of the writing.  A minimum of fifteen pages (8 x 11) of 
writing is expected for each marking period.

	Journal deadlines are important.  I do not accept late journals.  If 
you are in the building the day journals are due, you must hand in your 
journals.  

   Folders/Portfolios (10)  

	Portfolios and notebooks will be examined through the semester.  
Keep 
all corrected papers in your portfolio.  Keeping your portfolio safe is your 
responsibility. I will provide space in the back of the classroom for you to 
store your portfolio.  If you wish, you may bring it to class each day with 
your notebook.  If you are absent, ask a classmate to let you copy the notes 
and classwork you missed.   I will assign points according to the 
organization, completeness and neatness of the portfolio and the notebook.

   Assignments   (20)  

	Students will complete assignments as they move through the 
curriculum units.  These assignments will be assessed.

   Class Participation  (10)  

	Students will share their internship experiences and research 
experiences throughout the semester.  Students will also participate in 
class 
activities which require role playing, simulations ,and discussions.

	
	
   Internship and/or Research Process    (40)  

The purpose of the course is twofold:
1.  To allow students with a specific  career interest to experience 
concentrated time in a work environment through an internship; or   
2.  To offer students the opportunity to design an activity in which they 
apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired during high school to an 
area of personal interest.  

		Students must successfully complete this component of the 
course to pass the course for the year.  


   Formal Presentation		Marking Period  Four	(10)  

	During the last weeks of the course, students will give a formal 
presentation to invited guests.  The purpose of the presentation is to allow 
students the opportunity to describe their learning activities to others and 
to reflect on the meaning of the experiences. 


    ****  Subject to minor changes if necessary  ****  


    Textbooks   

Goldenberg, Phyllis.  Writing a Research Paper:  A Step-By-Step Approach.  
New York:  Sadlier-Oxford, 2005.

Myers, Virginia Hunter, June Hubbell Smith, and Marcia Myers Swanson.  
Communication Applications.  New York:  Glencoe McGraw-Hill, 2001.

Riedling, Ann Marlow.  Learning to Learn:  A Guide to Becoming Information 
Literate in the 21st Century.  New York:  Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.  
2006.

Sebranek, Patrick, Verne Meyer, Dave Kemper, and John Van Rys.  School to 
Work:  A Student Handbook.  Wilmington, Massachusetts:  Great Source 
Education Group, 1996.