End Of The Year Research Project

End of the Year Research Project Purpose:

To To To To

explore a topic that interests in a fun yet in depth way. improve research skills. improve comprehension of nonfiction texts. prepare a presentation using approved technology.

Description: You will select a topic that interests you and spend several weeks researching this topic on your own and analyzing what you learn. This should be a fun assignment if you pick an area that you are REALLY interested in, not just one that you think will be easy. During the last week of school, each of you will make a multimedia presentation of your project for the entire class. You will also turn in a portfolio, which is a collection of all of the work for this project. Requirements: 1. A Critical Review of Ten (10) Sources: for this part of the assignment you will locate, read, examine, and respond to 10 sources pertaining to your topic. a. One of these must be a book-length work and it will count as your 4th Nine Weeks SSR book. b. No more than two can be multimedia sources, though none are required(music, television, film) c. One of these must be an interview whether it be via email, in person, or over the phone. d. One of these must be a “live interaction.” For example, you could visit a museum, tour a facility, volunteer with a related organization, intern, etc. e. Each review must have one (1) paragraph summarizing the source and one paragraph responding to the source, discussing how it connects to your topic. f.

Each review must be on a separate sheet of paper.

g. Each review must contain the source’s MLA citation. h. Each review must incorporate a quote from the source. i. 2.

Each review will be graded for grammar.

Written Response a. You will create two (2) of the following projects regarding your topic: collection of poems, brochure, short story, newspaper article, song lyrics, cookbook, essay, book review, blog entry, podcast. If you have an idea for an alternative written response, come see me for approval. b. Specific requirements will be decided upon on a one-on-one basis.

3.

Artistic Response

a. You will create one (1) of the following projects regarding your topic: book cover, painting, sculpture, dance, musical composition, skit or play. If you have an idea for an alternative artistic response, come see me for approval. b. Specific requirements will be decided upon on a one-on-one basis.

4. Multimedia Presentation: this summarizes what you learned/created for your classmates using a Photostory, Video, or Website. You must present this during the last week of school. 5. Introduction and Table of Contents for Final Portfolio: Once you have created all of the above, you will rewrite and improve them, organize them with a table of contents, and write a one-page introduction explaining what you learned and thus, what the reader of your portfolio will learn by exploring what you have created. Think of the introduction as the text to your presentation. It should be in your own voice, hitting the highlights of what you learned and draw an overall conclusion from your research.

Timeline: Follow the below deadlines unless prior approval from me. January 8-March 13th –Consultation with Mrs. Speegle/Mrs. Horne and with me to help you decide upon a topic. *Please allow 15-30 min for each consultation. March 13th-

Topic and your plan due (25pts)

March 27th –

“Live Interaction” must be scheduled (15pts) Two critical sources reviews are due (60pts)

April 3rd –

Three more critical source reviews are due (60pts)

April 10th-

Two more critical source reviews are due (40pts)

April 17th-

One written response due (50 pts)

May 1st –

Final three critical source reviews are due (thus, your interview, book, and “live interaction” must be completed by today.) (40pts)

May 8th-

Artistic response and final written response are due (100pts)

May 15th -

Final Portfolio (a collection of all of your work, rewritten and organized with a table of contents and introduction) with Multimedia Presentation are due (400pts)

May 15th-20th

Presentations (100pts)

Need help picking a topic??? •

Think of a BIG question you want answered.

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Think of a course you wished we offered at Hewitt.

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Think of your favorite thing you learned this year and study it in depth.

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What really ticks you off? What makes you happy?

STUCK?? The science behind waves. How to make a bicycle. How to ride a unicycle. Why do we dream? How does memory work? How to play an instrument. Ballroom dancing. How do medicines work? Are we alone? Genealogy. Cake decorating. What does it take to have a successful garden? What resources are available for Women in our area who are abused? What is Barack Obama’s past? How to make a quilt. What goes in to Running a zoo? Animal shelter? Soup kitchen? How do rollercoasters work? How to sew an outfit. Ancient Civilizations. Speak a foreign language. How did they build the pyramids? What’s going on in the Bermuda Triangle. Tornados. Volcanoes. Tsunamis. How does the stock market work? What is a recession? Study a Famous author’s collection of work. Research a famous person in history. How do you edit movies? How do You make movies? Is time travel possible? How do planes work? What makes our personalities? What is it Like to be a magazine editor? Own a coffeeshop? Be a doctor? Makeup artist? How do you train a dog? How do you make a website? How do you ice sculpt? How do you fix cars? What does it take to put on A concert? World Religions. What is the American Dream? How do words make it into the dictionary? How has language evolved in the last ten years? Horseback riding. Are haunted houses real? Evolution. How to make pottery. How does déjà vu work? How to make flower arrangements. Current events. Why is there suffering? Nature vs. Nuture. Cloning. Gay marriage debate. Salem Witch Trials. Serial killers. Martial arts. Yoga. Ballet.How do search engines work? What is prison like? How do gangs affect our community? Plastic surgery. Study an illness or syndrome. Cooking. Northern Lights, Atlantis, Greece, Witches, Magic, Culinary, Breads, Pasta, Aliens, Vintage Art, vintage clothing, Native American culture, photography,

modern medicine, UFOs, deep sea diving, strange animals, film production, classical music, Titanic, Space, 20s-90s music, Bigfoot, NASA, Fishing, Nick Saban, Abstract art, Middle Eastern Cultures, Cars, Politics, Global Warming, Volunteering, Restaurants, Arab S.S., Charles the Hammer Martel, Ogo Pogo, Soviet Union, Donner Party, Quantum Mechanics, Crusades, Colonial times, Life after death accounts, Fantasy, Conspiracy Theories, Mass Murders, Serial Killers, Homicide, Angels, Modern Music, Penguins, Ice Cream, Jesus, Football, Cheerleading, Painting, Shopping, Country Music, Flowers, Chinese Food, Bible, Evolution, Ballet, Skate Boarding, Anime, Dream Interpretations, Zodiac, Mythology, Psychology, Drawing/Sketch, Instruments, Song writing, Music Production, Video Game design, Marine Biology, Editing, American Sports, Human Brain, Vampires, Supernatural Occurrences, Nuclear Physics, History of fried foods, Ice Sculpting, Languages, Fashion, Banjo, WWII, Kurt Cobain, Ancient Egypt, Kevin Barnes, Sharks, Nutrition, Holocaust, Interior Design, Easter Bunny, Santa, WWI, Civil War conspiracies, JFK conspiracy, Ancient Roman culture, Loch Ness monster, Botany, Making marbles, Fashion of the 80s, Dinosaurs, Jane Austen, 1960s, Comic books and graphic art, Job search, Global travel, Card counting, Outdoor Recreation, NY Yankees’ Franchise, break-dancing, anatomy, scuba diving, Global Communications, African Culture, Steroids, Mental Illnesses, World History, Aerodynamics, Air plane construction, Base jumping, Transportation, Education, Health Care, Grammar, Neonatal Research, Alexander the Great, Trojan War, Astronomy, Biology, Spanish Culture, European Culture, Modern Dance, 1940’s fashion, Creative Writing, Journalism, Renaissance, Shakespeare, Parisian Architecture, Horses, Modern Music Scenes/Locations, Personal Fitness, Rwanda Genocide, Social Work, Economics, Chuck Norris, Bear Grylls, Demetri Martin (Stand-up comedy), Internal Medicine, Pharmacy. The list is as infinite as your possibilities…