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PROJECT OVERVIEW
Name of Project: / The Rules / Duration (hrs): / Quarterly
CTE Course: / Digital Media/Multimedia Foundations 2 / Grade Level: / 12
Academic Course: / English IV/CCR English / School: / Seabreeze High School
Teachers: / Gwendolyn Coy, Alycia Severson
Project Idea:
Summary of the issue, challenge, investigation, scenario, or problem / Students in English IV must master informative writing, research and synthesis, argumentation and narration. They must produce written work that is at or near college level, which includes grammatical accuracy. After discussing these concepts in English, students will create posters with commonly confused words and grammar rules to serve as reminders of accuracy (formality). Each poster will be voted on by both faculty and staff. The winning poster will be printed and distributed to all teachers to be hung in their classroom. Student posters will also be blown up for a presentation in their English class. This will be done quarterly, with a slightly different focus (based on the primary study concept written above) each quarter.
Driving Question:
The question that both engages student attention and focuses their efforts / Details! Students will be placed in groups, with a picture of a placemat and ALL (yes, all!!!) of the various pieces of silverware, plates, glasses, etc., that go on a formal dining setting (made of paper of course). In their groups, they will have to put things where they go, and discuss why they would or would not want to dine at a restaurant with this standard. They will be given lists of questions to discuss and the idea of ‘formal’ writing will be introduced in this fashion. Throughout the year, this metaphor will be used to reference their levels of reading and writing.
Content and Skill Standards:
Those taught and assessed in the project / CTE Performance Standards
09.0, 10.06, 11.01, 11.05
Common Core/College and Career Readiness Standards
LAFS.6.L.1.1d / Recognize and correct vague pronouns (i.e., ones with unclear or ambiguous antecedents).
LAFS.6.L.1.1e / Recognize variations from standard English in their own and others' writing and speaking, and identify and use strategies to improve expression in conventional language.
LAFS.3.L.1.1f / Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement.
LAFS.4.L.1.1f / Produce complete sentences, recognizing and correcting inappropriate fragments and run-ons.
LAFS.1112.L.1.2 / Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
LAFS.6.L.1.2a / Use punctuation (commas, parentheses, dashes) to set off nonrestrictive/parenthetical elements.
LAFS.1112.L.1.2a / Observe hyphenation conventions.
LAFS.1112.L.1.2b / Spell correctly.
LAFS.1112.L.2.3 / Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.
LAFS.1112.L.2.3a / Vary syntax for effect, consulting references (e.g., Tufte’s Artful Sentences) for guidance as needed; apply an understanding of syntax to the study of complex texts when reading.
LAFS.7.L.2.3a / Choose language that expresses ideas precisely and concisely, recognizing and eliminating wordiness and redundancy.
LAFS.1112.L.3.4 / Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 11-12 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
LAFS.1112.L.3.4a / Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a word’s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
LAFS.1112.L.3.4b / Identify and correctly use patterns of word changes that indicate different meanings or parts of speech (e.g., conceive, conception, conceivable).
LAFS.1112.L.3.4c / Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning, its part of speech, or its etymology, or its standard usage.
LAFS.1112.L.3.4d / Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).
LAFS.1112.L.3.5 / Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
LAFS.1112.L.3.5a / Interpret figures of speech (e.g., hyperbole, paradox) in context and analyze their role in the text.
LAFS.1112.L.3.5b / Analyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations.
LAFS.1112.L.3.6 / Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
Common Core Standards – Language Arts and/or Mathematics
21st Century Skills:
Those taught and
assessed in the project
For descriptions follow web links / Learning & Innovation Skills / Info. Media, & Tech. Skills / Life &Career Skills
Creativity & Innovation / Information Literacy / Flexibility/Adaptability / Productivity/Accountability
Critical Thinking/Problem Solving / Media Literacy / Initiative/Self Direction / Leadership/Responsibility
Communication/Collaboration / ICT Literacy / Social/Cross-Cultural
Culminating Products & Performances:
Elaborate on products
Discuss publication and presentation of projects / Products:
Creativity & Innovation Rubric / Students will design a poster that includes 5 rules with both examples and a non-example. The poster will be designed to meet the needs of the target audience. Once the posters are completed they will be voted on by both faculty and staff. The top 3 poster will be printed in color and distributed to teachers to display in their classrooms. Also, every student’s poster will be blown up and used as visual for a presentation in their English class.
Publication/
Presentation:
Presentation Rubric / Group: All faculty members will be encouraged to hang the color posters in their classroom. They will also receive an email an email of the top posters that can be reproduced and distributed to students. / Presentation Audience
Individual: Students will have to be extremely careful about the rules they post and the examples they use. They will present this poster to the class post-production in English class and design a game using the concepts they have displayed. /
Entry Event/Project Launch:
Introduction/background information to set the stage / See the driving question (why is important to understand formality?), as this will be used by the English teachers throughout the year to reference the rules of English grammar. For example, s/he might say that today we are answering questions Snack Shack style, or we need to be dining at the Waldorf, but we have “McGrammar” here. It is a way to make light of the heavy rules that students disdain. The posters are not only a reminder of the rules for English students, but they are also reminders for every student in any class that these writing rules need to be followed. Students will review the rules of grammar regularly in class, and be given a list of choices for their posters each quarter. The rubric will be reviewed as a guideline and to garner student input. They will present the posters to the class for a focused review of the concepts on their poster. Since these concepts are the most commonly misused, the reminders will be useful for everyone. Students will be given prizes each quarter as an added incentive. This process will be repeated each quarter.
In-Depth Inquiry/
Need to Know
Discuss how the project engages students;
Develop student guidelines for each phase of project
Student Project Guidelines
Project Management Log/Group
Project Work Log/Individual
Creativity/Innovation Rubric / Since these concepts are not things students enjoy, we hope the notion of making a visual will encourage both engagement and mastery. Unlike other projects, this one will be on-going; students will be given a rubric (see above), and a timeline for submission. The first submission or idea will be due within two weeks of the quarter, revised project due two weeks after that, and final submissions due two weeks after that. Posters will be displayed for voting in the Teacher’s Lounge and in the teachers’ classrooms. Deadlines and rubrics will be posted in classrooms, on Edmodo and through other digital/electronic resources as reminders. This is a quarterly project; wash, rinse, repeat.
1.  Introduction and Team Planning:
2.  Initial Research Phase - Gathering Information:
3.  Creation and Development of Initial Artifacts, Product(s), and/or Prototype(s):
4.  Second Research Phase - Additional Information & Revision:
5.  Final Presentation Development:
6.  Publication of Product or Artifacts:
Collaboration:
Discuss collaboration among colleagues in teaching the project
Discuss collaborative instructional strategies utilized by students
Collaboration Rubric / Teachers:
The teachers will work together to develop a rubric that will be used to evaluate the final projects. The rubric is completed, and attached here.
Students:
The students will be introduced to Commonly Confused Words/language each day as bell-ringers. After a week, students will be given the rubric and project idea. They will discuss in groups/pairs what concepts they have trouble with, then choose a project from a list, or suggest their own. Students will be working independently on these, and will collaborate with teachers and students as needed, or per guidelines.
Voice & Choice:
Describe how students play a role in project design and implementation / The possibilities are limitless for student choice, as grammar has innumerable concepts for student selection. While a rubric has been produced, students will have the opportunity to edit it upon presentation. Students must consider the visuals, and create a poster from a tabula raza, and this is what should engage them the most, as it gives them absolute creative control.
Instructional Technology:
Select and discuss the technology-based instructional options embedded in the project / / /
Discussion:
Public Audience:
Describe how business partners contribute to project learning. / Business partners will contribute prizes, and encourage good writing habits as a pre-requisite for a decent salary. They will also speak to students about what an effective advertisement looks like, and we encourage them to design their posters as though they are marketing good grammar.
Assessments: / Formative Assessments
(During Project) / /
Summative Assessments
(End of Project) / / Other Product(s) or Performance(s) w/ Rubric:
Reflection Methods: / Individual
Group
Whole Class / /
Revision & Reflection:
Scaffolded feedback and “check points” should be routinely provided by the teacher within the collaborative instructional process. Feedback can be based on either teacher and/or peer evaluations / /
Teachers Voting / Students Voting

REVISED 6/4/2013 aDAPTED FROM ©2011 BUCK INSTITUTE FOR EDUCATION