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Senior Project
A Handbook for Woodland Hills High School
2014-2015
M. Beckett
D. Brown
J. Clawson
J. Danchisko
A. DeIuliis
K. McGuire
H. Moschetta
L. Silverman
Revised August 2014
Table of Contents
Introduction………………….……………………..…….…….2
Career Areas of Interest...... 3
Choose a Career Interest...... ……..…………………...... 4
Core Requirements and Process...... 5
Assessment and Timeline…………….…………….………...7
Controversial Issues for Careers...... 8
Topic and Thesis Statement Worksheet...……..…..…….....9
Thesis/Argument Brainstorm………………………………..10
Proposal and Parent Contract…………………….………...13
Credibility of Primary and Secondary Sources…...……....15
How to Find Publication Information…………………...... 16
Cover Page Guidelines………………………………………17
Notes Guidelines……………….…………………….………18
Sample Notes Format…………………..……………………19
Notes and Sources Rubric…………………………..………20
Draft and Final Paper Requirements…………….….……..22
Sample Research Paper...... 23
Research Paper Format………………….………………….27
Works Cited Format………………..………………………...28
Draft and Final Research Paper Rubric……………………29
Presentation Guidelines…………………...………………...31
Presentation Rubric……………………………………...... 32
MLA Format…………………………………..……………….33
WHHS Senior Project Introduction
CHOICES
One’s best philosophy is not
Expressed in words;
It is expressed in the choices
One makes. In the long run
We shape our lives, and we shape ourselves
The process never ends until we die.
And the choices we make
Are ultimately
Our responsibility.
- Eleanor Roosevelt
The Senior Project
The Senior Project is a major research project that focuses on a controversial issue within a career field in which students are interested.
Senior English teachers will guide the process and provide limited class time to work on Senior Project. Students will be assigned a Senior Project Adviser, who will grade their notes, outline, rough draft, and final draft. All work will be submitted to English teachers, who will deliver it to students’ Advisers for grading. Students will present to their English classes. College Now students who do not have an English class at Woodland Hills will present either to their Adviser’s class or to an English class.
After identifying a topic, the research begins. The Senior Project becomes the story of one student’s adventures in research. The purpose of the Senior Project process is to discover and organize the information for yourself and analyze and share the information with an audience. Research will be both firsthand (original information collected by the researcher, such as interviews, observations, experiments, volunteering, shadowing, etc.) and secondary (research through already existing sources such as books, reference materials, professional websites, professional journals, etc.)
Career Trends and Issues
· In an economic depression, the best investment you can make is in your own personal and professional assets. One way to make an educated decision regarding your future career is to investigate issues within that field.
· Start by selecting a career field that interests you and then research controversial issues within that field. The “Issues and Controversies” database through Facts on File on the Woodland Hills High School Library website provides a good starting point for identifying these issues.
· An acceptable controversial issue must have certain characteristics:
o It must be a public issue that is relevant to a selected career
o An issue must be clearly debatable (two opposing sides or points of view)
o You must be able to select a position and defend/support that choice
· The more information you gain from your own thinking and exploring, the more you will enjoy the research process – and the more your readers will appreciate the results.
· Your Senior Project can (and should!) be a tool that can enrich your future. If you are interested in teaching elementary school, you could research the pros and cons of standards-based education and create a lesson plan (and even present it in one of our elementary schools) for a particular age group. If you are science-oriented, you could research the advantages and disadvantages of the green movement and apply your research by testing and validating your results in an experiment. You could explore the corruption of DNA evidence in convicting and exonerating suspects in the criminal justice system. If the medical field interests you, you could present the benefits and dangers of alternative medicine. The possibilities are endless.
Career Areas of Interest
Name______Period______Date______
Directions: Visit the website of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Labor and Statistics (http://www.bls.gov/ooh/). On this webpage, you will find the Occupational Outlook Handbook, you can peruse all of the different types of career/job areas. Read through them and choose your top three careers/jobs. Provide three reasons why this would be a job that suits you. Use complete sentences.
Career/Job #1: / Reason 1Reason 2 / Reason 3
Career/Job #2: / Reason 1
Reason 2 / Reason 3
Career/Job #3: / Reason 1
Reason 2 / Reason 3
Choose a Career Interest
Name______Period___Date______
Directions: Based on your research about different careers, choose one career that interests you the most. Write a 75-word essay explaining why this is a career that interests you. Include the following in your essay: topic sentence, three reasons, and a concluding sentence.
______
______
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______
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RUBRIC – SCORE______/20
Content / Focus / Organization / Style / Conventions4 / Specific, illustrative development of ideas throughout / Introduction, body and conclusion show a cohesive theme / Well-organized flow of ideas and transitions / Descriptive, illustrative vocabulary and word choice / Evident control of grammar, mechanics, spelling, usage, and sentence formation
3 / Well-developed ideas throughout the piece / Evidence of a theme, but not throughout entire piece / Somewhat organized flow of ideas with attempt at transition / Somewhat illustrative vocabulary and word choice / Sufficient control of grammar, mechanics, spelling, usage, and sentence formation
2 / Some evidence of development of ideas / Some evidence of related ideas / Some evidence of flow and transition / Ordinary word choice and vocabulary / Limited control of grammar, mechanics, spelling, usage, and sentence formation
1 / Little development throughout / Little relation of ideas / Disorganized flow; little or no transition / Poorly used vocabulary and word choice / Minimal control of grammar, mechanics, spelling, usage, and sentence formation
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Core Requirements and Process
The project will consist of five major steps:
I. Career Topic, Tentative Thesis Statement, Research Proposal, and Parent Contract
A. Select a controversial topic within a career field of interest and write a tentative thesis statement (use Preliminary Thesis Activity on pages 7-8 and Thesis Statement Worksheet on page 9)
B. Topic must be broad enough that you will be able to find SIX sources of THREE different types, including at least ONE firsthand source; maximum of TWELVE sources
C. Plan for research
D. Goals for the project
E. Organizational plan
F. Contract signed by student, parent, Adviser, and English teacher
II. Evidence of Research
A. Sources
1. Firsthand (one firsthand source required)
a. Interviews
b. Shadowing
c. Observation/Participation
d. Volunteering
e. Scientific Samples and Results of Research
2. Secondary (five secondary sources required)
a. Books
b. Reference Materials
c. Professional Websites
d. Professional Journal Articles
e. Magazine and/or Newspaper Articles
f. Electronic Database Articles
B. Notes From Research
1. Guidelines for Notes
a. There are two deadlines for notes. Notes on background/history of the controversy are due in November and notes on both sides of the argument are due in December. The purpose is to ensure that students are formatting, paraphrasing, and citing their notes correctly. If their background notes are incorrect, students receive feedback from their Advisers so they can correct their mistakes
b. Students will take notes using pre-formatted notes sheets (see page 16 for sample). Notes will be in three categories:
i. Background/history on the controversy
ii. Opposing arguments
iii. Supporting arguments
c. MINIMUM six sources of three different types; at least one firsthand source; maximum of twelve sources
d. Wikipedia, Yahoo Answers, Ask.com, About.com, blog posts, and message boards are NOT credible sources and will not be accepted as Senior Project research
e. Web resources must be professional/credible sites
f. Paraphrase or summarize a majority of notes
g. Any notes taken word-for-word from the original must be in quotation marks
h. Proper MLA citation and Works Cited is required for all notes
- Turn in copies of all sources (except books)
- Highlight and number sources to correspond to notes sheets
Core Requirements and Process (continued)
Notes from Research (continued)
2. What to Research
a. Background/public opinion on the issue you have selected
b. Investigation of both sides of the issue
c. Detailed support for your side of the issue
III. Draft
A. First perfect copy of Senior Project Research Paper
B. Proper MLA format for page numbers, margins, font, paragraph & line spacing, and works cited page
C. Introduction ending with thesis statement
D. Body paragraphs starting with clear topic sentences developed directly from thesis statement
E. Body paragraphs developed with information gathered from the research and documented with proper MLA-formatted parenthetical citations
F. Conclusion evaluating the most compelling research and analyzing the significance/ impact of the controversy
G. Edit, revise, conference, and rewrite
IV. Final Paper
A. Five to eight page research paper
B. Parenthetical citations in MLA format
C. Works cited page in MLA format
V. Presentation
A. Present to your English class
B. Design and deliver an innovative and informative oral presentation
C. Present major research from Senior Project paper
D. Create an outline for the speech, due before the presentation
E. Enhance the presentation with visual and/or audio aids
F. 10 minutes minimum, plus time for questions and discussion
G. Rehearse thoroughly
Portfolio Requirement
Since the Senior Project is a process and work is assessed on a continuum, all students are required to maintain a portfolio of their Senior Project work.
The portfolio should contain all Senior Project work that you have completed and that your English teacher/Adviser has graded and returned. ONLY Senior Project work should go into your portfolio folder. Do not use your Senior Project folder as your English folder.
Include a cover page for each Senior Project assignment (except the Proposal and Parent Contract) when you submit it to your English teacher (see guidelines and example of cover page on page 17). Each time a new Senior Project assignment is due, all assignments that have been completed previously (along with their rubrics) must also be submitted in the portfolio folder. Lost Senior Project materials must be recreated, reprinted, or replaced.
Assignments to be included in the Senior Project portfolio:
· Proposal and Parent Contract
· Notes & Sources with rubric
· Draft with rubric
· Final paper with rubric
Assessment & Timeline
Below are the steps, due dates, and weights for the Senior Project process:
· The Senior Project Topic, Research Proposal, and Parent Contract
Due Date: Wednesday, September 24, 2014
· Research and notes on background/history of the controversy (copies of sources, MLA-formatted citations, works cited, and notes). Notes from one source will be turned in to English teacher approximately two weeks before this deadline. Resubmit the notes from the graded source with the remaining notes.
Due Date: Wednesday, November 5, 2014
· Research and notes on opposing and supporting arguments (copies of sources, MLA-formatted citations, works cited, and notes). Total notes (background and arguments) must be from a minimum of six sources of three different kinds, at least one of which must be a firsthand source. Resubmit background/ history notes and rubric with argument notes.
Due Date: Wednesday, December 17, 2014
NOTE: The midterm for senior English is an average of the first three steps in the Senior Project process.
· Senior Project Research Paper Draft: first perfect copy of the research paper
Due Date: Wednesday, February 25, 2015
More drafts may be recommended or required, depending on the quality of the first draft.
· Final Senior Project Research Paper
Due Date: Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Turn in all steps completed in the process along with final copy of Senior Project paper.
· Oral Presentations will encompass three to four weeks in the end of April through May. Specific dates TBD.
· The Final Exam grade for all 12th grade students is a combination of all steps in the Senior Project process. Grade breakdown is as follows:
Proposal: 5%
Research & Notes: 25%
Draft: 20%
Final Paper: 30%
Presentation: 20%
Since the project is a work in progress, assessment will be on a continuum. Each step in the process will hold significant weight in English class for each grading period as well as serving as midterm and final. Each student’s progress will be assessed according to criteria met, the standards, and adhering to deadlines. In accordance with Pennsylvania law, the Senior Project is required for graduation. Failure to complete or pass the Senior Project will result in failure to graduate.
Since students are aware of deadlines and due dates early in their senior year, late work will be penalized by 10% per day late, regardless of absence or excuse. Each step in the process must be completed two full school days before the next step will be accepted. If a student does not turn in the final paper on the due date, or if the paper does not meet the minimum requirements on the due date, he or she will not be eligible to participate in the graduation ceremony. Presentations may not be rescheduled. DO NOT schedule appointments of any kind on your presentation date.
Plagiarism is a serious offense, and Woodland Hills holds a Zero Tolerance policy on plagiarism of the Senior Project. Any evidence of plagiarized work will result in a “0” for the step plagiarized. However, that step must still be completed correctly (for NO credit) two full school days before the next step can be submitted. If the final research paper is plagiarized, it will result in a “0” and failure to graduate.
Controversial Issues for Careers
Name______Period______Date______
Directions: After choosing a career field, research and identify three controversial issues related to this field. Go to the high school library’s web page and consult the Issues and Controversies Database. Describe the controversy in three sentences minimum
Career Field:Controversial Issue:
(three sentence explanation)
Article Title/Source:
Controversial Issue:
(three sentence explanation)
Article Title/Source:
Controversial Issue:
(three sentence explanation)
Article Title/Source:
Topic & Thesis Statement Worksheet