SENIOR PROJECT

The Senior Project

The purpose of the Senior Project is to allow you to choose the content of your learning, to shape the process of your learning, and to produce high quality work that is the result of your learning.

You can learn about anything you want. The learning process will involve hands-on experiences, research using primary sources, especially interviews, and research using secondary sources, most likely text. The specific nature of this learning process will be determined by the content you choose to learn about.  This is a significant part of your learning experience in second semester, and will constitute approximately 30% of your semester grade.

1. Research Paper
1. The paper must be 15-20 typed pages.
2. You must have at least 10 sources including at least one interview.
3. The paper should make an argumentative claim.
4. Research essay following MLA format with citations and bibliography.
5. This paper will be submitted on turnitin.com.

2. Hands-on Experience/Product
1. Either a tangible product, some “thing” that you created
2. Or, an experience or set of experiences applying the knowledge you’re learning
3. You should spend a minimum of 15 hours on this project.
4. Document your project either in words, pictures, sounds and/or video.
5. (Note: You cannot be paid or get course credit for your hands-on work.)

3. Presentation
1. a 15-minute presentation.
2. Shares your product or your experiences with your classmates.
3. On the day of your presentation, you will submit a reflection detailing what you did and what you learned in your work on the senior project. (Assignment sheet to follow.)
4. The presentation is an important part of the Project, but is not a major part of the grade as compared to the Research paper and the Hands-on/Experience work.

Ideally, the work on the paper, the research you are doing, and the work on the hands-on product, are very much in accord— in some cases essentially the same thing.

Timeline

Note: these dates are approximate. Please check the online calendar for exact dates.

All assignment sheets are available in the AP Lit eBinder.

Due date	Assignment due
September	Research Treasure Hunt Part I
October	Research Treasure Hunt Part II due
November	Senior Project Proposal due
November	Finish first ½ of Senior Project book
Early December	Finish Senior Project book
Early December	Final draft of Senior Project book essay
Early January	Senior Project Update
Late January	Annotated Bibliography (at least 10 sources)
Early February	Draft of Interpretive Claim/Argument + Outline Due
Mid-February	SP 5-Page: Draft or Detailed Outline Due
Early March	SP – 80% Draft Due- Peer edit
Late March	Complete draft due
Early-Mid April	Final draft due
Mid-May	Senior Project Presentations

Tips and Reminders

1. Find something you really want to do!

• You should look forward to doing this work. Make sure your research and project work are sufficiently focused and doable that you can complete a satisfying experience by April of next year.
• You can learn about anything you want! Your paper can take a great variety of forms. The whole point of this project is that you do something you want to do that leads to high quality work.
• You will get a bit burned out on your work. This is normal. So long as the central purpose of the project has meaning to you, keep going. You will be happy when you have completed an excellent project.

2. Take time to select a topic thoughtfully

Does this subject really interest you? This project gives you the opportunity to select and design a major portion of your academic work. Choosing a subject of genuine interest will make the work interesting and valuable to you.

Are mentors and ample sources of information readily available? Material for your research should be obtainable. Most important, community members and experts in the field are essential resources. City and county libraries complement our limited high school resources. College, university, and state libraries expand your capability to retrieve data.

Can a personally meaningful and challenging project be developed from this topic? Whether you create a product, present a performance, or perform a service you need to feel that the work you do is meaningful and challenging to you.

Is the topic, along with the related project, one that you would want to present to an audience? You must be willing to share your work with your teacher and with other students.

Can you focus the topic? It is better to have a focused topic that is fully developed than a broad topic that cannot be adequately covered in a paper of the length required for this assignment.

Does this topic offer a challenge? If you are conducting real research you will discover new material-new facts, new ideas, new opinions, new insights. Above all, you should select a topic that will allow you to go beyond your current base of knowledge, ideas, opinions and insights.

Has the topic been agreed upon by the student, parent, and teacher? It is important that your teacher, parents, and others involved in the project understand the expectations and plans for your project. Parents sign your project proposal to acknowledge their understanding of the project. To facilitate this communication, you will complete a formal project proposal describing where and from whom the research will be collected, what the paper might cover, and what kind of project the topic might generate.

3. Remember: This is a research paper, not a report.

Report	vs.	Research Paper
Process - Collect, Organize, and compile information Authority - You depend on experts to ask the right questions and give the right answers Reporter’s Role - intellectual observer; you’re passive.		Choose a topic that is open for debate Gather information from many different sources Develop your own position Formulate your own position or argument based on your own thinking. Become an authority on your topic by borrowing, comparing, rejecting, or agreeing with your sources. Explain your own thinking in the core of your paper.

Examples from the past

Topic: rock climbing

Paper: Focused on women’s issues in rock climbing. Through her research, interviews, and personal experiences, she focused on the benefits of rock climbing for women. Her paper focused on the physical as well as mental benefits of rock climbing. She interviewed two professional rock climbers and an indoor rock climbing gym owner. She also incorporated her own experiences and kept track of the benefits she was receiving from rock climbing.

Product/Experience: She performed climbs at several gyms building her difficulty level considerably. She also performed an outdoor climb at Yosemite National Park.

Presentation: She focused on presenting the information she had learned through writing her paper to the class. She made a poster that focused on the women’s issues. She also brought her equipment in and showed a member of the class how to set up for a climb.

Topic: migrant farm workers

Paper: Focused on issues facing current migrant farm workers in Salinas. She researched the history of migrant farm workers in California and controversies surrounding migrant workers today. She interviewed over a dozen migrant farm workers in Salinas.

Product/Experience: She spent two days on a migrant farm and stayed overnight in a migrant farm worker’s house. She documented her experiences with photographs and journals.

Presentation: She shared a video clip portraying migrant farm workers, presented facts about hardships migrant farm workers face, and talked about her observations and conclusions.

Topic: coaching

Paper: Focused on coaching methods. He read two biographies describing famous coaches and their styles. He also read different manuals and books about strategies to motivate athletes.

Product/Experience: He volunteered to coach a middle school girls’ basketball team. He kept a journal listing strategies he used at different practices or games; he explained what worked and what didn’t.

Presentation: He shared photos he took of different games and ran through a few drills with the class. He explained his personal philosophy of coaching and how it had evolved.

Topic: dyslexia

Paper: Focused on dyslexia.  This student wrote a guide for parents who have children with learning disabilities, specifically dyslexia. She incorporated secondary research as well as personal interviews and her own experiences. She interviewed a teacher and the principal of the Charles Armstrong School for children with learning disabilities.

Product/Experience: She researched the different teaching techniques used with dyslexic children. She formulated her own lesson plan and taught a class at Charles Armstrong School.

Presentation: She recalled her experiences teaching at the Charles Armstrong School. She gave a demonstration to the students on what it is like be dyslexic. She also highlighted some of the information that she gathered for her paper. She shared a poster with information and pictures of her day teaching.

Topic: orthopedic surgical procedures for canines

Paper: Focused on the controversial question of how to repair the hind legs of large dogs. This student explained how and why a dog’s ruptured ligaments can be replaced. He explored three different procedures including the controversial Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy; he also looked into the ethics of the T.P.L.O.  He interviewed several veterinarians, read veterinary journals, and studied veterinary texts.

Product/Experience: He volunteered at a veterinary clinic and observed several orthopedic surgeries performed on dogs.   

Presentation: He brought in charts, diagrams, and synthetic canine joints to explain the forces on the bones and ligaments.  He showed photos of actual operations and explained the controversies surrounding the T.P.L.O. procedure.