Culminating Project Guides

Project

Letter of Intent

Student drafts letter.

Outline the goals and objectives for student.

Secure permissions and commitments (student, parents, mentor, teachers).

Research or Scholarly Paper

Develop questions to answer by research on topic.

Use varied resources.

Use knowledge and skills of writing, reading, formatting, etc.

Portfolios

Document hours of work on the product.

Document hours of work with mentor and advisor.

Collection of artifacts for presentation.

Thoughts of student.

Presentation

Makes a presentation to a judging panel.

Assessed on organization, speaking skills, overall presentation.

Must have been assessed on paper, project and portfolio before presentation is scheduled.

Implementing the Culminating Project Process

Senior Project Coordinator

Identified school staff member—it would be helpful to have the coordinator be a teacher or a member of the counseling staff.

Work as liaison with administrative staff.

Work with staff and parents.

Work with community coordinator (if used).

Community Coordinator (if used) - Retired or businessperson if available

Link the community to the school.

Link with all community service organizations, community clubs, groups, etc.

Judging Panels

A judging panel is usually made up of 5 participants.

Some panels discuss scores, others do not.

Allow no more than 20 minutes per student.

All impromptu questions generated by panel members to assess speaking skills.

Each panel should have a lead member and a timekeeper.

All members of the judging panel should attend a training session prior to judging

Scoring

Use of time.

Application of knowledge.

Problem solving.

Use of Sources.

Use of main questions.

Language.

Discussion of mentor.

Introduction/conclusion.

Other items.

Written Reflections

Student reflects on what has been learned during this process and how it will help him/her in the future.

What can be done to help students?

Senior Focus.

Graduation.

Entrance into college.

Getting a job—seniors believe they will receive "better" jobs after graduation.

Military service.

What can be done at a high school to encourage all dreams?

Talk to other students.

Public commitment to help students celebrate learning.

Encourage students to "tell" more.

Talk about independence and circle of life.

Create a Hall of Pride - pictures of seniors.

Have student sign a contract - when student is boss, student is held accountable.