End of the Year Project
A.P. Psychology
Brown/DesRosiers
FOR YOUR END OF THE YEAR PROJECT, YOU WILL DECIDE TWO THINGS:
A. Which of the following projects you will complete
B. Whether or not you will work alone or with others
NOTE: We will need to have the seniors present before the others. I will develop a schedule for the presentations as soon as I know which options everyone is doing.
All projects that utilize an online tool will require posting
Mrs. Brown: the link is on my AHS webpage…there is a form for each AP section
Mrs. DesRosiers: one form in which you indicate your hour
Your project choices are:
CHOICE ONE: MULTI-MEDIA PRESENTATION USING POWERPOINT, PREZI OR GOOGLE PRESENTATION…
Task:
Choose a psychological concept that we have learned in class this year and prepare a class presentation, which includes illustrative examples of this concept.
At least THREE examples are required; they all must be about the SAME concept:
1. ONE POPULAR VIDEO EXAMPLE e.g. the scene from Fried Green Tomatoes that was discussed in class to exemplify catharsis-(bring in the school appropriate video, show a clip or clips from it) Explain how it fits the concept and EVALUATE its accuracy.
2. ONE MUSICAL EXAMPLE: find a song that depicts or mentions the concept you have chosen. You must play the song…minimally the part of the song in which the concept is mentioned. Explain how it fits the concept and EVALUATE its accuracy.
3. ONE EXAMPLE FROM CURRENT EVENTS OR HISTORY e.g. from class events discussed in news or you could discuss history…conformity- the Holocaust? Describe the event fully and explain how it fits the concept AND EVALUATE its accuracy.
Decide:
You may choose to work with ONE other person.
I will be asking about concepts the 2nd or 3rd day into the project. You must let me know in advance what your concept is to avoid duplication. (First come, first served) Expect to present for at least half of the class period.
CHOICE TWO: RESEARCH FUN!
What is it? Conducting an actual research project testing interesting concepts
The assignment: You will work individually or in groups (maximum of three) to create an experiment, natural observation, or survey to test some psychological hypothesis. Once planned, this must actually be carried out and analyzed, so make sure it's feasible. All surveys must be approved by me in advance of copying and distribution. Keep in mind the principles of setting up a good experiment and experimental ethics (such as confidentiality of subjects)
Requirements:
1. If you choose to use a survey, they must be given to at least 20 subjects.
Observations or experiments should also have a large enough sample to make the results meaningful.
2. Reports on your research must be submitted as a Google doc allowing comments and be 2-3 pages in length. If you are working in a group, you are only required to hand in one report for your group. (make sure all names are on report and it is checked by all members before turning in) You will briefly present your results to the class. You should summarize your findings using one of the online presentation tools and upload to Google form.
3. Reports must include the following:
A. Hypothesis: Make sure your hypothesis has a psychological basis and reflects current research or findings. You must cite the research you derived your reasoning from when completing your lab write up. (what do you plan to prove?) One way to get started might be to think of a common behavior and then think of how it could be explained.
example: student classroom behavior
possible hypothesis: students are rowdier on Fridays than they are
on Mondays
B. Method used and why (survey, observation, or experiment, and describe details of
Your procedure. Include a copy of any survey given.)
C. Data (Results: What did you find? Include numerical information on responses and
clearly display information)
D. Analysis (What did your study prove? Were there any unexpected problems? How
would you make it better if you were to do it again?)
CHOICE THREE: CITIZENSHIP INITIATIVE
Task: You will volunteer in the community at an agreed upon facility or location. You must put in a minimum of five hours of time and these hours must be completed after the A.P. test. An employee of the location or facility will be expected to do an evaluation of your work. You will write a 1-2 page summary of your experiences and submit it as a Google doc allowing for comments. In your summary, include at least 3 psychological principles and how they may have played a role in the experience. (positively or negatively). E.g. modeling, conformity, extrinsic vs. intrinsic motivation, developmental concepts.
You will also do a brief presentation to the class to share your experience. Presentations will use a media program like prezi etc. They will be posted online. Within this presentation, you will educate the class on your experiences, encourage them to volunteer and inform them about the organization. Overall, it is your "duty" to motivate others to participate in volunteer activities, or at least give ideas to increase citizenship in the school.
Experiences must be CURRENT. They cannot be PAID. You may NOT do volunteer work during the school day.
Possible (not limited to) ideas:
- Day care, camp, hospital, nursing home, humane society, environmental group, school, YMCA, Oconomowoc Developmental Training Center (working with kids)
-
CHOICE FOUR: Guest Speaker!
Task: To find a resource (person J) that is knowledgeable on a subject that is of interest to you or others in the class. You would make all the arrangements: contacting the individual, scheduling with your teacher, notifying the office. Then, it would be essential that you have some sort of class interaction with the speaker. This could include having the class make up questions before hand for the speaker, or have an interactive activity during the class (demo. or "Pop Quiz"). You will also be required to write a 1-2 page summary of the speaker's presentation including why you were drawn to this topic and individual, and what you and/or the class learned. Make sure to include and expand upon 2 psychological principles in your write up.
Where do you find speakers? A great resource is any college or university in the area. Also, hospitals, clinics and other health facilities are usually cooperative. You may know a resource already! As with the other projects, you must upload your paper to the Google form and allow for comments.
A thank you note for the speaker is REQUIRED! You will make a copy of this note for me.
Choice FIVE:
AP video- Your group will exemplify a concept that could be used to educate others: Design, film and share a video on a concept or unit that really interested you (or frustrated you and you want to finally understand better)….The video must be school appropriate and content accurate. You may work with two other students for this project. You MUST not only present in class but post online for students to view. Your group needs to DISABLE the comment feature for this project.
*The video must be in the range of 3-8 minutes long
*Again, must be school appropriate
*Topics can be anything Psychology related…however, a valuable video might take on the idea of “How to survive AP psychology” …something that might be used to show next year’s students
*Make sure your video has a psychological basis and reflects current research or findings. You must cite or
credit the research you derived your reasoning from when completing your video.
Choice Six: AP Psychology demo design: Your task is to create a NEW model, game, review tool or original demonstration to illustrate a favorite psychological concept OR difficult concept from the AP curriculum. You may work with another person on this project.
1. Create the design and 'show' or use it with your class.
2. Display your design in the library, classroom or display case until the end of the school year. Please note: teachers will give more information on display options as we conclude our project.
3. Designs will become property of the AP Psych teachers to use next year.
CHOICE SEVEN: BOOK REPORT
v Choose a book that is relevant to psychology-fiction or non-fiction. IT CANNOT BE a book you have read for assigned reading in school or for a class.
v Read the book.
v Design a brief presentation about the book done on one of the tools mentioned at the beginning.
§ Include in your presentation:
Ø obvious info about- title, author year etc.
Ø main characters/descriptions
Ø which psychological concepts are exemplified- should focus on a minimum of 2 but less than 5. Describe whether the book accurately or inaccurately represents these concepts.
v summary of plot-(not ending in case someone wants to read)
v rate your book…worth reading? Etc.
A word to the wise:
Overall: A few key points for the final project
1. Take this seriously, and work conscientiously. This is a major part of your
grade.
2. Spend some of the workdays exploring and researching.
3. After exploring several options, make a decision and stick to it.
4. If you decide to work with someone, choose wisely.
WORK DAYS:
Presentation must be completed for all senior groups by May 31st.