INDEPENDENT STUDY

English 111 Mrs. N. Stairs

Spring 2009

Project Description

This independent study is a one-month project that culminates with a seminar presentation and formal research essay. The purpose of the seminar is to showcase the process of your learning in a field that you are passionate about. You will also be required to develop a “product” that represents a significant element of your learning.

Rationale for Project

The purpose of this independent study is to provide an enriching experience for English 111 students. The advantage of this format is it provides for differentiation in pace, process and product as well as allowing students to focus on their individual learning style. All three strands of the English Language Arts Curriculum are represented in this study.

This endeavor is an opportunity for you to challenge yourself as well as push yourself to reach your fullest potential (in the scope of the time allowed for the project).

Work Schedule

You must submit a proposal on April 22nd that includes your purpose, your rationale, work schedule, research plan and your justification of the actual process (the project is worthy of a month-long endeavor).

Each week you will have two to three classes to work on your independent study. The days provided will be at the end of the week. You must come to class with materials “in hand” each work day, and view it as an opportunity to work on your own learning. Seminar presentations will begin the week.

Outside of the time granted in class, it is expected that students will spend a minimum of two hours per week on this project.

INDEPENDENT STUDY CHECKLIST

Submission of Proposal by April 22nd, 2009
Mr. Paynter of AMEC to speak to students on proposal writing on April 14th.
Work Log- A work log detailing the date, time, and type of work completed on your project is to be completed and passed in with your project. It will be checked at the end of every week in class.
An entry should be made in your log every time you complete work toward your study.
See sample.
Works Cited Page must be completed for your independent study. You must properly reference every source of information you consult using MLA format. A minimum of seven valid sources should be documented. This will be included with your research essay. Should you have videos, visuals, etc that go with your seminar, an additional works cited page will be required.
Weekly Reflections should document what you have done to prepare for your study this week, what you have learned, and what your goals are for next week. It might be wise to use part of your in class time to this, or to do it the evening before your final week day of work.
See sample.
Self-Assessment and Peer Responses will be completed following the seminar presentation. This will be provided on your presentation date.

Independent Work Log (Sample)

Date / Time / Work Completed
April 24/09 / 9:15PM-11:30PM / Read eight sample articles from different Canadian sources on world issues to gain an understanding of and take notes on common elements in the various pieces, and assess grade level of vocabulary used. Grade level scale was obtained from Methods and Resource department at LHHS.
April 25/09 / 5:30PM-7:00PM / Prepared interview questions for editor The Gleaner for tomorrow.
April 26/09 / 10:00AM-12:30PM / Met with Peter Haggert, editor of The Daily Gleaner, and recorded an interview.
April. 28/’09 / 2:00PM-3:00PM / Listened to interview again, and made notes of the key points I learned. I have decided to change my focus to journalistic reporting of local events because there are many more primary sources of information I can access in this area, and this is the field I think I might work in.
Etc.
Etc.

Weekly Reflections (Sample)

Weekly Reflection #1 (Week of April 24th-29th)

I wasn’t sure where to begin with my independent study. I have chosen to focus on journalism because that is the career path I intend to follow. I initially intended to focus on “world event” reporting and began by reading several Canadian pieces and assessed what grade levels the various articles were at. I think this was worthwhile and gave me insight into the amount of objectivity/subjectivity in world news reporting.

On Saturday I interviewed the editor of The Daily Gleaner. I learned a lot from this, but realized that a lot of “World News” in our paper comes from The Associated Press. The number of career opportunities in this specific field is limited as compared to local reporting. My eyes have been opened to the demands of the journalist’s job, the opportunities for employment nationally, and the type of journalistic reporting that I want to pursue.

For not knowing where to begin, I have certainly learned a lot already. I have a better sense of my long-term goals for this study. Next week I want to contact some local journalists and have a meeting set up with at least one person to walk me through the process of finding newsworthy information, seeking sources and planning, and the writing process. I know this is a big task, but I at least want to have this set up because I think I will learn more from this hands on experience than anything else. I also want to call some publishers of various provincial papers and have some samples of papers sent to me if possible. If they can’t send archived papers, then perhaps they can direct me to on-line versions.

RUBRICS

I. PROCESS RUBRIC

CATEGORY / 9-10 / 7-8 / 6 / 5andbelow
Class Effort / Student maximizes use of class time and is extremely focused. / Student effectively uses class time is focused. / Student is somewhat prepared but lacks focus. / Student is prepared but does not use time effectively.
Work Log / Student demonstrates an appropriate amount of time on task as well as progress toward the final goal. / Student does not demonstrate appropriate amount of time on task and is not moving toward a final goal.
Weekly Reflections / Reflections display critical thinking in what they have done, what they have learned, and what their goals are. / Reflections display a thoughtful response in what they have done, what they have learned, and what their goals are. / Reflections display a summary of what they have done, what they have learned, and what their goals are. / Reflections take the form of a listing quality.
Note-Making/Documentation / Student displays an adequate process of documenting information that is organized and efficient. / Student displays a process for documenting that appears inefficient

II.  PRODUCT RUBRIC

CATEGORY / 9-10 / 7-8 / 6 / 5andbelow
Aesthetic Appeal / Product is presented in an effective, creative manner that is suitable to the topic. / Product is presented in an effective, appropriate manner that is suitable to the topic. / Product is presented in an effective, adequate manner that is suitable to the topic. / Product lacks effectiveness and therefore is not suitable.
Effectiveness of Product Choice / Choice of product is insightfully connected to the original topic. / Choice of product is thoughtfully connected to the original topic. / Choice of product is connected to the original topic. / Product choice is loosely tied to the original topic.
Time/Effort / Product displays exceptional work and effort. / Product displays very good work and effort. / Product displays some work and effort. / Product displays little to no work and effort.

III. SEMINAR PRESENTATION RUBRIC

CATEGORY / 9-10 / 7-8 / 6 / 5andbelow
Engagement/Enthusiasm / Speaker demonstrates strong interest and enthusiasm which is relayed to the audience. / Speaker sometimes demonstrates interest and enthusiasm which is relayed to the audience. / Speaker displays interest in the topic but is unable to engage the audience. / Did not generate much interest or enthusiasm in topic being presented.
Content / Demonstrates vast knowledge of subject and it is evident that thorough study has been completed. / Demonstrates knowledge of subject and it is clear that some study has been completed. / Shows a good understanding of parts of the topic. / Does not seem to understand the topic very well.
Time-Limit (~10 minutes) / Presentation is a minimum of 8 minutes and a maximum of 11. / Presentation is a minimum of 6 minutes and a maximum of 8. / Presentation is a minimum of 5 minutes and a maximum of 6 / Presentation is less than 5 minutes.
Organization / Student is completely prepared, has rehearsed, has considered pace and has a coherent presentation. / Student seems fairly prepared, some time has been spent rehearsing, the pace is adequate and the presentation flows well. / The student is somewhat prepared, rehearsal was lacking, pace is too slow and the presentation is weak. / Student does not seem at all prepared to present.
Voice / Speaker demonstrates a confidence in their presentation that is genuine and appropriate for purpose and audience. / Speaker is self-assured in their presentation and is aware of what is appropriate for purpose and audience. / Speaker demonstrates some passion for subject and is somewhat aware of purpose and audience. / Knowledge is limited therefore affecting confidence and little awareness of purpose and audience displayed.

BRAINSTORMING

PROPOSAL

This independent study is a one-month project that culminates with a seminar presentation and formal research essay. The purpose of the seminar is to showcase the process of your learning in a field that you are passionate about. The purpose of your essay is to demonstrate your ability to read, select, interpret, evaluate and synthesize information as well as write for an academic purpose and audience with accurate documentation of sources.

Because this is a one-month unit, you will be expected to submit a proposal worthy of such an undertaking. The scope of your study should fit the time you are given to complete this project. Not too big and not too small. Proposals are to be typed and submitted by April 22nd for approval. If the focus of your study were to change, another proposal must be submitted. An entire topic switch will not be considered.

Your formal proposal must include:

o  A specific topic choice with a tentative thesis.

o  A brief explanation stating the reason for your topic choice.

o  A justification of how the scope of your project’s thesis fits the time period for the project.

o  The outcomes that you will target with your study as well as the activities you will be using to reach them.

o  A goal for each week of the study and a tentative weekly work plan.

o  Your anticipated product to showcase your learning/process.

o  A justification stating why your project choice is worthy of an enrichment opportunity that goes beyond the classroom.

SEE GUIDELINES FOR WRITING A PROPOSAL

PROPOSAL WRITING

BEFORE YOU WRITE

The most common mistake that student or novice writers make is to start writing at the beginning of the planning process rather than at the end. Having a good story, a great plan, and proper preparation before you write is key.

For example, you may initially think that you want to do your independent study on Egyptians. Before you start writing, though, look more closely at the priorities, timeline, and other guidelines. Most likely, your emphasis is on the topic whereas mine is on what are you going to learn and what skills are you going to gain. For me, it is about skill acquisition and outcomes met—choosing your topic provides you with a purposeful experience and directed learning — in other words, work out some of the details of your project before writing your proposal. Think it over, envision your goals and timeline and come up with a topic of interest with a narrow scope.

Find evidence to support your proposal

With today's emphasis on data-driven decision making, it's important to scan the research and obtain facts that support your project. Use statistics and other evidence from a source or two, and answer questions about project specifics with specifics. An occasional quote can be very effective; remember, people give to people. I will provide you with passwords to a few academic search engines. Do not simply use Google.

Plan the project

Before writing, divide the project into its various tasks, map out a timeline (see your Schedule of Events for April/May and times allotted to the project), note the benchmarks (weekly), and identify the evaluation plan (rubrics). Creating a clear graphic timeline to refer to will help you write more clearly. It will also show you whether your timeline and planning are realistic.

Consider your Evaluation and Assessment


Effective project evaluation can be challenging. Be thoughtful. Take a good look at each of the project’s objectives (reading, viewing, speaking, listening, writing, and other ways of representing) and think about ways you might represent all three strands in addition to specific skills in each strand.

BEGIN WRITING

At this point, with your ideas outlined, your supporting research (some of it) in hand, your project-planning timeline completed, and your evaluation plan designed, the proposal will almost write itself. Put yourself in the place of your teacher. What are my expectations, priorities, and goals for you? What am I looking for?