Rmhs Senior Project 1

RMHS SENIOR PROJECT 1

Senior Project

2016-2017

RMHS APA FORMATTING GUIDE

for use in English and Governmentin preparation for Senior Project

Table of Contents

Rocky Mountain Letter to Parents and Students 3

Senior Project Purpose and Prompt 4

Senior Project Schedule of Due Dates 6

Research Proposal 8

Annotated Bibliography 9

Citing Government Documents 10

Senior Project Research Rubric 11

Senior Project Paper Rubric 12

Senior Project PowerPoint Rubric13

Senior Project Presentation Rubrics 14

Suggested Research Topics (2004-2014) 16

West Ada School District Parent/Guardian Authorization and Release Form (your copy to keep) 18

Explanation: What Is a Complete Paper? 19

West Ada School District Parent/Guardian Authorization and Release Form 20

NOTE: This packet does not provide the formatting for an APA paper in terms of cover page, the abstract, references page, or the pages for the body of the paper. For this information, we recommend using the Online Writing Lab at Purdue University:

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH SCHOOL

5450 N. Linder Road • Meridian, Idaho 83646 • (208) 350-4340

Attendance: (208) 350-4341 • FAX: (208) 350-4369

Dear Senior Students and Parents of Senior Students,

The West Ada School District requires all senior students to complete a Senior Project. The Senior Project is a compilation of researching, writing a technical paper, incorporating technology, and presenting the final product to a panel. Following are common questions students and parents may have regarding the Senior Project.

WHEN IS THE SENIOR PROJECT DUE?

For all seniors graduating Juneof 2017, the Senior Project Presentation is Tuesday, April 11, 2016.

HOW WILL THE SENIOR PROJECT BE GRADED?

The Senior Project will be facilitated through the English and American Government courses. Both courses will calculate Senior Project as 25% of the student’s total grade for the second semester.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE TEACHERAND THE STUDENT?

The role of the teacher is to facilitate and instruct the student towards demonstrating competence in research skills, technical writing, technology proficiency, and public speaking. Teachers will also support students throughout the process by encouraging them to complete each component as it is assigned. The role of the student is to select and research a topic thoroughly. Students will then incorporate their findings and recommendations to a panel comprised of Rocky Mountain staff district personnel. Finally, students must meet deadlines in order to be scheduled to present their Power Point presentation. If a student does not make a Power Point presentation, they will not meet the requirements to receive a high school diploma.

WHY DOES THE WEST ADA SCHOOL DISTRICT REQUIRE THE SENIOR PROJECT?

The West Ada School District requires the Senior Project for several reasons. First, the student will acquire many skills that are pertinent in today’s work place. Second, the Senior Project is an assessment for speech. Finally, the Senior Project allows students the opportunity to meet district and state standards through this additional assessment.

Respectfully,

Mike Hirano

Principal, Rocky Mountain High School

Senior Project Purpose and Prompt

Purpose: The purpose of the project is twofold:

To give students the opportunity to demonstrate and apply the high level of knowledge and skills they have gained throughout their high school career.
To evaluate students’ knowledge and application of state standards not tested on the Idaho Standards Achievement Test (ISAT).

“The Public Policies of a government are, in short, all of those things a government decides to do” (Magruder’s American Government, 2008, p. 4).

Prompt:

Identify a relevant researchable, contemporary public policy that is domestic or foreign in scope. Domestic policy may address local, state or federal policy. International policy should connect to U.S. foreign policy.
Research, analyze, and synthesize data related to the policy.

Process:

Write a technical research paper presenting the following:
Policy Identification and Explanation – identify the policy and explain the key points of the public policy.

History/Background – trace the history of the policy issue and explain what was happening that made it so the policy exists today. Include the influence political parties, elected officials, interest groups, and/or specific individuals had on the policy issue. Graphical support may be included in this section.

Current Situation - explain the current situation regarding the policy, including the effects/outcomes resulting from the implementation of the policy based on valid research and data. Identify and analyze changing factors which may impact the policy. Graphical support may be included in this section.

Differing Viewpoints – examine and analyze two or more differing points of view (though not necessarily opposing points of view), comparing and contrasting each. Graphical support may be included in this section.

Policy Recommendation - recommend changes to the current policy or address political or economic feasibility, and must be based on valid research presented in earlier paper sections. (To be considered for an advanced score in this category, students must address political and economic feasibility; refer to the paper rubric for more information.)

Graphical Support – include a graph or table presenting supporting data/statistics related to the policy and/or a political cartoon related to the policy. All graphic support should be referenced in the text of the paper and cited appropriately. Most importantly, the information presented in the graph/cartoon should be explained for the audience. Regardless of the student’s choice of graphical support, data still must be included in the paper. Students may use an appendix to include graphical support. Graphical support should be cited internally.

The paper should be submitted to Turnitin.com before the final copy of the paper is turned in for scoring.

Create a PowerPoint that highlights the key information in each section of the paper.

Orally present the results of research in a formal presentation, supported by PowerPoint, in which the main points are summarized and explained to a trained panel.

Refer to the rubrics for each component of the project for clarification regarding how each will be evaluated.

Grading Explanation: Government 12B / English 12B
Senior project will account for 25% of the second semester grade in American Government 12B / Senior project will account for 25% of the second semester grade in English 12B
Research = 15% of Semester 2 Grade / Research Process = 10% of Semester 2 Grade
PowerPoint = 10% of Semester 2 Grade / Technical Research Paper = 15% of Semester 2 Grade

See the Research Rubric for the assignments that comprise the Research Grade in each class.

The Senior Project Oral Presentation is a graduation requirement and is not included as a grade for either Government 12B or English 12B.

RMHS SENIOR PROJECT 1

Senior Project Schedule

Week 1 / Jan 9 / Jan 10 / Jan 11 (A) / Jan 12 (B) / Jan 14 (A)
Government / Legislative Expedition / Topic Selection Introduction
English / Welcome to the Wonderful World of Senior Project
Week 2 / Jan 16 (B) / Jan 17 (B) / Jan 18 (A) / Jan 19 (B) / Jan 20 (A)
Government / Topic Selection Introduction / Finals
DUE: LEG. EXPEDITION
English / Finals / Finals
Week 3 / Jan 23 (A) / Jan 24 (B) / Jan 25 (A) / Jan 26 (B) / Jan 27 (A)
Government / Finals
DUE: LEG. EXPEDITION / Welcome to Semester 2
½ LAB: Policy ID Research
DUE: TOPIC SELECTION / Intro H.B. / LAB H.B. Research
DUE: POLICY ID
English / Finals / Draft Memo
Read/Annotate Article
Summarize/Paraphrase Activity
DUE: SIGNED LETTER / Summarize/paraphrase activity
Read/Annotate Article
Week 4 / Jan 30 (B) / Jan 31 (A) / Feb 1 (B) / Feb 2 (A) / Feb 3 (B)
Government / Intro H.B. / LAB H.B. Research
DUE: POLICY ID / Intro C.S. / LAB – C.S. Research
DUE: H.B. PACKET / Intro D.V.P / LAB: D.P. Research
Return – Policy ID
DUE: C.S. PACKET
English / Read/Annotate Article / Read/Annotate Article
Begin Annotated Bib
DUE: MEMO / Read/Breakdown Paper
Sample One
Week 5 / Feb 6 (A) / Feb 7 (B) / Feb 8 (A) / Feb 9 (B) / Feb 10 (A)
Government / Intro P.R. / LAB – P.R. Research
DUE: D.V.P. PACKET / Unit 1 Curriculum Begins
DUE: P.R. PACKET
Return – H.B.
English / Score Sample Paper Two / Breakdown P.I. / Draft P.I /
LAB – Type P.I.
DUE: POLICY ID / Break Down & Draft H.B. / LAB –
Type H.B.
Week6 / Feb 13 (B) / Feb 14 (A) / Feb 15 (B) / Feb 16 (A) / Feb 17 (B)
Government / Return – C.S. / Return – D.V.
English / Break Down & Draft H.B. / LAB –
Type H.B. / Draft H.B. / Type H.B.
HISTORY AND BACKGROUND DUE / Break down C.S. & Draft C.S.
Extra research C.S. / begin typing C.S
Week 7 / Feb 20 (B) / Feb 21 (A) / Feb 22 (B) / Feb 23 (A) / Feb 24 (B)
Government / Return – P.R.
English / *B Day now leads!
Draft C.S. & Type C.S.
DUE: CURRENT SITUATION / Break down D.V. / Draft D.V. / Extra research/begin typing D.V. / Draft D.V. / Type D.V.
DUE: DIFFERING VIEWPOINTS
Week 8 / Feb 27 (A) / Feb 28 (B) / Mar 1 (A) / Mar 2 (B) / Mar 3 (A)
Government
English / Draft D.V. / Type D.V.
DUE: DIFFERING VIEWPOINTS / Break down P.R. / Draft P.R. / Type P.R.
DUE: POLICY REC / FINALIZE ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
FINALIZE PAPER
Week 9 / Mar 6 (B) / Mar 7 (A) / Mar 8 (B) / Mar 9 (A) / Mar 10 (B)
Government
English / FINALIZE ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
FINALIZE PAPER / FINAL PAPER DUE
PEER REVISION FINAL PAPER / FINAL PAPER DUE BY 3:00PM TO YOUR ENGLISH TEACHER
Week 10 / Mar 13 (A) / Mar 14 (B) / Mar 15 (A) / Mar 16 (B) / Mar 17 (A)
Government
English
Week 11 / Mar 20 (B) / Mar 21 (A) / Mar 22 (B) / Mar 23 (A) / Mar 24 (B)
Government / How to Make a PowerPoint
LAB: ½ Class – Create PowerPoint / FINAL POWER DUE BY 3:00 PM TO YOUR GOVERNMENT TEACHER
English
Week 12 / Mar 27 / Mar 28 / Mar 29 / Mar 30 / Mar 31
Government / SPRING BREAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
English
Week 13 / Apr 3 (A) / Apr 4 (B) / Apr 5 (A) / Apr 6 (B) / Apr 7 (A)
Government / Presentation Practice – Day 1 / Presentation Practice – Day 2 / Presentation Practice – Day 3
English
Week 14 / Apr 10 (B) / Apr 11
Government / Presentation Practice – Day 3 / SENIOR PROJECT DAY!
English

*All papers are due on March 10, 2016 by 3:00 p.m.to your English teacher.

*Teachers will notify you of your grades no later than March 15 and 17, 2016.

*Round two papers are due back to your English teacher by March 24th, 2016.

*If you are not proficient after the second round paper, you will then be directed for further tutoring.

IF YOU ARE NOT PROFICIENT WITH YOUR PAPER THE FIRST ROUND, YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE A PRESENTATION TIME.
YOU CANNOT PRESENT IF YOU ARE NOT PROFICIENT WITH YOUR PAPER.
PRESENTATION TIMES WILL BE SCHEDULED BY YOUR ENGLISH TEACHER.

RMHS SENIOR PROJECT 1

To: Mrs. Fisher; Miss Bunch

From: Joe Student JS

Date: January 29, 2017

Subject:No Child Left Behind

PURPOSE:

This is the PURPOSE of your memo. Start typing here; do not indent; do not have spaces in between heading and paragraph. This is where you explain the policy you are researching. Give the name and a concise explanation of your policy. Think about this as the “purpose of your research is to better understand” a specific policy. Enter two times.

PROBLEM:

This is the PROBLEM. Start typing here; do not indent; do not have spaces in between heading and paragraph. Explain why there is a need for research on this policy. Is there a debate over this policy’s effectiveness? Are groups of people trying to get rid of the policy? Make changes to it? What is the current problem with it, even if you do not agree. Enter two times.

PROCEDURE/PLAN:

This is YOUR PROCEDURE AND PLAN. Start typing here; do not indent; do not have spaces in between heading and paragraph. The procedure for research is explained in this section. What are some of your sources? What sources have you accessed so far? What is your plan to access identified sources? What are you going to have done by specific dates? You can use this to let your teacher know you understand what is expected in terms of due dates. You can choose to do this in a numbered list.

1. I am going to…

2. I am then going to look at…..

3. Etc.

CCSS: W.12.2.Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information so that each new element builds on that which precedes it to create a unified whole; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.

Creating an Annotated Bibliography

An annotated bibliography is a type of reference page created to give the reader a quick glimpse at the content within each source. An annotation is a summary and/or evaluation. Therefore, an annotated bibliography includes a summary and/or evaluation of each of the sources.

Each annotation must do the following in one complete paragraph:

Summarize: What are the main arguments? What is the point of this book or article? What topics are covered? Briefly tell your reader about this source.

Assess: Evaluate this source. Is this a good source? What makes it a good source? What makes it a bad source?

Reflect: Where and how are you going to use this source? This must be specific and answer both questions. What section of the paper will you use this source? What material are you going to use?

A sample entry should look like this:

Ehrenreich, B. (2001). Nickel and dimed: On (not) getting by in America. New York: Henry Holt and

Company.

This website provides a timeline of events leading to the creation of the internet. It’s a very thorough timeline with information ranging from the passing of the law to present. It also includes brief explanations of the changes over time. 90 percent of the material is useful because of the amount of detail the information provides. For cyber-security laws, this will help document history and background of events leading to the law. Furthermore, it supplied a great list of links to further explore.

Smith, K. (2010, May 5). An extremely amazing website for all to see. Retrieved from

I discovered this website by luck. It provides so much information covering all sections of my

paper. The authors do a very good job of offering correct terminology and definitions to better

understand the basics of the law. The website includes explanations of the variety of laws and why these different laws were included. This material can be used in all sections of the paper.

CCSS: W.12.8.Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.

Citing Government Documents:

Government documents follow a slightly different format than articles or websites. Use the example reference citations below as a model for how to format your references.

Public Laws: U.S. Statutes at Large/U.S. Code

Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act [USA PATRIOT Act] of 2001, Pub. L. No. 107–56. Retrieved from

National Environmental Policy Act, 42 U.S.C. § 4331 (1969). Retrieved from

State Code

Idaho Code §33-1222. (2009). Retrieved from

Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports

Theohary, C. A., & Rollins, J. (2009, September 30). Cybersecurity: Current legislation, and options for Congress (Congressional Report No.R40836).Washington DC: Library of Congress Congressional Research Service. Retrieved from Open CRS website: rpts/R40836_20090930.pdf.

Executive Orders

Exec. Order No. 11,609, 3 C.F.R. 586 (1971-1975), reprinted as amended in 3 U.S.C. 301 app. at 404-407 (1994).

Court Cases – U.S. Supreme Court

Winter v. NRDC, Inc., 129 S. Ct. 365 (2008).Retrieved from LexisNexis Academic database.

Senior Project Oral Presentation Rubric

SUGGESTED LEGISLATION (2017)

Warning: Drunk driving and animal cruelty (amongst many other) laws are very old (over 100 years old) and therefore there is very little you can find about their original enactments. If you want to research one of these two subjects, we recommend researching a recent change (amendment) to the drunk driving or animal cruelty laws, not the original versions. Also, if you are interested in researching history of legislation prior to 2003 you will have to go to the Legislative Library in person. The Internet doesn’t have everything you need!

Agriculture

Allows farmers to hire prisoners to work for them (2014 S 1374)

Crimes

Assisting a suicide is a felony offense (2011 SB 1070)
Made it illegal to recruit gang members and supply guns to gangs. (2006 S 1336)
Makes committing over three violations of animal cruelty a felony crime (2012 S 1303a)
Created the Internet Crimes Against Children Unit in the Office of the Attorney General (2013 S 1079)
Allows a victim of human trafficking to petition for the removal of a criminal history record. ( 2015 SB1154)

Diseases

Would have allowed children with intractable seizures to use cannabidiol oil to treat their condition (2015 SB 1146) (legislature passed it but governor vetoed it)
Grants a sales tax exemption to a camp for children with cancer (2014 HB 531)

Elections

Requires a voter to show photo identification before receiving a ballot at the polls (Voter ID) (2010 H 496)
Procedures for absentee or early voting (2013 HB 107)

Electronic Technologies

Provides that public libraries shall have an internet use policy which provides for a technology protection measure against obscene or pornographic images. (2011 H 205)

Motor Vehicle

Amends existing law to provide that texting while driving a motor vehicle shall constitute an infraction. (2012 SB 1274)
Prohibits grossly negligent operation of boats (2014 S1274)
Regulation of Transportation Network Companies, such as Uber, in Idaho. (2015 HB 262)

Privacy

Prohibits posting intimate photos of another out of revenge (2014 H 563)
Creates a secret address program for victims of violence (2008 HB 501)
Providing how student information may be used by schools (2014 SB 1372)
States which persons can refuse to provide DNA samples (2014 SB 1240)

State Government

To allow the POW/MIA flag to be flown in front of state buildings (2011 SB 1071)
State officials and pharmacists not liable for death penalty (2012 SB 1292)
To prohibit camping (by Occupy Boise or others) at state property and facilities. (2012 H 380)
Designates the Idaho Giant Salamander as the State Amphibian. (2015 HB001)
To create child advocacy centers for abused children (2014 SB 1221)

Students