Wando High School

WANDO HIGH SCHOOL

SENIOR

THESIS

WARRIOR PROJECT

STUDENT HANDBOOK

FALL 2012~ENGLISH IV-CP

CONTENTS

Explanation and Major Components of Senior Thesis3

General Policies, Information, and Overview of Process4

Senior Thesis Time Line5

Quarter One

PERSONAL ESSAY

Personal Essay Guidelines7

Personal Essay Rubric8

TOPIC SELECTION

Topic Selection Guidelines10

Sample Topics11

Topic Proposal Form 12

Topic Proposal Form Re-do13

TOPIC PRESENTATION

Topic Presentation Guidelines and Rubric15

PARTICIPATION LOGS

Weekly Progression, Participation and Reflection Logs17-28

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Annotated Bibliography Guidelines30

Source Evaluation Forms31-44

Annotated Bibliography Sample45

Annotated Bibliography Rubric46

JOB SHADOW & INTERVIEW

Job Shadow Guidelines48

Job Shadow Permission Form49

Job Shadow Contact Log50

Job Shadow Experience Log51

Interview Guidelines52

Interview Sample and Rubric53

Thank You Note Guidelines and Rubric54

Thank You Note Sample55

PRESENTATION #2

Presentation #2 Guidelines and Rubric27

Guidelines for Introduction/Background Paper&Rubric59

Quarter Two

RESEARCH PAPER

Research Paper Guidelines &Sample Outline60-61

Research Paper Rubric62

COVER LETTER & RESUME

Cover Letter Sample64

Resume Samples65-66

Cover Letter and Resume Rubric67

PORTFOLIO

Portfolio Guidelines69

Portfolio Rubric70

FINAL PRESENTATION

Final Presentation Guidelines72-73

PowerPoint Outline74

Presentation Outline75

Final Presentation Rubric76-77

DressCode Form for Presentation78

SELF-EVALUATION PAPER

Self-Evaluation Paper Guidelines and Rubric80

EXPLANATION OF SENIOR THESIS

High school seniors are nearing the completion of 12 years of education. They have taken a variety of courses and developed an assortment of skills during those years. The senior year is a time for students to combine their knowledge and skills in a senior thesis to show what they have learned by choosing an area of interest and conducting in-depth research. The senior thesis contributes to a strong senior year of challenging courses and practical experiences that prepare students for the next step in the workforce and further education.

A senior thesis involves several steps. First, students select a topic, gather information, write a research paper, and keep a portfolio of project activities. Second, students prepare a presentation that applies some aspect of the research. Then, students make this formal presentation to a panel composed of teachers and community leaders. After the presentation, members of the panel ask questions about the research, inquire what students learned during the process, and review the portfolios.

Students are not alone during the development of their thesis projects. Each student will primarily use his or her English IV teacher for guidance and as a resource throughout the project. In addition, students may work with a member of the community who has expertise in their chosen area.

Senior theses are challenging. They require considerable effort on the part of the student in showing what he or she has learned. A successful senior thesis requires students to plan in order to meet deadlines and manage the project successfully. Students have opportunities to gather information, integrate academic and career/ technical studies, develop verbal and nonverbal communication skills, and feel a sense of accomplishment for a job well done.

MAJOR COMPONENTS OF SENIOR THESIS

Portfolio 20% - Participation 20% - Presentation 60%

Each student is graded according to the rubrics in the handbook. All students enrolled in English IV-CP and Honors classes are required to complete a Senior Thesis. The Senior Thesis has a computational weight of 20 percent in the final course average for English IV and is an integral part of both quarterly grades.

PORTFOLIO

Students will create a portfolio of work. This portfolio documents all the work, time, and money that students put into their projects through the course of the semester. The portfolio should reflect each student’s “journey” through the process and document his or her work. Allreturned and revised work must be included in a student’sportfolio. Included work includes but is not limited to: annotated bibliography, research paper, resume, cover letter, topic proposal, product proposal, project reflection, and presentation outline.

PARTICIPATION

Because the senior thesis is such an in-depth and lengthy project, students are given a great deal of time in class to work on assignments. Students are expected to employ time management skills throughout the process to finish the project on time. Students will plan weekly the assignments to be completed and reflect upon the work done at the end of each week. These planning/reflection logs will be collected weekly and graded in consideration of the work ethic shown in class.

PRESENTATION

All students are required to attend and present their project at a scheduled time. Any student failing to appear at the scheduled time will receive a zero for the presentation component. Any student who reschedules an appointment for unexcused reasons will automatically lose 30 percent of the presentation grade, which means the highest score possible on the presentation is a 70. Special circumstances may be presented to the teacher at least 2 weeks prior to presentation dates in order to avoid penalty.

GENERAL POLICIES AND INFORMATION

Late Policy for Missing Senior Thesis Deadlines

The late penalty for Senior Thesis work is 10 points per day for any late assignment. If students are absent or leave school early, all work is still due on the assigned date. When absent, students should email the due assignment to their English IV teacher and then bring in a hard copy of the assignment upon return to school.

Losing Handbook

At the beginning of the semester, each student receives his or her own personal copy of the current Senior Thesis Handbook in a three-ring binder. This handbook contains all the necessary information and forms for the project. If a student should lose his or her copy, he or she may download and print a new copy from the school’s website or the English IV teacher’s SharpSchool page. Students are responsible for returning a white, 1”, three-ring binder in good condition at the end of the semester.

APEX English IV

Students enrolled in APEX English IV are required to complete a Senior Thesis through their APEX teacher and Ms. Randall. Students should contact Ms. Randall during the first week of the course for information.

OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH PROCESS

I.Personal Essay

Write a five-paragraph essay exploring current ideas about a potential topic of choice.

II. Topic Selection

Fill out the preliminary Senior Thesis Topic Proposal Form. Make sure the topic is a learning stretch for you.

III. Annotated Bibliography

Complete a bibliography of seven sources, including the job shadow mentor.

IV. Job Shadowing

Choose a person from the community in your research field to job shadow for one workday. Students are allowed to be excused from school one (1) day in order to shadow during the semester. This absence will be excused if the appropriate documentation is provided within two days.

V. Research Paper

Complete a research paper on the approved topic. Complete a five-page paper (not including the Works Cited page) with a definable thesis argument.

VI. The Portfolio

Create a portfolio of the entire Senior Thesis’s work. This portfolio documents all the work, time, and money put into the thesis through the course of the semester. The portfolio should reflect students’ “journey” through the process and documentation of their work. Allwork in the portfolio should be clean and revised copies of assignments.

VII. The Presentation

Make a presentation at the conclusion of the Senior Thesis to a panel of community members and teachers who will grade the presentation. The presentation should encompass experiences throughout the entire project.

SENIOR THESIS TIME LINE

Quarter One

Weeks One-Two

Personal Essay Due:Wed, Aug. 29

Topic Presentations:Thur, Aug. 30

Topic Proposal Forms Due:Fri, Aug. 31

Weeks Three-Five

Media Center Work Days for Annotated Bibliography:Wed, Sept. 5; Fri, Sept. 7; Tue, Sept.11; Thur, Sept.13

Job Shadow Contact Log and Permission Form Due:Wed, Sept. 19

Annotated Bibliography Sources 1-4 Due:Fri, Sept. 21

Week Six

Interview Questions Due:Tue, Sept. 25

Job Shadow Day:Thur, Sept. 27

Job Shadow Experience Log Due:Fri, Sept. 28

Thank You Note Due:Fri, Sept. 28

Week Seven

Media Center for Interview:Mon, Oct. 1

Typed, Scripted Interview Due:Tue, Oct. 2

Media Center Work Days for Final Annotated Bibliography:Thur, Oct. 4 and Fri, Oct 5

Weeks Eight-Nine

Final Annotated Bibliography Sources 1-7 Due: Tue, Oct. 9

Media Center Work Days for Research Paper/Presentation #2: Thur, Oct. 11; Fri, Oct. 12; Tue, Oct. 16

Introduction/Background Paragraphs of Research Paper Due: Wed, Oct. 17

Presentation #2: Thur, Oct. 18

Quarter Two

Weeks Ten-Eleven

Media Center Work Days for Research Paper:Thur, Oct. 25 and Mon, Oct. 29

Research Paper Rough Drafts Due:Wed, Oct. 31

Week Twelve

Media Center Work Day for Research Paper:Mon, Nov. 5

Final Research Paper Due:Wed, Nov. 7

Week Thirteen

Media Center for Cover Letter/Cover Letter Due:Tue, Nov. 13

Media Center for Resume/Resume Due:Thur, Nov. 15

Week Fourteen

Media Center for Presentation Outline:Tue, Nov. 27

Presentation Outline Due:Wed, Nov. 28

Media Center for Final PowerPoint Presentation:Thur, Nov. 29

Final PowerPoint Presentation Due:Fri, Nov. 30

Week Fifteen

Practice Presentations:Mon, Dec. 3-Thur, Dec. 6

Final Portfolio Due:Thur, Dec. 6

Week Sixteen

Final Presentations:Tue, Dec. 11-Thur, Dec. 13

Week Seventeen

Self-Evaluation Paper Due:Mon, Dec. 17

***all dates are subject to change at the discretion of the teacher***

SENIOR THESIS

PERSONAL ESSAY

PERSONAL ESSAY GUIDELINES

Personal essays allow you to have your say, get your gripes and raves off your chest, and discuss what you are interested in. Whatever you care about and are interested in is fair game for an essay topic.

And that’s the first point. Be sure your essay is about something you care strongly enough about to wax eloquent and passionate about it. Readers wants to know what you know, feel what you felt, and understand where you’re coming from.

In this essay, you should fill in the blanks and respond to the following statement: “I am interested in ______because….” OR “______would make a good career because….” You should include an introduction paragraph with thesis statement, three body paragraphs (each of which provides a different point to prove your thesis), and a conclusion paragraph.

Details draw the reader in, generalizations keep them out. Be specific. Avoid using abstract expressions and phrases such as “the best day of my life” and “my happiest moment as a kid” to describe emotions of love, loss, anger, joy, satisfaction, etc. Make these emotions real and immediate by noting specifics and details that draw the reader into the experience, rather than just setting them aside as observers. The old ‘seduction not instruction’ rule – showing rather than telling – makes for a more compelling essay, as it does almost any piece of writing. While personal essays allows for the use of many fictional craft elements – dialogue, setting, point of view, characterization - if you use facts to anchor your piece or as a springboard for your opinions, you need to double-check them for accuracy. One factual error can prevent the reader from believing much else that you have to say.

Here are some guidelines to help you write essays that strike a chord with the reader.

1.Personal essays by definition contain a personal perspective. You should be there. Watch your construction. If every sentence begins “I,” you need to rephrase to provide a better rhythm and pace to your piece.

2.No extra points for the number of facts you include. Academic essays contain more facts than opinions, personal essays contain more opinion than facts. But ensure the facts you use are accurate. Check names, spellings, and #s.

3.Make connections. If you’re writing about a global theme (poverty, unemployment, or child abuse) bring the subject closer to home by relating it to specific, individual examples. If you’re writing about more mundane subjects (left-hand turn signals, the search for the best French Fries, your brother’s graduation) again, set your views against a wider backdrop or perspective so the reader can relate to it.

4.Writing essays is a great way to get your opinions off your chest, but avoid philosophical rants which make no connection to your reader’s experience. Again, keep it personal while relating to a wider world.

5.The hook is the device you use to get your reader’s attention. It’s the doorway through which you welcome and orient them to the piece. Try using:

A question.A quotation from someone famous or something you’ve read/overhead.

A description of a person or setting. A strong statement that your essay will either support or dispute.

6.Write as evocatively as possible. Employ all the senses. Using sight comes naturally to most writers; push harder to convey ideas and images through sound, taste, touch, and hearing.

7.Think of your essay as a camera lens. You might start by describing a fine detail (your personal experience or perspective, a specific moment in the narrative), then open up the lens to take in the wide view (the general/global backdrop), then close the piece by narrowing back to the fine detail. Or go the other way. Start with the wide view, focus in, then open up to the wide view again.

8.Take your ideas from wherever you can. Note your reactions to everything, pursue passing preoccupations and distractions, consider what makes you, glad, angry, passionate in what you read, see and hear. Mine your own past for incidents, images, lessons and epiphanies.

9.In a personal essay you have the freedom to think what you like on a subject, but your reader should go away with a good idea of why you feel that way.

Personal Essay Rubric

6 / 5 / 4 / 3 / 2 / 1
IDEAS / -Extremely clear and focused thesis.
-Relevant anecdotes and details enrich the central theme.
-Precise, relevant details “show, don’t tell” the theme
-Ideas fresh and original.
-Writing makes connections, offers insight / -Ideas/Content well marked by detail and information
-More than half the time details are clear &relevant.
-Some details are general but stay on topic
-Some new ways of thinking about the theme presented
-Clear thesis is developed / -Thesis broad, but it’s clear where writer is headed.
-“Showing, not telling” details are attempted, but don’t go far enough to illustrate theme
-Ideas fairly clear, but not expanded enough to show strong sense of purpose / -Topic not focused beyond the obvious
-The writer has defined the thesis, but development is basic or general. / -Paper hints at thesis; but none stands out
-Details confusing
-Reader can understand main ideas but simple
-Thesis lacks focus; reader must infer to get
-Heavy reliance on “tell, not show” / -Paper has no thesis
-Writer still in search of theme
-Details are limited, unclear, or insufficient to determine theme
-No thesis stands out yet; ideas emerging
ORGANIZATION / -Organization enhances the thesis.
-Structure moves reader through text.
-Attention grabber/hook is unique, draws reader in
-Satisfying conclusion shows thesis; creates closure and resolution
-Thoughtful transitions clearly show ideas connect
-Title original, captures thesis / -Organization smooth with only a few bumps here and there.
-Goes further than obvious in point of attack and conclusion, but could step up one more notch with unique approach
-Transitions logical but lack originality
-Pacing smooth, not masterful
-Title settles for key idea rather than deeper thesis / -Structure strong enough to move reader through without confusion.
-Attention grabber interesting but not compelling, or conclusion doesn’t tie in w/thesis
-Some transitions work, some fuzzy
-Title uninspired
-Reader wants to move/add transitions / -Organization problematic; slows reader’s ability to engage in text.
-Intro or conclusion formulaic or lacking meaning
-Transitions repetitive or misleading
-Title puzzling / -Organization begins to distract from content
-Organization needs a good deal of work to be effective
-Intro/conclusion ineffective / -Organization frustrates reader in trying to connect ideas
-Writing lacks direction; ideas strung together randomly
-No intro to set up what follows, no real conclusion
-Impossible to get a grip on thesis
WORD CHOICE / -Words convey intended thesis in precise, natural way. Powerful and engaging.
-Specific and accurate “showing not telling”
-Striking words create images that linger in reader’s mind
-Natural, never overdone
-Lively verbs, precise nouns.modifiers add depth
-Precision clear / -Attempts made to reach for better, more precise words, more possible
-Words correct, in many cases, “just right”
-Several word pictures created
-Verbs are more active, nouns modifiers add depth, but more possible
-Care and attention given to choosing best words for the piece / -Language functional but may lack energy
-Words adequate and correct but simply lack flair.
-Paper may have 1 or 2 fine moments but familiar words rarely capture reader’s attention
-Attempts at colorful language go too far
-Lackluster language / -Language requires some interpretation; lacks energy
-Words adequate but add no flavor to the piece
-Few attempts made at colorful “show not tell”; those tried are on basic level
-Some misuse of parts of speech / -Writer struggles with limited vocabulary
-Thesis lost to incorrect words
-Repetition or misuse of words litter the piece. / -Wrong or weak words make understanding the piece difficult
-Language very vague, heavily relies on telling, not showing
-Difficult to infer meaning
VOICE / -Speaks to reader individually & engagingly
-Writer takes risk by revealing who he is and what he thinks
-Tone gives flavor/texture to the personal epiphany
-Honest, from the heart
-Piece screams to be read aloud; reader reacts to author’s POV / -Sincere attempt made to address the audience and purpose
-Moments of insight make piece come alive
-Many moments where reader feels connected
-Individual voice strong throughout, misses few times / -Voice relies on reader to infer
-Writing is humdrum and “risk free”
-No detail to engage reader
-Writing superficial and doesn’t reach out to reader / -Hard to find unique moments
-Writer keeps reader at a safe distance
-No special moments stand out
-No care shown to help reader identify with thesis / -Writer sincere, but not fully engaged; personable, but not compelling
-Only 1 or 2 moments surprise, delight, or move
-Writer aware of audience, but chooses safe generalities / -Writer seems indifferent, uninvolved, or distant
-Lack of voice lulls the reader
-Writing lifeless, mechanical, or no point of view reflected
FLUENCY / -Writing has easy flow, rhythm, cadence.
-Well‐built, varied sentence structure invites expressive reading.
-Sentences vary in length &struc. Dialogue natural
-Purposeful, varied sentence beginnings
-Creative, connectives show how each thought builds on one before / -Text hums along, but more pleasant or businesslike than musical, more mechanical than fluid.
-Sentences not artful but get the job done
-Usually sentences constructed correctly
-Some variety attempted
-Piece has rhythm and flow, parts still need work. / -Technically sentences are correctly structured.
-Some sentences phrased artfully, some sterile
-Correct construction, dialogue & variety present, but not completely refined / -Technically correct sentences create sing‐song pattern.
-No sense of fluidity
-Sentences generally correct
-Reliance on patterned sentence beginnings
-Few/simple connectives only / -Reader must practice quite a bit to read this paper expressively
-Sentences choppy, rambling, incomplete, or awkward
-Sentences don’t hang together / -Many structural problems that cause reader to stop and start over
-Phrasing not natural
-Many sentences need to be reconstructed to improve flow
-Connectives misused
CONVENTION / -Writer shows good grasp of conventions (spelling, punct., capit., grammar, usage).
-Punctuation, grammar, usage, paragraphing correct, even creative, and help to guide reader through text. / -Writer tries more complex tasks in conventions, but makes a few mistakes
-Few words misspelled
-Punctuation mostly correct, shows strength, enhances readability
-Grammar and usage correct, few edits needed / -Conventions sometimes handled well; some distract
-Misspellings on difficult words
-Some punctuation incorrect
-Grammar/usage errors present but don’t distort meaning / -Writer stumbles on conventions even on simple tasks
-Punctuation spotty or inconsistent.
-Serious grammar, spelling, capit. errors sporadically / -Many errors of several types scattered through
-Many spelling errors
-Only simplest punct/capitalization correct
-Much editing required / -Errors distract from the meaning of the text.
-Frequent, noticeable errors affect meaning
-Reader must decode meaning
MLA / No errors. / 1 error. / 2 errors. / 3 errors. / 4 errors. / 5 or more errors.