Project: Spring 2014 Independent Research Project

Project Plan
Unique Requests of
Participating Mentors:

We are especially interested in working with mentors interested in helping a student develop his research and project management skills. We are also interested in helping the student realize the importance of sharing his work with an authentic audience.

Description:

Students will team with mentors to examine an issue in depth. One of the hallmarks of the project will be identifying and leveraging expertise from both within and beyond the community.

Benchmarks:

The effective use of cognitive processes to generate and link knowledge across the disciplines and in a variety of contexts.

  • The process of identifying, locating, selecting, and using resource tools to help in analyzing, synthesizing, and communicating information.
  • The identification and employment of appropriate tools, techniques, and technologies are essential to all learning processes.
  • Students locate, select, and synthesize information from a variety of texts, media, references, and technological sources to acquire and communicate knowledge.
  • Use available technology to produce, revise, and publish a variety of works. Cite references using various formats (e.g., endnotes, bibliography)

    • Duration:

    16
    Content Area:

    Science, Social Studies
    Student Outcomes:

    Student will maintain a notebook with all correspondence and products. All students will create a powerpoint presentation or a web page to present the product.

    Evaluation of
    Student Outcomes:

    Student will write a 300-word letter to mentor. The subject of the letter will be a self- evaluation of the project, including what the student did well, what he would like to have done to improve upon the project, and what the mentor contributed to the process.

    Mentor Role:

    Mentor's Role Mentor will aid students in developing and researching questions related to current topics in science or social studies. Mentor will encourage student completion of project goals and edit student work before it is sent to experts or published.