| Step | Description | Expected Student Results |
| 1 | Letter of Introduction Student Role: First Message: Student shares their interests and goals for their independent project including how the project topic was chosen and why he or she has chosen to participate. Mentor Role: Mentor will introduce himself or herself to student and ask questions of the student about the topic he/she has chosen. The goal is to draw students to consider areas within their overall topic that would be of interest and that might make them dig deeper to expand their search. Mentor shares an eagerness to meet the requirements as well as the best days for posting and reading messages. |
PORTFOLIO ENTRY NO. 1: 1. The student will write a letter of introduction to the mentor explaining his/her interests and activities in and out of school 2. The student will write a paragraph to share that problem/interest with mentor. If student has not yet decided on an area to research, he/she will ask the mentor for help choosing the project. 3. Student will write a paragraph to share with the mentor what he/she already knows about the topic they are interested in researching, why this is of interest to them, and how they know the information. 4. Student will send all of the above information to mentor for feedback. |
| 2 | Preparing for Research Student task: The student will create a "research topic proposal" and share research topics of interest with their mentor. Student will use the Internet or other resources to research their topic of interest. Student and Mentor Task: Student and Mentor exchange letters in which they discuss topic to be researched. |
PORTFOLIO ENTRY #2: Student will create a "research topic proposal" by generating topics of interest. They will rank-order their sub-topics of interest in preparation to begin researching the topics they have chosen using the Internet and other resources. Student will respond to mentor messages and share information about their chosen area of research while developing their research topic proposal. Suggestions for research topic proposal outline: 1. Topic name 2. Background: 3. Identifying factors or interesting facts 4. Evolution or origin of this topic 5. Why does this topic interest you right now? 6. Current issues in the field 7. Top professionals in the field, including contact information 8. Leading edge research or developments in the area covered by the topic 9. Who/what type of jobs are associated with someone interested in this topic 10. What volunteer/summer jobs/etc. would be helpful to a student wishing to learn more about this topic? 11. What are some of the aspects of this topic that impact the community, the nation, and/or the world at large? 12. What special aspects of this topic make it critical to our society? 13. What other interesting information relating to the topic did you find during your research? |
| 3 | Find the Experts Every student topic will be associated with one or more professional fields. Within each field there will be research conducted related to this topic that is occurring on the leading edge. The "best" experts are often found at the leading edge. Mentor Role: Mentor will aid student in identifying both "top professionals" and "every day" professionals working in their career fields of interest and will help the student compile a contact list and contact those individuals to send their interview questions for review and response. Student Role: 1. By leveraging Internet resources as well as other resources identified by the teacher, mentor, parents, and others, students will identify both the research topics and the individuals who are conducting the research or making leading-edge discoveries in the student's field of interest. 2. Students will identify and share information about the leading edge research with their mentors and identify professionals who are considered to be doing the work at the leading edge. 3. Student and mentor will use resources to identify major experts in the field of study. 4. Student will create a list of at least two "top professional experts" and three other professionals (possibly local)who are working in the area of interest they have chosen. Mentor Role: Mentor will assist student in creating a list of major experts in the field. Students and mentors will collaborate to create a document that contains biographical information and contact information available on the web or through other resources. Develop Interview Questions Student creates a list of interview questions about the sub- topic career interests he/she is researching and will share them with the mentor. Each list of interview questions should be specifically formulated to send to individuals working in certain career areas relating to the student's particular career cluster interest areas. |
Portfolio 3 Student Task: The student will identify at least two top professionals who are involved in leading edge research in the area they are researching AND they will also contact local professionals who are involved in their field of interest and try to arrange an in-person interview if possible. The student will develop/create a list of interview questions about the sub-topic career interest he/she is researching and will share them with the mentor. Each list of interview questions should be specifically formulated to send to individuals working in certain career areas relating to the student's particular career cluster interest areas. The portfolio entry will be a written summary of student research into top professionals and an introductory letter and list of interview questions to be sent to at least five professionals working in the student's area of career interest. At least two may be considered "top professionals" and three should be local professionals. Step 1: The student will research multiple professionals and identify the names/biographies of two well-known individuals working in their top career field of interest. Students will write a paragraph about the accomplishments of each individual, specifically describing what accomplishments make those individuals top professionals in their fields. The top professionals must be currently living and active in the student’s career field of interest. Step 2: The student will work with their mentors to locate e-mail contact information for the two identified top professionals in preparation for sending their interview questions to those individuals when they are ready to send. Step 3: The students and mentors will collaborate to identify at least three additional professionals working in their area of career interest and locate their e-mail contact information. Step 4: The student will work with the mentor to create/compose/develop a short introductory paragraph to a professional working in their field of interest. The introductory paragraph should be a note explaining their career interest and purpose of their research. The student will write a draft of their introductory letter and post it to their mentor for editing and approval. The mentor will e-mail the student's letter and questions to the professionals. Sample letter to a professional: Dear Professional, I am a ninth grade student in Louisiana and am interested in the career field of chemical engineering (you fill in your selected career field). I am researching this field as part of a class project with the help of a professional mentor through the International Telementor Program this semester and have developed some interview questions to help me learn more about this field. If you are willing to answer my questions, I know it would help me to expand my understanding about what it takes to be a professional in this career field. Please send your answers to my mentor through her(you fill in his or her) e- mail and she (select his or her) will send them to me. Thank you very much for your time and for considering this request. Sincerely, Your First Name After students have created their letter, they will work with their teacher and mentor to develop a list of ten interview questions designed to elicit information about the career field. Use the following guidelines and see the interview question template as examples. Students should consider the sample interview questions provided by their teacher and should brainstorm additional questions with their mentor in order to gain as much information as possible from the professional interviews. Students should write questions in such a way that they cannot be answered with one word or yes/no answers and so that each question will elicit a generous amount of information interesting to the student. Students should NOT JUST COPY/PASTE THE SAMPLE QUESTIONS! Really think about what YOU want to know and revise them accordingly. Students should send the messages to their mentor for suggestions and editing. Incorporate their feedback into the final version of your interview questions and send back a final copy. TELL YOUR MENTOR WHEN YOU ARE DONE EDITING THE QUESTIONS AND WOULD LIKE THEM TO GO AHEAD AND SEND THEM TO PROFESSIONALS. SAMPLE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS (modify to fit your interests/career field and work with your mentor to make them the best they can be!) 1. Please describe your current job title and position and responsibilities including some of the daily tasks you perform. 2. What classes did you take in high school and college that you feel were the most helpful in preparing you for this career? 3. What type and level of education did you have in order to qualify for your current position? 4. Please describe the physical work environment of your work place. 5. What type of other professionals do you work very closely with on a regular basis and how do you interact with these professionals? 6. Do you consider your work to be interesting? Why or why not? 7. Please describe what you consider to be the most enjoyable and least enjoyable parts of your job and why you feel this way. 8. What are some of the biggest challenges a professional in your position deals with on a regular basis? 9. Knowing what you have experienced in your professional life and the future outlook for this career, would you still select this career for yourself and would you recommend it to someone my age? Why or why not? 10. Is there any additional advice you have for someone my age who is interested in this field? After submitting introductory letter and questions to mentor, student should proceed to the next portfolio. Waiting for interview responses sometimes takes several weeks. During this time, the student will continue to research and work on unfinished research and writing for other portfolios. As each interview is posted for the student, students will stop whatever other research they are doing immediately and will write an appropriate thank you note back to the professional following the guidelines provided by the teacher. Thank you note guidelines have been provided by the teacher and students have been given a written copy of them to follow as well. Thank you note guidelines may be found in a later portfolio. Students should respond to the interview with a thank you note within two days after receiving the interview and then will work on a summary of the interview as well. THE THANK YOU NOTE ALWAYS COMES FIRST because it is extremely important that the professionals who respond know that their time and efforts are appreciated by the student! As soon as the thank you note is written, it should be uploaded to the mentor so that he/she can send it to the professional immediately. The student will continue to research various sub-topics and recording information about sub-topics in their career cluster of interest while waiting for the interview responses to be returned. |
| 4 | Researching Student Topics Mentor Task: Mentor will research the student's chosen topic/topics of interest and send student some additional search terms and/or websites related to the topic. Student Task: The student will consult their rank-ordering of their sub-topics of interest and will either continue their main research topic work or begin researching another topic they have chosen using the Internet and other resources. Students may use the internet, books, magazines, online videos, personal or online interviews, or other sources as resources. Students will list all sources in a source document and include the source document when submitting their final research document on each sub-topic. Students should follow their project plan and modify it as needed throughout the project. Students will consult with mentors and teacher throughout the project to determine what topics they will explore within their field, what products they will create, an what the final presentation of those topics will look like. Students will, if appropriate, document their product development in photos. Student will compose a research document (paragraph or multiple paragraphs)summarizing what he/she has learned during their research on EACH of their topics and upload the paragraph(or paragraphs) for their mentor to review. |
Portfolio 4: Student Task: The student will consult their rank-ordering of their sub-topics of interest and will either continue their main research topic work or begin researching another topic they have chosen using the Internet and other resources. Students will ask mentors for additional websites and other research recommendations throughout the research process. Students should follow their project plan and modify it as needed throughout the project. Students will consult with mentors and teacher throughout the project to determine what topics they will explore within their field, what products they will create, an what the final presentation of those topics will look like. Students will, if appropriate, document their product development in photos. 1. Topic name 2. Background: 3. Identifying factors or interesting facts 4. Evolution or origin of this topic 5. Why does this topic interest you right now? 6. Current issues in the field 7. Top professionals in the field, including contact information 8. Leading edge research or developments in the area covered by the topic 9. Who/what type of jobs are associated with someone interested in this topic 10. What volunteer/summer jobs/etc. would be helpful to a student wishing to learn more about this topic? 11. What are some of the aspects of this topic that impact the community, the nation, and/or the world at large? 12. What special aspects of this topic make it critical to our society? 13. What other interesting information relating to the topic did you find during your research? |
| 5 | Portfolio 5: The student will seek local professionals who are practicing in the career field of the student's interest or other local experts in their field of interest. Mentors will assist students in identifying local professionals. Possible experts might include retirees or community volunteers who have even more time and energy to devote to the cause or avocation than they did when they were working in the field. The student will arrange an in-person interview with at least one professional and, if possible obtain a tour of their workplace. The student will prepare interview questions for those professionals and contact them for an in-person or phone interview. The student will take notes on their interviews and will write a summary of each interview along with a thank you note to each professional. |
The student will seek local professionals who are practicing in the career field of the student's interest or other local experts in their field of interest. Mentors will assist students in identifying local professionals. Possible experts might include retirees or community volunteers who have even more time and energy to devote to the cause or avocation than they did when they were working in the field. The student will arrange an in-person interview with at least one professional and, if possible obtain a tour of their workplace. The student will prepare interview questions for those professionals and contact them for an in-person or phone interview. The student will take notes on their interviews and will write a summary of each interview along with a thank you note to each professional. The student will share their experience with their mentor. |
| 6 | Students and mentors will research current event topics of interest relating to their field/topics using the internet, professional journals, or other reliable sources of information. Students will select three current event articles that must be within the last two years, and will summarize them and submit their work to their mentor. Students will summarize each interview as it is returned by professionals working in their field of interest. Mentors will assist students by proofreading work and providing suggestions for improvement. |
Students and mentors will research current event topics of interest relating to their field/topics using the internet, professional journals, or other reliable sources of information. Students will select three current event articles that must be within the last two years, and will summarize them and submit their work to their mentor. Students will summarize each interview as it is returned by professionals working in their field of interest. Mentors will assist students by proofreading work and providing suggestions for improvement. |
| 7 | The student will research two universities of interest and create a cost-comparison chart using instructions given by the teacher. The student will upload university research to mentor for input. The mentor will help student search for specific information needed for each university. The student will submit final university cost-comparison chart to mentor and teacher. |
PORTFOLIO ENTRY NO. 7 The student will research two universities of interest and create a cost-comparison chart using instructions given by the teacher. The student will upload university research to mentor for input. The mentor will help student search for specific information needed for each university. The student will submit final university cost-comparison chart to mentor and teacher. |
| 8 | Students will write and share a Personal Plan of Action to include steps they plan to take to reach their educational and career goals. Students will create a cover sheet for their project including information required by their teacher Students will create a PowerPoint to visually represent their project research and present their work to an appropriate audience. Students will share products with mentors. Mentors will critique and comment on student's Plan of Action and Cover Sheet. |
PORTFOLIO ENTRY NO. 8 Students will write and share a Personal Plan of Action to include steps they plan to take to reach their educational and career goals. Students will create a cover sheet for their project including information required by their teacher Students will create a PowerPoint to visually represent their project research and present their work to an appropriate audience. Students will share products with mentors. Mentors will critique and comment on student's Plan of Action and Cover Sheet. |
| 9 | Portfolio Entry Number 9 Student Role: Student will locate graphics, photos of professionals and research topic subjects, and will prepare a PowerPoint presentation and poster to include their research on each topic covered during their project this semester. Mentors will assist students by proofreading work and providing suggestions for improvement. |
PORTFOLIO ENTRY NO. 9 Student Role: Student will locate graphics, photos of professionals and research topic subjects, and will prepare a PowerPoint presentation and poster to include their research on each topic covered during their project this semester. Mentors will assist students by proofreading work and providing suggestions for improvement. |
| 10 | Wrapping Up The Project Student Role: 1. Student will write a self-reflection paragraph and also a thank you letter to mentor. The self-reflection paragraph will serve as an introduction to the project and will include specific areas that the student learned, grew, stretched him/herself, what he/she would do differently next time, and how the research and products will help them in their future education and career. The thank you note to the mentor will include self- reflection of what the student learned during the collaborative independent project, what he/she did well, what he would like to have done to improve upon the project, and what the mentor contributed to the process. 2. Student will submit a final project survey via the ITP Web site. Mentor Role: 1. The mentor will write a similar message for the student. 2. The mentor will submit a final project survey. |
PORTFOLIO ENTRY NO. 10 Wrapping Up The Project Student Role: 1. Student will write a self-reflection paragraph and also a thank you letter to mentor. The self-reflection paragraph will serve as an introduction to the project and will include specific areas that the student learned, grew, stretched him/herself, what he/she would do differently next time, and how the research and products will help them in their future education and career. The thank you note to the mentor will include self- reflection of what the student learned during the collaborative independent project, what he/she did well, what he would like to have done to improve upon the project, and what the mentor contributed to the process. 2. Student will submit a final project survey via the ITP Web site. Mentor Role: 1. The mentor will write a similar message for the student. 2. The mentor will submit a final project survey. |
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