Senior Project Guide Mineral County Schools
KEYSER HIGH SCHOOL Grade 11
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Student’s Name:
English Teacher: How to Organize Your Senior Project Information
The SENIOR PROJECT GUIDE 11 is on the county and high school’s websites. The guide may be copied onto your FLASH DRIVE and uploaded into your Electronic Portfolio (Career Cruising). You may type directly onto the forms in the Portfolio.
PLEASE READ Letter from Principal (9 – 12) HSTW Key Practices (9 – 12) SECTION I – FORMS / ESSAY Yearly Acknowledgement Contract (9 – 12) Give to English teacher Photo Release Form (11 - 12) Give to English teacher The VITA Activity Record (9 – 12) Record all charted information in Electronic Portfolio Completed (typed) SCANS Essay (11) Type in Elect. Portfolio and print out for English teacher Work-Based Learning Credit Form (10) When completed, record experience on this form in Elect. Portfolio
SECTION II – TIMELINE / CHECKLISTS Record all charted information in Electronic Portfolio Senior Project Timeline for Grade 9 Portfolio Checklist – Grade 9 Senior Project Timeline for Grade 10 Portfolio Checklist – Grade 10 Senior Project Timeline for Grade 11 Portfolio Checklist – Grade 11 Senior Project Timeline for Grade 12 Portfolio Checklist – Grade 12
SECTION III - MENTOR Mentor’s Agreement Form (11) Give to Mentor to sign & return. Download into Electric Portfolio Mentor’s Documented Log Sheet (11) Give to mentor Mentor’s Consultation Form – Grade 12 Record experience on this form in Electronic Portfolio Mentor’s Evaluation of Student (12) Get back from mentor and give to English teacher Student’s Documented Project Log (12) Record experience on this form in Electronic Portfolio
SECTION IV – PRODUCT / PRESENTATION Writing a Senior Project Proposal Form – Junior Year (11) Give to English teacher Product Agreement (12) Record information on this form in Electronic Portfolio and give signed form to English teacher Senior Project Presentation Request Form (12) Give to English teacher Student’s Project Self-Evaluation (12) Complete this form in Electronic Portfolio Photographs/power point and script of Project (12) Upload into Electronic Portfolio SECTION V – CAREER Resume/Cover Letter applying for either: a job, a college application, or a scholarship/award - revise senior year if needed (10) Complete in Electric Portfolio and give to career teacher Completed Letters of Reference (1 in each grade - 10, 11, 12) Scan and upload into Elect. Portfolio The CAREER INTEREST SEARCH report (10) Will be graded by career teacher, then upload corrected copy into Electric Portfolio
SECTION VI – TRANSCRIPT/TEST SCORES May be scanned & uploaded into Electronic Portfolio Certificates of testing (SAT/ACT) or WESTEST scores (11 – 12) Transcript (12)
SECTION VII - FOR YOUR INFORMATION Career Clusters and Some Examples of Career Majors (9) FAQ’s About Senior Projects (9) CAREER INTEREST SEARCH - Rubrics/Evaluation Sheet (10) CAREER INTEREST SEARCH - Oral Presentation Evaluation Form (10) When to Use a Cover Letter (10) Letter of Reference (10-12) The SCANS Essay - What is SCANS? (11) Visual Presentations (12) Oral Presentation Outline (12) Oral Presentation Tips (12) Oral Presentation Attire (12)
SECTION VIII – GRADING CAREER INTEREST SEARCH - Rubric/Evaluation (10) Completed in career class CAREER INTEREST SEARCH - Oral Presentation Rubric/Evaluation (10) Completed in career class Oral Presentation RUBRIC for Senior Project (12) Evaluation Sheet - Research Paper and Project Presentation (12) Given to English teacher by principal after judging
SECTION IX – Career Cruising ELECTRONIC PORTFOLIO (9 – 12) (Record information below for future use)
Account Username:
Portfolio Password:
SENIOR PROJECT PORTFOLIO GRADE 11
TABLE OF CONTENTS
HOW TO ORGANIZE YOUR SENIOR PROJECT INFORMATION I. INTRODUCTION Letter from Principal ...... 1 HSTW Key Practices ...... 2
II. FORMS Yearly Acknowledgement Contract ...... 3 Writing a Senior Project Proposal Junior Year ...... 4 Photo Release Form ...... 5 Mentor’s Agreement Form ...... 6 Mentor’s Documented Log Sheet ...... 7 Student’s Documented Project Log Sheet . . . 8 The VITA Record ...... 9 – 10 Senior Project Timeline (Grade 11) . . . 11 – 12 PORTFOLIO Checklist (Grade 11) ...... 13
III. FOR YOUR INFORMATION The SCANS Essay ...... 14 – 18 (to be completed in English class) Letter of Reference #2 ...... 19
KEYSER HIGH SCHOOL
Route 4 Box 110 Charles F. Wimer, Principal One Tornado Way Joseph Keckley, Assistant Principal Keyser, WV 26726 Julie McBell, Assistant Principal 304-788-4230
Dear Parent / Guardian:
As your son/daughter enters the junior year, I want to reflect on the ongoing Senior Project. This project is designed to be a rewarding experience that allows students to showcase the skills and expertise they have been developing throughout their education. The Senior Project encourages students to explore in-depth a topic of interest which aligns with their Programs of Study.
The Senior Project Handbook will help guide students through all phases of the project. After committing to a project that truly reflects an area of interest, students will need to manage time carefully and follow the Senior Project timeline. Graduates report that their projects were a memorable accomplishment of their final year of high school which has had a positive impact on their later success.
The Senior Project has four components: the Research Paper, the Product, the Presentation, and the Portfolio. Information will be dispersed and explained through the English classes at both Keyser and Frankfort High Schools. All phases of the Senior Project must be satisfactorily completed and approved in order to receive his/her high school diploma.
Please take the time to review the information included in this guide, especially the PORTFOLIO checklist. This should prove to be an engaging and exciting year!
Sincerely,
Charles F. Wimer, Principal Joseph Keckley, Assistant Principal Julie McBee, Assistant Principal
1.
The Senior Project requires students to complete each of the following P’s:
PAPER PROJECT PORTFOLIO PRESENTATION
HSTW (High Schools That Work) KEY PRACTICES FOR IMPROVING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
. High expectations – The Senior Project encourages . Teachers working together – The Senior Project students to have high expectations of themselves, to becomes a project that all English teachers and focus on their performance in high school, and to vocational teachers help students complete, as well as make the best of their education in order to prepare for all other teachers in gathering “Work Samples” which college or a career. can be displayed in the portfolio. Guidance and mentoring is provided during the Product aspect of the . Programs of study – The Senior Project helps project. students focus on high school being a preparation for the world of work, rather than just a requirement . Students actively engaged – The Senior Project without any focus. keeps students actively engaged in using writing real documents for real audiences, and documents which are life-long models for future job interviews. . Academic studies – The Senior Project allows students to focus on identifying their strengths . Guidance - The Senior Project allows students to (identified in VITA and the SCANS Essay) in order to explore, with guidance, various careers, specifically better prepare for post secondary education for their their chosen career field. Students are assisted with chosen career. setting goals and selecting courses. The student’s progress is reviewed and appropriate interventions are . Career/technical studies – The Senior Project allows suggested if necessary. vocational students an opportunity to communicate their performance and prepare for job interviews with . Extra help – The Senior Project provides extra help solid knowledge about themselves and their chosen to our students in preparing them for post secondary career. education for a specific career field, as well as providing them extra help in the interviewing process . Work-based learning – The Senior Project allows by having information gathered that will assist them in their resume and job application process. students to focus on various work-based learning, as
seen in their resumes, reference letters, VITA, and . Keeping score – The Senior Project is a mandated Goals Essay. This better prepares them for a job activity in our county. By having our students interview when asked what experiences they have had complete this common activity, we provide our to prepare them for a particular job. students with real opportunities for better job training, job applications, and job interviews.
Mineral County wants to create a life-long learner who knows how to access information, how to use reading, writing, and thinking skills, and how to be proficient with the use of technology.
2.
YEARLY ACKNOWLEDGEMENT CONTRACT – Grade 11
As the parent/guardian of , a student enrolled in Mineral County Schools, I am aware the Senior Project is part of my son’s or daughter’s contract, and that he/she must pass all phases of the Senior Project to receive a high school diploma. In addition, I know my son/daughter must maintain a journal of experiences and create a portfolio showing the process of Senior Project. I understand that successful completion of the Senior Project is necessary to fulfill graduation requirements.
Student’s Signature: ______Date ______
Parent’s Signature: ______Date______
Grade 10 English Teacher ______Date ______
MY PROGRAM OF STUDY (Check one) Natural Resources Business, Marketing and Finance Fine Arts Health Services Science & Engineering Public and Human Services
NOTE: Students will be provided one of today’s fastest growing and most popular electronic gadgets for their Senior Project work – a USB flash drive. It will allow them to keep all the documents and research associated with this project in one location, making it easier to track their progress.
The USB flash drive will be used during grades 9 – 12. Students should replace them if lost or damaged because they are an important aspect of utilizing technology to complete this process.
3. Writing a Senior Project PROPOSAL – Junior Year
for
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of your proposal is to determine if the project is worth pursuing and if it relates closely to your career pathway. It will be your “sales pitch” for what you want to accomplish. It will help you plan ahead and present a quality product.
You can do this by answering the following questions: What will be the focus of my project? What materials will I need? How much time do I need? How much will it cost? How will I correlate all components of my project?
FORMAT: You should use the following format in your proposal: Use 12-point font Double space 1” margins
Your Name:
Date:
Title of Project:
Component #1: (The Research Paper). Write a detailed paragraph describing your research paper topic. Component #2: (The Product). Write a detailed paragraph describing the product you plan to create to accompany your product. Component #3: (The Portfolio). Write a paragraph detailing the items that you have gathered for your portfolio and the items that you will need to complete your portfolio. Component #4: (The Presentation). Write a paragraph which gives an overview of how you plan to prepare and present the oral component of the project. You should include visual aids in this description.
______(Parent/Guardian) (Date)
______(Grade 11 English Teacher) (Date)
4. Mineral County Schools One Baker Place Keyser, West Virginia 26726
PHOTO RELEASE FORM
I give permission for photos and/or images of my child, captured through video, photo, and digital camera to be used in connection with the Senior Project being completed
by at . (Student’s name) (School)
I understand these images may be shown to students/faculty/administrators/community members for demonstration and/or training purposes only.
Parent/Guardian’s Signature ______
Student’s Signature ______
A copy of this form must be included in the Senior Project portfolio.
5. MENTOR’S AGREEMENT FORM
To the student: Please complete the following information about your project mentor before asking for a signature. Please give your mentor a copy of the Mentor’s Log Sheet and the Mentor’s Evaluation sheet.
Student’s Name:
Title of your Research Topic:
Proposed Product:
MENTOR’S INFORMATION
Mentor’s Name: Mr. Ms. Dr. (first) (last) Occupation, Position, or Title:
Name of Business:
Address: Business Home Phone:
(street) (city) (state) (zip)
Internet address:
I have discussed a mentor relationship with the student named above. I understand that this commitment requires me to meet as needed with the student during his/her research and project development. ______(Mentor’s signature) (Date)
TO THE STUDENT: Please explain in a few sentences how you found your mentor.
6. MENTOR’S DOCUMENTED LOG SHEET
To: Senior Project Mentors
From: Paula Campbell Work-Based Learning Facilitator
Thank you for your time and energy as you monitor and assist a Mineral County student with his/her Senior Project research and product.
We are asking students to keep records of your guidance and support. The student should log the date, time, and purpose of your contact for you to initial. Such contact may include formal meetings, phone or email correspondence, or other advisement sessions. A minimum of 3 contacts must be made during the Senior Project process. If contact is by email or phone, the contact should be printed or transcribed and attached to this log sheet by the student. Please feel free to make extra copies of this form before you begin.
We ask that you return the evaluation sheet to the student. The student will give it to his/her English teacher for review and will be placed in the student’s portfolio.
Again, thank you for your time, advice, guidance, and patience.
DATE TIME DESCRIPTION INITIALS
______(Mentor’s signature) (Date)
7. Student’s DOCUMENTED PROJECT LOG SHEET – GRADE 11
A PROJECT is a series of related activities completed over a period of time which results in a tangible PRODUCT, something you can show to prove what you achieved in doing the project. This is documented in a PORTFOLIO which includes all paperwork assembled in a notebook or folder. You will complete a final PRESENTATION to a panel of judges to complete the senior project process.
Document time spent developing your project and product. You should log at least 15 hours.
DATE WORKED ACTIVITY COMPLETED TIME SPENT
8.
The VITA Record
STUDENT’S NAME:
9 10 11 12 9 10 11 12 ACES BASEBALL AFS BASKETBALL DEBATE Club BOWLING DECA CHEERLEADING FBLA CROSS COUNTRY FEA FOOTBALL FFA GOLF Foreign Language Club Manager FRANKFORT FANATICS Mat Maid/Statistician Green Team/Going Green SOCCER HI-Y SOFTBALL HOSA STATISTICIAN KEY CLUB TENNIS KEYSER KRAZIES TRACK Rachel’s Challenge VOLLEYBALL RAZE WRESTLING SADD SCIENCE CLUB 9 10 11 12 SKI CLUB Math Field Day Winner SkillsUSA Science Fair Winner SMILE TEAM Social Studies Fair Winner STUDENT COUNCIL Voice of Democracy Winner Student for Change YOUTH ALIVE
9 10 11 12 9 10 11 12 Academic Honor Society BOYS STATE Art Honor Society GIRLS STATE Mu Alpha Theta Gov. Honors Academy Hugh O’Brian
CONCERT BAND MARCHING BAND
9. The VITA Record
NOTE: Click directly under each heading and begin typing
HONORS AND AWARDS: List name of award and year you received it (eg. Student of the Month – Oct. 2011).
COMMUNITY SERVICE: 4-H, Scouting, Church Youth Group, etc.
OFFICES HELD:
VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES: List name of sponsoring organizations, the activity, and number of volunteer hours.
10. SENIOR PROJECT TIMELINE for Grade 11
JUNIOR YEAR Return the Yearly Acknowledgement Contract signed by a parent/guardian
Continue organizing Electronic Portfolio
Turn in signed Senior Project Proposal – Junior Year (typed)
Turn in Photo Release Form, if applicable
Turn in Mentor’s Agreement Form, if applicable
Give your mentor the Mentor’s Documented Log Sheet, if applicable
Give Mentor the Mentor’s Evaluation of Student sheet, if applicable
Update The VITA Record in Electronic Portfolio
Complete the SCANS Essay in English class – in Electronic Portfolio
Upload the Letter of Reference #2 into Electronic Portfolio
Document any hours spent working on the Product (take photographs, videos, etc.) to be used as visual aids for the Presentation, if applicable
Complete all Portfolio requirements from grades 9 – 10
These items should have been completed from GRADE 9:
COMPONENT DATE STUDENT’S TEACHER’S COMPLETED INITIALS INITIALS
Signed Yearly Acknowledgement Contract
Create an Electronic Portfolio
The VITA Activities Form
11. These items should have been completed from GRADE 10:
COMPONENT DATE STUDENT’S TEACHER’S COMPLETED INITIALS INITIALS
Signed Yearly Acknowledgement Contract
Update The VITA Activities Form (in Elect. Portfolio)
Continue UPDATING Electronic Portfolio in Career Class (Career Cruising)*
Take Interest Inventory from Career Cruising (Matchmaker)*
Complete a Resume/ Cover Letter – either Applying for a Job, Applying to a College, or Applying for a Scholarship*
Letter of Reference #1 (see handout in FOR YOUR INFORMATION section)*
CAREER INTEREST SEARCH*(Grading RUBRIC included in 10th grade Guide)
Oral Presentation of CAREER INTEREST SEARCH* *(Grading RUBRIC included in 10th grade Guide)
Place Programs of Study Booklets in Advisory folders*
Work-Based Learning Credit Verification Form* (Proof of experience recorded on this form in Electronic Portfolio)
*Items will be completed in Career Majors class.
12. GRADE 11 PORTFOLIO CHECKLIST
Complete the following PORTFOLIO requirements for Grade 11:
DATE STUDENT’S TEACHER’S COMPONENT COMPLETED INITIALS INITIALS
Signed Yearly Acknowledgement Contract (give to English teacher)
Signed Senior Project Proposal Form (give to English teacher)
Signed Photo Release Form (give to English teacher)
Complete SCANS Essay in English class (in Electronic Portfolio)
Signed Mentor’s Agreement Form, if applicable
Mentor’s Documented Log Sheet (give to mentor, if applicable)
Give Mentor the Mentor’s Evaluation of Student Form (if applicable)
Begin the Student’s Document Project Log (if applicable)
Letter of Reference #2 (upload into Electronic Portfolio)
Update The VITA Record (in Electronic Portfolio)
Update Resume (in Electronic Portfolio)
Complete all PORTFOLIO requirements from grades 9 - 10
13.
FOR YOUR INFORMATION The SCANS Essay
What is SCANS?
The “Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills” is a report now knows as The SCANS Report. The SCANS Report basically identifies FIVE competency areas that all businesses expect from their employees. The five areas are:
The FIVE Competencies
RESOURCES INTERPERSONAL INFORMATION SYTEMS TECHNOLOGY
RESOURCES
RESOURCES identifies, organizes, plans and allocates resources. People with strong RESOURCES are good with: TIME - they select goal-relevant activities, rank them, allocate time, and prepare and follow schedules
MONEY - uses or prepares budgets, makes forecasts, keeps records, and makes adjustments to meet objectives
MATERIALS and FACILITIES - acquires, stores, allocates, and uses materials or space efficiently
HUMAN RESOURCES - assesses skills and distributes work accordingly, evaluates performance and provides feedback
14.
INTERPERSONAL
People good at INTERPERSONAL skills are good at:
PARTICIPATING AS A MEMBER OF A TEAM – contributing to the group effort TEACHES OTHERS NEW SKILLS SERVES CLIENTS/CUSTOMERS – works to satisfy customer’s expectations EXERCISING LEADERSHIP- communicating ideas to justify position, persuading and convincing others, responsibly challenging existing procedures and policies NEGOTIATIONG – working toward agreements involving exchanges of resources, resolves divergent interests WORKS WITH DIVERSITY
Check the boxes below that apply to you and tell when you have done each thing. I have participated as a member of a team and contributed to the group effort when I ______ I have taught others new skills when I ______ I have worked to satisfy customers’ expectations when I ______ I have exercised leadership by clearly explaining reasons for doing a job a specific way and persuaded others to try things differently than the usual way of doing the job when I ______ I have worked well with men and women from diverse backgrounds on the job or in the classroom when I ______
INFORMATION A person with strong INFORMATION skills is good at: ACQUIRING AND EVALUATING INFORMATION ORGANIZING AND MAINTAINING INFORMATION INTERPRETING AND COMMUNICATING INFORMATION USING COMPUTERS TO PROCESS INFORMATION I can find information I need and decide when it is helpful information I can organize information so that it can be found when needed and keep it organized so I will know where it is I can understand the information I find and explain it to others I can use computers to store and process the information
Give a specific example when you have done the above things checked in the boxes. ______
16. SYSTEMS
A person with strong SYSTEMS skills is good at:
UNDERSTANDING SYSTEMS - knows how social, organizational, and technological Systems work and operates effectively with them MONITORING AND CORRECTING PERFORMANCE – distinguishing trends, predicts impacts on system operations, diagnoses deviations in systems’ performance and corrects malfunctions IMPROVING OR DESIGNING PROGRAMS – suggests modifications to existing systems and develops new or alternative systems to improve performance
I understand how social systems work, what it takes for people to get along and operate effectively together I understand how organizational systems work, why it is important to organize jobs and people in order to operate effectively I understand how technological systems work, what and how to use technology in order to operate effectively in the work force Give specific examples when you have used your knowledge of social, organizational and technological systems to effectively function on a job ______ I have monitored and corrected performance on a job for myself or others I can tell when different trends in the systems appear I can identify when differences in the performances occur and correct things that go wrong Give specific examples when you have monitored and corrected performance in any of the Systems mentioned above. ______
TECHNOLOGY
A person with strong TECHNOLOGY skills is good at: SELECTING TECHNOLOGY – choosing procedures, tools, or equipment including computer and related technologies APPLYING TECHNOLOGY TO TASK – understanding overall intent and proper procedures for setup and operation of equipment MAINTAINING AND TROUBLESHOOTING EQUIPMENT – prevents, identifies, or solves problems with equipment, including computers and other technology
17.
Writing the SCANS Essay
Essay may be typed and recorded in Career Cruising. Choose the purple Portfolio bar across top. Then go to My Journal box at bottom of page and enter your essay.
Plan to write a five paragraph essay - Introduction - 3 body paragraphs - Conclusion Introductory Paragraph - Identify self, school, and age - Identify importance of the SCANS report and the 5 competencies identified in SCANS report - Identify the 2 strong competency areas and the weakest competency area you possess Body Paragraph One - State your strongest competency area - Identify specific examples of how you succeeded in this area Body Paragraph Two - State your second strongest competency area - Identify examples of how you have succeeded in this area Body Paragraph Three - State your weakest competency area - Identify specific examples of why you feel weak in this area Conclusion - Review the importance of the SCANS report - Review the importance of knowing both your strength and weakness in the 5 areas - Close with a statement as to why it is important to know this information about yourself when considering a career Proofread and finalize your essay - Once you have completed the draft of your essay, be certain you have a title and your name at the top. Follow example below:
SCANS Competencies By John Doe
- Check your writing conventions (spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, etc.) to be certain you are giving your BEST work!
18. Letter of Reference #2
Reference letters are gathered from a variety of sources:
Former/Current Employers Clergy/Church Members Community Leaders Club Leaders/Members Friends of the Family Neighbors
ASKING FOR A LETTER Ask someone who will be positive and thorough in your reference letter Ask if the letter could be typed on letterhead stationery, as this looks more businesslike for your portfolio Provide a copy of your resume and/or VITA so the writer can include additional information about you as a candidate
WHAT IS INCLUDED IN A LETTER? A reference letter should include the following: - How the writer knows you - In what capacity? - How long has the writer has known you? - Samples about what you have done which would make you an outstanding candidate
LETTER INCLUDES: Additional information about involvements in school and community activities Information which would attest to character of the applicant Be certain the name, address, and phone number of the writer are included on the letter Be certain the writer signs the letter
WHEN TO USE REFERENCES Send your references along with your application package for: College Admission Scholarships and Awards Jobs
19.