Senior Seminar Project
This is a guide page for the Senior Seminar Project. The important papers, examples, etc. will be added to this page as the semester goes along. Please feel free to download anything I have posted here to help you on your SSP journey! If you need to contact me with questions, please email me at rammelj@goshenlocalschools.org .
Senior Seminar Handouts and Assignments
The book list attached are the required reading for Senior Seminar. The students must choose ONE of the books to read and either purchase the book or check the book out from a library.The school library has a copy of each of the books on list. The books will not be provided at school. The calendar with the due dates of all assignments for the semester is also attached below.
"This I Believe" Personal Philosophies
Assignment: Go to www.thisibelieve.org and read FIVE statements of your choosing. After you have read the statements, write your own. Paper requirements: 350-500 words, double spaced. The paper must include the following...an event or moment in your life that helped create the philosophy, a "This I believe" statement, and influences that shaped your beliefs or philosophy. My This I Believe statement example is posted below. Final Draft due in hard copy on Friday 1/20.
Topic Proposal Information and Examples
These websites may help you with your topic selections: (If you find other helpful sites, please let me know and I will add them to the page).
My Examples of the Topic Proposal and Intent Poster:
Rough Draft of topic proposal due 1/24 (shared on google apps)
Final Draft with completed pink form and Intent poster due on 1/27 (printed out in hard copy)
Parent Letter and Integrity Commitment Forms
The green and purple forms are due on 1/27. They must be signed by you and your parents for credit! See me for extra forms or see the SSP packet above to print extras.
Book Selection and Book Description Form
Choose a book from the list below and fill out the gold book description form. You can only complete #1 and #2 until you read your book. Be sure to use quotes from the book and write them down somewhere so that you can use them to write your analysis paper later on in the semester. If you don't do this you will have to recheck out the book or purchase the book yourself so that you can look back at it later.
Current Events Papers (6 papers over the semester)
These papers are to be written in this fashion:
- 1 paragraph summary.
- 2 paragraphs of your opinion on the issues of the article you have chosen.
- Be sure to formally cite your source on the end of your paper.
- You should have between a page and a page and 1/2 by the time you complete your paper. (350-500 words)
- Print the article off and attach to the paper.
- All articles have from the time period since the last current event paper you wrote. Example, the semester started on January 17, so the first current events paper must not be from before January 17.
- Due date for these assignments: 2/9, 2/23, 3/7, 3/23, 4/10, 4/25
- Follow the rubric below!!!
Book Analysis Paper
After you read the book that you have chosen for the semester, you are to complete a book analysis paper. Also, don't forget to fill out questions #3 & #4 on the gold Book Description form!!! The analysis paper is not due until APRIL 20! You may turn your paper in early, but it will not be graded until 4th quarter. I will be happy to look over it to be sure that you are completing it correctly. Just let me know you shared it with me on GoogleApps! I have attached the instruction handout below for you!
Community Service
You are required to complete 3 HOURS of community service this semester as a requirement for this class. The service must be completed between January 17-April 26. The lime green form, paper, and picture of service being completed are due on April 27. If you need a copy of the form, please see the Senior Seminar Packet at the top of this webpage. The service does not have to be at the same place all 3 hours. It can be broken up into separate times. Be sure to get the lime green form signed by each person you are doing service for.
The final community service paper needs to include the following:
* What you did for service.
* How many hours it took you to complete the service.
* Who benefitted from the service you completed.
* How your service impacted you and others in your community.
* The paper should be no shorter than 1 page!!! DON'T FORGET TO GET A PICTURE OF YOU COMPLETING THE SERVICE!!!
Mentor Information
Each student is required to find a mentor for this project. The mentor must be at least 23 years old and have a vast knowledge of your topic (an expert!). Please use your manners in finding and meeting with your mentor! You never know, this person could be your future employer or someone that you could use as a reference for a job!!!! Here are the requirements or expectations for each mentor meeting. You are required to meet 3 times!
Prior to the first meeting:
1. Find your mentor.
2. After you find someone who agrees to meet with you, fill out the yellow form and turn in to the tray.
Mentor Meeting #1 (due February 29)
1. Have your mentor complete the orange form and sign it.
2. Interview your mentor. Ask at least 5 questions about the topic they are helping you with and how they became an expert at the topic. You may write the interview on the back of the periwinkle colored form or you may type it for your portfolio.
3. Fill out the front of the periwinkle form. You need to have your mentor fill out #2 on the form.
4. Get a picture with your mentor!!!
5. Set a time and date for your next meeting. Let them know that your next meeting is due on April 4 and you will need to meet again prior to that date! Fill out #3 on the periwinkle form with your next meeting date!
6. Thank them for meeting with you!!!
Mentor Meeting #2 (due April 4)
1. Take your periwinkle form with you to complete at the meeting. You will need to pick one up in B114 before you meet.
2. This meeting is to gather information. Maybe you will be job shadowing your mentor. Maybe you will want to have them look over your research or help you with more research. This meeting is a information gathering session.
3. Fill out the periwinkle form. Have your mentor fill out #2 on the form.
4. Get a picture with your mentor if you forgot to do that during your first meeting.
5. Set a date and time for your final meeting. Let your mentor know the final meeting is due on April 26 and you will need to meet prior to that date. Fill out #3 on the periwinkle form.
6. Thank them for meeting with you!!!
Mentor Meeting #3 (due April 26)
1. Take your periwinkle form with you to complete at the meeting. You will need to pick one up in B114 before you meet.
2. This meeting is to work on your presentation and product as well as wrap things up with your mentor.
3. Get a picture with your mentor if you haven't done that yet!
4. Fill out the periwinkle form and have your mentor complete #2. You do not need to complete #3 since this is your last meeting. You may write last meeting in the space provided.
5. Thank your mentor for taking the time to meet with you over the past few months.
After the final meeting, write a formal paper about the mentor experience for your portfolio. The paper is due with the final form and picture on April 26. The paper should be at least a page long and include what you learned from your mentor and how the experience effected you and your completion of this project. You may break it down meeting by meeting, or you may speak of each meeting in general. You will also need to write your mentor a thank you note and turn in a copy of it to me on April 30. I will provide a school envelope for mailing if you request one.
Public Official Letters Assignment
You will have TWO letters to public officials due on February 16. One letter must be written to President Obama and the other to a legislator of your choice below. The letters must be in business format (see link below) and must be free of errors. You will need to share the letters with me on Wednesday February 15 so that I can review them before you print them out. You will need to print TWO copies of each letter so that I can send one and have one for your portfolio! Each letter must be about a different topic and you need to use facts about the topic to support your arguments!!!
School Address:
Goshen High School
6707 Goshen Rd.
Goshen, Ohio 45122
Here is the address for President Obama:
President Barack Obama
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Here are the addresses for the legislators you can choose from:
United States Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
713 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
United States Senator Rob Portman (R-OH)
338 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
United States Representative Jean Schmidt (R-OH)
2464 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Office of the Speaker
Speaker John Boehner
H-232 The Capitol
Washington, D.C. 20515
Ohio State Senator Tom Niehaus-District 14 (R)
Statehouse
1 Capitol Square, 2nd Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Ohio State Representative Joe Uecker-District 66 (R)
77 S. High Street
12th Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215-6111
LINK FOR BUSINESS LETTER FORMAT:
Annotated Bibliography
Use the handout and links below to help you complete the Annotated Bibliography assignment. Remember you need 15 entries in alphabetical order. Use MLA format for your citations. This is a very important part of your research and will make writing your research paper in English 12 much easier if you complete this correctly. I will be doing periodic checks on this and will require you to share it with me on Google Apps every once in awhile with short notice so I can see how you are progressing and help you create an appropriate bibliography. The final Annotated Bibliography is due on March 20, 2012!
.jpg.png "Download file \"annotated bib example (white paper).jpg\"")
.jpg.png "Download file \"annotated bib example pg 1 (yellow paper).jpg\"")
.jpg.png "Download file \"annotated bib example pg. 2 (yellow paper).jpg\"")
Reflection for 3rd Quarter
Due 4/3
See the handout below for the format for reflection. This will be the same format you will use for the 4th quarter reflection due in your portfolio on 5/4.
IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES
UPDATED 4/3
IF YOU HAVEN'T GOTTEN YOUR BOOK TO READ YET, YOU SHOULD DO IT! THE PAPER IS DUE 4/20! THE DESCRIPTION FOR THE BOOK ANALYSIS AND THE COMMUNITY SERVICE IS ABOVE!
MENTOR MEETING #2 DUE WEDNESDAY 4/4 (SEE ABOVE FOR GUIDELINES FOR MEETING #2)
CURRENT EVENTS #5 DUE TUESDAY 4/10
BOOK ANALYSIS ROUGH DRAFT TO BE SHARED ON GOOGLE APPS 4/17
BOOK ANALYSIS PAPER DUE FRIDAY 4/20
CURRENT EVENTS #6 DUE WEDNESDAY 4/25
MENTOR MEETING #3, PICTURE OF YOU AND MENTOR, AND ONE PAGE PAPER ABOUT MENTORING EXPERIENCE DUE THURSDAY 4/26
COMMUNITY SERVICE FORM, PICTURE, AND 1 PAGE PAPER ABOUT SERVICE DUE FRIDAY 4/27
MENTOR THANK YOU NOTE DUE 4/30
RESEARCH PAPERS WILL BE DUE TO YOUR ENGLISH TEACHER SOME TIME THE FIRST WEEK OF MAY. BE PREPARED AND PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT THEY TELL YOU! THESE WILL BE REQUIRED TO BE INCLUDED IN YOUR PORTFOLIO!!! AP ENGLISH STUDENTS ARE TO INCLUDE THEIR RESEARCH PAPERS IN THEIR PORTFOLIO DUE ON 5/4 FOR ME TO GRADE.
PORTFOLIOS DUE FRIDAY 5/4-These must be turned in before you leave the building for PROM! The papers that need to be in the portfolio that I will not look at prior to you turning it in are the following: 4th Quarter Reflection and the Letter to the grader.
CRITICAL FRIENDS PRESENTATIONS (PRACTICE PRESENTATIONS) WILL BE THE WEEK OF MAY 9 AND MONDAY MAY 14 AND TUESDAY MAY 15. YOU MUST BE PRESENT IN CLASS THE DAY YOU ARE TO DO YOUR PRACTICE PRESENTATION OR FORFEIT THE POINTS. THERE ARE NO OPPORTUNITIES FOR MAKE-UPS DUE TO TIME CONSTRAINTS.
FINAL PRESENTATIONS WILL BE DURING SENIOR EXAMS. THIS WILL BE YOUR EXAM GRADE. IF YOU DON'T PRESENT AND/OR FAIL THE CLASS YOU WILL NOT BE PARTICIPATING IN THE GRADUATION CEREMONY ON MAY 25.