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The purpose of Nathan Hale High School is to ensure that ALL students will become honorable, thinking, skillful citizens.

Nathan Hale High School

The Senior Culminating Project 2008-2009

The Senior Culminating Project helps you to:

Demonstrate your growth and learning through your High School experience;
Complete a Culminating Project that both explores a learning area of interest and demonstrates citizenship through service;
Connect your High School learning to your future goals and plans.

There are Five Components to the Senior Culminating Project:

I. You will write a Culminating Project Proposal that serves as guide for project conception and planning.

II. You will engage in a Culminating Project Experience that is a job shadow, internship, or another experience, whereby you apply and deepen your skills as both a learner and a contributor. You will document 20 hours of work toward your project. These 20 hours must be completed during the 12^th Grade school year. The 20 hours can be combined with service learning, as all Culminating Projects must demonstrate Citizenship through Service.

III. You will complete a Culminating Project Journal that records reflections on your learning, during the project experience, and at end.

IV. You will create a Portfolio of High School Work (minimum three pieces) that shows your growth as a learner, and mastery of critical thinking skills.

V. You will Present your Culminating Project, Portfolio of High School Work and Reflections to a Lower House Mentorship and to a Panel of Adult Judges, in a formal presentation. Exhibition Evening is May 12, 2009.

Important Project Due Dates:

· Culminating Project Signature Sheet, signed by you and parent/guardian: October 15, 2008

· Culminating Project Expert Advisor/Mentor Agreement Sheet: November 12, 2008

· Culminating Project Proposal: December 3, 2008

· Portfolio of High School Work: April 15, 2009

· Culminating Project Journal: (minimum) 3 in-process journal entries, in which you record and reflect on your experiences: April 23, 2009

· Culminating Project Summary Reflection (part of Project Journal): April 23, 2009

· Culminating Project Log, documenting hours of work (part of Project Journal): April 23, 2009

· Lower House Mentorship Presentations: April 23- May 7, 2009

· Presentation of Final work on Exhibition Evening: May 12, 2009

See complete Project Calendar, with all incremental assignments and due dates, at back of packet.

I. The Culminating Project Proposal

Due December 3, 2008

The goal of the Culminating Project Paper is to help you outline the concept of your project and serve as a guide for your planning. Your responses to the areas below need to be detailed and specific. Your paper will be completed and turned in to your mentor teacher by December 3, 2008.

Ø In a three-four page typed paper, describe your project. Be sure to thoroughly cover each of the following proposal points.

1. Culminating Project Title-

o Provide a short, descriptive title for your project.

2. Culminating Project Overview-

a. Summarize your idea for a Culminating Project.

What do you want to accomplish with your project?
How will you know your project benefits or connects with the community?
How will your project assist you in becoming an honorable, skillful, thinking and contributing citizen?

Prior Knowledge-

What do you already know about your chosen area of study?
How does this project match or expand upon a passion or interest you have?
What are some relevant skills and experiences you bring to this project?
What skills have you learned at school that will support you with your project?
What obstacles might you face, as you work toward your project goal?
How might you avoid some of the identified obstacles?

Expected Outcomes-

What do you expect to learn?
What do you want to learn?
What do you expect to discover about yourself as a learner and contributor, from working on this project?
How might completion of the project benefit your future?
How will completion of your project benefit others?
What do you want to accomplish through your project?

Research Focus-

What resources do you intend to find to help guide you through your project?
With whom might you consult, for additional support, as you work on your project?
You need to include a minimum of THREE documented resources in your proposal. Citations should be in MLA style.
What evidence will you collect?

Presentation –

Describe your vision of your final project presentation (performance, visuals, technology components, speech, etc).
How will you know the members of the Exhibition Panel understand and learn from your project?
What is your vision for “beyond high school?” How will your project help you to work toward your goals?
What other materials will you submit as evidence of your work and progress on the project?

You may begin your work on your project now, and use the project paper to outline and synthesize your work. Talk to your mentorship teacher to make sure proposal will be approved!

Be sure to turn-in the Expert Advisor/Mentor Agreement sheet to your Mentorship teacher, by November 12^th!

II. Culminating Project Hours Log:

Due April 23, 2009

You will document 20 hours (minimum) of learning and service, as part of your Culminating Project Requirement. These 20 hours must be completed, during the 12^th Grade year, between September, 2008-- May, 2009. The record of work is due with your Culminating Project Journal.

III. Culminating Project Journal:

Due April 23, 2009

You will complete 3 In-Process Reflections as part of your work on your culminating project. The Culminating Project is to create a product, system, or event; or to perform a service; or to participate in an internship/job shadow. Your Culminating Project must deepen your skills and benefit or connect with your community.

For each of the In-Process Journal Entries, reflect on the following questions:

Ø How does this project and my work on it demonstrate who I am as a learner?

Ø Where am I currently, in my project?

Ø Am I as far along as I hoped to be?

Ø What next steps must I take?

Ø What is going well so far?

Ø What is not going as well as I had hoped?

Ø How is this project important to me or to my community?

Ø How have I developed or applied the five habits of mind through the project experience?

These reflections will be completed at the beginning, midpoint, and near-end of culminating project process.

Reflection 1: The Beginning

This reflection should include thoughts, feelings, and reflections related to the planning and initial work done to structure the culminating project. This initial reflection should speak to how you think this project will demonstrate your depth of learning. You should predict how this project might affect your future learning and actions. The following questions, related to the Five Habits of Mind, should also be considered as you choose your project and begin meaningful work:

VIEWPOINT: What viewpoint(s)/perspective(s) are you considering and/or serving when thinking about the purpose of and in implementing your culminating project?
EVIDENCE: What evidence has directed you in forming ideas about your project? What are the needs you are trying to address? How will you know that you have demonstrated your presence as a learner?
RELEVANCE: How do you know that this is an important task to be undertaken? Why does what you are doing matter to you, to the greater community? Why and how does this project attend to your learning goals?
CONNECTION: How is your project intended to meet the needs of the community you are serving? In what ways are your goals aligned with the goals of the person/community/organization that you are working? How will this project demonstrate who you are as a learner?
SUPPOSITON: What if things do not go as planned? What alternatives route could you take in your work to serve the same purpose?

Reflection 2: Midway

Reflection 3: Near End

These reflections should include your thoughts, feelings, and reflections related to the progress made thus far in the culminating project process. The second and third reflections should speak to your growth and learning through the culminating project process. They are similar in content, but explore two different phases of project completion.

The midway point provides a great opportunity for you to make sure you are on track in the culminating project process. In mid-February, your Mentorship teacher will go over your time logs, journal, and reflections that have been completed up to this point.

Reflection 4: Final Thoughts, Summary of Experience

This reflection should include your thoughts, feelings, and reflections related to your completed culminating project. As this is your final reflection, special attention should be given to HOW you have grown as a learner and contributor, through this experience with their culminating project, and WHAT demonstrates that growth. The following questions, related to the Five Habits of Mind, may be helpful to consider as you reflect on the completion of your culminating project work:

VIEWPOINT: How has this project affected your personal viewpoint? If another person were reporting on your culminating project work, what would s/he say?
EVIDENCE: How has this project demonstrated who you are as a learner and/or your growth as a learner? How do you know your project goals were met?
RELEVANCE: What has your culminating project meant to you? What has it meant to the person/community/organization that you served? What will you remember about your experience five years from now?
CONNECTION: How is your culminating project experience related to your growth as a learner? In what ways does your experience compliment the academic learning you have done?
SUPPOSITON: If things had gone differently, what might you change? What would you leave the same? If you had not been required to complete a culminating project, how would you be different as a learner and/or as a person?

Journal reflections will also serve as part of your log for your culminating project work. The expectations for the format and content of each refection are outlined below:

Formatting Requirements

All culminating project journals shall include:

The goal and purpose of the project
Documentation of 20 authentic hours of work on the project; this may include service learning hours, if the project has an impact on the community or school.
A clear and organized log of activities done (including: dates, time spent, a description of the tasks/activities worked on, and the total number of hours completed)
Three reflections on your growth as a learner contextualized by the Five Habits of Mind. Reflections provide you the opportunity to discuss what you have learned or are getting out of the process, and how the project is progressing. The reflection component should include an assessment of your activities and work (i.e. a descriptions of setbacks, frustrations, learning moments, epiphanies, the student has experiences).
One Final Summary Reflection.

IV. Portfolio of High School Work and Reflection on Learning

Due April 15, 2009

Choose THREE pieces of your High School work (minimum).
Assemble work in a polished Portfolio.
Write a Reflection on your Learning:

Ø How do these pieces demonstrate who I am as a learner?

Ø How do these pieces of work show how I have grown as learner and thinker?

Ø What learning challenge did I face as I entered high school?

Ø How did I overcome my learning challenges?

Ø Does my portfolio work reflect my learning through the culminating project experience?

Ø How will my learning help me in my future plans, beyond High School?

Ø What are my future plans?

Ø How do I use the five Habits of Mind in my portfolio work? (Evidence, Viewpoint, Relevance, Supposition, and Connection)

Ø Did I include my favorite pieces? Why are they favorites for you?

Ø Did I include pieces that were most fun to complete? Or did I include pieces that were especially challenging, thus represent an achievement in my learning?

Ø What do I most want to convey to Exhibition panelists, about my Portfolio?

V. Senior Culminating Project Exhibition Evening

May 12, 2009

The final Exhibition Evening celebrates completion of both the Culminating Project and completion of four years of high school learning. Students will have an opportunity to participate in a school-wide exploration of various ways to practice both learning about an area of interest and citizenship through service.

Panels of adults will be assembled, in rooms throughout the building, and students will showcase their year’s effort in formal presentation. You are expected to thoroughly prepare and rehearse. You will already have completed a required “dry-run” in a Lower House Mentorship. You should dress neatly, as befits an exhibition of work. You will be assigned a time and class room, on Exhibition Evening, May 12^th, 2009. You will have TWENTY minutes of presentation time. You should plan to be at the designated classroom five minutes before designated time, for last minute preparation.

The exhibition will start with an introduction of yourself to your Panel. You will offer a brief overview of the project goals. You will explain what impact the Culminating Project work has had on growth, during the senior year. You will be asked a number of questions from the members of the panel judging their work. How you choose to use your twenty minutes of presentation time is your decision, but you must cover the following Presentation Elements:

1. Introduction of Project.

2. Description of Key Points in process of Project.

3. Visual display (photos, paintings, physical objects, etc.) of Project process

4. Significant Learning, during Project.

5. Explanation of how your Project involved both learning and citizenship through service.

6. Presentation of Portfolio of High School Work

ALL Students must successfully complete ALL elements of the Senior Culminating Project to Graduate from Nathan Hale High School.

Some questions to consider, in preparation for Exhibition Evening:

Ø How has growth occurred for me over the past four years?

Ø What have I learned from participation in my Culminating Project Experience?

Ø What does citizenship through service teach me about my place in the larger world?

Ø How am I prepared to achieve my goals after High School?

Ø What was the most interesting learning, during the Culminating Project?

Ø What was the most challenging aspect of the Culminating Project?

Ø What was the most rewarding aspect of the Culminating Project?

Nathan Hale High School

Culminating Project Timeline

The purpose of the culminating project is to help you a) reflect on and demonstrate growth and learning through the High School experience, b) complete a Culminating Project that both explores a learning area of interest and demonstrates citizenship through service, c) imagine and articulate how they will use their learning in the years to come.

Culminating Project: First Semester

Dates	Mentorship Activities
September 10-11	Receive Culminating Project Overview Packet Begin Consideration of Project Ideas Talk about Culminating Project with Parents or Guardians
September 17-18	Ask Questions in Mentorship about Project: What is confusing? Write down three questions and/or ideas— to be returned to Culminating Project Coordinator
October 1-2	Review Culminating Project with Mentorship and answer any new questions Discuss Service ideas and ways of articulating citizenship: participation and giving-back to the world
October 8-9	Review the list of past projects Brainstorm and share potential projects/ideas
October 15-16	Parent/Guardian Signature Page due to Mentorship Teacher Students work on the Proposal: Project Overview Students begin contacting potential Expert Advisor/Mentors
October 22-23	Students work on the Proposal: Prior Knowledge Students continue process of securing Expert Advisor/Mentors
October 30	Students work on Proposal: Research Focus
November 5-6	Students work on Proposal: Expected Outcomes
November 12-13	Expert Advisor/Mentor Agreement due to Mentorship Students visualize and work on Proposal: Final Presentation
November 20-21	Finalize Culminating Project Proposal and put it all together Begin consideration of pieces to include in Portfolio of High School Work
December 3, 2008	All Culminating Project Proposals due to Mentorship Teacher

Culminating Project: Second Semester

Dates	Mentorship Activities
January 13-14	Begin or continue Culminating Project Learning Sessions Specific check-in with Mentorship Teacher (rubric to be distributed in Mentorship)
February 4-5	First Project Journal Reflection due
February 11-12	Continue assembling pieces for Portfolio of High School Work Do NOT leave the Portfolio of Work to the last minute!
February 24-25	Second journal reflection due
March 10-11	Third Journal Reflection due Final work days and check-ins Continue assembling Portfolio of High School Work (due 4/15)
March 24-25	Sign-up for Lower House Mentorship Presentation times Work on Culminating Project Journal Work on Portfolio of High School work
April 15	Portfolio of Best High School Work due Reflection on Learning due (part of Portfolio)
April 23-24	Culminating Project Journal, Reflection, Time Log due Students rehearse presentations Students present to one Lower House Mentorship (required between April 23- May 7)
April 29-30	Presentation to Lower House Mentorship Rehearse Final Presentation
May 6-7	Presentation to Lower House Mentorship Rehearse Final Presentation
May 12, 2009	Final Culminating Project Exhibition Presentation Evening ALL students must successfully complete ALL elements of Culminating Project to Graduate from Nathan Hale High School

Mentorship Teacher: ____________________________

The Senior Culminating Project Guardian Signature Page

Due to Mentorship Teacher on or before October 15^th, 2008

We have read the packet that outlines the Senior Culminating Project. We understand that the Culminating Project is a core part of the 12^th Grade experience and that all work toward completion must be done during the 12^th Grade school year. We understand that the Senior Culminating Project combines a learning area of interest and citizenship through service. We have reviewed all key due dates.

Date: ____________

Student Name (printed): Parent Name (printed):

Student Signature: Parent/Guardian Signature:

Senior Culminating Project Coordinator

Rebecca Ross

rbross@seattleschools.org

Room 214

Please cut sheet along line. Return signature sheets to Mentorship Teacher, on or before due dates.

Mentorship Teacher: _________________________

The Senior Culminating Project Expert Advisor Agreement

Due to Mentorship Teacher on or before November 12^th, 2008

I agree to serve as expert advisor to ______________________________________, a Senior at Nathan Hale High School. My area of expertise or employment is: _____________________________________. I have read the packet that outlines the Senior Culminating Project. I understand that the Culminating Project is a core part of the 12^th Grade experience, and that all work toward completion must be done during the 12^th Grade school year, between September of 2008—May, 2009. I understand that the Senior Culminating Project combines a learning area of interest and citizenship through service. We have reviewed all key due dates. I have discussed the scope and focus of the Culminating Project with the Nathan Hale Senior with whom I will work.

Brief Description of Senior Culminating Project Idea (2-3 Sentences): Date: ___________

Student Name (printed): ______________________ Expert Name Advisor (printed):

____________________________________

Student email address: _______________________

Student Signature: Expert Advisor Signature:

Culminating Project Coordinator: