Ward Haverford High School,

Havertown, Pennsylvania April 2010

Cultures Project

10th Grade Honors English

Ms. Ward

Haverford High School

Havertown, PA

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Project Description THE PURPOSE

As a member of the class of 2012, you are a part of a generation that is more aware of what is happening in other cultures and in other regions of our world. Thanks to advances in media and technology, you can be an informed and aware member of our global community. You have at your fingertips the resources to help you learn what is happening in southern India at this very moment. You live in an increasingly connected global community.

But with all this information at your fingertips, how much do you really know about what is happening in your world today? How often do you do something to help your global community?

As a member of our global community, your goal is to investigate a current problem facing a non-western culture. Because we are all members of our global community, we are not just interested in finding out more about a specific culture; we are also interested in working to bring about some type of change or transformation.

UNDERSTAND QUESTION CHALLENGE TRANSFORM

THE PROJECT

You will select a current problem facing the culture where your pen pal lives. Each student will be craft a persuasive research paper that explores the history of this culture, a contemporary issue facing the culture, and put forth potential solutions to its current problem. Although each student will write an individual research paper, you will be allowed to work with a partner to complete the research. Additionally, you will be able to work with your pen pal to get more personalized research for this project.

However, this is not simply a research project. Once you’ve finished the research phase of this project, you must do something with your new found knowledge. Students will also be creating products and presentations (either individually or in small groups) that will extend beyond the classroom, such as documentary videos for H-Vision, web pages, pamphlets, newspaper or magazine editorials, an article for the Fordian, letters, public speaking presentations, fund raising, music, plays…or whatever you can think of to best make our community aware of your research topic. The idea is to reach an audience outside the doors of our classroom.

Finally, students will create an individual creative work to be shared with our classroom community. The creative piece will reflect on something significant you learned from completing this project. The creative project can take the form of a poem, a short story, an essay, a mural, a dance, or even a song.

RESEACH IS DONE TO BRING ABOUT CHANGE. HOW WILL YOU CHANGE YOUR WORLD?

THE PROCESS

There are several smaller research and writing assignments – including a formal project proposal, interviews, surveys, note-taking and research writing – that will build up to the final project. You will turn in assigned pieces along the way for written teacher evaluation, but you will not receive a grade for this project until the very end of the course. In this way, you will be given many opportunities to utilize peer, self, and teacher revision to help you bring each piece of this project up to publishable quality. This is the culminating writing assignment for the course, and as such, it should represent your very best work.

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Expectations and Requirements This multi-step assignment will require a great deal of organization and planning. You will be given the opportunity to revise each step before turning it in for your final grade, and you will not want to misplace any revisions or drafts that you complete along the way. You will be asked to turn in final copies as well as rough drafts for each of the major steps of this project. Use the calendar of dates to help you keep track of each of the steps explained below.

FORMAL PROJECT PROPOSAL DUE: Wednesday, May 5th Students will submit a one to two page, double-spaced, typed formal project proposal that answers the following questions: Why are you interested in this particular issue; What question are you hoping to answer through your research; What will you need to research; What do you expect to find during your research; Where will you find the information you need; and Why is this a viable topic? The teacher will accept, provisionally accept with revisions, or reject the proposal.

THE RESEARCH PROCESS DUE: Wednesday, May 12th

Students will find and evaluate reliable source materials. To keep track of the bibliographical information for their sources, students will create MLA formatted source cards. Students are required to find: a minimum of two sources supporting the historical development of the issue being researched, a minimum of three sources for information relating to a current issue facing the culture, and a minimum of two sources supporting potential solutions. Additionally, students will use Noodlebib keep track of bibliographical information and annotate sources. Students will show evidence of significant note taking for each of the seven required sources.

OUTLINE FOR RESEARCH PAPER DUE: Wednesday, May 19th Each student will complete a two-page working outline for the research paper prior to beginning the drafting process. The outline will contain information for the following sections: introduction (with thesis), historical background of the culture, specific problem facing the culture today, potential solutions to that problem, and conclusion. The working outline will be part of the pre-writing process, but the outline will also be revised into a formal outline later in order to follow the organization of information as it is presented in the final paper.

RESEARCH PAPER DUE: Wednesday, June 2nd Each student will submit a five to seven page, double spaced draft of the research paper. The paper must be

correctly formatted using MLA citation style and must include a works cited page with a minimum of four sources listed.

PRODUCT DUE: Wednesday, June 9th Your final product can be completed individually or in small groups. The most important aspect to consider when planning your final product is that you choose a product type that will be effective in reaching your identified audience. You may produce a website, a public service announcement for H-Vision, a documentary film, a public speech or presentation for another class or venue, an informational binder/resource for public use, a fund raising campaign, etc. The product will be evaluated on quality, reflection of research, and effect on audience. The expectation is that you will create and distribute a product to an audience outside of our classroom.

CREATIVE PIECE DUE: Wednesday, June 9th The creative piece will be your individual expression of what you learned as you completed this project. You may decide to create a painting around a theme or quotation you uncovered in your research. You may write a poem or compose a song to express a value held by the culture you researched. Or, you could create a short story or myth related to the traditions of your chosen culture. You will need to decide on the best format in which to share the most valuable lesson you personally learned as you completed this project.

FINAL PROJECT FOR GRADING: DUE: Friday, June 11th Revisions will be made to the proposal, source cards, formal outline, research paper, product, and creative piece prior to the final due date. Students will turn in final good copies of each piece as well as rough drafts and revisions for each portion of this project. The final project will be graded using the holistic rubric on the following page. Projects will NOT be accepted after this date.

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Preparing Your Proposal

While the form and style of proposals vary widely, proposals are a way to help others understand what motivates you to undertake a particular project. As an example of scholarly and academic writing, a good proposal blends the best elements of informational, persuasive, and narrative writing styles. You must be keenly aware of who your audience is and what he or she may be looking for. Your task is to convince Ms. Ward that your project deserves her support.

THE STRUCTURE OF THE PROPOSAL: You will need to type a one-two page formal project proposal before beginning any in-depth research into your selected culture and issue. Your proposal will identify an issue currently facing India. Your proposal will be written in paragraph form using MLA formatting style. You will also need to attach a copy of one scholarly article about your topic to your proposal.

In order for your proposal to be accepted, you will need to address the following questions:

Why are you interested in this particular issue? What question are you hoping to answer through your research? What will you need to research? Where will you find the information you need? What do you expect to find during your research? Why is this a viable topic?

Successful proposals:

1) Identify a specific, limited, and viable research topic. The student has selected an issue that he or she can both learn something about through research as well as create a product to raise awareness of the problem facing that culture.

2) Identify a clear and focused research question. 3) Present the rationale for the research project in a well-organized and clearly structured

proposal that answers the above research questions in paragraph form. You will organize your proposal like other expository writing assignments – capture your reader’s attention with a solid hook sentence, your thesis is your focused research question, and your body paragraphs should persuade your audience why your topic in viable.

4) Mention specific research found during the preliminary research process. 5) Are written using clear and concise wording. 6) Utilize appropriate scholarly and persuasive diction in order to convince the reader that

the topic selected is worthy of study.

Research proposals that do not succeed are ones that:

Lack organization and structure Lack focus on a specific culture and/or problem Identify a topic that is too vague or too broad to actually research Are repetitive and verbose

Fail to mention viable research Fail to stay focused on the research question Fail to develop a coherent and persuasive argument for the proposed research Provide too much detail on minor issues, but not enough detail on major issues Ramble, using too many examples without a clear sense of direction

Fail to follow MLA formatting style Do not demonstrate evidence of both editing and revision

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THE BASIC PROPOSAL:

I. The Introduction

A. Begin with a creative hook – an startling statistic, a quote from a person affected by your topic, paint a scenario with your words

B. Give some background on your topic

C. Why is this topic important to you

D. What questions are you hoping to answer through your research (this is the thesis of your proposal worded as a question)

II. Body of your Proposal

A. What will you need to research?

1. What sort of history of your topic will you need to understand?

2. What elements of the current problem do you already know but need more information?

3. What will you need to know in order to suggest potential solutions?

B. Where will you find the information you need?

1. What specific books, magazines, and other print resources can you use?

2. What websites and organizations will be helpful to your research? Be specific

C. What do you expect to find during your research?

1. What sort of stories or statistics do you expect to find?

2. Do you already know that something is being done about your topic?

III. Conclusion

A. Why is topic viable?

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Proposal Rubric

Progress: Expectations: Comments: Proposal Accepted

MLA: The proposal is correctly set-up using MLA guidelines (1” margins all the way around, header in upper right, name and information in upper left, font, and spacing)

CONTENT: The proposal identifies a specific, limited, and viable research problem from the country where the student’s pen pal lives. The student has selected an issue that he or she can both learn something about through research as well as create a product to raise awareness of the problem facing that culture. An article related to the topic is attached to the proposal.

ORGANIZATION: The proposal presents the rationale for the research project in a well-organized and clearly structured proposal that captures the reader’s attention with a solid hook sentence, presents a thesis focused on a research question, and persuades the reader using well developed body paragraphs. The proposal answers the following questions in paragraph form with specific and detailed responses: o Why are you interested in this particular issue? o What question are you hoping to answer through your

research? o What will you need to research? o Where will you find the information you need? o What do you expect to find during your research? o Why is this a viable topic?

STYLE: The proposal is written using clear and concise wording. It also utilizes appropriate scholarly and persuasive diction in order to convince the reader that the topic selected is worthy of study.

Proposal Provisionally

Accepted But

Revisions Are Needed

MLA: The proposal has minor MLA formatting problems.

CONTENT: The proposal identifies a viable research problem from the country where the student’s pen pal lives. However, the topic is not limited enough. The student has selected an issue that he or she can both learn something about through research as well as create a product to raise awareness of the problem facing that culture. An article related to the topic is attached to the proposal.

ORGANIZATION: The proposal is well-organized into paragraphs using the outline provided in the packet. It answers all five of the research questions; however, the proposal lacks specific details and needs to be revised.

STYLE: The proposal is written using clear and concise wording. It also utilizes appropriate scholarly and persuasive diction in order to convince the reader that the topic selected is worthy of study.

Proposal Rejected

The proposal is not formatted correctly, lacks specific details, and does not have an article attached.

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The Research Process

After your proposal has been accepted, you need to begin to gather a minimum of seven research sources from books, periodicals, web databases, and/or reputable web sites. Two of those sources should contain information on the history of the issue you are studying. Another three sources should contain information on the current problem facing India. Finally, you will need two sources with information on potential solutions for the problem being studied. To keep track of the bibliographical information for your sources, you will create seven MLA formatted entries and seven annotated cards using Noodlebib.

You may not cite and use general encyclopedias in your Cultures Project paper, but you should consult one or two for background information or research ideas.

This means that students cannot use general encyclopedias like the Encyclopedia Britannica, MSN Encarta, or Wikipedia. However, students can use the special issues encyclopedias – The Encyclopedia of World Cultures, the American Psychological Association Encyclopedia, etc.

Noodlebib

You will be submitting your annotated sources to your teacher using Noodlebib. We will be reviewing how to use Noodlebib in class; however, if you need a tutorial, you can find them online at http://www.noodletools.com/helpdesk/index.php?action=file_library.

Keep the following in mind when you annotate your sources:

1. Don't write down too much

Your essay must be an expression of your own thinking, not a patchwork of borrowed ideas. Your goal is to understand your sources and integrate them into your own thinking. Your note cards or note sheets will record only ideas that are relevant to your focus on the topic.

Copy out exact words only when the ideas are memorably phrased or surprisingly expressed. You should only directly copy passages when you think you might use them as actual quotations in your essay.

Most notes will be paraphrased. Choose the most important ideas and write them down as labels or headings. Then fill in your notes with a few sub-points that explain or exemplify.

Don't depend on underlining and highlighting. Instead, rephrase main ideas into your own words.

2. Taking a variety of notes

Get background information on the issue you are studying (facts, statistics, laws, early controversies, definition of terms, etc.)

Locate interesting direct quotes from experts to support your argument.

Find more information about what is happening currently (the past 10 years) with your topic – who is the topic controversial for, why, and what laws, ideas, leaders, and information have changed from earlier beliefs.

Paraphrase interesting quotes and information to help you support the changes that you want to see happen. These statistics, quotes and information will go into the solutions section of your paper.

You need to show evidence of significant note-taking on your required seven sources. Your annotated sources will be turned in via Noodlebib on WEDNESDAY, MAY 19

th.

Sources: Margaret Procter. University of Toronto. <http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/notes.html>.

OWL at Purdue University and Purdue University. <http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/hypertext/ResearchW/notes.html#PLAGIARISM>.

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Creating an Outline

A detailed outline will provide you with a solid foundation upon which to build your research paper. You will want to follow this basic format from creating your formal outline. Remember - outlines do not need to be written in complete sentences. However, the more specific information that you add into your outline, the more useful your outline will be as a tool in the drafting process of your essay.

Your first outline will be part of your pre-writing process, a way to help you begin to organize your ideas into a first draft. Later, after you have written and revised your research essay, you will revise your outline so that it follows the points presented in your paper. You final outline will help to introduce readers to the points of your paper.

Preparing and Using Outlines Using an outline can help you organize your material and help you discover connections between pieces of information that you weren't aware of when you first conceived the plan of your paper. It can also make you aware of material that is not really relevant to the purposes of your paper or material that you have covered before and should therefore be removed.

A Working Outline is submitted at the beginning of your work so that your teacher can suggest ways in which your work needs to be further developed or cut back. Your teacher might also see that you're trying to accomplish too much or too little for the scope of the assignment he or she has in mind. The working outline can be revised as you discover new material and get new ideas that ought to go into your paper. Most word processing programs have outlining features with automatic formatting that make it easy to create and revise outlines. It is a good idea to keep copies of old outlines in a computer folder in case new versions of the outline lead you in false directions that you will later have to abandon.

A Final Outline is a revision of the Working Outline, and the Final Outline will follow the organization of your final research essay.

The goal of the outline is to bring related material together under general headings and arrange sections so they relate logically to each other. An effective introduction will map out the journey your reader is about to take, and a satisfactory conclusion will wrap up the sequence of ideas in a nice package.

An outline will use only short phrases to suggest ideas, and is organized in the following manner:

I. Major sections of the paper A. Subtopic

1. Support for subtopic a. Further explanation

(1) More detailed example

(2) More detailed example b. Further explanation

2. Support of subtopic B. Subtopic

II. Major section of paper

Logic requires that if you have an "A" in your paper, you need to have a "B"; a "1" requires a "2," and so forth.

Source: http://www.ccc.commnet.edu/mla/outlines.shtml

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The following is a sample of a cultures project outline:

I. Introduction

A. Beginning in 1949, Mao Zedung announced his plan to liberate Tibet from “foreign imperialists”

B. Tibetan culture has been repressed

1. Invasive Chinese militants forced Dalai Lama into exile

2. Tibetans shed their belief in non-violence

3. Infiltration of the Chinese has brought resentment, famine, and destruction

C. Although China claims that its objective is to modernize Tibet, China’s true motive is to gain economic power by

plundering Tibet’s natural resources, then using Tibet to fuel China’s industrialization projects.

1. China will be unable to surface as a leading world power while violating human rights policies

2. Economic gain will allow for China to access political power

D. In order to understand the potential solutions to Tibet’s current situation, it is crucial that one have a clear

understand of the long-standing conflict between the Chinese and Tibetans.

II. History

A. 641 C.E -China claims it has rights to Tibet due to marriage bond between Chinese and Tibetan patriarchs

B. Continuous fighting over many centuries

1. Land occupation

2. Buddhist religion, Dalai Lama as reincarnation of the Buddha

3. China atheist, Dalai Lama as the figure head of all Buddhists

4. Controversy with the Chinese regarding the present Panchen Lama

5. 80,000 people followed Dalai Lama into exile

C. Dalia Lama is forced into signing a Seventeen Point Agreement with China

III. Issue currently afflicting the culture

A. Tibetans, along with a multitude of international organizations and coalitions, consider China’s imperialism as a

violation of human rights

B. Chinese have implemented their own practices in the hopes of alienating the Tibetan culture

C. Mao Zedong decided that the PLE should liberate Tibet, which is how the issue came about

D. Description of current problem:

1. Monks and nuns are forced to reject their belief ; threatened with death.

2. Over l,000 Tibetan prisoners unjustly sent to labor camps

3. Monks publicly forced to denounce the Tibetan choice of Dalai Lama. Monks were compensated with 1, 250

dollars

4. Chinese restrictions on number of monks permitted

5. Shelling of monasteries and ancient structures

6. 1.2 million killed thus far

E. The Chinese claim to pour money into Tibetan health care, yet the Chinese continue to allow Tibetans to suffer

from chronic under nutrition and other treatable ailments and illnesses

IV. Solutions

A. China’s successful economy is largely due to the pillaging of Tibet’s resources.

1. China grew by 9.5 percent last year.

2. Quote from China’s Deputy Minister of the Environment

3. China is facing a depletion of resources; not enough land to sustain this sort of growth

B. Protesting the 2008 Olympics in Beijing

C. The United Nations must be pressured into intervening

D. If China, Pakistan and India were to be demilitarized, tension lesson, and military expenditure would be reduced

V. Conclusion…etc.

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I. INTRODUCTION

A. Hook: How will you capture your reader’s attention? Will you use a startling statistic, a creative quotation, or paint your readers a picture?

B. Background: Give readers basic background information into the culture you researched and the issue is currently affecting it. You may also want to add a poignant quotation into your introduction to help underscore your main ideas.

C. Thesis: Your thesis will want to introduce your culture and the problem currently facing the culture as well as introduce potential solutions. Two good thesis formulas to consider using are:

Example thesis formats: Although _________________, Topic + Position + because ________________.

Although discrimination against India’s achuta caste is technically illegal, discrimination and prejudice continues to impede the daily lives of the “Untouchable” caste in Hindu state as a result of the lack of governmental support of these laws.

Since ____________________ Topic, Position + Solutions ________________. Since the achuta caste of people in India continue to be discriminated against despite laws declaring otherwise, more money and time must be spent on better educating both the “Untouchable” caste as well as the general public of India.

D. Review of main essay points: Succinctly introduce the main sections of your essay. Make a smooth transition into your first section.

II. HISTORY A. Each letter in this section of your outline represents a different paragraph. B. Give readers information on the background of the culture to help set the context for the

problem currently affecting the culture. You will need to determine what factors are important for you reader to understand before you tell them more about the current problem. You may want to think about (but are not limited to):

1. historical influences on the culture 2. culture specific values and beliefs 3. changes that have affected the culture’s beliefs/values/traditions over time 4. geographical factors impacting your selected culture and issue 5. basic background on the history of the issue facing your culture 6. (Last letter in this section) Transition to current problems facing the culture

III. ISSUE CURRENTLY AFFECTING THE CULTURE A. How did this problem first begin?

B. Description of the current problem facing the culture

1. statistics to support your description

2. interesting or little known facts

3. direct quotations from members of the culture

C. What factors have contributed to the growth of this problem?

D. Transition to potential solutions for addressing this problem

IV. POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS A. How are things done/handled/dealt with/solved today? (dominant pattern)

B. Are there people out there who think they have a better way (competing pattern)

C. What is the best potential solution?

D. What will need to change for the best solution to be implemented?

V. CONCLUSION

A. Restate your thesis in different words

B. Sum up your main ideas

C. A significant quote from your research that captures your main ideas

D. Clincher sentence – a powerful and pithy sentence that will help readers remember your thesis.

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CULTURES PROJECT: Research Essay CheckBric Use this sheet as a guide for drafting your essay, checking off each item as you complete it.

MLA FORMATING You have the correct header with your last name and page number in the upper right corner of each page.

Your name and information on the top left of the first page is formatted correctly. Look at the page titled “The Finer Points of the MLA Paper” in your MLA Made Simple guide for an example.

Your margins are 1 inch on all sides.

You do not have any extra space between your title and the essay. Your title is not bolded or underlined. Your title is creative.

The essay is double-spaced.

You have used parenthetical citations to correctly give credit to all dates, statistics, key terms or ideas, direct quotations, and paraphrases of quotations. Use your MLA Made Simple Guide to help you correctly cite your sources.

The Works Cited contains at least four scholarly sources.

The Works Cited is correctly formatted like the one on page 10 of your MLA Made Simple Guide.

If you have a direct quotation that is over four lines long, you made sure to correctly block quote the direct quotation. Look at page 15 of your MLA Made Simple guide for an example.

CONCERN OR QUESTION:

CONTENT You have a clear thesis. Toward the end of your introductory paragraph, you include a clear thesis that identifies your

topic, your position, and introduces your solutions. Try starting with the words “Although…” or “Since…” See examples in your Cultures Project packet and your MLA Made Simple guide.

All points (body paragraphs) prove your thesis. You took out all ideas that do not directly relate to your topic or prove your thesis.

You are not missing support for your claims. You must be able to prove everything you claim in your essay. You have supported your claims with well-documented sources and quotations.

You have a well-developed history section. Your history section gives background on your topic. You have asked yourself: What must the reader understand in order to best understand my topic?

You have a well-developed current issue section. You have integrated your research and analyzed the information you found. You do not just drop in a bunch of quotes. You explain the importance of your quotes and statistics. You have asked yourself: What does this research mean for the current state of the culture I am researching?

You have a well-developed solutions section. The solutions listed are substantial, well-developed, and supported. You have elaborated on specific interventions that have either already been attempted or should be put into place. Your solutions are realistic. You have asked yourself: How will your solutions be funded? How might education play a role?

You have used enough sources. You have parenthetical citations for a minimum of four scholarly sources.

All of your sources are scholarly and well-documented. Do NOT use general encyclopedias, online encyclopedias (especially not Wikipedia), or personal homepages.

You introduced all of your direct quotations. When you use a quote, you made sure to introduce who said it and where. You asked yourself: Why should readers believe your source? Example: According to the director of the World Health Organization, ….

You did not overuse direct quotes. Only use a direct quotation if the wording of the sentence is particularly powerful. Otherwise, paraphrase the quote (put it into your own words) and be sure to cite it.

CONCERN OR QUESTION:

ORGANIZATION You have a clear introduction, body, and conclusion.

Each body paragraph focuses on only one major idea. Your ideas do not run together.

You have clear transition sentences between each paragraph. At the end of each paragraph, you sum up the idea of the paragraph and briefly introduce the next idea. See your Grammar Guide for examples.

CONCERN OR QUESTION:

WORD CHOICE The essay does not contain any 1st or 2nd personal pronouns. Please see your Grammar Guide for a full listing.

You did NOT use contractions. Spell out all contractions.

You avoided informal or vague language. Do not use kids; instead use students or children. Do not use words like a lot, big, little, really, very, etc. Find more specific and more descriptive language.

You avoided editorializing. You left your personal comments on the topic out.

You made sure the essay did NOT rely too heavily on passive voice. You made sure that for most of your sentences the subject is doing the action and that you use ACTION verbs. Eliminate the auxiliary verbs and limit your use of linking verbs.

CONCERN OR QUESTION:

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Cultures Project Holistic Grading Criteria 5 = Exemplary 4=Admirable 3=Average 2=Amateur 1=Unsatisfactory

EXPECTATIONS COMMENTS

THE BASICS: All pieces turned in demonstrate effort and creativity. The student spent time putting together a quality

project.

All pieces of the project demonstrate editing and revision. The student turns in a rough draft (with prior teacher comments) and a polished, revised copy of all sections of the project (proposal, source cards and notes, outline, research paper, product, and creative piece).

All pieces are free of spelling, grammatical, and mechanical errors

All pieces are correctly formatted using MLA formatting criteria

All parts of the project are grounded in responsible, well documented, scholarly research

All pieces (including rough drafts) are turned in neatly organized in a project folder

THE RESEARCH PROCESS: (proposal, source cards and notes, and outline) The student posed a thoughtful, creative question that engaged the student in challenging research on a

problem facing a non-western country. The question contributes to knowledge in a focused, specific area. The proposal is well written, contains no spelling or grammatical errors, and answers the initial questions posed in the preliminary research process.

The student gathered information from a variety of quality electronic and print sources, including databases. Sources are relevant, balanced and include critical readings relating to the thesis or problem. Primary sources were included (if appropriate).

The student fulfilled all the criteria of the initial research process (1-2 page formal project proposal, 7 source cards and significant notes all correctly formatted, and a 2 page formal outline) and demonstrated revision.

The outline clearly follows the organization of the research paper and provides readers with a clear introduction of what to expect in the research paper.

THE RESEARCH PAPER: FOCUS: The paper is clearly organized and focused on a well-written, sophisticated thesis statement. The

thesis statement drives the essay and all main points relate back to the thesis.

CONTENT: The student carefully analyzed the information collected and drew appropriate and inventive conclusions supported by evidence. The student drew examples, quotations, and evidence from responsible research in order to support main points of the essay.

CONTENT: The student documented all sources (minimum of four scholarly sources used). Sources are properly cited, both in-text and in a Works Cited page. Documentation is error-free.

ORGANIZATION: The student developed an appropriate structure for communicating the thesis of the essay, incorporating variety of quality sources. Information is logically and creatively organized with smooth transitions. The essay contains a well-written and well-supported section on the history of the culture, the background of an issue currently facing the culture, and proposes potential solutions to help address the issue.

STYLE: The student used an appropriate variety of sentence structures and interesting diction in order to create the appropriate tone and voice for the essay.

CONVENTIONS: The essay is free of mechanical, grammar, and usage errors.

THE PRODUCT: The product is a socially responsible reflection of the ideas and research gathered during the research

process. The student effectively and creatively used appropriate communication tools to convey the ideas and conclusions gathered during the writing of the research paper.

Product displays creativity and originality.

The creation of the product takes into account the needs, values, beliefs, and ideas of a specific audience. The student produces a product that engages an audience outside of our classroom.

The student responsibly undertakes all the steps necessary to present the product outside of the classroom.

The student documented all sources (including images, sounds, animations, graphs, information, etc.) used in the product. Sources are properly cited, both in-text and in a Works Cited page. Documentation is error free.

CREATIVE PIECE: The creative piece is an individual creative expression of what the student learned as he or she completed

this project. A quality creative piece will demonstrate reflection on the student’s learning experiences and focus on a theme related to a valuable lesson the student learned during the research of this project.

The format chosen by the student to demonstrate a lesson learned during this project is both appropriate and well designed. The student uses creativity to showcase the project in an appropriate and original way. The student obviously spent time considering the format of the creative piece.

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Cultures Project Grading Scale The Cultures Project is graded holistically. This means that you do not receive an individual grade for each section. Instead, the project is graded as a whole. You will need to use the checklist on the previous page to help you in your revision process. Make sure that you have completed all the necessary steps prior to turning in your final project on MONDAY, JANUARY 18th.

HOLISTIC SCORE

LETTER SCORE

NUMERIC SCORE

DESCRIPTION GRADING

5+ A+ 200/200 The project was completed exactly as it was outlined in the packet and in a timely fashion. There are no missing pieces, no incorrect citations, no spelling or grammar problems. It is a publishable, exemplary project.

Exemplary 5 A 190/200

The project was completed exactly as it was outlined in the packet. There are no missing pieces, citations are done correctly, and all pieces are polished. There may be one or two minor spelling or grammar problems, and/or minor citation problems. It is a publishable, polished project.

5- A- 183/200

The project was completed exactly as it was outlined in the packet. There are no missing pieces, citations are done correctly, and all pieces are polished. There may be a few minor spelling or grammar problems, and/or citation problems. One of the pieces needs more revision in order to be considered a polished piece. Overall, it is a publishable, polished project.

4+ B+ 178/200

The project was completed exactly as it was outlined in the packet. However, one or more of the drafts was not fully complete. There are no missing pieces. For the most part, citations are done correctly. All pieces have gone through revision. There may be a few minor spelling or grammar problems, and/or citation problems. Two of the pieces need more revision in order to be considered a polished pieces. Overall, it is a polished project.

Admirable 4 B 170/200

The project was completed exactly as it was outlined in the packet. However, more than one of the drafts was not fully completed. There are no missing pieces. For the most part, citations are done correctly. All pieces have gone through revision. There may be a few spelling or grammar problems. There is a problem either with the parenthetical citations or the works cited page. Two of the pieces need more revision in order to be considered polished pieces. Overall, it is a polished project.

4- B- 163/200

The project was completed exactly as it was outlined in the packet. However, more than one of the drafts was not fully completed. There are no missing pieces. All pieces have gone through revision. There are some spelling and grammar problems. There is a problem with the parenthetical citations and the works cited page. Two of the pieces need more revision in order to be considered polished pieces. Overall, it is a well-executed project.

3+ C+ 158/200

The project is not formatted correctly. More than one of the drafts was not fully completed. One of the draft pieces is missing, but all final pieces are included in the project. All pieces have gone through revision. There are spelling and grammar problems. There is a problem with the parenthetical citations and the works cited page. Two of the pieces need more revision in order to be considered polished pieces. Overall, it is a good project.

Average 3 C 150/200

The project is not formatted correctly. One of the pieces does not follow the directions given in the Cultures Project packet. One of the draft pieces was not turned in to the teacher in advance, but all final pieces are included in the project. There maybe one missing rough copy. All pieces have gone through some revision. There are spelling and grammar problems. There is a problem with the parenthetical citations and the works cited page. More than two of the pieces need more revision in order to be considered polished pieces. Overall, it is a good project.

3- C- 143/200

The project is not formatted correctly. One of the pieces does not follow the directions given in the Cultures Project packet. Two of the draft pieces were not turned in to the teacher in advance, but all final pieces are included in the project. All pieces have gone through some revision. There are spelling and grammar problems. There is a problem with the parenthetical citations and the works cited page. More than two of the pieces need more revision in order to be considered polished pieces. Overall, it is an average project.

2+ D+ 138/200

The project is not formatted correctly. More than one of the pieces does not follow the directions given in the Cultures Project packet. Two of the draft pieces were not turned in to the teacher in advance, but all final pieces are included in the project. All pieces have gone through some revision. There are spelling and grammar problems. There is a problem with the parenthetical citations and the works cited page. More than two of the pieces need more revision in order to be considered polished pieces. Overall, it is an average project. Amateur

2 D 130/200 The student did not turn in two of the drafts to the teacher in advance. Very little revision has been done to the project. It is disorganized and not well thought-out. The student has major formatting, citation, and grammatical problems.

2- D- 123/200 The student did not turn in two of the drafts to the teacher in advance. The project is missing one of the final pieces.

1 F 100/200 The final project is missing three or more of the required elements. Unsatisfactory

14

Student Checklist

Com

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Only

Gra

din

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TURN IN DESCRIPTION DUE DATE TURNED IN

Proposal with an Article

Attached

Submit a one to two page, double-spaced, typed project proposal that answers the following questions: Why are you interested in this particular issue; What question are you hoping to answer through your research; What will you need to research; What do you expect to find during your research; Where will you find the information you need; and Why is this a viable topic? Attach one article you found that supports this topic. The teacher will accept, provisionally accept with revisions, or reject the proposal.

May 5th

Seven Annotated

Sources

You will need to evaluate reliable source materials. To keep track of the bibliographical information for their sources, you will create seven annotated “note cards” using Noodlebib. You must find: a minimum of two sources supporting the historical development of the issue you are researching, a minimum of three sources of information relating to a current issue facing the culture, and a minimum of two sources supporting potential solutions.

May 12th

Working Outline

You will complete a two-page working outline for the research paper prior to beginning the drafting process. The outline will contain information for the following sections: introduction (with thesis), historical background of the culture, specific problem facing the culture today, potential solutions to that problem, and conclusion.

May 19th

Rough Draft of Essay

You will submit a five to seven page, double spaced draft of the research paper. The paper must be correctly formatted using MLA citation style and must include a works cited page with a minimum of four sources listed.

June 2nd

Holist

ically G

raded

The Product

The product will be evaluated on quality, reflection of research, and effect on audience. The expectation is that you will create and distribute a product to an audience outside of our classroom. You may produce a website, a public service announcement for H-Vision, a documentary film, a public speech or presentation for another class or venue, an informational binder/resource for public use, a fund raising campaign, etc.

June 9th

The Creative

Piece

The creative piece will be your individual expression of what you learned as you completed this project. You may decide to create a painting around a theme or quotation you uncovered in your research. You may write a poem or compose a song to express a value held by the culture you researched. Or, you could create a short story or myth related to the traditions of your chosen culture. You will need to decide on the best format in which to share the most valuable lesson you personally learned as you completed this project.

June 9th

THE FINAL PROJECT:

Revisions will be made to the proposal, source cards, outline, research paper, product, and creative piece prior to the final due date. The outline will be revised into a formal outline in order to follow the organization of information as it is presented in the final paper. Students will turn in final good copies of each piece as well as rough drafts and revisions for each portion of this project. The final project will be graded using the holistic rubric on the following page. Projects will NOT be accepted after this date.

June 11th