Voices of Witness:Research Project & Presentation
"We shall not cease from exploration
and the end of all our exploring
will be to arrive where we started
and know the place for the first time."
T.S. Eliot, “Little Gidding”
"We shall not cease from exploration
and the end of all our exploring
will be to arrive where we started
and know the place for the first time."
T.S. Eliot, “Little Gidding”
Assignment: Write a two page informative essay on their nonfiction text. What is a theme that is present across multiple stories? What are the editors implying about that particular theme/claim? Link to Assignment. Link to Rubric.
Learning Target 1: Reading
I can determine a central, implicit idea that the editors are making throughout multiple narratives.
Learning Target 2: Writing
I can follow a writing process to produce clear writing in which the development, organization, style, and voice are appropriate to the task, purpose and audience.
Assignment: An exploration of St. Louis. You are going to take the theme topic from your informative essay and explore its implications locally. You may choose to do this portion of the project in pairs or in small groups (you may also choose to work with someone who read a different book than you did as long as you work with the same themes). Your final product will be an outline for a presentation that will include 1) a synopsis of your VOW text, 2) an overview of how you applied the theme to St. Louis/Missouri and 3) an activity for your audience that connects to your topic/research. Link to Assignment. Link to Rubric.
Learning Target 1: Research
I can develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts.
Learning Target 2: Presearch
I can use the presearch process to develop a research question.
Presenting Your Research
Audience: Your audience will be your peers, teachers, and possibly parents. The final product will be presented in the Auditorium Lobby on October 9th during your hour (and another hour connected to your hour). The Honors teachers will send out an email to the school with a list of students participating in the presentations and the hours they will be excused from. For example, if you are in second hour English, you will miss your 1st hour. You are RESPONSIBLE for reminding your teacher and making up the work you miss during that class.
Schedule:
1st and 2nd hour students: 7:30 a.m.-9:10 a.m.
3rd and 4th hour students: 9:25 a.m.-11:00 a.m.
5th, 6th, and 7th hour students: 12:45 p.m.-2:20 p.m.
Learning Target: Presentation Skills
I can plan and deliver presentations to engage and inform the intended audience.
Step 1: You need to decide how you are going to present your research.
Step 2: Here are the basic requirements for each presentation: Link to Rubric
Practice, Practice, Practice
Your presentation should be well rehearsed. You may use notecards to guide you, but the best presentations and presenters often do not. We are expecting this to be an actual presentation, not you reading from a powerpoint or notecards. You should also be prepared for your audience to ask you questions.
Part 4: Reflection
In class, you will write a reflection on your progress and process throughout this unit. Please keep the above steps in mind when writing.
Questions to think about: